Your Background

O

otter

Active Member
I have been on this board for app 2yrs and for myself it has been informative and a learning experience re Salmon fishing. Basically my profile is this, I fished for salmon periodically over the years with some trips up Island,not enough. I can say that I thought I knew pretty much. Moved to Sooke 5 yrs ago by accident, a good thing. All of a sudden I realized I was where its at!
My long and rambling point being is I knew nothing,am still learning.
I read of others on the board and wonder how they learned the ways and means of being the highliners.a respectfull term Not caring about any secrets or whatever, just inquisitive as to if by experimentation, coaching or elsewhat. To sum up Im happy just to get out,get a fish is definetely a bonus,but still curious about those few who are consistently succesfull. Am I jelous,maybe somewhat,only natural I think,however if any of yoy wish to enlighten me and anyone else re the means you gained your success, please do so. Remember not looking for secrets,that will be gained on my own and want it that way.
 
Sure !!!!! when I first started fishing it was from my uncle at age 12 out of gold river I would stay up there for 3 fun filled summers with him until he passed away from cancer and he taught me a lot about fishing and hunting along with my father.And I know he is up there looking down on me and I know he would be proud of me he was a very special man in my life and was taken from our family way to early I have very fond memories of him I have never met a man so funny in my life with his antics on the things he did.

Then I started making fishing gear for a company called wesking ent. you know the one with the yellow cedar fishing gaffs(the skippers in the hali derby all got one)and I was LUCKY enough to try all the new gear and be taught as well from the owner.

Then I really got to know a great fisherman who still fishes out in sooke who has quite a few fish over 50 lbs (remember the king derbys) and he took me under his wing and showed me things about fishing I never even knew from all these people I learnt something different from all of them and now I am still learning but I think I have improved and changed with the times of how we all used to fish remember the peetz and and the 2 lb balls off of them, then came the old cycle wheel with wire and the meat line and snubber we have changed alot in 25 years!!!!!!

I was just chatting ok having a bevie too of the maker of the rhys davis heads just yesterday and we were talking of how the heads have changed first came the clear then the green,red and blue then the glow about 10 years ago and everybody was fraking out over that because it was "quote" UGLY now look at all the colors LOL!!!!!

In closing I consider myself a good fisherman and what I have learned and I think is valuable is get away from the pack sometimes and watch for the things that are around you ie current lines, bait, birds if your fishing near 50 boats your odds are lower to catch fish I get away from them and move up or down from them the fish are passing through you will get them more boats around the less chance YOU will get a fish its all about numbers, any body who sees me out there knows I like to be away from everyone I dont like getting caught in someone elses gear!!!!!!

Thats why on here I think its good to try and share experience with everyone on here I learn as well too from others on here I was a newbie too not to long ago.

GOOD LUCK TO YOU ALL WOLF
 
Thanks Wolf,interesting background, especially re your grandfather and the Sooke person. Any chance his neame is Ben?
 
Interesting topic!Had to call and ask dad about this one.

I officially started fishing when i could stand on my own two.However i was on and off my Uncles commercial and the
Invicta II off Hardy in 79 at the ripe age off 4 with Mom and Dad. Most off the commercial stuff is a blurr to me as i was young. At around 8 i got my first salmon rod and reel which i caught my first spring jigging a whit Dart off of deep bay closer to Denman Island at the can buoy called P 42. Then i was hooked for good. Since then i have fished a mix of Sooke,Renfrew and the Comox Valley waters where i started guiding at 15 out of Pacific Village Marina for Conrad and his wife. Those days were easy. Drop line and jig or mooch raked live herring. Up comes one of the many Springs and Coho Lurking off Bowser Flats, Chrome Island lighthouse, Tribune Bay, Norris Rocks and Flora Island. Barry Thornton taught me flyfishing in the salt off tribune bay kelp beds with tube fly herring imitations in a 17 foot whaler.Danny Wong was another mentor, he made the du jigger jigs. My Escape may remember them. I lived in Fanny Bay for the summers and did nothing but fish.
Trolling in Sooke then made a big change when i was about 14 or 15. It went from Peetz rods and reels with two pounds of lead and wire line, then to funny looking blue scotty downriggers and stacked lines. I remember it was taboo to fish anything but cutplugs in Renny!A big boat was our welded 17 footer with a set off 35 johnsons then a Yammy 60 enduro. Now here i am 15 years later with my 5th boat doing more of what i love to do and the odd time getting paid to do so! Almost perfect except i still work 4 on and have 4 off to fish.

