Bumper crop of Juvenile Herring

saltydawg

saltydawg

Well-Known Member
Balmacarra beach in Gordon Head has a massive school of herring in it. The entire bay is boiling. A guy could fill a pail up with the ones washed up on the beach but they are too small for bait. 2-4". The water all along the shore is black with them.
I wonder whats up?
 
That's great news. It will be better if you see boils of winter springs feasting on them ;) let us know if that happens :)

Hopefully this is a sign that the baits are coming back in the straight. Better still if the needle fish starts a come back. Sure missed those cohos that follow them later on the year.

HS.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
saltydawg said:
Balmacarra beach in Gordon Head has a massive school of herring in it. The entire bay is boiling. A guy could fill a pail up with the ones washed up on the beach but they are too small for bait. 2-4". The water all along the shore is black with them.
I wonder whats up?
Click to expand...

Cool! where exactly is Balmacarra beach ? I am ashamed to say I have never heard of it.

beemer
 
Hmm, lived here all my life and never heard of it either. Must be in Uplands!!! Lol
 
1 nm south of Mt Doug park. Haro straight
 
Many of the beaches along Victoria's waterfront occasionally get Salmon in close and shallow when the bait is there. Back in the day Coho and Springs use to beach themselves on the little beach S. of Oak Bay marina while chasing bait. Margarets Beach was a good spot too. This summer Springs were in close at Esquimalt lagoon thrashing the sand lance. It's all about being at the right place at the right time. Always have a rigged spinning rod in the trunk.
 
I've spent a lot of time in the 80's at Hollydwne Beach as my best buddy then lived right on the water there. Lots of beach barbi's...and some wild party's upmatbthe house as he played drums and often jammed with other musicians at his parties. The police new where he beach was too. Lol
 
eroyd said:
Many of the beaches along Victoria's waterfront occasionally get Salmon in close and shallow when the bait is there. Back in the day Coho and Springs use to beach themselves on the little beach S. of Oak Bay marina while chasing bait. Margarets Beach was a good spot too. This summer Springs were in close at Esquimalt lagoon thrashing the sand lance. It's all about being at the right place at the right time. Always have a rigged spinning rod in the trunk.
Click to expand...

"Hijack" I fished that little beach south of the marina many times in the late 60's with my dad. We would snag sand lance with a treble hook and then fish them under a bobber in the bay. Spent many a late night with great success there. Shrimping was also great off the tiny beach on the outside of the breakwater at the far end of the marina parking lot. This past summer I watched a seal chase a salmon right up onto the boat launch at cattle point. You're right...don't always need to go to far to find fish if you know where the bait is.
 
profisher said:
Hmm, lived here all my life and never heard of it either. Must be in Uplands!!! Lol
Click to expand...

maybe you should launch your boat - down at the Esq. clubhouse...do a little detective work in the off season...;)
 
There is decent crabbing in that area too around the eelgrass
 
Ya, I grew up in that area. I shore fished from all those spots as well. Plus a few others. Back in the early 90's I remember one summer in particular, I'd be casting, and the bait was so thick the coho used to splash onto the rocks beside where I was fishing. I'd go nuts with my buzz bomb/zinger, the fish were going nuts...it was a lot of fun. Only hooked into a few though.
Anyways, I went down to balmacarra for a scouting trip. I didn't see any herring. It was wavy though, so I couldn't see through the water, or see any on the surface.
 
Cool report. I went for a walk with my 2 year old(translation: had to carry him all the way down the beach and back!) to see if we could see the action on Sunday, but like Rockdog, could see anything left.

As part of a public based herring study, we have launched an interactive map to post up cool sightings just like this!

http://www.inaturalist.org/projects/pacific-herring-in-the-salish-sea
 
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