Winter Harbour Report

[Captain PartyMarty]

We are going to be up there starting July 19th for a week. Can't wait to get out there! Thanks for the reports guy's

 

[sly_karma]

Crew of 8 of us inlanders fishing there 18-19-20 July. Looks like timing is good for fish running. Now if the wind will be kind to us... we had a fantastic run of weather last year, not expecting to be that lucky this time, but still hopeful.

 

[fishyboy99]

Quick Report Weather has changed from SE Storm force to NW gales, but it seems like the next 4 days should be under the gale warning (most time the gale forecast is for South Brooks). Fishing the last few morning at the light have been awesome, first couple of hours of the day (dawn to 8am) produce better than the mid afternoon tides. White hootchies (first thing in the morning) and 6-7" spoons for our guys, we don't use bait for salmon, just artificial stuff. Even had a wiggle hootchie out and it nail 6 springs in two hours on Tuesday. Bottom fish is normal, just have to abide by the weather and pick your areas. Harbour is starting to fill up, good to see the regulars back on the dock, will be opening the restaurant early next week as there is finally some people around to use it.

Ice machine is working great, have repaired the water lines on the government wharf, put the fish cleaning table back with a new skin on the top, weather looks hot for the next 10 days or so (would like to see some rain, usually means no real outflow winds at the lighthouse in the afternoon), all is good. Been a better than average year for fish, seems like it is getting better as the summer progresses.

See you in the harbour

Regards,

Fishyboy

 

[spring fever]

Of a Full Moon and Banana's

I take fishing seriously and I like to think I'm good at it so chose the full moon to go to Winter harbour on Friday ---just to prove it. Cole harbour at noon, dropped the crab traps -started the 45 min. transit and was offered a BANANA for lunch . Not looking good with a full moon to BOOT!!! Got there around 2pm- blowing hard outside-Reasonable fish inside behind Kains-33 ft along the kelp-not fast but excellent fish to 26 lbs. Best lure for us was a 3.5 cop car and a 3.5 Irish cream-anchovies were ok but the spoons delivered so well I switched. Got the LEDs out in a white cuttlefish just at dark and to a little Bling finished the limit. Very strange -1 coho all evening-not at all like last year. 4.30 am found us before daybreak in Grants bay-nobody was there but we had incredible fishing for 2 hours before anyone showed. Best steady action from quality fish I've had in many a year. All shallow,29 ft of wire -3.5 irish cream coyote and a cop car. Crowd showed up as the bite was ending and we wandered out to the 200ft mark off Lippy-no coho-chased the bottom picking up the odd very nice Spring to 25 lbs-anchovies produced in the deeper stuff down to 180 ft of wire. Not fast but rewarding-started to blow a bit moved in-shore and saw huge pile of birds feeding-came up to 30 ft ,and circled looking for coho-doubled on a pair of Springs to 20+ great fun. Finished our Spring limit that evening behind Kains with a double right at dark on same coyotes. I was stuck- had to fish White fish next day(sunday} not my favourite but the crew held a vote and I lost.
Daybreak found it sunny ,windy and pretty decent swell running- we could have fished salmon on the downwind but releasing 25lbers in that swell didn't appeal-spreader bars looked like no fun so decided to use x-tra large jugheads with 8 inch mature herring(provided by FA) and chased the bottom from LIPPY down to the lighthouse-trolling very slow -with the swell and occasionally bouncing bottom to stay 5 or so feet above it. Incredibly productive-don't think you'll get me with a spreader bar again. Kicked off by wind around noon. Checked Cliffe for coho,dead!! Mahatta-dead. Picked up the crab traps this morning-good haul. So in short-I didn't get the Derby winner, you can do well on a full moon and banana's-the springs off-shore were feeding on needlefish nothing in their guts behind Kains???-coyotes mentioned were the best followed by anchovies, white hoochy with or without LED's and the x-large Jughead and bait provided a real treat of hali's lings and snapper.

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[firelight]

Great report, we had good luck as you did trolling the jugheads with whole large herring for our halis also and we picked up 5 lings too. Its a fun way to fish for sure. Fishing for springs behind Kains was a blast we were at 27' in 45 feet of water and those 20 to 25 pounders were really fresh. We were surprised that there was nothing in there stomachs, they must be hungry and they are pretty wild. My best lure was a TKO spoon in the kitchen sink pattern ( my buddy said he can't believe I use that beat up piece of crap, it was free what can I say, it on it's second year catching too.) but on the last day I bought a pack of anchovies and used a jughead and no flasher on my line but a dummy on the down rigger. Playing those fish with no flasher was great I really like that kind of fishing. Cliffe point was good for us on the way home, good place out of the wind too.

 

[sly_karma]

Thanks for the reports guys. I've been told DFO is busily working enforcement in the area at present, including some emphasis on packaging of catch for transport. Can anyone confirm?

 

[spring fever]

Thanks for the reports guys. I've been told DFO is busily working enforcement in the area at present, including some emphasis on packaging of catch for transport. Can anyone confirm?

I saw no sign of enforcement -what-so-ever.!!

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[robertg]

Just returned, wind was a factor as it was in June, but mostly north westerlies, mornings were ok but the wind started picking up around noon with fog rolling in. Came back with a limit of Hali's ,springs, a few coho and just short of a ling limit. Best area for us was between Rowley Reefs and Lawn Point. Splatterback , T Rex hoothies and anchovies were the main killers for us. As for depths , we were keeping our gear just off the bottom, watch the sounder like a hawk as the bottom in that area is a mine field.One interesting thing was a jelly fish called Velella Velella or By -the -Wind Sailors all over the surface out there, I have never seen them before, thats 30 years of fishing salt water, learn something new every day.

