Keep Getting Skunked?

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Hey everyone!

I've been trying saltwater fishing for the last 5 years here but have limited capabilities, no downriggers (use a deep six diver when salmon fishing), no GPS, no fish finder. 99% of the time I get absolutely nothing except when the pink hoard moves in and bites everything. I was wondering if anyone can help me out. Lately I've been fishing around Sidney for Lings but again, nothing. Tried around the SE side of Coal Island using a power paddle but nothing. Does anyone have any advice? I want to target Halibut and Lingcod and was wondering if anyone can give me some general advice of where to go?

Thanks!
 
For Salmon, you will likely need to invest in downrigger's in order to be successful.
they can be caught fishing shallow at certain times, but most often you will need to get deeper.
Halibut have been harder to find and deeper than in years past.
Try a grub and herring on a circle hook.
GPS and fishfinder are great tools and would also improve your success.
 
When I go to an area that I don't know, I invest in hiring a guide. It is the best and fastest way to learn how to catch fish.

As scott said above, some additional equipment may also make all the difference

HB
 
Sound like how we used to salmon fish. Mooch a cut plug herring or jig in close to the beach. Look for birds working the bait. As for halibut, Just follow the guy with the fancy boat, And keep your distance.
 
If you have no GPS or Depth Sounder you can always just watch the area other boats are working and join the cycle. Helps for depth to use a paper chart an dead reckoning using land features. Doesn’t sound like you’ll be fishing too deep so I don’t think bottom will be a big problem. Old school fishing.
 
paguy said:
Sound like how we used to salmon fish. Mooch a cut plug herring or jig in close to the beach. Look for birds working the bait. As for halibut, Just follow the guy with the fancy boat, And keep your distance.
Click to expand...


oh ya then make him his problem :eek:
 
Try jigging a Zinger or buzz bomb. It'll find bottom and then real up about 10' and have at it. 2.5 oz is good for up to about 60' then you'll want to go 4 oz and so on. Trouble with this method is the fish will need to be thick as you're not covering lots of ground. Summer runs it can be extremely successful, spring not as much. If you're in a rocky area you may just jig up a ling or rock fish as well. Just keep finding bottom and keep the gear straight down as much as possible. Anchoring or backing down on the current help with this. Good luck.
 
Rain City said:
Try jigging a Zinger or buzz bomb. It'll find bottom and then real up about 10' and have at it. 2.5 oz is good for up to about 60' then you'll want to go 4 oz and so on. Trouble with this method is the fish will need to be thick as you're not covering lots of ground. Summer runs it can be extremely successful, spring not as much. If you're in a rocky area you may just jig up a ling or rock fish as well. Just keep finding bottom and keep the gear straight down as much as possible. Anchoring or backing down on the current help with this. Good luck.
Click to expand...


Rain City beat me to the Buzz Bomb advice.
Invest in a fishfinder: a cheap one is NOT very expensive at CT or Walmart. Or find someone who is upgrading and is getting rid of slightly out-of-date electronics.

If you are consistently getting Pinks, you need to fish deeper. (At least that is how it works on the north end of the coast.)
 
Try it the way I did in the 1970's when I moved to Port Angeles.

No GPS No Loran just a cheap Heathkit flasher for depth. And a compass.

Bought a chart and studied the areas I had heard about where salmon had been caught. Penciled in line ups on the chart using a straight edge. You need two lineups for each area, simple triangulation. My favorite area was found by lining up a telephone tower with a ridge point behind and the stack on the mill lined up on an eagle's nest.

Mooching will find fish when the hardware fails. Fishing gear was a cheap Wright McGill rod and a Penn 109 reel. 6 oz mooching leads. A box of Mustad hooks. 20 pound Trilene . Plug cut 6 inch herring. Fish within 20 feet of the bottom. Learn how to cut and rig the herring for a good spin.

First three trips were more of scouting than fishing. On the fourth trip a 12 pounder was in the boat. I cheated a little and asked guys at the Mill where I worked about areas that usually produced. A case of beer got a location to try.

Over here it is all about structure and currents. Good structure with the correct direction of current and a moderate flow to stack the bait.

You do not need a $500 sounder. All you need is to be able to find the structure, a old style flasher works fine if you know how to use it. Find one in a garage sale or craigs list. I have two on a shelf in the shop, 60 foot/60 Fathom units.

You have much more good structure on the B.C. side of the Straits than we have here in the Port Angeles area. Buy a chart and go find them!!
 
As stated-- buy charts for where you will be fishing and get a cheap sounder... go to go then.
 
Get a chart of the area you're targeting, read the tides and aim for structure close to shore, and not deep. If you're aiming when the tides are moving slower, you will have no problem getting down to 40 to 50' tight to the structure. Mooching is legit and you'll bonk some amazing fish in the shallows, it is not all a 160' game, particularly if you're fishing later June to mid to later August.
 
I have an older Lowrance sounder and transducer that you could use. Only problem is that I’m on the mainland.
 
ziggy said:
Get a Navionics app if you have a cel phone or tablet
Click to expand...

+1. Easy and inexpensive option. Even though I have three graphs on my boat I still use the Navionics app, especially when riding along with buddies.
 
You can browse charts on the internet to get coordinates of the structure you want and download it into an inexpensive handheld GPS. Thats what I was doing up until recently.
 
In the vancouver area i have experimented with deep six. you will catch coho more than anything, when there around. spoons and hoochies work okay.

But anchovies work the best hands down for chinook.
 
I have used planers a lot many years ago. I used really long leaders, like 15 feet. I know it sounds crazy but it worked and very well.

I’d run whole herring or herring strip. In the leader I would tie two bead chain swivels. I’ll bet this would work with an anchovy.

planer, long leader with swivels, anchovy. Out 60 pulls and away you go. This would work for summer fishing.

it can get tricky having to hand line in the leader on bigger fish but it was part of the fun.
 
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