2018 Tofino Reports

When the Tuna get within 50 miles I'll throw the BSEM at them too to round out the season.

Did a couple of hours yesterday, mostly catch and release of salad near Wilf.

Today went a little further and picked up twin 20#s in short order. both put up excellent fights. Both on Money Hootchie.

BSEM is being saved up for the Tuna
 
Any fish showing up along the beach yet?
Some days but not steady pickings. Unfortunately some of our best surf line spots, other than Wild rock area have fin fish closures
 
Thanks for the report. I usually fish a little further south. Florencia area. Usually pretty thick with fish by now. Heading up tomorrow for a few days. May have to go find them offshore I guess.
 
Chinook are still in close. Small spoons seem to be working best for me. Fish are full of very small bait, and there is bait everywhere.

Spent an hour around the late tide change drifting for Hali. First brought in a ray/skate of some kind, looked evil and dangerous and was very wary trying to release it. Then got a 104cm Hali.
 
It’s as good as it gets right now. Nice Robertson fish coming down the Surfline with 20 lb average.
Call in sick and get out there!
 
Thanks. That’s what I heard. I’ll be there in the morning. The sound was good today too. Good bites at swale and Pill
 
still small spoons, without flasher, in close right now about 50/50 Chinook vs Coho
 
Had a great trip out west this weekend in the Sound and around Wya. Thanks for the info Fishtofino and J-Global . Herring Aid coho killer and 3 inch Derby Winner with 8ft leaders was the ticket for us. Found the afternoon flood was the best bite along the surf. Most boats had packed it in by then so we could relax and enjoy the fights. Nothing like hooking up doubles in the swell tight to the rocks. My favourite place to fish. Hope this wasn’t the last time.
9EB5B187-8E82-4F01-800F-DD2839608452.jpeg 6785E327-9BCA-4954-800B-58A2459BA568.jpeg 2799E3FD-B27A-45EE-A9FD-7DE5BE23D20C.jpeg 7DA0EF05-539E-49B6-A23F-9DBB6DCF20C6.jpeg
 
Just got back into town, still fish right out front on the rocks.

Springs seem smallish though, 8-12 #s

Going to put some distance on the boat tomorrow and see how things are a couple of other places maybe.
 
Sometimes you gotta go try somewhere else. Hit a few spots today searching and it paid off.

Today was an EPIC day.

First spot for Coho there was one other boat there and maybe another nearby; pretty fogged in may have been more but only one showing up on radar and passed him a couple of times.
First two of the day were right after dropping in, fishing the fog near the rocks, but then it went quiet and I think the only other boat around moved off to find coho on the other side maybe, but fishing by myself is more relaxing - long spells in between fish are okay when not having to keep others entertained. Later I moved out, the fog cleared (where I was) and there was no one around. The kind of fishing I like where I don't have to pay a lot of attention, just kind of wander. Sun was out, and after a while the fish started biting.

The Over 100# Tote

1st fish - Coho On the FLY!!!!

This is my new favorite thing. Finally found a setup I liked and bought it, and have now had 3 on the fly this year. 2 on the same fly; my son picked it out - don't know why but he's either got a great eye or just Kids Luck. He was also the one that picked out the BSEM - and when he picked that ugly sucker out I thought 'oh man I'm gonna have to run it I guess' - and it turns out its the BSEM!

Second on Spoon. Not the BSEM, but a pretty good one lately, has been working on the rocks now for a while, losing the paint off it.

Then did a lot of boating.
Then a SOCKEYE (Wow, they're still here!) Kinda caught in the middle of nowhere. Saw the initial hit. I have fairly heavy rods deep in the clip and tightened down pretty tight. Just a little tremor. Thought I had a small cod on it and just kind of ignored it because I was doing something else and figured I'd get to it. Then it gave a bit more action and popped the clip. Then a few seconds later Jumped! Then I thought it was a small coho.
Didn't realize it was a Sockeye until I went to release it beside the boat.

A couple more smallish springs released.

Then a nice Ling at my Ling Spot on Money Hootchie.

followed by a PERFECT Halibut on Money Hootchie. It Ran and Ran, slowly came back to the boat and then headed for bottom. Finally got it in - was fishing by myself and didn't have my son (best Gaffer around) to help.
Had 2 measures with different tape measures, at 112 and 110.

Then I got hit by something Big. I thought it was another Halibut. Ran and Ran again.
Lost it 20ft from the boat. Think it was another Halibut as didn't see any flashes of silver.

Put rod back down and hooked into another freight train on Money Hootchie

A substantial fight, a great deal of angst, and 3rd try with the net lucky. It was a Big Spring.

BIG Spring

I have a big net, and the spring used most of it.

Bled it, bonked it, then did a little dance around the deck - things you only do when you're fishing by yourself and no boats around watching.

