Advice for Aussie Visitor to BC

[Brissy]

Hi there, I am renting a small cruiser(Ranger 27) out of Vancouver in Mid September for 10 days, we are hoping to explore the Bute Inlet and desolation sound areas and at the same time wet a line on occasion. I have fished for trout in the US and Canada but the Salt Water angle is completely new. I will be backpacking before the boat trip so i am limited in what gear i can bring, this would most likely consist of a 6-10kg Travel spinning Rod and reel loaded with 20lb braid and a small amount of tackle.

My questions are what sort of fish species might i target in those areas at that time of year, what depths/bottom types/tide conditions would i be looking to fish for those species and the types of lures/jigs that might be effective?

The tackle i have considered taking is: several Cabelas 'Real Image' Jig-n-spoon jigs in 1.5 and 2 ounce sizes, i have these rigged with assist hooks instead of trebles, soft plastic jig heads up to 1 ounce, Sebile deep diving minnows(40ft depth), a couple of squid imitations (hootchies i think they are called) i also have a Dipsy Diver which i could take if that was to be of use.

Any general tips on areas i should try, what to change as far as equip and tackle etc would be appreciated, once i have more of an idea i can then search these forums/net for more info on how to catch these species.

Lastly the boat charter offer prawn and crab traps to hire, is this worthwhile considering time of year and areas we may be in.

Thanks so much

Mick.

 

[Rum Buddies]

gonna be pretty tough to get any salmon with just a spinning rod, but you could have fun casting or jigging for bottom fish.

 

[NautiGirl]

Perhaps some coho or pink salmon from dragging some spoons or spinners on the surface behind the boat, perhaps with a small banana mooching weight. Use a mono leader.

 

[Dogbreath]

gonna be pretty tough to get any salmon with just a spinning rod, but you could have fun casting or jigging for bottom fish.

True enough but the Good News is that this is a Pink Year-every second year large numbers of (small) Pink Salmon return to the coast so your timing should be good-the buggers take anything flashy whether trolled or cast.

These two year old Salmon deteriorate quite quickly unless bled/cleaned & iced ASAP so if you want one for dinner don't delay.

Dragging a trolling spoon 4' behind the Dipsey Diver should produce if not stop & cast the Cabelas gear to any 'nervous looking' water you see also try dragging that Sebile deep diving minnow that company has some great gear.

Crab you'll find almost everywhere the trick late in the season is finding legal sized ones-Male only 6.5" across the back-look for sandy/muddy bottom in 30'-60' of water leave down over a tide change not too long or they'll escape use anything at all for bait.

Prawning is something of a PITA the first few times you do it especially since you generally need to be below 300' to fish effectively.

Once you hit town give me a shout via this forum-I can meet you on the dock with some trolling spoons I live close to downtown where the docks are and would be Happy to help out.

 

[trophywife]

ooooo, the fog and currents are beauty up there!! learn fishing closure areas!!


good advice dogbreath!!! jig deep 90'-120' oops 30m to 40m on a flood tide in dennam bay.... good time of year for some big white springs!

 

[Dave S]

[Te3nfXxIxN4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Te3nfXxIxN4

 

[Brissy]

Hi again, thanks so much for the advice and very kind offer of some lures to try. I guess once we are in the area i can troll between anchorages and i would also like to try jigging for Rockfish etc, are Halibut and Ling also a possibility? Of course licence and guide to closed areas go without saying. I now also need to Google a Banana Mooching weight, its a different language between us and im sure you guys would get a laugh at some of our terms.

 

[Dave S]

Dipsy diver or a deep six would also work to drag around with a spoon or hootchie and mini flasher. Slip weights up to 8oz will work too for trolling. Talk to fishers along the way and you should be able to get some intel.

Learn the regulations and RCA (no fishing) zones so you don't get yourself in trouble.