As with anything, i for one can always learn new things.Sad to see Bags, Yo Mama,Fins and Skins and many others reluctant to post anymore. There is a wealth of knowledge from many old and new salts on this board who can catch a spring in a toilet bowl blinfolded. I read listen and learn what i can from all, I can catch fish yes, but i don't cosider myself better than anyone else. we all get skunked. It's fishing not catching. A bit of sense and humour does this forum some good and as wolf says it supposed to be fun:D Good Luck, See you on the Pond
 
This forum has been helpful in more than one way. Where else can you find about a certain make of boat, get an honest answer about the boats strengths and weaknesses. The dealer or guy your buying from sure ain't going to tell you much is he. Also, Were you might find a good deal on a boat or motor( should you need either), how to purchase a boat out of the US. What boats and gear to stay away from. Were you can pick up the latest and greatest lures. Fishing reports from a variety of areas and what they were fishing with. I take everything with a grain of salt, I'll try anything once and if it doesn't work for me I can say I at least tried it. You might even be invited to go out with someone on the forum, if your so lucky.( Right Place & Right Time).

I fished mostly lakes up in the interior around Kamloops/Merritt area for the first 18 years of my life. Once I was old enough my dad bought me my own little inflatable dinghy. I would row around the lake either trolling or stop in the bays and anchor and cast for hours. I used fly rods and flies(dry & wet, that my dad hand tied for me). That was all I knew until I moved to the rock in 91'. The parents wanted to retire here and I wasn't old enough to stay behind and defend for myslef at that point. I was lucky enough to meet up with a guy that I worked with and who was a fishing addict. He took me out sockeye fishing in his boat for years and taught me the ins and outs of fishing for salmon. I eventually got my own boat, then I would take him out with me, to repay the favor/debt of him teaching me everything that he knows. He also taught me how to fish the rivers and steelhead fish. If he ain't catching fish then you won't be getting any either, that's the general rule. Every now and then I can out fish(catch more than he does)him but, not to often. Hope to change that someday but, if not oh well. He's taught me a ton and will continue to teach me alot more in the years to comem, I'm sure of that. Never have to worry about fishing alone either. The only fish that I haven't caught yet is halibut, I plan to change that soon. Just got to find a bigger boat, I'm very close to that to now. Should have one by sockeye season next year.
 
I've allways loved fishing and started fishing on my dads commercial rockcod boat when i was about 8. I have worked on his boats ever since, Which is about 12 years. I should be off in October to do a little more live cod fishing. Too bad we only get 800 lbs a year per license now.
 
My dad (BOB) upgraded from an aluminum to a 17 ft double eagle. He took me out fishing for the first time when I was 6. I guess I was lucky from the start, jigging out of the little window on the double eagle I hooked a 28 pound spring. I was a little miffed that he took the rod away, and after he and my older brother landed the fish I made very clear that this was My fish. By the time I was 10 I was able to run the boat. Set the riggers, bait the hooks, and play out springs. I caught spring fever that summer and never really looked back. My family was very good friends with Percy Brown who owned Pacific Lions, so we where there almost every summer, even after he sold it and moved up the hill. I spent the next 7 yrs honing my skills fishing sooke and the waterfront in the winter. By the time I was 18 I took a job with the Bamfield Inn. I spent two yrs working for them then went to work for Bob Watson's sport fishing. I spent two more yrs working for Bob then when he retired in 1994 I started out on my own. I now fish the winters on the inside around Naniamo, then move out to the west coast and fish from Refrew, Bamfield, or Ukie for the spring and summers. I've tried to learn as much as I can, by watching everyone I've fished with, taking a tip from one guy another from another guy, tried them all out and found out what works for me. Just started Hali fishing in the last couple yrs since I got my new Boat, and I gotta say I rather like fishing Hali's Vs. Springs. Maybe its cause I have caught lots of springs already, but I like fighting a Hali and Big ones make my knees shake like the springs used to do for me. I'm thinking now of selling my Conquest and picking up a smaller campion or a smaller whaler and trucking down to fish the Baja in Mexico. I think it would be a blast to try fishing for 300 pound yellowfins and all the other various fish they catch down there.
 
