Buzz bomb fishing (fishing the northwest) tv show 1980's

Nice post there JI, always ways to build a better mouse trap. Curious as to if you actually notice a difference in hook ups with the top bead? Assuming that is to prevent the spinning buzz bomb from climbing up the line.

When a Buzzbomb or Zzinger falls in the water column it will sometimes move away from the hook if you do not have a way to stop it.
If a fish hit's it at the point away from the hook it going to be a lost fish. Tying to a split ring will stop the hook from flipping back on the lure.

I have noticed a difference with hook ups. I find that the hook is usually set in the side of the mouth as opposed to the roof of the mouth or deep in the mouth. I do not set the toothpick very tight and find after a strike the stretch in the line will release the upper bead and allow the Buzz bomb to slide back up the line. The fish then can
not use it for leverage to spit the hook.
 
Used to do that in the saanich inlet, Buzz bombs,strikers ,stinzeldas,pirkens and even deadly dicks . So much Fun on light tackle .
 
Used to do that in the saanich inlet, Buzz bombs,strikers ,stinzeldas,pirkens and even deadly dicks . So much Fun on light tackle .
I miss the days past when we used to fish Polar Bear Bucktail for coho in the saanich inlet and cowichan bay. Loved to watch a 15# coho hit a Bucktail from below, fly 5' out of the water and then take off at about light speed. ahhh the good ole' day's
 
Many Many moons ago fished Rocky Point in Nanaimo, every morning before work with a pink buz bomb , caught lots of Coho and a lot of 20+ Chins. Just me and my cougar /lab cross ... those where the days lol (except when my dog "Tex" fell off the 12 foot ledge and thought I lost him forever lol .... We continued to fish there together with the buz bombs years later, and TEX stayed away from that ledge lol ) ..... BUZ BOMBS WORK
 
Many Many moons ago fished Rocky Point in Nanaimo, every morning before work with a pink buz bomb , caught lots of Coho and a lot of 20+ Chins. Just me and my cougar /lab cross ... those where the days lol (except when my dog "Tex" fell off the 12 foot ledge and thought I lost him forever lol .... We continued to fish there together with the buz bombs years later, and TEX stayed away from that ledge lol ) ..... BUZ BOMBS WORK

Is it still possible to fish Rocky Point ??? I took a look at the point on Google earth and the whole point is nothing but a huge subdivision. Any where to even park down that way ???
 
1986 and I'm living at Gordon's Beach with my first wife when she tells me to go fishing for a while as she's going to do a major swamp out of our place.

I tried to argue I should stay and help, but you know......

So I arrive at Otter Point, park and walk out onto the rocks. I'd driven past many times but never fished there before but knew people did, so had some confidence.

I tied on a 4" Pearl Pink Buzz Bomb, had a look to the left then decided the area to my right looked better, so headed that way.

Dropping the old wooden handled gaff I'd brought along, I made my first cast out over what looked like good water.

On the second "jig" I hooked up with a small Chinook which fought like crazy but eventually succumbed to my pressure enough that I was able to lead it into a small crevice where I gaffed it.

Six or seven minutes later I was home with the 12 lb. salmon, just in time to find my wife vacuuming the living room.

I ended up helping her swamp out plus I caught a fish on my first cast. :D

Fast forward to May of 1987 and wifey and I have just finished setting up my little one man store at Sandspit.
I'd noticed the wharf and seen kids fishing from it so wifey and I took a walk over one evening to see what was up.

I asked the kids what they caught and got the reply of Dogfish aka Mud Sharks, Flounders and Bullheads, about what I suspected.

I'd brought along the same spinning outfit I'd used at Otter Point, still with the 4" Buzz Bomb attached. I re-tied it after cutting off a few feet of line, walked over to the side of the wharf that wasn't blocked by the boat moored to it, and made my first cast.

I jigged it all the way back whilst talking with the kids, until I was literally jigging straight up and down next to the wharf when I got bit.

It was a Chinook of 10 lbs. or so that scrapped pretty good and fortunately away from the wharf, so I had no problem with it running into the pilings.

I asked the guy on the boat if he had a gaff or a net and he produced a gaff, which he used to secure my fish after I led it to him.

I was about to climb down the ladder when he called me off and brought it up himself.

So that's how good Buzz Bombs are. Two casts and two Chinook, one on southern Vancouver Island and one at Sandspit a few months later.

They were deadly off the beaches in the Fall when the Coho showed up back in 1987-88-89 too, only in the two-tone green colour.

Great times!



Take care.
 
Out of curiosity Dave - what kind of one man store did you run?

Great story btw...


Opened and ran a small store for Island Mack Truck Sales out of Nanaimo.

Was right across the road from the Sandspit Hotel, with CAI Air Freight on one side and the hotel's storeroom on the other.

Used the space that Finning Tractor had been in previously.

Opened end of May, 1987 and shut it down end of June 1990, more or less.


Take care.
 
I must post about fishing at King Coho beach on Sandspit Road. Buzz Bombs where the go to lure. Just south of the Comox ferry to Powell River. A wonderful beach. The tide would go up and down as it does, and you fished the high and the low tides. Many salmon where caught there. I caught my share. It was like a gathering of Buzz Bombers. Im not sure what goes on these days but Im sure theres a few out there. eman;)
 
I must post about fishing at King Coho beach on Sandspit Road. Buzz Bombs where the go to lure. Just south of the Comox ferry to Powell River. A wonderful beach. The tide would go up and down as it does, and you fished the high and the low tides. Many salmon where caught there. I caught my share. It was like a gathering of Buzz Bombers. Im not sure what goes on these days but Im sure theres a few out there. eman;)
I was there as well - i have memories of standing in waist deep water with the fins of dogfish swirling around - good times
 
best years of returning 800 coho to lilriv singing sands for many years this year.I spent some time there with bombs .still no chinooks or coho or hali this year harvested on my licence. I will blame it on the soluner calender lining up on tuseday this year rather than sundays in previos years.
 