 

[Dave S]

The lingcod minimum size is quite large, so take note of that length and also the difference between lingcod and kelp greenling. Kelp greenling are good eating and no need to find a monster. (no size restrictions) Should be good chances of finding either.

Do you have a smart phone? get the Navionics app

 

[Kisinana]

Follow the Powell River and Campbell River threads. September will have some of the runs heading to rivers in Theodosia and Desolation as well as areas on the sunshine coast. Closer to the time we can give you a better idea of where to fish.

Typically September has a run at Wolfson Creek Powell River and Sliammon.
Crabbing at different areas on your way to Desolation can be very good Texada, Harwood, Savary, The Copelands and Okeover.

 

[Brissy]

Thanks again for the further info guys it is appreciated, i will check some more threads on here linking some of the above ideas,

Dave S the plug cut herring vid is interesting, we slow troll Pilchards here for Mackerel which is usually a good method when they wont take lures, the cut plug may be a good idea for a hardier bait like fresh mullet so im keen to try that here.

 

[dougthefisher]

Come on you guys. someone rent him a rod and reel for 2 weeks....sheeesh

 

[sly_karma]

Hey Brissy, you better take a look at the fishing regs. From your nick I'll assume you're from Qld, not sure what regs are like there, but in NSW the sport regs are maybe about 3 pages. Blew me away when I first came to BC how complex the rules are. Different species have different catch limits and possession limits, hatchery vs wild fish, tightly defined geographical areas, etc. I'm not a rule **** but I'd hate to see you pinged for something you didn't know about. Here ya go, you poor bugger:

http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/rec/index-eng.html

Once you get that little bit of light reading under your belt, relax and prepare for a great trip. You're heading to one of the greatest cruising destinations in the world. Although I live 400 km inland, we have a summer place on one of the little islands that dot the BC coast. Every day spent there is a day in paradise, whether the fish are biting or not.

 

[Brissy]

Hi Karma, thanks for the email , yes i have been doing a bit of reading on area regs and a far more complex system it is compared to ours, although the advent of green zones in recent years has made anglers here more aware of where and what they can do. If im lucky enough to catch a fish i will be sure to have the measure at the ready, if i catch a couple most likely they will get revived and released as i mostly fish that way. Cheers Mick.

 

[Seafever]

We used to use spinning reels for saltwater jigging......going as deep as 200ft.

No problem.

Other than......it's better to be a saltwater spinning reel...the freshwater reels corrode pretty fast.

The larger model "Deep Six" planer will get you down 50 to 70 ft..all else being equal.......can run a spoon 6ft behind those..........but a rod that's too light will not work for those very well because of the drag factor. The average spinning reel drag system isn't built for those either.





Chinooks aren't always deep. If you are in certain reefy/structure areas...they could be as shallow as 30ft at times.

We ran 20lb test...then a swivel...then 6ft of leader.....then tie direct to jig.

Biggest drawback with jigging is getting smaller size jigs to go deep.......often you are fighting blowback,currents and wind going in the opposite direction of the current.

That said, you don't always have to go too small on the jig.

On Ling Cod jigs I use a bigger hook than I do on other jigs.......because Ling Cod have pretty big bony mouths....and small hooks will often just catch on the outer flesh (too small to hook around the jawbone) and then they pullout after a couple of minutes.


If you are jigging pretty shallow then mono is o.k.........but braid is a better way to go for anything deeper.......you can feel every little thing that is going on down there....and no "elasticity"......(although a 6ft leader of mono is the norm).

If you are jigging for certain species at certain depths (say you want be 120ft down in 800ft of water...)then a line counter reel or add-on linecounter device can help.....

There are ways of putting ' depth indicator ' tie-ons on a line .....but it's a pain.....

They also make jigging lines that have different color sections in them so you know how deep you are.....

Remember that in most areas around here...if you are jigging for salmon species , it has to be barbless hook..

 

[Brissy]

Thanks Seafever, great info there, very much appreciated.