In the early 50`s my father and grandfather had a 48 foot troller based out of Halfmoon Bay called the Vagabond. I was very young but still have some pretty vivid memories.
I come from a fishing family and it`s always been in the blood. We moved around a lot and I have fished for pike in eastern ALta, Char and Graying in the Yukon and trout all over the interior. Most of that was as a fly fisherman and always had an adversion to fishing with garden tackle.
How many remember the days when you could jig for crabs and traps were rare? Just lower a chunk of whatever on a nylon line, pull them slowly to the surface and jerk them onboard before they could let go.
As a 6 year old, I would make spending money by fishing for shiners and selling them for a nickel to the cod fisherman on the wharf. Dad made me a screen lined box I had nailed to the floating dock and people would leave me nickels even when I wasn`t around to collect.
Have had two trips to Langara since moving back to the coast and now am heading out for a week at Nootka. Leaving Van at daybreak thursday morning with a group trailering three boats up to Gold River Boat launch . This forum has been a treasure for us and would like to thank ever last person who has posted both reports from that area and helpful hints in general.
Will definitely be reporting here when we get back.
Thanks again and tight lines to all !!!
 
I started fishing at the age of 6 on Summer holidays on Pender Island off the docks for Perch using a stick string hook and live baby crabs caught lots. Soon after that I got hooked on Crabing and Shrimping and Fishing @ the local docks around Sidney where I grew up.I was a late starter on the salmon scene other then a few trips with my Uncle as I moved away from the Coast for quite a few years. When I moved back to the island I really got hooked on the first of four 5 day trips I won to go charter fishing in Renfrew back in the days when it was like taking fish out of an over stocked pond. My first boat was a 12 hourston and I would fish the Oak Bay Flats, Water Front and James Island or Powder Warf Area Jigging and trolling with Deep Sixes. When I moved to Nanaimo I fished mainly from shore as at the time I was catching more from rocky point then many of my friends out on their boats. I then purchased MyEscape loaded it with the best gear and started fishing alot more with holiday trips as long as week to places like Port for Socks and Chinooks. 3 years ago I moved to Comox so now I fish from Parksville to Port McNiel on the ECVI and a few of the Areas on the West Coast. I always enjoyed being on the water as much as fishing and now am even more involved in what I love working for Eagle Craft. Since becoming a member here and on fishbc I have met so many people willing to share information and many now have become close friends, this has helped greatly in my quest to become a better fishermen. I was not as lucky as many of you as most of my family doesn't fish so I had to seek advice elsewhere and was and still am rewarded with great information daily. I work lots and some days live vacariuosly through others fishing stories. ;)

Thanks to all those who contribute information to help others here on Sportfishingbc

Well thats it for now leaving Friday for Quatsino for 4 days of fishing yes with a top notch guide who will teach me lot's as next year want to venture that way in my own ride.. First major trip of the year. Will Report with pics when I return.

Cheers ME
 
I'll bite, too!
And I'll get right to the point.
I blame my parents.
Dad was the first in 14 generations not to commercial fish for a living.
My great grandfather had, at one time, three four masted scooners that fished out of Black's Harbour, New Brunswick.
My dad gave me a Ted Peck Special fly rod when I was 8 (read the mid sixties) and taught to fly fish in central Alberta where I grew up(still have it).
Got hooked on the west coast as we had a standing reservation with the Rathtrevors in Parksville before it was a Provincial Park for 10 or so years.
I learned the basics from the Smith family in Port Renfrew. (One owned the marina, one owned a comercial rig, etc.
And from there, did a lot of looking and listening and lot's of seat time in boats of every discription.
Started my own charter business 7 years ago, and quit my full time job that brought me to the Island 17 years ago.
Still learning and looking, but always willing to pass on info when asked, as that's how I got to where I am.....where-ever that is.
Seen alot of changes since the sixties in gear, techniques and such.
Like Wolf, I too tend to keep away from the pack.
(Had forty plus boats yesterday at Chatham hugging the shore rod to rod, gear getting run over by the Painters crew, you name it. Clients were wonderering why we were in the middle of the Straits, but not for too long!!)
I still love fishing, and hope that running 1000 hours plus every summer doesn't spoil it. So far, so good.
 
