2016 Pender Bluffs

Must be quiet... or it's on fire and the few boats out there don't want others to know :)

Thanx for the replies guys. Don't quite understand the silence or secrecy. We're all just trying to enjoy the sport so why not share or pass it forward.

Thinking about coming over for the Sept long w/e. Any other places around the area where we might enjoy some successful fishing. Thanx again guys.
 
I've only been out to the Bluffs twice this whole year and not a single hit for me. My best success in the area has been Sidney Spit dragging bottom with AP sandlances or coho killers.
 
Thanx for the replies guys. Don't quite understand the silence or secrecy. We're all just trying to enjoy the sport so why not share or pass it forward.

Thinking about coming over for the Sept long w/e. Any other places around the area where we might enjoy some successful fishing. Thanx again guys.
I don't think it's silence or secrecy as much as there has been little to report. Also on my few visits there have been a lot less boats than previous years, so that also may contribute.
 
I second the nothing to report. Got one small one a couple of weeks ago. Been out twice since and nothing. Day before yesterday there were 1/2 dozen other boats and didn't see anyone smiling. The seals were keeping a close eye on everyone. Even tried the meat draw at the legion and got skunked there too.
 
I was out on sunday for several hours in the morning along the bluffs and saw two spots around that cove holding bait and fish but no bites for me on lures or bait. Seals hanging right over those areas behind the boats. I saw one net with a fish that was likely under 62 out of about a dozen boats. Trolled over to Moresby and worked the open sides. Some bait and fish on the open side of Fairfax, but hard to maintain position in the current and clear seaweed off the lines. No fish for us.
 
Fished the Bluffs today from 0800-1400. About 10 other boats working the area. We saw one other boat pick up a nice fish only to be sealed and same thing happened to us about 10 minutes later.
Other than that we landed and released one under sized Spring and several grilse. Seals are making the Bluffs almost unfishable!
 
Fished pender from 2 til 630 maybe a half dozen other boats only 1 hit and lost at the boat maybe a 10 lb still real slow
 
Fished Pender about a month ago, zero, it's been a bad year for me so far, skunked more times than ever in the narrows too. So this Tuesday and Wednesday I thought I would give Pender another go, tied up in Bedwell overnight.

Anyway I was at the south end of the bluffs where the water churns and landed a 20 lber at 6.30pm Tuesday, nothing at all for the rest of the time. This was a suicidal fish.
I had tried most things in my box, so I put on a 3 inch pink hootchie with a 1/o hook for Pinks at 120ft just in case and as an alternative to the other line down at 140ft. Then I got a hit on the pink hootchie rod, the thing took of, this was no Pink, I had the drag too tight and in a mental fog let the clutch off and ended up with a huge birds nest on my reel, the fish was still on, then things went slack, oh @#%^# so I sorted out the birds nest that seemed like hours, but probably only a minute, feeding all the slack line from the reel on to the deck whilst unpicking the mess. I wound up all the slack line on the deck and then the slack line in the water, ............tension, then it took off again, this time I had the drag right so in the meantime retrieved both down riggers and with my left hand wound up the other line whilst keeping tension on the fish, Yes I fish on my own quite often, near the boat it made one more half hearted run, brought it to the boat, two circles and straight into the net.

Not sure I deserved this fish with all my shenanigans. Sorry about the poor picture but the light was poor and my 10 year old phone well that says a lot really...................
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Still hit or miss at Pender. Was on top of the Coho Monday eve, loads of action - 4 to the boat, released 2 wilds. Went yesterday (Thursday) and nothin'

Most productive depths have been 80' - 120'.

One empty stomach, 1 loaded with bait:

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Are you finding it more productive in close to the wall or out further at the tidelines? Any seal issues?
 
Fished Friday 2-6pm. Only one chinook to the boat but too small and back it went. Found bait in the water and tried lots of gear but old faithful Irish Cream glow did the trick at 53'. Will hang some rods again today on our way to Ganges.
 
Are you finding it more productive in close to the wall or out further at the tidelines? Any seal issues?
We found bait further out in about 250-300' Friday if that helps. Riggers 40-80', but will try a little deeper based on "Salted" report.
 
We found last week,the bait in close as well as further out. Seemed it was pretty deep particularly further out (140 in 300+ ft). Fished 70-140' but the only action we got was @100'. Lots of boats were working the tide lines further out but didn't see any nets out.
 
Are you finding it more productive in close to the wall or out further at the tidelines? Any seal issues?

Further out seems best most times I'm out. Closer to bedwell was ok, and have seen locals far SW of the usual bird-white rock spots. And yes, seal issues most times (on our really good day we didn't see any). I've yet to have a seal issue, but friends have lost gear 3 times this week to them.
 
Out there yesterday from 12 till about 3. Nothing... Didn't even notice any seals. There were about 12 boats and didn't see any nets. There were other boats that went out earlier and in the evening, but didn't see any fish back at the dock. On the upside, day before yesterday was out with the kids and granddaughter and there was a large pod of orcas steaming along.
 
Out to the bluffs today, released one wide Coho around 8lbs and fed fatty the resident seal another one a short time later. We also watched him suck back two others just prior to ours.......thinking we need a pod of transients to roll through;)
 
Very frustrating being escorted up and down the bluffs by snuffy... Hard enough trying to get a hit as it is without knowing your chances of landing it are slim. Any hints on what the coho are interested in?
 
Wow, how much can that seal eat? I had my biggest chinook of the year on, took 100 yards then you guessed it, a light-brown / driftwood colored furbag ended the dream.

The coho seem eager for anything - saw a few nets out today, nothing big, 7-8lb coho, some wild. Best producer (coho/chinook) was a medium anchovy, chrome teaser, 7' leader on a madi flasher at 150'
 
same here........ chovie purple haze, one at 69' the other at 130', Snuffy ate good today :mad:
 
Out with a buddy this morning, and lucked into a couple of Coho early, then it clouded over and the bite stopped. From the sound of the radio, the few fish that were hooked otherwise were wild, undersized, or taken by Snuffy.
 
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