Catching/Targeting Tyee's

[Birdman]

Getting this back on track .... I always find it fun to talk about what people have caught most of their big fish on.

For me, probably >75% of my Tyee have been on hootchies, although that is possibly confirmation bias as that is what I run >75% of the time.

The conventional wisdom is often big plugs or big bait, yet a lot of the guys I talk to confirm spoons or hootchies.

I personally think the time and place you are fishing has more to do with catching a Tyee vs. a smaller Chinook, compared to the actual lure, but its still a fun discussion.

 

[CBsqrd]

The last five tyees (four on the Central Coast and one at Sandheads) in the past couple years landed on our boat have been when running herring (6" - 7") on one side and anchovy (4.5" - 5") on the other. My wife likes to run anchovies because they work for her and she knows how to rig them up quick to get a roll she likes. I tend to experiment more, and usually start off with herring (if we have both) thinking big bait, big fish.

All five of those fish have been on the anchovies. I've given up trying to prove her wrong...

But more importantly: Location, location, location. Can't catch a tyee if they are not where you are fishing.

 

[dmack]

I've fished out of Nanaimo steadily for the last 15 years, and my biggest is 28. I've talked to a few guys who have claimed to have caught a 30, though most of the time when I see the photo I'm unconvinced. I've never seen one at the cleaning station. When we've had derbys and the fish actually have to be weighed the results are much the same: the biggest is in the mid to high 20s, sometimes with 200+ fish weighed in. It is possible here, but ditto on the replies that say Location as the biggest factor.

 

[J-GLOBAL]

I've been fishing Vancouver since '82, and WCVI since '86. I've put far more hours fishing WCVI, first out of Bamfield, then out of Ukee, now out of Tofino for about a decade. Live in Vancouver and fish here when I can but work often gets in the way.

I've caught more Tyee per hour of fishing out of Vancouver than anywhere else, by far. HITW, S.Arm, N.Arm, and in front of the Cap. HITW was early in July. In front of the Cap in September and early October I've caught most of the biggies.

This year I've probably put in 120 hours out of Tofino and had 2 tyee spaced about 3 weeks apart in very different areas. Caught on the same hootchie. Last year won the derby in Tofino with a Tyee reeled in by Capt. Mo. Again on Hootchie, first week of July. Caught that in pretty much same place I took another Tyee on Hootchie a couple of years before. My brother took a 40, also on Hootchie. My biggest was over 40 out of Tofino same spot we took a Tyee yesterday - lost another one yesterday that may have been, he looked pretty big from the boat - but they all do when you lose them. WCVI - 1 Tyee on Anchovy, all the rest on Money Hootchie or White Hootchie.

All my tyee in Vancouver have been on Anchovy.

Where & When you fish has the most to do with Tyee, I think. Put in enough hours over the years and you learn kinda when/where they are. And put in enough hours you'll get fish of all sizes, including Tyee.

 

[jim morrow]

Have you not heard of the seven foot leader?
Some think it is a distance/shy thing but others say it slows the roll down.

 

[Brett83]

One thing that really bugs me. I'm a contractor and have some very well-off clients. They all seem to go up to langara and most have a tyee. They seem to go once a year. And never fail to bring up that they nailed a couple tyees. I'm obviously extremely jealous. But my guess is the more northern you go the better the odds. In my opinion catching a tyee off Bowen in April would be the toughest. My biggest out of Vancouver is 21. Bamfield 29. But last year at sandheads we caught coho that had a seal chunk out of the tail. The seal got it just before the boat. We had to release it to the crabs but the carcass weighed 19 lbs. The most impressive fish I've seen.

 

[banger17]

The only one I’ve ever caught was a 33lb Chinook while fishing for the monster coho in Renfrew at the end of September, about 10 years ago.

After a few of those monster coho were already in the boat, we thought we had a record coho on the go until it was in the net.

40’ deep on an anchovy. Guess ya never know!

 

[redman210]

its reel easy actually... just catch one that is over 30 pounds. simple