QCL, Haida Gwaii not letting guests use Salmon bellies for halibut bait.

chinnok

Active Member
I was up at QCL a couple weeks ago and they are not giving out Salmon bellies for bait. DFO says it the same as possessing a Salmon. What do you guys think?
 
Sounds to me like if you catch a fish, process it yourself and take the bellys out but not more than you possession limit and use them for bait you will be fine.

Perhaps DFO just doesn't want QCL to fill there freezers full of salmon bellies and questionable bellies/fillets . Pretty sure QCL has a pretty bad track record

use octopus it works great
 
Sounds to me like if you catch a fish, process it yourself and take the bellys out but not more than you possession limit and use them for bait you will be fine.

Perhaps DFO just doesn't want QCL to fill there freezers full of salmon bellies and questionable bellies/fillets . Pretty sure QCL has a pretty bad track record

use octopus it works great
Just my 2 cents worth but I suggest you not use octopus. We used it commercial fishing because it is durable, stays on the hook well when setting gear and survives in areas where the sea lice are bad on bottom. Use large herring on a circle hook. Add some other stink in a small plastic stink tube if you want more scent.
 
You can still use salmon heads and belly’s but if the lodge is gonna be stingy about it then octopus is not a bad alternative.

Thanks for your experience commercial fishing, I hear NRKW like to steal halibut of the commercial gear too.

It is unbelievable at times now. Last spring my friend started at Cape St James on the first opening and he had a pod literally plucking all the hali and black cod off the longline gear as they were hauling back on day two. It is a totally learned behavior because that was not the norm years ago.

Long and short he hauled all the gear back and had to abandon fishing there. Moved completely away from the Cape with very few fish in boat and had to start over in another area. It screwed up his first trip.
 
It is unbelievable at times now. Last spring my friend started at Cape St James on the first opening and he had a pod literally plucking all the hali and black cod off the longline gear as they were hauling back on day two. It is a totally learned behavior because that was not the norm years ago.

Long and short he hauled all the gear back and had to abandon fishing there. Moved completely away from the Cape with very few fish in boat and had to start over in another area. It screwed up his first trip.

My brother is up in hardy and said the commercial guys are having a really hard time with NRKW stealing on the halibut. This year as well. He said all that’s left on the lines is the halibut lips.
 
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