I have my Grandfather to thank for introducing me to fishing at the age of 6. He took us kids to visit a friend of his that resided on Shushwap back in 71 and we went fishing. I remember that holiday as if it happened yesterday...

THEN when I was 10, Mom and Pop's thought a fishing rod for my b-day could act as a babysitter (mostly correct) and pointed me to the Bow River in Calgary where I grew up.

Through trial and error, I learned how to catch Suckers....Then Whitefish.....Then Rainbows and Brookies. More than my share of Norther Pike, in the lakes later on.

At the age of 12 I got my first taste of the west coast. Couldn't partake, only see what was goin on.......When I was 13, I knew where I was going to be NOW.

Made the move too Vancouver when I was 20 and immediately started scratching (read trial and TONS of error). Most people that know me can't believe the TIME and $$$ that I've invested over the years AND still do.

Many also believe that my brain is wired wrong and that there's more to life than the way I see it. I think that the cells are working just fine and hope that they can find the passion in SOMETHING at the same level as I with fishing. Most haven't, this is sad.

WORK HARD.....PLAY HARD.....And don't let getting skunked get you down. Just try and learn what's goin on and ENJOY THE DAY!!!!!!

Don't be afraid to read a little and practice things that you gain. Pick a technique and stick with it. One day it WILL come around and then try to figure out why it did.

The best advice that I honestly could fess up, would be: LEARN HOW TO READ A CHART! AND GET AN UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT THE OCEAN is DOING. The rest is fairly predictable.

Unless you want to pay a guy like me.....A fishing trip should start at the kitchen table, going over a CHART!. People focus to much on the prize and forget about getting a good start off the line, so to speak, imo.
 
Great Topic!

As a child I fished with my Dad at various BC interior lakes, basic willowleaf and worms; caught enough for dinner though. I stopped fishing when I got my driver's licence (racing cars was more of a rush).

About 4yrs ago my wife suggested I start fishing with my son (then 3yrs), and BAM, I was addicted again discovering Salmon rivers, level winds and fly fishing. Biggest aid was this board for learning about techniques and locations. Currently I gear and fly fish for salmon summer and fall as well as trout fish with all three of my boys (7,4,2yrs).

Now I know a little about fishing too, so I can sometimes pass on the knowledge I've gained and give back to the board that helped me catch fish.

Cheers,
Alex
 
My first memories of fishing were with my Dad of the coast of Africa at 3 for cuda. So you could say I was hooked early. Lived in few areas in Canada and sometime in England as a kid. Learned to flyfish over there. Have been on the coast on and off since I was 12 and camped hiked and fished my way through my early summers. I have a number of friends who are avid fishers and we trade a lot of information between us. I've learned to read tides, currents, lunar phases and watch the seabirds as well the local gossip. If what you are dragging is not catching change it and try something else. Rarely ever skunked and I say that is by 25% skill and the rest luck. I always look at a trip out on the water as relaxation and bringing home a fish as a bonus.
I figure there is always something to learn. I am willing to try anything at least once.
Neatest trick I ever learned and disbelieved until tried was trailing a black hook for springs no flasher nothing but the hook.
Love this site because people are very open with their opinions on everything
So I am now going on fifty, if I can do this for another fifty, bury me like the vikings, load me in my boat ,light it up and push me out to sea.
 
Grew up as a kid in Cordova Bay and used to fish in the bay for bluebacks and searun cut's out of an 8' flat bottom row boat.
We used to load up our rods and bait and spend a good part of the summer trolling and jigging.
My Dad is a die hard golfer and never had much interest in fishing , but that didn't stop me.
One year, when i was about 12, a neighbour took us to Sooke in his old wood boat to fish for pinks.
I had never caught anything larger than bluebacks, so when we hooked into a bunch of 5 and 6 lb pinks, i thought i had died and gone to heaven !

