Large Salmon

[Jencourt]

I love this forum! Knowledgeable people sharing info and if nothing else giving the rest of us hope and maybe a little more confidence.

As far as my LIMITED big fish experience goes I agree with all that has been said. Amount of time spent fishing, big bait equals big fish and luck probably being the main factors for me personally.
Case and point I caught this one after dragging the largest glow hootchie (A fair bit bigger than even the turds or cuttlefish) I have in my box for hours and hours without a sniff. The whole time watching as my daughter and friend both boxed and released many fish that afternoon and evening. They kept saying you should put on the same as us and have some fun. I kept saying some-one has to go after the big one.

My turn came, and a little more than 20 minutes later and several smooth bits of manoeuvring the boat between my fish and a sea lion by my daughter it was over. Kitty Coleman had given up my largest fish to date. It first came in just over 40 on our old hand held scale. After keeping it on ice over night it was officially registered the next morning at Tyee Marine for the derby at 36.25 lbs

 

[Dave S]

I caught a 51lb "King" in the Kenai River about 22 years ago - my first salmon! Considered an average fish for that river then. It started a lifelong obsession. You can see why...

Your first salmon!? No fair! That fish looks like old balls. Wrinkly old hog. I like it!

 

[xavier]

Some good tips from the guides on here. I can attribute some success off UCY to Noggin and in Nootka to Codfather. Pay attention to their posts, very good advice always from both of them. Especially if you plan on heading to their neck of the woods. However, my biggest came on the wall in bamfield in early July (07) --- just fishing the night bite for something to do. Lots of feeders and ho's were being caught nothing big that day so I switched to a 4.0 coyote watermelon, went a bit deeper and lucked into a 46. My biggest by about 10 pounds. My point, sometimes it is just dumb luck...

 

[tubber]

Some good tips from the guides on here. I can attribute some success off Ukee to Noggin and in Nootka to Codfather. Pay attention to their posts, very good advice always from both of them.

x2

"As salmon mature, their gonads swell"
My wife wishes I were a fish; she says the prostate doesn''t count.

 

[SerengetiGuide]

I really don't agree with bigger bait equals bigger fish. We run max 5 1/2 inch chovies and I've guided to a 64lb chinook and many over 50lbs. This past season between my dad and I we caught 2 over 50lbs and 18 over 40lbs, and tons over 30lbs. I think the key is to use bait that matches the baitfish in the area...if you're using a giant herring in an area with only 3 inch needlefish, you're not gonna catch much...fish are dumb, but they aren't nearly that dumb! It's all about presentation, I'd say size of bait has very little to do with size of fish caught. Just my personal opinion but I've yet to see any proof on the water in my experience to say any different...

 

[spring fever]

I agree with the bait size-"match the hatch". The other thing is go where there are big fish and fish very early and my favourite-right till dark. Don't know how many over 40 I have taken after the rest of the boats have long since left. One of the advantages of sleeping on the "hook" and sleeping as close as possible to the fish!

 

[Gray Escape]

I also agree with match the hatch, at Nootka they are alot of large Pilchard off shore so the bigger the bait you use the better,
We caught a 22lb Spring at Nootka this past summer that had a 24cm Pilchard in its belly!
Looked like it had swalowed a pan sized trout.
It had only been there a few hours so was complete, could have almost used it as bait again.
That said, the best success for us was on the largest 6" Tomic spoons with the Pilchard pattern.

Those same large spoons don't seem to attract so much attention when I've fished them elsewhere.

 

[Theb55]

Given there are some big salmon caught off SVI each year I think luck plays a part but I have to be convinced it plays more than a small part because some fishermen consistently get larger fish. I will certainly incorporate many of these ideas while I continue to play with lures, lure color, and flasher. I will even contact Tomic to pick up some glow and UV plugs. Thanks

 

[wolf]

Have to agree with some on here I use smaller bait as well in sooke, ill be honest in saying if any piece of bait is "presented" well you will catch fish its knowing what works in a certain area my biggest to date was on tiny anch. in knight inlet where there was olichains (sp) and squid in there at the time. And we got lots of fish with anch.

I remember one time at blackfish sound we couldnt catch a thing with bait as there were huge herring and pilchers in so i went and got this god awful spoon the biggest I could find in our gear hut about 8 inches long it had glow in the dark on it, as we fish up there shallow 25 to 50 ft that wasnt going to do me much good so I scraped off all the glow finish leaving a small band of green on the top so now it was a spoon that was basically a huge shiny thing LOL with in 5 mins fish on (at whitebeach) if any know where that is. that night limit on the dock for my crew and the other guides scracthing there head with many questions on what i was using told them it was the "Roy wonder spoon" LOL told them what i did coundnt believe it but there soon did what I did the next morning when I had 2 in the boat in no time.... it worked for about 3 days until that bait moved out .... fun experimanting.

