Tomic Plugs around Vancouver.

[fishin_magician]

Hey Guys.

Every once is a while it's cool to change things up a while and try to figure out ways to make a rather quiet and uneventful day a good day. As an experienced and professional guide, I know my stuff...or at least I think I know a thing or two...

One thing I've always done with good success is fish plugs (always for mature springs) with the 6 inch and 7 inch size. I can recount a few days where flashers, 'chovies, cut plugs, hootchies and spoons did sweet FA..and after swapping to good ol' Tomics we'd cover more area (fishing fast) and find a spring or two and "pull the rabbit out of the hat" so to speak when a fleet of boats didn't do diddley. Not that a well presented bait wouldn't have found those fish..but sometimes fish just aren't "on the bite" or around...so...plugs have been effective as a means to find fish you otherwise wouldn't. I remember one day up at Langara 4 years ago when I snuck up for a trip and it was slow by Langara standards and I put on a few faves of mine and it didn't matter which..it was fish on, fish on, fish on...and it resulted in outfishing the fleet that afternoon...as a matter of fact I've done the same thing off the Sunshine Coast/Texada, and Vancouver a few times with Mature fish.

However, lately I've been running smaller 4" and 5" plugs for feeders in Mid and Lower Georgia Strait and GETTING NADA. As a matter of fact, I've decided to test out a few theories and figure out what the bleep is going on...running half the rods with 4 and 5 inch Tomics with the bead chain method, and the pulled pin method, the tow bar tied...and EVERY time it's the rods with spoons...flasher or no flasher catching the fish..after about 3 fish worth of that nonsense, off come the plugs on the one side and on go the spoons or other lures which start hooking fish too. Wondering what gives? I've tried FAST, regular trolling speed, close off the clip, LONG off the clip. Colour selection has been with the standby 168's, 600's, 700's, and the most popular ones. and a few others, and you can be assured my hooks are sharper than most people ever file 'em... but still Nada...if I were off the West Coast I'd be hooking a few...I've been there and done it a few times for feeders.

Wondering if because the fish are so bait/action starved in Georgia Strait if the fish haven't "clicked" in on certain aggressive feeding habits yet?

WHAT plug colours, tie methods, speeds, etc..and experiences have you guys out there had for Winter Springs in the 9 to 15 lb range?

If anyone has any suggestions or answers..I'd love to hear it.




Wondering what I'm doing wrong (if anything)

 

[Dogbreath]

From what I've seen there's enough bait to put fat on fish so they aren't bait/action starved.
The only Plugs I've done well (ever) with in winter/spring for feeders are small white or 602's.
Mind you I don't use Plugs all that much preferring to use Spoons or occasionally one of the slow model Apexes in black/white.
Friend of mine was doing well all the cold season with Green/Gold Baitbuster he claims they are feeding om Perch in the Bay-I dunno I never look @ the guts that closely although maybe I should.

 

[battaglino]

It sound like you have realy spent sometime working on this. I have never had any luck using plugs in the staits this time of year. I have tried all the differnt sizes depths,colors,speed and no luck. I just though I jsut didn't know what I was doing. We always did well on the offshore banks in the summer and the rivers late in the season. I have even done better this time of year jigging with a pipe jig.(caught 2 in the teens last weekend bottom fishing) From your message you sound like someone that needs no advice. But if it was me I would switch back to bait, spoons, and hochies.

"Never lost a small one"

Joey B.

 

[scottyboy]

158

tight lines

 

[fishin_magician]

It's frusterating as heck. I'm going to run all 4" and 5" plugs on 6 lines for feeders for a couple of hours to try and figure this out. One last time..and then they're getting sold...

I even spoke to Tom Moss's son, Wayne, who knows these products as well as his Dad..and he hasn't got much for me either...BLEEP!

I think I know why anglers aren't using plugs as much as they used to inside the Georgia Strait...there's DIDDLEY for bait relative to years ago..and I've fished enough to know that the eastern side of the Strait has very little relative to years gone by.

Dang.

 

[battaglino]

Well the good new is the springs will be in before you know it. I can't wait to get out on the water. I havn't wet a hook since October I miss having the boat in the water. I hope thing go better for you. You do know what your doing to get 6 lines in the water we are lucky if we can keep 4 in without creating a mess.



Joey B.

 

[fishin_magician]

if you're fishing on the WCVI or ECVI, six rods is way overkill. Around VCR though, six rods pays big dividends on some days. Let's just say that you're working a bit more than having fun, and fishing some depths you may not ordinarily fish...which in itself is a learning experience and forces you to rethink what some people think or have believed to be true. As far as avoiding tangles, you need enough beam on your boat, or distance between the cables, big enough Cannonballs, and patience to lower your riggers a bit slower than you would......you gotta be a bit of a nut.. like me, to spend extra time rigging tackle, while working faster to make sure that you're getting things done quickly and correctly..or otherwise you're just wasting time.

Sad state of affairs though if you can fish half as many lines as some commercial boats, fishing the same methods and fishing 150% and still catch SFA on a few days.

Compelling evidence that the lower levels of the food chains are hurting..big time.

Starts with kelp, krill, herring, etc...all that is what gives us our fishery...and without the habitat (can you say hundreds, er..thousands of salmon streams decimated by man?

Sad state of affairs.

But, nevertheless, this is going to be a good year for Salmon fishing...

 

[finaddict]

FM, ME and everyone else

I just want to say thanks for all the effort you are putting into this discussions group. Have been away from salt fishing far too long and am just getting back into it. the tips and discussions that I have read have helped big time. Now if only I could get less time at work and more time on the water.............
Cheers agin

 

[fishin_magician]

What fishing is about is Comraderie, and helping others becoming better fishers and anglers...and to be honest, the some of the commercial dudes I interviewed yesterday were traditionalists...not willing to divulge much...but...that's ok...I've figured more than a few commercial type secrets out by close observation on the water!

hehe...

Help people out, and you'll be rewarded I say.

 

[battaglino]

Magic

You do have the right attitude. Everyone has their secret spots that they don't share but salmon fishing for the most part is a terminal fishery.
They will be gone in a couple of months and home much salmon can you eat before next season. I agree with you completely about helping people 20 years ago I took my first trip to Barkley Sound with no idea what I was doing beyond the books I had read. We spent one night in San Mateo bay tied up to the dock. Two older gents where having a problem so I went over the see if I could help they had a leaking gas tank I had some of the special putty that bond to anything so I patched the hole. That night we where all talking and we told them it was our first trip up there they asked me to get my chart and they proceed to fill in all the fishing areas and how to fish the areas for the next hour. That was the Holy Grail for the next 10 years until I framed it and put it on my office wall. I am a firm believer in karma. If you have some wisdom share it with others when your gone it is lost for ever.

I agree with you about the spoons I like the cop car but I have even had better luck with funky chicken. or the crome and dark green. It is funny how fishing tackle seems to go in cycles. Plugs where really hot years ago and kind of lost favor and 5 or 6 years ago the really where hot up on the westside and maybe they have made there run agian. Years ago I did realy well with the plugs in port anberni we used the 6 inch and it had colors like a rainbow trout. One of the locals told me that the fish would hitit because the though it was something that would be eating there eggs. It sounded reasonable.
"never lost a small one. Joe