2019 Vancouver-Howe Sound-Sechelt Reports Thread

[Normfish]

Fished sandheads yesterday , 11am till 5pm . We did get our 4 Spring and 2 Pink , but was a bit slower . Had Mr. SeaDog , help himself to one of the Springs I was fighting, only lost the hooks though .
Not as many Pinks hitting as the day before , but still lots of action.
Anchovie, and White Hoochie both caught 2 Springs each , 47 to 67 were the depth on the riggers. Nice day out there again .

 

[Normfish]

Just so you guys know , both Army and Navy in Langley , and Stevenson Marine on the Langley By Pass are out of anchovie.

 

[Pineapple Express]

Hi guys, heading out to sandheads and t10 tomorrow. Never been and newish to fishing. Pls forgive the silly question, but what are the best tides for fishing there?

Excited to get in on the action and will post a report!

Others might reply with tide info. Personally I get so few chances to get out I'll fish on any tide! If it's calm and I'm available I'll be out there! Good luck!

 

[Bben]

Where do you guys launch to get to the Sand Heads? Is it safe to take my 16 ft Aluminum with a 70 hp motor out that way?
Regards
D

Steveston marina is your best bet - closest to Sandheads. But you have to watch the wind - the mouth can get super hairy if it’s windy and the tide is strong. Next option is Vanier, but that’s a longer boat drive. You should be ok in that boat, I see smaller ones out there, but you just have to know the conditions (and be prepared to turn back if needed).

 

[Bben]

Fished 5-8pm yesterday. Sandheads. Rough start, everything was going wrong, one of those days. I got lazy and didn’t brine the bait (didn’t need to the last two times out we were done before they thawed!) and so I was constantly changing mangled bait. Gave up and switched to spoons for a bit, nothing. Just told my dad I’m kinda done, but switched to hoochies first and bam, dad pulls in a 10# red. Nice. Might as well try again, and bam, screamer. Dad pulls in a 18# red. Good times. The old man taught me to fish but hasn’t caught a big spring in over 20 years he tells me....whaaat? Anyway, really cool to see him playing those fish, with my boys on board too. Turned into a great evening - that’s fishing, and I love it!

Riggers at 70, green flash with red/white hoochie AWAY from the pack in about 180ft water.

 

[Pineapple Express]

Steveston marina is your best bet - closest to Sandheads. But you have to watch the wind - the mouth can get super hairy if it’s windy and the tide is strong. Next option is Vanier, but that’s a longer boat drive.

There's two ramps in Ladner which would be much closer to Sandheads versus Vanier Park (Captain's Cove and Wellington Point). Also, on the North Arm there's McDonald Beach as well. https://www.richmond.ca/parksrec/about/rentals/facilities/boatlaunch.htm

 

[Bben]

There's two ramps in Ladner which would be much closer to Sandheads versus Vanier Park (Captain's Cove and Wellington Point). Also, on the North Arm there's McDonald Beach as well. https://www.richmond.ca/parksrec/about/rentals/facilities/boatlaunch.htm

Thanks. I’m relatively new to this too so I’ll check those other options out as well.

 

[Rain City]

0 for 3 so far. No idea what's going on. Light bites? Hitting everything at T10. All screamers.

Finally landed one lol. White glow hoochie at 85'.

 

[ab1752]

Fished 5-8pm yesterday. Sandheads. Rough start, everything was going wrong, one of those days. I got lazy and didn’t brine the bait (didn’t need to the last two times out we were done before they thawed!) and so I was constantly changing mangled bait. Gave up and switched to spoons for a bit, nothing. Just told my dad I’m kinda done, but switched to hoochies first and bam, dad pulls in a 10# red. Nice. Might as well try again, and bam, screamer. Dad pulls in a 18# red. Good times. The old man taught me to fish but hasn’t caught a big spring in over 20 years he tells me....whaaat? Anyway, really cool to see him playing those fish, with my boys on board too. Turned into a great evening - that’s fishing, and I love it!

Riggers at 70, green flash with red/white hoochie AWAY from the pack in about 180ft water.

This is awesone I love a comeback story, great work!

 

[A-a-Ron]

11am till 5pm . We did get our 4 Spring and 2 Pink , but was a bit slower . View attachment 47040

I love how us fishermen alter our expectations so quickly I am heading out a couple times from now til Saturday. Hoping for a slower day like this Normfish!

 

[sir-vivor]

Heads up...No parking left at #2 Road as of 9am , fishing slow one hit since 930

 

[Chasin' Dreams]

Just so you guys know , both Army and Navy in Langley , and Stevenson Marine on the Langley By Pass are out of anchovie.

These sure are coming in handy for all this great spring fishing! Glad I loaded up this year from the fund raiser. Highly recommend if you have a vac packer to take advantage of these fund raiser sales when you can. Save soooo much $ on bait this way and money goes to a good cause. Also keep all the guts/trimmings for prawn/crab bait when I make cut strips from the Herring.

We are getting about 60-70% of our fish on Herring but chovies are working very well too. Nice not to have to worry about buying any bait before fishing trips. When the Salmon are after smaller bait fish I'll cut them into small strips as well. From the larger Herring I can get 4 strips each of them for bait in teaser heads. The small strips work deadly when the fish are feeding on needle fish particularly.

 

[Chasin' Dreams]

If you find it may be slowing down right at the mouth, try wondering off a ways (even to the other side, or right our in the middle of the straight ) They are still making their way in large numbers. We were limited out in 2 hrs this morning all on cured up Herring/chovies (mostly Herring). A bit deeper today from 140-90' on the riggers out in deeper water.

 

[Tockeyetalmon]

Sandheads was fire from 8-12 for us. Triple headers n all. Limited out then did some catch and release.

 

[A-a-Ron]

Just so you guys know , both Army and Navy in Langley , and Stevenson Marine on the Langley By Pass are out of anchovie.

Figured that out the hard way last couple days. A&N downtown has a whole freezer full though.

 

[Rain City]

If you find it may be slowing down right at the mouth, try wondering off a ways (even to the other side, or right our in the middle of the straight ) They are still making their way in large numbers. We were limited out in 2 hrs this morning all on cured up Herring/chovies (mostly Herring). A bit deeper today from 140-90' on the riggers out in deeper water.

View attachment 47051

View attachment 47050

View attachment 47052

Yup. Got ours in 500' and deeper. Don't need to go near the pack. Get the hell out there and fish in comfort. Little deeper today like CD said. We're getting lots on medium naked herring.

 

[AB3]

Yup. Got ours in 500' and deeper. Don't need to go near the pack. Get the hell out there and fish in comfort. Little deeper today like CD said. We're getting lots on medium naked herring.

When you say naked herring what do you mean? No teaser head I would guess?... but do u still set it up to roll?

 

[seatosky]

When you say naked herring what do you mean? No teaser head I would guess?... but do u still set it up to roll?

Typically means teaser head without an inline flasher (dummy instead). Otherwise he’d be cut plugging old school.

 

[Rain City]

When you say naked herring what do you mean? No teaser head I would guess?... but do u still set it up to roll?

Yup in a teaser head but no flasher. I run another rod with a flasher and spoon or hoochie below it as my "dummy".

 

[ab1752]

Yup in a teaser head but no flasher. I run another rod with a flasher and spoon or hoochie below it as my "dummy".

I'm going to run this Friday with a jughead teaser on a long leader say 6' (I'm short that's a long way for me) to a white uv flasher. Ideally the 15 to 25 knot NW lays the eff down by the time I'm out there lol Nothing like rollers out front of the sulphur mountains...a sure sign of what is to come in the Straits