Sardines for Salmon!!!

[Drewski Canuck]

A number of years ago there was a shortage of large Anchovies on the Island. I bought a bag of "north California Sardines" and took them along. They were a bit bigger than the biggest Anchovy but smaller than a large herring, and very round.

They worked like dynamite that year and we had fish when no one else did, just running them in an Anchovy Special, with a stinger hook trailing in the tail. A good toothpick was needed in the body to get the bend right, but other than that, they worked great.

I don't know if this is a Pilchard year or not, but it sounds like there are bigger fish around. I have a couple of bags in the brine right now, so lets see how it works out.

Has anyone else ever experimented with Sardines as bait in place of Anchovies?

Drewski

 

[tubber]

Some years ago, I cut an old 6" plug and drilled 2 holes for the toothpicks. The hook is pinched in the swivel in the photo. Walmart Sardines worked because they are round and fit well. The guides in Ukee were jigging Sardines by the bucket in the harbour for halibut bait the other day. I don't know if there are schools of Pilchards outside. All my fish (all from Hyson) had small juvenile rockfish in the bellies (maybe ocean perch, a red adult rockfish). Small spoons were working. 3.5" Maverick, Irish Cream, Pink Sink, or Purple UV Coho Killer, or the one that actually looks like the bait and was the hottest on our boat, the 3" Tomic 232 spoon (mine is the hammered finish).

 

[Derby]

Most pilchards available right now are in Bulk boxes... pretty sure there is not trayed stuff put up this year

 

[Dogbreath]

The toothpick in the Sardine is what I didn't do back when they were available and the resultant lousy roll didn't catch squat.

Live & Learn.

 

[lordofthesprings]

that pretty cool idea with that plug u cut !!!

 

[hambone]

There's pilchards off WCVI this year??

 

[tubber]

I'm sure I stole it from somewhere. I'd rather use gear, since I fish alone a lot and am a terrible rod watcher so miss bait wrecking strikes too often. Don't cut the plug too short. There is a diagonal piece of plastic in there. You need to cut the head off the bait too.

 

[tubber]

There's pilchards off WCVI this year??

In Ukee harbour for sure. But maybe they live in there full time since the Pilchard days of 2010 or so.

 

[UkeeDreamin]

Are you sure it isn't mackerel they're catching in the harbour for halibut bait?

Cheers!

Ukee

 

[tykkyt e blue]

Are you sure it isn't mackerel they're catching in the harbour for halibut bait?

Cheers!

Ukee

No...positive...the bait is pilchards!
We caught some in Grappler Inlet ( Bamfield ) about a week ago.
Big school hung around for 2 days.
The day we went tuna fishing, we saw at least 2 doz whales all feeding on the 90-100 fathom line.
I may run out that far next week if the stinkn nw ever lays down

 

[ericl]

In 2010 I took a 16" Pilchard out of a Salmon in Ucluelet.

 

[tdickenson]

In 2011, when we gutted a big fish off Tofino, there was a big, fresh pilchard in the stomach, so we plug cut it and caught another fish on it. Always wondered that no one sells pilchards for bait.

 

[hambone]

I would've thought if there are pilchards on the west coast this summer it would be more talked about?? So there's a tiny school of them near ukee??

Has anyone seen or heard of them elsewhere?