Gulf Islands 2014 Reports

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Fished the commercial troll pattern at low slack this morn. Had two decent fish on, lost em both on the single barbless spoon. Damn it.
Few rockfish, couple lings. Pretty hard work with all of the crap in the water, tide, seals, ferries ect. Had fun though.
Hooked about 7 salmon in 4 mornings of fishing around collinson pt which I always fish for a week each summer. Only landed one undersize for release, and one number one red that fed the whole extended family. Kinda funny that after outboard parts, fuel, tackle ect, it probably cost $50 per pound!
Worth every penny :)
See ya next year
Good for you Tugger. Looks like you got yourself a nice one there. Reds are yummy. Good Catch.
 
Fished collinson PT for three hours on Wed. Threw lots of options out, all rubber and spoons but couldn't muster up anything. One other boat out.....sorry no great news.
 
Caught a special 8lb Spring right on high slack this morning, just off Salamanca. What made it special was it was the first fish my young 15yr. old guest had ever caught. Great fun!

100' on the down rigger in 150' of water, with a green well chewed Coho Killer. Only one hit in the 4 hours.

2 other boats out didn't see any nets waving about.
 
I was at salamanca on thurs I thought I was out on the bank at renfrew it was rouuuuugh. One fella was doing some chuming so there was some feed in the water. Did not see much on the sounder or the rods.No reports on the bluffs other then the odd spring caught.
 
Fished Pender bluffs yesterday afternoon from 1 till 4. Picked up a 14 lb red Spring and a 10 pound white Spring. Both on anchovies with bloody nose glow teaser heads around 80- 100 feet. Blowing a bit and nobody else out there. Seems like the fish are biting again after the crazy moon last week.
 
Fished bold bluff yesterday with a variety of spoons and hootchies and had no love. There was lots of bait on the sounder and it looked like a few fish being picked up from 60-120 feet but not wanted what I was offering. I fished it from 12:30 till 3, and it was hot, hot, hot when the wind stopped blowing. My have to try Pender next time.
 
where's bold bluff vanislehunter?

Anyone been out at Salamanca or Porlier lately? I'm hoping to get over there in a couple weeks. I know it's generally spotty in July so hopefully I get lucky with timing.

Other than Pender blufffs where else have guys been successful picking up sockeye in/around Pender/Galiano/Saltspring? I've picked up a few on the inside of Active Pass on the ebb in past years but Pender bluffs seems to be the most consistent holding zone for them. thoughts?
 
I haven't had any luck at bold bluff in weeks, hopefully it pans out for you. I think I'm gonna pack up and take the drive down to sooke and try my luck where all these big springs are being reported. I for one would love to hear if you manage to hook-up at bold bluff as it's close to home and easy to get to for me.
 
I haven't had any luck at bold bluff in weeks, hopefully it pans out for you. I think I'm gonna pack up and take the drive down to sooke and try my luck where all these big springs are being reported. I for one would love to hear if you manage to hook-up at bold bluff as it's close to home and easy to get to for me.

WR - I am 0 bites over 3 days on Pender Bluffs this summer but have hammered springs in the teens at every trip to Sooke so far in July.

I highly recommend making the trip if you have the capacity to make it happen.... The Trap has been good to us... first thing in the morning and at last light.

Soon enough they should be in the Gulf Islands..... or at least lets hope.

Tight lines!
 
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One 'swing and a miss ' in 3 hours at Pender Bluffs this am - a small one - on Andrew's needle fish behind a green flasher, 60' on the down rigger right at low slack. 3 or 4 other boats out there didn't see any action and not much bait.

Moved to Fairfax, 3 other boats, loads of feed in the water, lots of ducks and gulls but nada in 2 hours on the flood - not the best time to be there but hey we were fishing!
 
Another try at Pender Bluffs - last evening around high slack and nada, zilch, zero - even the seals were looking hungry. 4 other boats there and didn't see a net. It would seem to me that at least some of the summer Fraser River Spring run that is supposed to happen between mid July and the end of August and some of the Fraser Coho returns would come down the west coast of the island and make the turn into Haro Strait running them right into the Bluffs.

On the other hand, has anyone tried Salamanca recently? Any Coho coming down the 'wrong' side of the strait?
 
did a couple of hours troll on pender bluffs over the weekend and nothing to show for it, lots of tiny tiny bait around though.
 
Sounds VERY slow in the gulf islands these days. Makes not being able to get out there and fish for the past few weeks tolerable. I will be getting out there this weekend and will post a report... hopefully one involving a bonked chinook or two. I'll probably start off at salamanca on Saturday and perhaps venture over to Pender bluffs, depending on weather and how productive the fishing is. Hope to hear of some fish caught before the weekend from those able to get out!
 
Sounds VERY slow in the gulf islands these days. Makes not being able to get out there and fish for the past few weeks tolerable. I will be getting out there this weekend and will post a report... hopefully one involving a bonked chinook or two. I'll probably start off at salamanca on Saturday and perhaps venture over to Pender bluffs, depending on weather and how productive the fishing is. Hope to hear of some fish caught before the weekend from those able to get out!

Amen to that. . .gonna be droppin the lines on Saturday as well. . . gonna work them lines good and hopefully see the islands pick up some for sure. Othawise time to head in another course.
 
Any of you gulf island fishers seeing any shakers around this summer, and if so, where? (Really little guys, like less than 10"). Curious as part of ongoing research efforts.

Thanks
 
Any of you gulf island fishers seeing any shakers around this summer, and if so, where? (Really little guys, like less than 10"). Curious as part of ongoing research efforts.

Thanks

In May, June and early July off of Salamanca we would catch a couple of these almost every time out. More so than previous years. But none the last few weeks. They seemed to hit small spoons like Coho Killers and were found anywhere between 120/60' on the down rigger generally closer to shore in under 200' of water. Don't think I saw any on the west side of Active Pass - Collinson Point area.
When I was a kid we called them Grilse - can you tell us more about them?
 
In May, June and early July off of Salamanca we would catch a couple of these almost every time out. More so than previous years. But none the last few weeks. They seemed to hit small spoons like Coho Killers and were found anywhere between 120/60' on the down rigger generally closer to shore in under 200' of water. Don't think I saw any on the west side of Active Pass - Collinson Point area.
When I was a kid we called them Grilse - can you tell us more about them?

Well heck. . . .I haven't seen any "shakers" this side of the pond all year. . . Every fish I've hooked has been a nice chinook. . . Now I neva fished much out towards the bluffs yet but I'm sure I'll make my way over one way or anotha. I remember what an ole friend of mine once said. You keep you lines tight and you'll take the slack outta you life. Never did know what the heck that meant but I try to do right by it.
 
At last some action at Salamanca today about an hour before low slack. Picked up a nice 18Lb [red] spring long distance release on another, released a wild coho and had a bunch of shakers - all on Coho Killers with the green and white behind a green flasher being most productive but a purple one behind a purple haze flasher seemed to work as well. One other boat out and saw him net one about the same time. 60 to 100' on the down rigger, 12Lb. ball following the 150' contour.
One fillet on the BBQ tonight and it was fantastic!
 
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