2023 Secret Cove, Pender Harbour and Texada Reports
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Last_Call
Well-Known Member
Made it up to Thormanby after a sloppy run up from vancouver this afternoon. Found some time after dinner to take a few kids out for a quick fish at epsom and it was pretty busy. Another 8 boats out there and we had 10 to the boat in an hour. Ended up bonking 2 10lb spring and 2 fat hatchery coho that were around 10lbs each as well. White hootchies at 50-60 for us but I think anything would have worked tonight. We fished from 8-9pm. Sorry to the one boat I nearly cut off but I had 3 kids on board and 2 fish on so that’s my excuse for not paying attention 
sherrett
Well-Known Member
Fished W side of Epsom last night after dinner, 7:15 to 8:30, and got into some solid fish with my net man.
Landed 10 or so to the boat, a mix of small coho and chinooks, though mostly chinooks. All the coho were wilds. Lots of bait and feeding fish in 85’ to 105’ up on the flats. We had one rod at 60’ and the other near bottom, and the bottom rod brought in more fish.
Kept two thick chinooks at the top of the slot size — 79cm and 76cm. Both beautiful reds, one female, one male. One hatchery, one wild.
Landed 10 or so to the boat, a mix of small coho and chinooks, though mostly chinooks. All the coho were wilds. Lots of bait and feeding fish in 85’ to 105’ up on the flats. We had one rod at 60’ and the other near bottom, and the bottom rod brought in more fish.
Kept two thick chinooks at the top of the slot size — 79cm and 76cm. Both beautiful reds, one female, one male. One hatchery, one wild.
sherrett
Well-Known Member
Fished W Epsom again the last two nights (Wed and Thu) and action was slower, but maybe I was slower too?
Still got fish and almost all Chinooks but they weren't as aggressive as earlier in the week. Kept one mid 60s Chinook on Wed night. Didn't keep any on Thu. 10-12 fish each night in a bit over an hour of fishing.
Both nights light winds and I tried to find new areas of the shoal that held bait and fish. Okay tides each night but no real sharp slack so no real sudden bite on.
Marked lots of fish out deeper (120' - 175') that I had been getting them (95' - 115'). Ran the presentations through those deep fish and got no action so my guess is they're just holding or a bit lethagic. The feeding fish were all in shallower water, for me. I saw other boats out deeper and some getting fish, so YMMV.
Got checked by the Conservations Officer on Wed night back at the docks, so stick to the regs!
Still got fish and almost all Chinooks but they weren't as aggressive as earlier in the week. Kept one mid 60s Chinook on Wed night. Didn't keep any on Thu. 10-12 fish each night in a bit over an hour of fishing.
Both nights light winds and I tried to find new areas of the shoal that held bait and fish. Okay tides each night but no real sharp slack so no real sudden bite on.
Marked lots of fish out deeper (120' - 175') that I had been getting them (95' - 115'). Ran the presentations through those deep fish and got no action so my guess is they're just holding or a bit lethagic. The feeding fish were all in shallower water, for me. I saw other boats out deeper and some getting fish, so YMMV.
Got checked by the Conservations Officer on Wed night back at the docks, so stick to the regs!
Sttr
Crew Member
Fished a bit out of Pender Harbour this week. Managed to get my lines down in egmont the first day,started promising with a hit right away but only a pink, then gave up pretty fast after constant shakers. Fished outside Pender harbour the following days, west side of Pearson island had constant action with coho, pinks and smaller springs. Daniel point is producing lots of coho, but no hatchery love for us. Shot down to Epsom point and finally found some bigger fish. Fished 12-5pm with 4 pin poppers and a few coho. Really struggled netting with the wife, lost 3 keepers at the boat, guess we just need more practice or more hooks LoL
Netanyahu
Well-Known Member
No doom and all give me room to fight this one! Today at North Thormanby, Epsom was a washing machine this AM...... so the "ever try the east side of this sandbar"? Sure! that would beat a day watching the trees and local Kitchen creek dry up and die from the balcony.
We ride with the wind, consent action, first fish a nice slot yum yum, second an unclipped Ho with spunk, in the water release. Acton every 15-20 minutes. Run back up and ride downwind once again same results! Not saying it was a cake walk but keeping it comfy was productive and with the push downwind it saved the keep the hands on the wheel and the eyes on the destination strain. Fun day, next up the city slickers show up on the 4th for their annual liver testing, hopefully they pass and we can get off the distilled water for a weekend.
We ride with the wind, consent action, first fish a nice slot yum yum, second an unclipped Ho with spunk, in the water release. Acton every 15-20 minutes. Run back up and ride downwind once again same results! Not saying it was a cake walk but keeping it comfy was productive and with the push downwind it saved the keep the hands on the wheel and the eyes on the destination strain. Fun day, next up the city slickers show up on the 4th for their annual liver testing, hopefully they pass and we can get off the distilled water for a weekend.
Sea.S.I
Active Member
Battled the rollers last couple of days outside of Pender. Wife let me go out this morning despite being our 29th anniversary. While she slept in I
quickly pulled in another beauty. Decided to prep this one every which way including steaks, fillets, roast, pieces to make fish burgers, and left over crab bait.
quickly pulled in another beauty. Decided to prep this one every which way including steaks, fillets, roast, pieces to make fish burgers, and left over crab bait.
wishiniwasfishin1
Well-Known Member
Damn that’s as good as it gets!
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sherrett
Well-Known Member
Fished W side of Epsom this morning for 90 minutes, from 6:30 to 8, through the high tide at 7:30. Focused on 100’ - 120’ depths and found lots of fish and bait, though all small. No big migratory chinooks.
Around 12 fish landed including rearing chinooks, coho, a pink and a ling. It was a diverse catch but nothing over ~5 lbs and let them all go.
Around 12 fish landed including rearing chinooks, coho, a pink and a ling. It was a diverse catch but nothing over ~5 lbs and let them all go.
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Last_Call
Well-Known Member
Lots of fish around epsom this morning. Took. The kids out from 7-9am and had steady action on hootchie and spoon. Quite a few pinks that we released as well as some unmarked coho. Ended up bonking 2 nice marked coho. Couldn’t find a keeper sized spring but likely lost one behind the boat. 77-122ft all produced for us but I think they were everywhere in the water column as most boats seemed busy out there.
sherrett
Well-Known Member
Same experience for us yesterday. Lots of fish to the boat and a mix of coho, pinks and small chinooks. Larger, migratory chinooks are proving hard to find for us. Looked at my fishing journal for last year and it was pretty much the same. The big, migratory chinooks seemed to move out at the start of August.
Might try Sangster or up Sabine Channel on some of the bars and humps.
sherrett
Well-Known Member
Got 2 hatchery coho and a slot chinook midday today at Epsom. Lots of other fish around too, including pinks.Anybody still finding any keepers in the Pender area (other than pinks)? Not ready to put the rods away yet (until Chum season)
kingblazer84
Well-Known Member
no seal issues at pirate anymore? sounds like you got it dialed!
Never had a seal take a fish at Pirate. But saw some sea lions this morning - thankfully, they were moving away from us. P.S. white hoochies and, when jigging (which I only do 20% of the time), Macdeeps continue to work the best for me.
Sea.S.I
Active Member
Just realized this is south end of thormanby, near Fraser rock.
ab1752
Crew Member
Yep, nice coves in there too. I haven't been successful in the area much, the reef off trail islands has been better for me.
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