Vancouver Saltchuck?

[Peahead]

After a slowish 3 hrs of fishing in afternoon on Sunday ( heard early flood before 1 pm was better) with only 3 hits, one good spring lost, a jack released and one 9 lb hatchery coho boxed, Monday was better.
I had 10 solid hook ups landing 4 plus at least 5 other hits that didn't hook up. Lost one around 20lbs after 45 min fight with Seal. Got seal and fish 10 feet from the boat and he dropped the fish at the surface but I just couldn't reel the dead fish fast enough. Now two seals, they swooped in instantly and it was over. Lost 5 other good hook ups but probably 3 of those were jacks ( and possible coho) and landed 3, one of which was a jack others small for cap chinook but respectable 14 and 11 lbs. The fish of the day was 1/2 of a double header and turned out to be a massive (chrome bright) wild coho. I almost s#it my pants when I saw this thing. The huge girth was amazing . It was an easy 18-19 lbs but I would not be surprised if it broke 20 lbs. I kept it and the net in the water when unhooking ...I got the stinger hook out of the bottom jaw but just then he thrashed and I felt the stinger hook go right through my finger and out the other side!...it was a "stinger" all right Treble still in the coho pulling on my hooked finger !! I managed to pop out the treble from the big hooked upper jaw of the fish and tailed it out of the net all while the stinger hook was through my finger and attached to the swinging flasher [:0]( looking after this wild coho was way more important !!) . I could barely lift this hog up out of the net! He bolted from my cradle instantly once lowered into the water again.... Thankfully the seals had already been fed a big old white spring. I pulled the hook out of my finger but amazingly it wasn't easy...even with barbless ( squeezed barb so a small bump is there) it took force to pull it out. Finger skin is tougher than you think !

Speaking of Wild Coho :
Just a reminder to all about the WILD SALMON RALLY - next Saturday 1pm at the Art Gallery.

 

[Salmon Smoker]

quote:Originally posted by Peahead

...I got the stinger hook out of the bottom jaw but just then he thrashed and I felt the stinger hook go right through my finger and out the other side!...it was a "stinger" all right Treble still in the coho pulling on my hooked finger !! I managed to pop out the treble from the big hooked upper jaw of the fish and tailed it out of the net all while the stinger hook was through my finger and attached to the swinging flasher [:0. I pulled the hook out of my finger but amazingly it wasn't easy...even with barbless ( squeezed barb so a small bump is there) it took force to pull it out. Finger skin is tougher than you think !

Ouch! I know the feeling, I did the same thing a while back, hook to the bone. I use gamagatsu barbless so no squeezed barb to deal with, Adrenaline helps minimize the pain.
Sounds like you had a great day!

 

[Brisco]

quote:Originally posted by Northof49

I am definitely one of the "weekend warriors."

I've only been doing this saltwater downrigger fishing for a few seasons now but isn't there still the "starboard/right rod to the shore" convention?

Or have the downriggers made it easy enough for 40 boats to be in close proximity that it's anything goes? I don't get it, if everyone stuck to that rule it would make it a lot easier to ply the waters in a confined area such as the Cap mouth.

We were one of those boats there Sunday and I wish it was legal to take a potshot at "lake boat guy" who was running tangents through the crowd as if he were alone out there.

That works. When I am out there I try and read the situation. If I see a guide working his gear then I will adjust regardless of right of way. If I see a women at the helm same thing. You learn who to trust and who to watch for.

 

[Peahead]

Yeah Salmon Smoker, it wasn't too bad a day except I would have rather had won my 45 min battle with the seal. Funny about the hooked finger ...you are correct the adrenaline is a great pain killer- barely even felt it. !! It is however amazing how the bump left there after you squeeze the barb does seem to have some holding power (I discovered the hard way ) . Maybe lose less fish over the commercially made barbless hooks without the bump?

Re your quote Northof49 "I've only been doing this saltwater downrigger fishing for a few seasons now but isn't there still the "starboard/right rod to the shore" convention?"

