2019 Vancouver-Howe Sound-Sechelt Reports Thread

[Pineapple Express]

Was out Sunday with buddy onboard. Fishing off the QA/North Arm/Iona area from 10:30-16:00. Started deeper and moved in to the shallows for calmer water and more manageable winds. Ended up hooking pinks pretty consistently throughout the day, but couldn't find any chinook.

Around 14:00 we were following the 100ft contour line between North Arm and Iona jetty and the yacht High Pockets (72ft ABD trawler yacht) was motoring through the pack. Just off our side was a Double Eagle 206 hardtop and the yacht was on course to basically motor right over the DE's lines and swamp the boat. The guys on the DE yelled and waved and the yacht changed course. Total dick move by the yacht. The guys on the DE hooked and landed a decent chinook a few minutes later which must've felt good after the yacht encounter. That was the only chinook we saw landed.

I was stoked to try cut plugging with large cured herring, trolled on a third rod with only an 8oz slip-weight. Hooked two fish with that rig! One was the most silver pink I've ever seen, and the second was another pink but we had a long-line release on that.

Beautiful day on the water, but a touch disappointing after all the reports from earlier in the week about the crazy chinook fishing. Our timing just didn't work out. Oh well, that's fishing.

 

[skunk on the boat]

Hi,went yesterday morning 7 to 1 30 just hook up pink after pink ,,lunch at vanier park first spot was north arm ,then moved to t10 then south arm ,and back to t 10,,I didn't hook any spring ,was windy and start to get nice just when we were leaving ,I was thinking the I was doing something wrong because I m not a experience but the last couple of week I was doing fine,,,now my brother came from Italy and I want him reel some spring,,any suggestions how avoid pinks and target just the big fish? Thanks and enjoy this beautiful summer

 

[Rain City]

81 hot depth on everything. Lots of pinks though. One 15 lb spring on a black double glow and cop car.

 

[G-Auto]

Hi,went yesterday morning 7 to 1 30 just hook up pink after pink ,,lunch at vanier park first spot was north arm ,then moved to t10 then south arm ,and back to t 10,,I didn't hook any spring ,was windy and start to get nice just when we were leaving ,I was thinking the I was doing something wrong because I m not a experience but the last couple of week I was doing fine,,,now my brother came from Italy and I want him reel some spring,,any suggestions how avoid pinks and target just the big fish? Thanks and enjoy this beautiful summer

There is nothing you can really do with the way the pinks are hammering everything right now. I have never caught so many pinks on bait as I have this year. Still good eating in my opinion so I'm not complaining about it! A lot of springs have headed up the river.

 

[Rain City]

Just lost another HOG same depth on a chartreuse flasher and no bananas spoon. Bent the hook on the skinny g. Again.

 

[wildmanyeah]

81 hot depth on everything. Lots of pinks though. One 15 lb spring on a black double glow and cop car.

Where you fishing?

 

[Rain City]

Where you fishing?

T10 but way out. No boats near me

 

[CohoOn]

on fire out here now everybody into fish both Chinooks and pinks!

 

[Rain City]

on fire out here now everybody into fish both Chinooks and pinks!

What's out here? There's quite a few boats around now, they must be members lol. Don't see many people hooking up.
I ventured further North and its quieter.

 

[The Weasel]

Sand head since 0715.

Pink..pink...pink..pink..pink...

Caught and released 30??

 

[Rain City]

Just left. We were hitting at 140' towards the end.

 

[A-a-Ron]

Someone mentioned using this ridiculously good fishery to try new things once limited for the day. Has anyone tried old school mooching? I regret not doing this when I was out last few times.
My Grampa used to swear by it and rarely ever trolled, said mooching was better for springs. Maybe a way to avoid pinks? Curious if anyone has tried this. Something tells me Chasin’ Dreams would have a valuable opinion on this

 

[wishiniwasfishin1]

Someone mentioned using this ridiculously good fishery to try new things once limited for the day. Has anyone tried old school mooching? I regret not doing this when I was out last few times.
My Grampa used to swear by it and rarely ever trolled, said mooching was better for springs. Maybe a way to avoid pinks? Curious if anyone has tried this. Something tells me Chasin’ Dreams would have a valuable opinion on this

Do you mean anchoring and mooching with live bait? Or power mooching cut plugs?

 

[A-a-Ron]

Do you mean anchoring and mooching with live bait? Or power mooching cut plugs?

Just drifting and working the old rod up, down, jigging, etc. Cut plug or whole herring (or these days maybe with a teaser head). And a bit of power mooching

 

[kingblazer84]

Just drifting and working the old rod up, down, jigging, etc. Cut plug or whole herring (or these days maybe with a teaser head). And a bit of power mooching

Drift mooching has always been productive for myself, live herring and 1oz to 2oz of weight drop em down and let em hang!

 

[trout_flyfisher1]

Fished from 3:30pm to 7pm on Monday in the North Arm. Hooked and landed 2 pinks and lost a spring at the boat. Fished must have moved up river on the tide as it slowed down from Sat and Sun. Reminder to myself - don't give the net to the rookie and try to explain what to do without training (not as easy as it seems in the heat of the moment).

 

[cohochinook]

Fish are shooting up river. Lots in the test fishery.

I was interested in comparing August 1 to 19 in 2019 which shows 330 Chinook caught in Albion compared with the brood year for same time period in 2015, which surprisingly was higher at 472 Chinook. Fishing was good in 2015 but this year was way better. Not sure how to interpret the Albion results?

 

[paulo]

In 2015 the Fraser water level was quite low. I believe that the springs found the water too warm to enter the river and remained in the salt in the surrounding area until they found the right time and temp to enter. I can remember cacthing 20lb springs by the first mile marker and one day had a double. Never experienced that before with Springs.

 

[Ringo]

Dear pinks - please leave my lines alone. Thank you!

 

[FishDoc]

Ok so we were out yesterday morning again 7am till 2pm. Off the sandheads and north halfway toward T10. Dropped first side with white hoochie to 70 feet in 250 fow. Before i even had the anchovy in the holder on second rod the first goes off with 14 pound spring. Soon after the anchovy goes off at 60 feet in about 320 fow with a nice spring that dove when he saw the boat and hooks pulled out. Picked up pinks like crazy between. Lost a bunch. Then hooked third spring about 16 pounds at 60 feet in 370, but had a huge bite out of him so we released with hopes of a clean fish, then around 9 am it died. Kept catching pinks. Then around noon we hook led another spring in the 370 at 60 on the wire on anchovy. Major drag peeler, big fish. Fighting back and forth across the surface then NOTHING. Pull in and the knot pull on the leader. Major fail on my parr I Guess. Fished another hour released a bunch more pinks with one spot open for a chinook and never filled it. Seems there were less chinook around. Had an underwater camera down and reviewed the footage quick and the only chinook i saw following or in the screen at all are the ones that bit. Just not many around. Hope more move in for you guys, best of luck out there!

Some of these pics are from the first night with my Auntie on board. She got one of the chinook. Here first Salmon, First Chinook, Biggest fish, First double header, first fish on moochin reel... it was crazyness. She was scared she would lose it and kept trying to pass the rod off, but I don't here I didn't care if she lost it and told her to keep reeling. She did not want to hold the fish for a picture though.