First Salmon I ever caught in the ocean was about 10lbs in 1978 on a heavy peetz outfight and a heavy weight , not impressed with the fight at all .
A few weeks later I was fishing the Victoria breakwater for cod with pile worms , noticed a school of bait off the point . Tied on my only buzz bomb and caught a 35lb salmon , what a epic battle with a crowd of people watching .:)
 
I have a interesting story about buzzbombing salmon too. Years ago I was in the ferry lineup close to the ramp at Whaletown on Cortes Island. Watching the water I saw a disturbance about 2o yds off the beach.... Firecracker herring being chased by something bigger with fins. As always I had my casting rod in the truck. I put on a 2 1/2 inch buzzbomb and walked down to the water. On the way down I hear this guy taking to his girl.. "Look at the idiot ! He thinks he is going to catch a monster here !!!! Ha Ha " His girl told him to be quiet, Well as I got to the beach, I saw another boil up and the tail of a nice spring. In my haste I managed to get a small birds nest in my Ambassdeur... The guy watching split a gut laughing.. "Look at the jerk-- He doesnt even know how to fish !! Ha Ha " His girl told him to be quiet again. Slowing it down a bit I cast past the school of herring and rapidly worked it back-- BINGO !!!!! I got a nice spring, about 15 lbs, to my feet and released it. Too far away from home and no cooler. Well that sent the loudmouth into overdrive !!!! "What is the matter with that jerk-- he let it go !!!!!" About that time the ferry pulled in, so I walked up the ramp to the vehicle with the loudmouth in it. I paused and looked him right in the eye and say -----" I heard everything you said !" Well-- that was the final straw for his girl--- she hauled back and punched him HARD in the ear ! He yelped ! I gave the gal a big grin and got into my truck. I often wondered how long that relationship lasted !!!!
 
I have a interesting story about buzzbombing salmon too. Years ago I was in the ferry lineup close to the ramp at Whaletown on Cortes Island. Watching the water I saw a disturbance about 2o yds off the beach.... Firecracker herring being chased by something bigger with fins. As always I had my casting rod in the truck. I put on a 2 1/2 inch buzzbomb and walked down to the water. On the way down I hear this guy taking to his girl.. "Look at the idiot ! He thinks he is going to catch a monster here !!!! Ha Ha " His girl told him to be quiet, Well as I got to the beach, I saw another boil up and the tail of a nice spring. In my haste I managed to get a small birds nest in my Ambassdeur... The guy watching split a gut laughing.. "Look at the jerk-- He doesnt even know how to fish !! Ha Ha " His girl told him to be quiet again. Slowing it down a bit I cast past the school of herring and rapidly worked it back-- BINGO !!!!! I got a nice spring, about 15 lbs, to my feet and released it. Too far away from home and no cooler. Well that sent the loudmouth into overdrive !!!! "What is the matter with that jerk-- he let it go !!!!!" About that time the ferry pulled in, so I walked up the ramp to the vehicle with the loudmouth in it. I paused and looked him right in the eye and say -----" I heard everything you said !" Well-- that was the final straw for his girl--- she hauled back and punched him HARD in the ear ! He yelped ! I gave the gal a big grin and got into my truck. I often wondered how long that relationship lasted !!!!

Great story I have never been yelled at for bonking a fish but been yelled at lots for letting them go. This last pink season an American boat was right beside ours when we were shaking of pinks the guy lost his ****. Shaking his head, pissed off, throwing his hands up at us
 
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Reminds me of summer days in the late 70’s early 80’s casting off of the Westview peer in Powell River. There where a few Summer visits to my Dad’s where he was “Boat-less”, so we did what fishermen do . We found a way to keep a line in the water.
The Westview peer was a great place to do just that. All you needed was a spinning rod and a couple Buzz Bombs. The guys at marine traders on the dock where always had a drop net to lend folks if needed.

Seeing Doug demonstrate dropping and jigging rather than casting made me smile.
You see in the beginning I did not have a very great setup. Combine that with my dad spooling me with 30 pound line, and well, I could not cast all that well.
It was almost embarrassing watching as everyone else tossed their favourite Buzz Bomb seemingly half way to Blubber Bay whilst I was lucky to get mine 20 feet off the end of the peer. I say almost embarrassing because it was not long before I was, more times than just once, out fishing many of those long casters . I recall getting more than a few half hearted congrats followed by an eye roll and a head shake from some of the well outfitted “old guys”. Lol.

Good times! Might have to go through my box and give a couple of them a soaking this summer!

Cheers. Ray
 
Buzzbombs:
off the Chemainus dock at Christmas time in about 1974 for winter chinook.
All over the coast off the seine boat while waiting for openings on anchor: pinks, cohos, chinooks, hali, lings. It was pretty much the only type of lure I had, but I had lots in all sizes.
Deadly for kokanee in Wood Lake (tiny size).
I stll have lots, but haven't used them since I learned to fish "properly".
 
For a short period of time (1974-78) I lived in Qualicum Beach as a kid. I would ride my bike to the French Creek marina and head out on the breakwater with my Mitchell 306 and glass rod armed with a few buzz bombs. I did well there. All Coho, in the Fall. I'd thread the fish onto the handlebars of my bicycle and ride home at the end of the day. Good times!!
 
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