Thats great to hear that you are aware of this rule. I think it doesn't work well at the cap for two reasons. Partly because there are so many boats out there that don't know the rule. Some boats only come out at this time of year to fish the cap chinook and are not experienced at all ( notice the boats that are dragging surface lines 100 feet out ? ) However, I don't think it is the best spot for that rule to be practiced anyway. There isn't enough 'legal' room east of the light to make your approach from the east ( we aren't actually legally supposed to be fishing east of the light at all) The pattern there of trolling east past the light following along at the 80-90 feet contour takes you out and then turning south out into deeper water and then west is easier. It also allows you to get east past the light ( where we aren't supposed to be) without being way out in the channel for very long) Turning port into the shallows (north) also would be harder due to the rapidly shallowing shelf in there combined with the flooding current. I think turning starboard and out into deeper water causes less havoc and less attention to harbour Patrol. I think that works to put less boats out in the shipping channel as well because after the turn you can get out of the channel quite quickly ( Harbour Police have threatened to close the cap area if we are caught out there too often) If we did it by the "rule" we'd all be out farther in the channel while coming in to do our turn north and then west in to the shelf.
I really like Brisco's comment , "read the situation". When I first started fishing Cape Beal I watched before joining the boys in their single file rotation passing in on the rocks - I learned by observing the pattern first.
When I am by myself at the Cap I try to not set lines until I am out of a congested situation. Funny I had to use my air horn Sunday as a young lady on the helm was watching another boat play a fish and she steared off course right at me. The horn scared the S*#t out of her but it worked.
It actually works quite well at the Cap considering how many people can be there at times...and inexperienced as well. The part I'd like to see improved is people giving you the squeeze when they are outside you .....and the water is shallowing up rapidly.

 

[spring time]

I always get my gear ready out of the flow of boats them when all set merge with the flow. what colors of heads are you guys catching them on

 

[Teja]

Probably something to be said for fishing outside of the flow at times. Saturday I moved outside of the pack to reset my gear and immediately had a good hit and Sunday morning I was the 5th boat out and had a very busy first half hour before the salmon were inundated with 200 plus flashers and krippled anchovies (no wonder the fish are sitting/hiding on bottom). I was using chrome and cop car chrome heads on the weekend with reasonably equal results.

 

[Dogbreath]

Speaking of congestion @ the Cap one of the Guys I fish with is terrible for critising other people but never ever looks behind him.

I've told him time and time again but he just doesn't get it, people behind him don't exist but everyone in front of him is trying to cut him off every chance they get.

Sound familiar?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

[Red Monster]

Ya, I know what you mean. The guy I used to fish with had the attitude that everyone else can move out of his way, as if he always has the right of way. [}]

You have to try to make room for everybody if you can at the Cap, no matter where they are. And play follow the leader back and forth. You never turn across someone's bow. When people do this to me, it drives me crazy. It's a great way to get gear tangled, and it can be impossible to get out of the a$$holes way because there's limited time and space, and too many boats in the way. I guess that's "combat trolling." I wish I had ammunition sometimes.

And it's usually the same people pulling the smooth moves over and over, but you can't tell them anything.

Remember, it's called "fishing," not "catching."

 

[Peahead]

quote:Originally posted by Dogbreath

Speaking of congestion @ the Cap one of the Guys I fish with is terrible for critising other people but never ever looks behind him.

I've told him time and time again but he just doesn't get it, people behind him don't exist but everyone in front of him is trying to cut him off every chance they get.

Sound familiar?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hi Dogbreath, hows it going? Enjoying all that fish from the trip [^]?

Re: your fishing buddy, don't axe him just yet, he actually has a point unless there is more detail to put him in the "Dog" house ( no pun intended ) This is in his defence of his thinking ( and I don't even know the guy I do understand what you are saying though as it is good to know whats going on around you 360 degrees !!!
I don't really want to get too much into "right of way " on this thread about fishing Cap and congestion because fishing the cap is really more about following the pattern and being curtious to your fellow boater whos also trying to catch fish and not have a collision. To give Dogbreath's fishing buddy a bit of a break though here it goes....
Keeping your eyes forward and to port and starboard are by far the most important. Looking directly behind you really isn't all that necessary ( except to check your rods!!) because a leading vessel or a vessel ahead of another has the right of way. Actions you do as the leader don't really affect the follower unless the follower is trying to overtake the leader. As long as the vessel behind isn't pulling out and attempting to pass you then the vessel in front can turn (preferably with the pattern) with no problem. Also the vessel behind must keep clear of the vessel being overtaken, if it is attemting to pass. When the vessel behind enters the leading vessels starboard quadrant then it now has right of way but by that time your buddy would probably be checking to port and to starboard and keep clear (one would hope) if he wanted to make a turn to starboard. If your buddy was just going straight ahead and parellel with that vessel then there is no concern for the vessel that overtook him except of course to be aware of it .
Saying that, I 'd however also add that the cap is best fished to follow the leader when it is congested. I'd recommend to overtake a vessel only if trolling faster than the leader ...and only if there is lots of room to overtake. If its congested, slow the troll down and follow until its less congested. When the leader gets a fish on, obviously slow down and move to starboard or port ( where ever there is room ) If the guy behind you gets a fish, keep trolling, no hassle.