Have since fished mostly southern vanc. island waters, with annual trips to Renfrew, and even a couple of trips to the Charlottes. But most of my fishing is done between Oak bay and the Victoria waterfront, which sadly is not what it used to be...
However as greatly discussed on the forum, it's not all about the catching, but the whole experience of being on the water and enjoying !:D

Scott
 
Started as a fry on Galiano Island. Fishing shiners off the dock.Going into Active pass with dad and uncles when ever they would let me come along. Eventually had access to a 12' plywood boat my dad built and a 6hp johnson was allowed to go outside the bay to catch cod. Started trolling for bluebacks around Gossip Island and every now and then would hit a spring.
In 1973 my grand parents bought me a 12' springbok and 6hp evinrude brand new from Sears.(I still own them)
Having this new setup I decided to persue my passion for the big boys. I started fishing the good spots in Active Pass. It was a lot different back then. Active Pass was the place to be. Mooching live herring was the ticket. There would be up to 50 boats fighting for position in one place. My little 12'er got me right in there. We would jig our own herring then keep them in a galvanised wash tub in the boat. We had no sonar back then.Just go 17 pulls. That was the magic number. Then watch your tip. I got a lot of the bigger boats mad at me as I would often out fish them. It was common for me to come home with a pair of tyee laying in the bottom of my boat.
What a great way to grow up. I would lay in bed on sunday night and listen to the 'Ted Peck show' on the radio. Guys would call in and talk about their trip to Cowichan Bay and all the fish they caught.
I would get out my dads charts and figure how I could get there in my boat without my parents finding out. Never did it though. Now I live here but the fishing is pretty much done compared to back then.
About '79 I moved to Madeira Pk in Pender Harbour.Spent 7 years there. They fished live herring there as well. Only , we would go to Camerons dock and buy them.
Spent a lot of years on the main land and Galiano after that fishing interior lakes. Learned to fish Vedder river and Chehalis for salmon and steelhead and would make regular trips to Island to fish the Stamp. 11 years ago moved to Cowichan Valley where I am now. Started to fish Sooke. Wow. This was action like I used to get at Galiano.only it was trolling instead of mooching.
Living here on the rock has opened all sorts of new fishing opportunities.One of the great things is trying to decide 'now where should I fish tomorrow?' I could go for a hike up the river, or take my tube and fly rod to a lake, go for some winter springs. Or road trip. West coast.
Now look what you've done. Got me goin down memory lane. Makes me realise what a great place we live in. I hope all the young people here appreciate what they have.
Now if I just had some help here so I could take time off to go fishing.
 
Grew up in Victoria and fished the salt with my dad and friends. Got a summer job guiding at Stuart Island, northeast of Campbell River, and spent 14 great summers doing that while going to university. Started working for resorts and ended up with my own guiding business towards the end. Now fish for fun throughout the island.
 
Started fishing as soon as I could walk. Fished the creeks and rivers in North Vancouver and off the shore at Ambleside and Dundarave. The first salmon fishing outing I remember was when I was 6. My Dad had to work in Campbell River and someone he know told him to rent a boat at the river mouth and go around the corner to what is now known as the Tyee Pool. We fished polar bear bucktails for coho. Loaded up...that was back in July of 1967. Since then. we always went back to CR for two weeks in June and July. My Dad taught me all about bucktails. I learned how to cut plug and fish live bait back in the mid 70's from a CR guide named Peter Angus. He still plys the waters. His dad taught me about the different colors of hootchies and when to use them (sunny, cloudy....). I learned about reading the tides and back eddies in CR (lighthouse, Whiskey, Copper Bluffs).. trolling Butlers, Francisco Point and the cans. Would rake or jig our own bait and the mooch or troll it. Fished Greensea, Chatham, and all the other now well known spots north of CR. In the late 70's and early 80's I guided in CR and Hakai. Never used a downrigger until, I bot my first boat in 1986, 19 1/2 Glasply, and started fishing around Vancouver. I still own it along with a 12 and 14 ft aluminum. I started fishing Bamfield, Ucluelet and Nootka in 1988 and have gone back every summer. I moved to CR in 1993, and now am passing my fishing knowledge to my 7 and 9 yr old boys. Regardless of how much I think I know, I am always asking questions and learning from others. Someone always knows something I don't. Knowing when to fish, when the fish are there is 1/2 the battle. The more you fish, the more you learn and just when you think you have them figured, they fool you again. My most successful bait for springs is anchovy and cut plug. Make sure the roll is tight and not too fast...long leaders also helps. For coho, fast trolled bait, spoons or flys always puts fish in the boat. Sockeye, pinks and chums like pink, but I have caught many on anchovy and spoons down deep fishing for springs. I agree with wolf and blueorca, I always fish out of the crowds. The fish have to get to where the crowds are, so why not head em off at the pass....This forum has been a wealth of knowledge. Keep it coming...we all will continue to learn and catch those silver beauties.
 
