Wondering about if my 12 foot aluminium is too small for use at telegraph cove?

Dudly

New Member
Headed up to Nanaimo thorn Telegraph cove at the end of august. I have a 12 foot misty river and was wondering if it is too small to take along.
 
Too small for what? You're going out in protected waters on a calm day to drop crab traps, do some jiggin' and mooching? You're fine. Watch the wind, tide and currents, wear a PFD, leave the beer on shore.
 
Haven’t been up there. Didn’t know what to expect. Anywhere I should avoid?
 
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Haven’t been up there. Didn’t know what to expect. Anywhere I should avoid?
If you stay in the bay just outside the telegraph cove entrance, you will be sheltered well. If you venture out on the straight, the afternoon winds can kick up, play it safe, watch the weather. I’ve caught coho and springs in the bay in years past. Good luck.
 
When I had my 12 ft Mirrocraft tinner, we used to fish mostly right in Beaver Cove and usually did pretty good for coho and springs. Also used to fish in about the 100 ft depth from Ella Point to Bauza Islets with some success. Be careful of the winds that blow up in afternoon. Anchovies in a bloody nose teaser head behind a purple haze flasher worked deadly for us. Good luck and be safe.
 
Tin boats are what used to be the mainstay out there. I remember seeing a guy off of port renfrew about 25 years ago running a 12' with a 15hp tiller through the swell.

I always get a smile out of guys who do the tin boat thing. Some retired baby boomer with a $150K offshore rig fishing beside a guy with a $2500 tin boat, catching the same number of fish.
 
Fished that area from a crummy 12 footer years ago. It was fine. The older, fatter & dumber you are is what matters.
 
I was heading to the back side of Hanson Island from Telegraph Cove in early June. It was a flood tide with wind in the afternoon, I had waves coming over the bow of my 542 Campion between Stubbs Island and the Plumper Islands. It was some of the nastiest water I had been in. Just pick your wind and tide combination a little better than I did and you’ll be fine.
 
Fished a lot of areas on the island. I’ve seen old timers with there wives bobbing around in some pretty big waves in more than one spot. If your confident in your skills, wear a life jacket, Pick your days and stick around where there’s other boats you’ll be ok
 
I was heading to the back side of Hanson Island from Telegraph Cove in early June. It was a flood tide with wind in the afternoon, I had waves coming over the bow of my 542 Campion between Stubbs Island and the Plumper Islands. It was some of the nastiest water I had been in. Just pick your wind and tide combination a little better than I did and you’ll be fine.
I echo this...the scariest trip ever was in this area and that was a 17 1/2 footer....we were playing in the islands for the first time - Hanson, Swanson and got caught in the afternoon wind - coming back to Mitchell Bay was brutal with water over the top and rushing through the boat several times, eyeing the islands wondering which we would be swimming to - couple times we had to ride the top of swell and turn back off it to find a better route past Stubbs. Very dangerous - and then ran out of gas on main and had to kicker in from just west of Stubbs. I kissed that dock on return! Key is, don't trust the wind forecast up there - I think they were calling afternoon 15-25 and it was 35-40 by like 2pm. Not a good experience! That was a big flood too.
 
I fish out of a 14 foot Lund and have 3 basic rules that are unbreakable. PFD on before getting in to the boat and off after leaving the boat. No alcohol at all and no drugs. My own personal rule is to be on shore thinking I could have as opposed to, well that was a bad idea. small boats require a good dose of common sense.
 
The currents in the area can be really bad, particularly when there are large tide swings. Some pretty big rips between Pearse and Hanson Islands right in front of TC. I do a lot of boating in the area and sold my 542 Campion and bought a 2101 Striper just so I could feel more comfortable dealing with the rips and winds. Do your homework before you come. If' there's big tide swings, fish Beaver Cove and you'll be fine.
 
The currents in the area can be really bad, particularly when there are large tide swings. Some pretty big rips between Pearse and Hanson Islands right in front of TC. I do a lot of boating in the area and sold my 542 Campion and bought a 2101 Striper just so I could feel more comfortable dealing with the rips and winds. Do your homework before you come. If' there's big tide swings, fish Beaver Cove and you'll be fine.
ya for sure - this was backside of Hanson that day earlier on - crazy standing river
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After kayaking, sports fishing, and commercial fishing in that area, I would recommend staying close to shore. If you have an engine issue (happened to me!) while out in the middle of the strait, it can get hairy with currents and cruise ships ripping by.
 
Honestly what's your general experience level on the water with tidal currents and wind changes. If it's anything other than very experienced then just play it safe and stay very close to your launch, hire a charter or hang out at the dock and chat up some fisherman and see if you can chip in for gas and jump in with them. Why chance it?
 
Johnstone Strait on a flood, Hanson, Swanson Blackney Passage is no 12’ tinny country. period. Big tides, converging tides, green waves, make this area a unpredictable area to fish. I almost killed myself and my young family in my old 17’ Campion Explorer coho fishing the bottom end of Blackney where it dumps into Johnston straight. waves so big couldn’t get the boat properly on plane. trying to slog it back to Telegraph, finally quit after getting beat and taking wave after wave over the bow soaking us all. finally pulled the pin and circumnavigated back side of Hanson into more protected waters to get back to telegraph.

Sure you can pick your tides and wind etc or have calm water but if it starts to pick up, run.
 
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