2018 Nanaimo Reports

I'm by far mostly reds, very few whites. Up to this week it was about 25% hatchery clipped but was about 30% in past few days.
 
Mostly marbled springs this year for us too. Have also noticed the average size of fish this year is smaller then previous years. Anyone have any insight on this?
 
Trolled around Thrasher for a bit last Friday in 90-160' and didn't get anything, but did catch a ton of algae on my line. Got ready to leave but it took about 15 minutes of picking goo off the line as I brought it in. During this time the flasher and lure were trailing on the surface about 50' behind the boat and something hit the lure. Thought it would be a coho but it ended up being a chinook! It was undersize, but still entertaining.
 
weird that most are saying not many whites. I we've been 50/50 red to whites for most trips with a couple trip exceptions where they were mostly white
 
Correct, the whites you are catching in Area 17 are Harrison origin...which also means any rivers that used them for brood stock (Chilliwack, Capilano, Chehalis). Proven by the Avid Angler DNA data...which is way more accurate than CWT.
Nicomekl, tynehead, semiamoo, all ran some whites as well...
 
Lots of fish around. Neck pt.to fingers and around the area. Lots of small undersized springs and coho. Our best luck last few days was 175 to 100 feet with 135 the best for us. Purple haze hootchies green and white glo spoons and green silver spoons trolled fast behind green and gold theme flashers. Mostly all reds between 7 and 11 pounds of which 50 % are hatchery. Thanks to the USA being our goverment does dick for enhancement. If it wasnt for the US ..... I bet our catches would be way down.
A Great few days spent with my amazing dad of 84 years still fishing his home built Nautawhaler...... Built 30 years ago . Cudos to you pops. You rock it out there. Your putting us kids to shame. I sure hope I can do what our dad is if I make 84. Your terrific!
Tight lines Dad and thanks for all you are.
HT
 
How is the debris around Thrasher? Lots of warnings about logs and debris in the SOG from the Fraser flood. How bad is it on this side here?
 
Lots of fish around. Neck pt.to fingers and around the area. Lots of small undersized springs and coho. Our best luck last few days was 175 to 100 feet with 135 the best for us. Purple haze hootchies green and white glo spoons and green silver spoons trolled fast behind green and gold theme flashers. Mostly all reds between 7 and 11 pounds of which 50 % are hatchery. Thanks to the USA being our goverment does dick for enhancement. If it wasnt for the US ..... I bet our catches would be way down.
A Great few days spent with my amazing dad of 84 years still fishing his home built Nautawhaler...... Built 30 years ago . Cudos to you pops. You rock it out there. Your putting us kids to shame. I sure hope I can do what our dad is if I make 84. Your terrific!
Tight lines Dad and thanks for all you are.
HT
You’re a lucky man to be fishing with your dad. Wish I still could.
 
Did a cruise today to get almost 2 year old out fishing. Managed to soak lines between 10-1130 around entrance and only managed a small spring about 6 pounds to the boat from 165 ft on kitchen sink spoon. Nothing else doing for me - no algae though which was nice.

Saw a couple guys at ramp with the odd fish in the 10-15 range... Anyone comment on where the spoil grounds are?
 
I've never seen that mapped out before but generally fished that area today. My buddy was out in his boat as well. Between both boats we landed somewhere in the vicinity of 30 plus fish, not counting long line releases. No keepers. All around 18 inches or so. Fun but frustrating as well.
 
Out today from 2pm to 8:30pm. Found a wild coho, released it untouched. Kept 3 springs 7, 9 and 10lbs. All between 135 and 155 over 300. All on anchovies. Tried spoons, hoochies and herrings without bites.
The algae was not a problem. Only a few spots here and there.
 
Was out this morning at 0700 before work to run the boat after doing some work on it. The parking lot was jammed packed already.

There was a guy cleaning a nice 20# red at the table and one about 12# already. He must have gone out first thing to be back by 0700 and went bang, bang.

I would think that a few fish were taken today by the number of trailers parked.

Off to Campbell River at 0600 to get a little work on my main engine and hopefully mount my new T25 kicker on the boat Wednesday and get out to break it in with a fishing rod over the side.

Has anyone heard how the commercial Prawn guys are doing?

Mike
 
I haven’t seen the commercial prawn boats and I haven’t heard either.
Was out tonight and came back with 11 and 12lbs on anchovies in front of Neck Point, 135 on the rigger in 140 of water.
Another very nice calm night. We are luck to live here.
 
Is it my imagination or are there really many, many more hatchery chinook being taken in the general Nanaimo area? That's that segment of Area 17 from Neck Point out into deep water well past the Fingers and then over to Entrance Island and on to the Grande and Thrasher. My numbers to date have not been spectacular but, over the past two weeks, have included four red hatchery fish in the 10 to 14 pound range. I fish the same spots each year and do not ever recall a similar count. Once the heads are checked we will have a better idea as to their source, possible Puget Sound? The algae problem seems greatly diminished this week and there are definitely a goodly number of coho around - more than for many years - which is most hopeful for the months ahead and for the fall beach fishery that has become such a big part of the Island salmon season.
 
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