2020 Bamfield and Barkley Sound Reports

Got out to Rats today, weather was ok. Lots of really big Wild Coho but only one hatch. A few small springs, nothing big enough to box. Hootchies were the ticket, good action, lots of fun but empty coolers.
Spent a a bit more than an hour trying for hali, no takers but brought home a limit of Sablefish!
 
Fished the sound Friday to Sunday. Hit all the regular spots (whittlestone, the wall, Kirby, Swale, Robbers, Pill Point). Overall fishing was slow. Had the best luck on anchovy in a purple teaser head at 52 feet on the rigger. LOTS of shakers around was checking the lines every 10 minutes. Some bigger coho around, caught a 12 pounder at Pill.
 
We fishing out of Bam for a cpl of days this past week. Fishing was hit or miss. Right place, right time meant results. Otherwise lots of trolling w out action. Many, many shakers no matter what we used. Best for us was anchovies at 30 feet. Ended up w 7 spring and 2 coho. Springs ranged from 15 to 25 pounds, w a double header at 20 lbs each we actually managed to land. Bit of a gong show for the 2 of us, but fun. Hey. Question: could we possibly have seen a sturgeon jump off Beale?? Flat water, clear day, HUGE silver fish w diamond markings in a line all down its body. Jumped a few times. Couldn't believe our eyes.
90% of sturgeon spend 10% of their time in salt water...marked fish from the fraser have been caught in the somas before same with columbia fish
 
A624B860-1F04-4375-9CA1-A07A5B2B1178.jpeg We fished Barkley mid Friday to Sunday afternoon, was extremely slow. That being said we didn’t go crazy long hours but put in a pretty good effort in which I’m kinda shocked we didn’t get 1 good Chinook hit. Friday we jigged mostly and got some real nice Rockies and black bombers but only small lings. We tried 5 mile for hali trolling a white hootchy around but no luck, our friends did jig one up before we got blown off. After that trolled Brady beach to bam entrance and back and picked up a nice big coho. Our friends hit a spring. Saturday I tried early Danvers down towards the nook way but struck out with no hits, marked lots so stuck it out through until early afternoon wrapping around right to the nook the sounder looked promising but nothing. Did the evening troll at pill and only tiny ones not even enough to call a shaker. Anchored up in useless inlet and tried pill again in the morning but nothing again. Was honestly a little disappointing lol, but lucked out on the weather Saturday as it didn’t blow the forecasted 30 to 40.
 
i went back to fishing the coho killer and small spoons, **** me off though as those spoons are like a piece of tinfoil. last maybe 3 fish. the 5" anchovy bites definitely died off. bellies after the flood where full of 1"-3" micro herring..
 
Agreed the Gibbs spoons are garbage as are the Silver Horde coho killers. Bend easily and lose their colours. AP and Pesca spoons are among the very few new spoons that hold up.
 
I’ve been liking the lighthouse lures spoons, pretty solid with good colour and most importantly catch fish.
 
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I can’t fish spoons as the 7 inch grilse will not leave them alone must be millions of grilse out there. Which is nice for the future but the mortality rate is high using spoons compared to bait or rubber
 
Every time I put a spoon down when I was there I was dragging baby salmon around, not one baby caught using bait
 
ran in yesterday to china creek. Not bad but not great either. Dusty and as said not great to be towing in. Suppose to be a little moisture this morning so maybe that will help, Heading in again in a hour so will report back tonight
 
Planning a day to play tomorrow (Friday). Looks calm and sunny. Freezer has fish in it so there is no pressure.... where would you go if you had a day to just have fun with your son and the fishes? In the canal with the crowd for salmon? Amongst the nooks and crannies in the sound for ling? Offshore to Rat's Nose because the ocean is big and awesome and maybe get some hali? Will report back on what we do but would be interested to hear what you would do on a sunny no-pressure fishing day.
 
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