 

[fishyboy99]

Quick update Had a huge rain fall a Friday night and early Saturday morning, created coloured water in the inlet, salmon fishing slowed down in the inlet a bit, especially around Cliff and the lighthouse those days, water is starting to get back to normal now. Early morning bite for us at the lighthouse, heard that some of the BYOB crowd had really good bite at night in the last 2 days, most are not coming back to the harbour until 9pm or even later. There is still good spring fishing out on the highway, just have to put your time in and find them, it is a big area out there and usually take us a few hours with a few boats to get into them if we haven't been fishing them for a day or two. Still haven't seen to many coho's come in, at least not what they were forecasting.

Big rollers the last couple of days, makes jigging hard for the bottom fish, have left lots of gear on the bottom. Still great bottom fishing when you do get out though - never really changes, just tides and weather.

For us, still using larger hootchies and spoons, lots of needle fish out in the deep, bouncing the bottom behind the lighthouse after the rain has helped, but we have been going out in the deep until the water clears, plus we now have the over/under rule in effect inside the surf-line. Docks are fairly busy, still not completely full in the harbour, talked to the other operators, most will be full next week until the 20th or so of August, not to far off. If the coho are late this year, can't wait until September and fish for the larger 15-20's .

Not sure when I can report again, busy now until the end of the season, but I will try. Still have flaked ice here at the lodge, and we have now opened the evening dining room to outside guests, with a one day prior reservation (choice of one meal per day - prime rib, chicken cordon bleu, roast pork loin, even doing a fish and chip day every third day - Sysco fish, in case any one of you are wondering, can't serve sport-caught fish in an health inspected kitchen, so no bring your own fish, sorry).

Anyway, that is my plug for the business side of things, hope is doesn't upset too many people.

Regards,

Fishyboy

 

[Barnacle Bill]

Great report, thanks for taking the time out from your busy days. ....BB

 

[spring fever]

Interesting report because it shows few coho in WH-few in Nootka-both from reports and my own observations---Late or?????

 

[Fish Nutz]

Just got back from fishing for 2.5 days. Easily picked up our limits on springs between the light and lippy. Lippy was on fire for us yesterday morning with 8 springs boated in about an hour and a half. All at 100-115 feet, on either uv or army truck haze hoochies. Chocked full of needlefish and some herring.

Cheers

 

[spring fever]

Just got back from fishing for 2.5 days. Easily picked up our limits on springs between the light and lippy. Lippy was on fire for us yesterday morning with 8 springs boated in about an hour and a half. All at 100-115 feet, on either uv or army truck haze hoochies. Chocked full of needlefish and some herring.

Cheers

Curious-glad you had a great trip-any sign of Coho-getting a little worried!

 

[Fish Nutz]

Picked up a nice 9lber at the light on friday and a couple out at lippy today but they were too small to bother with. Also managed to get 7 nice ling yesterday 15-25 lbs. not bad I thought for my first time out there!

 

[spring fever]

Yes-you'll be back-easy place to get hooked on-no pun intended -of course!!!LOL

 

[sly_karma]

We just returned after a three day trip 18-19-20th. Similar story to earlier posters, springs 15-25 lb, not wildly plentiful like I've seen before, but out there if you put in the time. They came in bursts, we had some double headers and then lengthy dry spells. Springs were mostly taken off Lippy over some structure in the 2-4 mile offshore range. 50-50 coyote spoons and pink hootchies produced best, depths 140-160 ft. We were able to go outside all three days, headed south and bottom fished all day on the 19th. Halibut were fair sizes with 20-25 lb being the norm. Had to release one that was 30-40 cm over the limit, boated another that was just inside the 133 cm and scaled at 70 lb. Ended up with limits on springs and halibut, decent numbers of lings and yelloweye. We caught just three coho altogether but weren't specifically targetting them either.

 

[fishyboy99]

Spring fishing was great for our boats yesterday down in Brooks Bay, fishing off the 50 fathom edge - lots of doubles. Coho have finally moved in, not huge in size, but lots around. Good thing, was starting to get worried. Rain has eased up, felt like November there for a couple of days. Starting to find some larger herring in the off shore springs as well. Good evening bite at the lighthouse last night as well. Bottom fish is as usual, weather and tides. That is all for now

Fishyboy

 

[sly_karma]

Doh! Timing was off by a few days. I think next year we might try for early August, more likely to hit Coho and a bit larger as well.

 

[spring fever]

Doh! Timing was off by a few days. I think next year we might try for early August, more likely to hit Coho and a bit larger as well.

The year is everything!! I have had some fabulous fishing at WH at the end of April-when weather permitted-last year the coho were good from the get-go-early august is probably the best bet all round

but for really big Springs sometimes the "Anvil" produces some monsters in the 40+range late Aug early sept---if you get lucky with the weather and year!! Timing is everything and a little luck as well!!LOL

 

[Almar22]

Hey Spring Fever, I have been fishing Winter Harbour area for a week or so every summer for the last 10 years and never heard of the "Anvil". Care to tell me where it is? I am headed up on the 8th and getting excited - thanks everyone for the reports!