I grew up in vancouver and was lucky to spend my summers growing up on Bowen Island.It was over there that I fell in love with boats and the ocean.My dad bought a 14' fiberglass boat with an old pull start 40 horse evinrude. Unfortuneately he wasn't much for fishing.
It was seeing all the oldtimers go out in there cartoppers and bring back fish consistently (throughout the 70's)around places like Worlcombe Isle., Roger Curtis etc. that kept my interest in fishing. My grandfather enjoyed to fish and was quite succsessful but for some reason never was able to show me.
I started fishing off docks with a buddy for shiners and then using the shiners for live bait to catch dogfish or lingcod (usually in Tunstall Bay). Gibson's started holding a dogfish derby in '76. My buddy and I came first and second the first year they had it!! He won $1000.00 for first and I won $200.00 for second. I think his fish weighed 8 oz more!
It was at this time, mid to late 70's I got the best summer job a teenager could have. I got to work on a troller on the west coast. Skipper was Walter Emerson. GOOD fisherman!! Made great money for a kid back in the day. Thought I would become a commercial fisherman myself but life led me down a different path. What incredible experiences I had out there.
I've only recently (last 5 years) gotten back into fishing after buying an older 18.5' double eagle. Now my 2 boys and their friends will come fishing. The laughs and new experiences we have are worth every penny and headache that you can have with owning a boat!!
Catching the first 30# off the mouth of the Cap. Fishing in Port Alberni catching lots of fish, seeing whales, spending time at Savary Island, lamb barbeque at Saturna etc. etc.
I'm starting to ramble on. I have to agree about being passionate about something. The enjoyment we get out on the water as a family is hard to top!!
 
Me, I never even owned a fishing rod till after my son was born in '96. Whatever it is that bites fishing maniacs... he's got it.

We moved to the island from the mainland when he was 1 1/2 years old, and he's been fishing hard since he was about 3. I had always wanted to try flyfishing so I got into it as well. We're fortunate to have two lakes in town and many more close by so we've spent MANY a day and evening there. The thing was I always had to wait till later in the day to take him out because no matter what time we started, he wanted to fish till dark. One day we actually fished 2 lakes from sun-up till sun down. He's been flyfishing and tying since he was 6.

We rigged our boat for saltwater fishing over the last couple of years and I'm learning the art of salmon fishing. For the third year in a row we fished Johnson Stait in July and he's up at 0400, ready to go. I've got manual downriggers and he grinds in the 10 pound balls all day long. When we head back to the float lodge for break, he gets out the spinning rod and fishes off the dock.

We just got back from Campbell River where he landed 18 pinks and lost many more on the fly in the fast water. There weren't many fish, but he outfished most everyone there on flies he tied himself.

We've enjoyed many incredible hours fishing and it really is a blessing to be able to spend so much quality time together.

I spoiled him last year though when we went on a charter out of Uclulet and limited out on Spring, Hali's and Coho in only 4 hours fishing. The next time out I took him to Sooke and got skunked.

I was going to drag the boat down to Sooke on Saturday, but I decided to go out with Wolf and learn from a pro. My son Zach will be watching every move. No pressure Wolf.
 
sounds like wolf will have to tie zach up in the front of the boat blindfolded or lose some of his secrets,;), have fun and good luck,
oh and hey wolf i was talking with harold today( you took him out last tuesday i think, with doug) said he had a great day and you were a real pro, thought u might like the feed back
dohboy
 
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