USE what you are confident in using there really is no miracle lure out there if there was everyone would be using it.....

wolf

 

[Salmon Smoker]

For me the answer is time on the water and following the fish. 99% of my time on the water is in Vancouver harbor and near by. I usually use anchovies at about 50ft.
I have caught lots in the mid 20's, many over 30 and one at 45

Trying to upload the photo is frustrating

 

[searun]

Generally have to agree that match the hatch is what it takes. I've guided lots of folks into fish over 30 and 40, and one 50...but, as was stated earlier it is about time on the water. Bit of a lottery happening out there and you have to be lucky or skilled enough to drive over one. Got a 36 last year on needle fish hoochie which proves point of matching hatch in early season (May), but as season progresses and bait gets bigger there is something to big bait (lures) catch big fish. Like Nog, I like big plugs and big spoons in late July and August....and there is nothing finer than hooking a hog on a plug, its just you and the fish and boy don't fool yourself hogs can jump! They seem to jump more often when hooked with a plug or spoon (no flasher).

 

[Seafever]

I don't think matching the hatch in saltwater has anything to do with it.

Every time I've gone fishing, people will say to match the size of the bait...they will say for example, that on that particular day the bait is 3". But I use a bigger lure anyway.

Then when I cut the fish open , almost EVERY time they have something in their stomachs that is much larger than advertised. 6 or 7 inch herring in them for example...although at the time I was advised to go, say, 3 or 4".

One of my guide friends would use nothing but BIG herring off WCVI.....really big.

He was always getting big Tyee's on these. And......ironically he used to troll a lot faster than most folks with bait. His particular boat,due to several factors, was not good at trolling really slow or just slow. So he would troll faster.

One time he used a hoochie that was about 8" long..........slammed a 42lb'er on it.

Another time a client from L.A. had him put on this big weird hoochy that was about the same size....it wasn't in the water for 10 min when they bonked a 36lb'er on it.

I agree with Nog that a lot of times the big ones are closer to shore and shallower. I heard they like structure.

 

[DHA]

@Seafever,

100% agreed, I too do not believe in the theory of match the hatch...but then, I do what works best for me. A lot of anglers fish small, because that is what everyone keeps reiterating. As an example, in Nanaimo in the early part of the season most anglers are fishing 3.5 to 4.0 coyote or similar sized spoons - I generally fish larger profiles in both spoons, plugs and then in hoochies I prefer the turd size in purple haze with a needlefish inside or the B103OA with a 33R needle fish inside. Just remember there is no right or wrong way to angle, finding the fish is three quarters of the battle. The last quarter is fishing with tones and colors that work under the conditions that you are fishing - ie; water color and sky(cloudy or clear).

DHA.

 

[vetteman]

Big bait for big fish!
Dave

 

[Charter Tofino]

On ECVI this year I saw two 38 lbers being cleaned in late August. Both had huge 12+ inch pacific cod in them even though the area had alot of small herring. Didn't see one p cod in any of the 10-25 lbers I hit. I towed some large plugs around but not for long as confidence was low. Hmm maybe my new years resolution will be to give big baits more water time

 

[Theb55]

On ECVI this year I saw two 38 lbers being cleaned in late August. Both had huge 12+ inch pacific cod in them even though the area had alot of small herring. Didn't see one p cod in any of the 10-25 lbers I hit. I towed some large plugs around but not for long as confidence was low. Hmm maybe my new years resolution will be to give big baits more water time

Interesting. I have caught them with krill, needle fish, prawns. A long time ago, herring. But I have never caught them with cod. Small cod in my prawn trap but never in Springs.

 

[Fish Assassin]

I have been apart of 4 over 60#'s... Big bait and slow presentation is the key. Big fish are not caught using fast trolls and flashers. Its hard in my opinion to catch a fish over 30#'s gear fishing. Every monster I have ever caught was caught with a cut plug and 8oz's of lead.

 

[yo mama]

Absolutely what F.A. said. Almost everyone of my big boys over 40lbs has been on big cut plugs or whole herring trolling under 2mph, tight to the rocks. It can keep the small salmon off the line too which the more time effectively turning gear, the more chances of passing by a hawg. I think the anchovie thing on the south island is due in part to everybody using them so most of the big fish are hooked with them. If everybody fished herring down here, obviously all the big fish we be caught on them as well. Chovies just fish better at faster speeds. I would just hate to think about how many pigs dont like chovies over herring as the shoot down the shoreline

 

[Fish Assassin]

To continue all of the big ones were not hooked in the mouth. They were caught in the throat. They like big pieces of meat presented really slow. They just swallow it...They don't bite..

 

[profisher]

Anchovie is used down here for a number of reasons. They are a more streamlined shape so a tighter roll is possible if that is what you want to fish. They hold scales better than herring. The larger ones fit into smaller teaser heads while larger herring do not a well. Boat speed is not as much a factor in catching larger fish, bait speed and roll type is more critical. I have taken larger springs doing well over 3 and even 4 mph trolling against strong current. All my fish over 40 have been taken with either a dodger or a flasher. I think any properly fished tackle and baits can and will catch larger fish...properly is the key word. I use larger anchovies over smaller ones because I have a couple of rolls that I use on larger fish that I cannot achieve with smaller baits.