2016 Victoria waterfront and Oak Bay

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After fishing out of Vic a few times I have to say that the anchoring etiquette is insane. Why is everyone anchoring ontop of each other. If someone is on "your" spot go somewhere else or anchor an acceptable distance away and not down current of their scent trail.
 
I know. I don't know how many times I have been the ONLY boat anchored in an area only to have two or three morons cluster around me, with at least one way too close! It's a big ocean!
 
After fishing out of Vic a few times I have to say that the anchoring etiquette is insane. Why is everyone anchoring ontop of each other. If someone is on "your" spot go somewhere else or anchor an acceptable distance away and not down current of their scent trail.

Well, buddy, maybe if you stayed up island it wouldn't bother you so much!! Kidding! It has been insane.

For a report....went out Saturday morning in the fog from first light until 9am on the waterfront. Hooked into a hog on the first pass and had a great battle all the way to the boat with a few massive runs. Both downriggers were up but still in the water. The fish took a big run under the boat and wrapped around the opposite rigger and was right at the surface. I just ran across the boat to net it when the leader snapped and a beauty 15-20lb hatch swam away like a bullet. I was pretty crushed but dropped the lines again and this time landed a nice 11lb hatch spring. It had obviously survived quite the attack at some point in it's life. . Dummy flasher and spoons. The big guy took an ap herring spoon at 70' and the other was on one of the new XL ap sandlance spoon that i'm just finishing up, at 99'. Tried the same spot sunday morning at the same time without a sniff. That's fishin.I reckon we may have the odd Columbian around town right now.

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Nice fish boys.

Sure looks nice there..
 
Managed to scrape one up on the waterfront this morning.
120' of water at the flagpole on a Hot Hans TKO spoon with a dummy Madi flasher.
We had a couple of hits on an electric chair hoochie with a green flasher, but nothing stuck.
Nice day on the water anyway and pretty good for the first trip this year.
 
Out on the Bank at 7am this morning. A good dozen boats by 830. Tried plastic, chovies and AP lures and no luck. No bait and did not see any nets out. Tried the south side and the north side. Pulled the gear and headed to Clover Point area. Lots of gulls diving and feeding out of of trial. Picked up a small one in 145' of water and down 85 on the rigger. AP lure was the ticket. Word has it yesterday was really good out on the bank?? There is lots of boats out there. Where are the reports??
 
Fished hard around Albert Head for Hali on Friday. Tried Octa and salmon belly. Where is the Mud hole everyone talks about? I would love to find a nice hali for my Son and Father. Three generation in the boat. Life is good!!

Thanks
 
Out this morning till 12:30 and got 2 small ones 5-6 lbs and got a nice 17lb or so at around 11:30am. Had to let it go though. Wild, bummer. I won't be fishing for salmon any more with that limit. Personally, I will consider that area closed. Halibut next time.
 
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IMG_5290.jpg Went out with Chero yesterday and anchored up for hali for 4 hrs with no luck. Decided to try jigging for salmon so rolled up the hali gear and changed location's, ended up jigging up a 40 lb. hali on my little 9 ft. steelhead rod with a Diawa 175 reel. That was fun. Limit of crabs, and called it a day. Beauti day on the water!! View attachment 27376
 
Fished hard around Albert Head for Hali on Friday. Tried Octa and salmon belly. Where is the Mud hole everyone talks about? I would love to find a nice hali for my Son and Father. Three generation in the boat. Life is good!!

Thanks

The Mud Hole is the large reef off Albert Head in 200-300 feet of water. It's a large area, roughly indicated below in the boxed area centered on WK. There are small bumps there, but for the most part its flat. Large area for sure. Untitled.jpg
 
Thanks Last Chance. I thought this may be the area. But was thinking more the big circle with the # sign in it. I think this was an old spoil area. Last year I did pick up a 30lb Hali and a giant skate in the box you said close to the shipping lane. Thanks for the info. Its a big ocean!
 
Out at Constance today from noon - 3:00. Lots of action, 12 hits, 8 to the boat of which 2 were keepers, a 10lb hatch and 6lb wild. All the bites were on moonjelly AP spoon/purple onion flasher. One fish on another green AP spoon. Bait and hootchy not touched. Glad to finally get out. Wasn't expecting any fish (due to the lack of reports), just wanted to enjoy the weather.
 
Wow, all those boats out today and no reports! Keeping those secrets eh!

Not in the derby (but see pretty great results popping up on IO's FB page), but couldn't resist the chance with good currents and weather to take the whole family on the water. Fished in that mudhole identified above by LC - not because he posted, this is generally where we've had some luck a couple years ago, but it's been slower lately for us there - and today was no different. Fished from about 10-4, beauty day on the water, but no takers for us. No keeper crabs either.

Spoke with 2 other boats at Esq Anglers, they too came home empty handed, but with all those boats out for the derby, we couldn't all be catchers! Good luck to those in the derby, enjoy Day 2 tomorrow!
 
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The Halibut fishing could only be described as amazing this weekend. I didn't talk to anyone who was skunked and most boats had at least two. We got 5 in the boat and would have done better if we had fished the rest of Sunday but we had 52 pounder to weigh in at 2pm. He didn't even get us in the top 25! Personally the meat was worth way more then prizes. Some guys and gals were on the best spots and had multiples over 50 each day. Our best was about 58 inches, at least a 100 pounds that we released to hopefully keep the fishing this good for years to come.

On the eticate side people really need to give space as it was the second weekend I've fished where people are anchoring or drifting way to close. I yelled at a few before they dropped and one moved off. Saw a nice hundred thousand aluminum drop and then proceed to get his gear caught on the guy behind him. I had another aluminum drift and ask me if there was anything down their to get caught on. I retrieved his hali rig, octopus off my actor chain and his braid caught around my prop. Worse is going to happen some day, if the wind comes up and people start pulling anchor close. There are lots of pinnacles and flats. Some of my best days are when I wake up late and get forced to a new spot. Go explore if you are a late riser, or fish the afternoon.
 
Curious to know if there are any general tips for trolling/jigging Constance Bank. Is there a popular tack on a certain side/depth contour or do you just search for bait and go from there??

Thanks in advance.

Was off Oak Bay on Saturday and found a couple hatchery springs on the AP sandlances. Saw a guy jig up one in the mid teens. There's still lots of herring around as well. Briefly tried trolling big plugs and spoons around the bait balls with no luck.
 
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