 

[Teja]

Peahead - thanks for an excellent summary on Cap etiquette (and for fishing most congested areas) ... unfortunately not all will read it but hopefully more will follow the good examples set by others. This is only my second year fishing the Cap with any sort of frequency but it isn't a difficult area to fish (excepting, at times, for the catching the fish part) provided that you follow the flow and respect, and provide room for, the other boats on the water.

 

[Jimbo]

When it's really conjested like that at the cap I will do an extended troll west then flip when it looks good and meet the crowd red to red or opposite depending on which tack I am on at the time and it buys some freedom from the conjestion.What a horse you caught there Peahead!! Thats as good as cradling a wild steelhead in a river system ehh... Gotta get out there and hit it again. Gotta have some eyes out the back of the boat because the guy on rod watch is not always the first to the rod he he he...

 

[wildwest]

If I still lived in Vancouver...I'D be out there this weekend fishing just on the inside of the big ebb tide[the shallows off of Ambleside]with a medium cut-plug, 4oz, 30 pulls and a medium troll speed!!oh...don't forget the tandem 6/o black hooks! .. I guess I spilled the beans![:0]

 

[fishin_magician]

quote:Originally posted by wildwest

If I still lived in Vancouver...I'D be out there this weekend fishing just on the inside of the big ebb tide[the shallows off of Ambleside]with a medium cut-plug, 4oz, 30 pulls and a medium troll speed!!oh...don't forget the tandem 6/o black hooks! .. I guess I spilled the beans![:0]

If anyone wants to try this, go ahead. You'll catch fish alright... in between losing your 4 oz., cut plugs and getting spooled first hooking onto others' Scotty downriggers!!!!

 

[Northof49]

quote:Originally posted by fishin_magician

quote:Originally posted by wildwest

If I still lived in Vancouver...I'D be out there this weekend fishing just on the inside of the big ebb tide[the shallows off of Ambleside]with a medium cut-plug, 4oz, 30 pulls and a medium troll speed!!oh...don't forget the tandem 6/o black hooks! .. I guess I spilled the beans![:0]

If anyone wants to try this, go ahead. You'll catch fish alright... in between losing your 4 oz., cut plugs and getting spooled first hooking onto others' Scotty downriggers!!!!

There was a boat there doing just that last Sunday. He kept himself well west of where the majority of downriggers were being plied.

A fellow Stabicraft owner as well, first one other than ours I've seen locally.

Too busy packing for a move to get out this weekend, wish I could.

 

[wildwest]

Don't worry about me getting tangled-up with you Downrigger bumsMr MAGICIAN,us cutplugger no-loads like to hug the 10-50ft depth!

 

[getbent]

Bump....any action out there guy's?

Getbent

 

[Salmon Smoker]

Pretty slow today, I released 4 shakers and about a 7 or 8 lb spring. I saw 2 fish taken but they didn't look to be big at all.
Nice day though, only about 20 boats out.

 

[Brisco]

Any crab left in the harbour?

 

[Salmon Smoker]

quote:Originally posted by Brisco

Any crab left in the harbour?

Yup, at least there were on Monday.

 

[fishin_magician]

quote:Originally posted by Brisco

Any crab left in the harbour?

Yep. There's plenty of crab in the harbour, problem is that most are under the minimum size limit..and if you hit it right, you can get some keepers.

There were 40 boats along West Van today and I know of just 2 decent springs caught for all those boats. 1 was taken by a moocher at first light this morning. Otherwise, there are a ton of jacks over there which are no doubt net pen returns. I wouldn't be surprised if some of these jacks have been hooked a few times over the last week!!!

Definitely lots of Chum jumping all over the Bay.