Back at the dock got the Spring on the scale, 40# on the Dock scale.

Cleaned and at the processor was 36# head on.

What a day. Sadly back to work tomorrow.

So they're all still out there. Coho, Sockeye, Halibut and Tyee!

Back at it as soon as I can, possibly for Tuna if the weather cooperates.
 
Sometimes you gotta go try somewhere else. Hit a few spots today searching and it paid off.

Today was an EPIC day.

First spot for Coho there was one other boat there and maybe another nearby; pretty fogged in may have been more but only one showing up on radar and passed him a couple of times.
First two of the day were right after dropping in, fishing the fog near the rocks, but then it went quiet and I think the only other boat around moved off to find coho on the other side maybe, but fishing by myself is more relaxing - long spells in between fish are okay when not having to keep others entertained. Later I moved out, the fog cleared (where I was) and there was no one around. The kind of fishing I like where I don't have to pay a lot of attention, just kind of wander. Sun was out, and after a while the fish started biting.

The Over 100# Tote

1st fish - Coho On the FLY!!!!

This is my new favorite thing. Finally found a setup I liked and bought it, and have now had 3 on the fly this year. 2 on the same fly; my son picked it out - don't know why but he's either got a great eye or just Kids Luck. He was also the one that picked out the BSEM - and when he picked that ugly sucker out I thought 'oh man I'm gonna have to run it I guess' - and it turns out its the BSEM!

Second on Spoon. Not the BSEM, but a pretty good one lately, has been working on the rocks now for a while, losing the paint off it.

Then did a lot of boating.
Then a SOCKEYE (Wow, they're still here!) Kinda caught in the middle of nowhere. Saw the initial hit. I have fairly heavy rods deep in the clip and tightened down pretty tight. Just a little tremor. Thought I had a small cod on it and just kind of ignored it because I was doing something else and figured I'd get to it. Then it gave a bit more action and popped the clip. Then a few seconds later Jumped! Then I thought it was a small coho.
Didn't realize it was a Sockeye until I went to release it beside the boat.

A couple more smallish springs released.

Then a nice Ling at my Ling Spot on Money Hootchie.

followed by a PERFECT Halibut on Money Hootchie. It Ran and Ran, slowly came back to the boat and then headed for bottom. Finally got it in - was fishing by myself and didn't have my son (best Gaffer around) to help.
Had 2 measures with different tape measures, at 112 and 110.

Then I got hit by something Big. I thought it was another Halibut. Ran and Ran again.
Lost it 20ft from the boat. Think it was another Halibut as didn't see any flashes of silver.

Put rod back down and hooked into another freight train on Money Hootchie

A substantial fight, a great deal of angst, and 3rd try with the net lucky. It was a Big Spring.

BIG Spring

I have a big net, and the spring used most of it.

Bled it, bonked it, then did a little dance around the deck - things you only do when you're fishing by yourself and no boats around watching.

Back at the dock got the Spring on the scale, 40# on the Dock scale.

Cleaned and at the processor was 36# head on.

What a day. Sadly back to work tomorrow.

So they're all still out there. Coho, Sockeye, Halibut and Tyee!

Back at it as soon as I can, possibly for Tuna if the weather cooperates.

I've never caught a 40, and family is great, but there is something about fishing alone that keeps me doing it. Well done.
 
Beauty nite and i agree with @tubber something about solo fishing soothes the soul.
So i gotta know: what is the Best Spoon Ever Made?
;)
 
We don't get to see too many 40# fish anymore J Global did you happen to snap a pick before you dressed it.

Congrats on the fish by the way, sounds like a soothing day brother.
 
A lot slower day for us yesterday.
Lost a couple of decent but not large springs.
Caught several small springs, first time in a while I've had a triple header of springs, 6-10 lbs though.

No Hali. No coho (really unusual) and unfortunately what look to be 2 Mackerel. Although they were just a dull golden color didn't have any of the stripes that I associate with the Mackerel that were so think in Bamfield a few years ago.
 
And the water was weird. The water would be almost chocolate milk and then 100 years away back to green/dark. Looking over a distance you could see arms or rivers of this chocolate milk. The birds didn't like it, they stayed in the dark water, which is where we caught all our (small) salmon.
 
We got a few 4 lb jack mackeral at Big Bank Aug 18th. They are not a mackeral, but a member of the jack family. Yellowtail are also jacks, but different than jack mackeral.

Jack_mackerel.jpg
 
That looks like it, ours were 5-7 lbs, pretty big.

Today I saw a boil of predator fish just outside the lighthouse. Tried to troll my way over to it but was gone before I could get there and see what it was.

There were porpoises and KWs in the area too.

Just a few hits for us in 3 hours, but biggest was a 27.

Once again, no coho to be found for us.
 
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