Suggested salmon bait for Comox Valley

[Tymoon]

Good day everyone,

I recently moved to the island and since I am coming from the east coast, I would like to have some tips on what guys are using for salmon fishing.

Anticipating that I will have to do a run to a tackle shop to buy stuff since my equipment is mostly freshwater gear minus my artic char setup.

Thanks for your help!

 

[Foxsea]

Welcome!
Area 14-14 (harbour) is non retention for Salmon. You will have to fish South, toward Denman and Hornby, or North, past Cape Lazo to the Kitty Coleman hump. But check the reg's. because there are closures and conservation areas littered around this area.

As for gear, the local tackle stores can get you started, then watch this forum for the latest local knowledge.
Tight lines!

 

[Tymoon]

Thanks Foxsea for the info. You are correct I should just said Comox Valley area vice Harbour. Newbie mistake

 

[Prairie Locked]

Good day everyone,

I recently moved to the island and since I am coming from the east coast, I would like to have some tips on what guys are using for salmon fishing.

Anticipating that I will have to do a run to a tackle shop to buy stuff since my equipment is mostly freshwater gear minus my artic char setup.

Thanks for your help!

Tymoon,

I’d encourage you to check out the Tackle Shack up at Pacific Playgrounds.

I know the staff there would be more than happy to get you setup with a good variety of gear that will produce for you. They can share further about what areas have been hot and also give you a good tutorial of the lay of the land.

Hope that helps.

 

[Prairie Locked]

Having said the above, I’d suggest getting a cross section of:

- flashers
- hoochies
- spoons (various sizes)
- Tomic plugs

I’m short on time at the moment so can’t help with specifics of each. Maybe later on.

 

[barkerfam]

x@ for the Tackle Shack. They have had success in that area with Grand Slam bucktails behind a flasher as well.

 

[kyjelly44]

Well I would have to say my best luck has been on hoochies and green base color flashers (both with glow).

 

[Che]

I would like to have some tips on what guys are using for salmon fishing.!

Welcome to the Sportsman's Paradise. You'll find that a lot of people are very covetous and secretive about where and what they're fishing with and only give you a general "over there" type direction. It's really sad to see people who want to get in to fishing, but don't have the local knowledge or tactics and the locals who won't share this information because, then someone else might catch a fish. Jealousy is a strong emotion for some.

Anyways, basic gear to use is a flasher and spoon. My best combination is a Gibbs guide series Lemon Lime with a chartruese blade, and a GForce or SkinnyG spoon in the 'outfitter' colour, which is green-orange-white. Sometimes that's called a homeland security. Other popular colours are Cop Car (black & white) and Trap Shack (Black, Green White.) There are some other wild cards and experimental spoons to try, but those colours will get you fish. Other flashers I like to use are a Tango-10, Green or Purple Onion, Chili Pepper and Bon Chovy. The names for the colours can be a bit of code speak, but Gibbs labels all their products with the names.

Hootchies are a good cheap lure. The standard go to colour is just a plain white glow hootchie. But there are also colours like Army Truck, which is a green top, red stripe down the side and a white bottom. T-rex, which is a greeny spatter backed number. Blue Meanie is another or 'the turd.' There are infinite colour combinations, so experiment.

Brined or salted anchovies are a good bait, but attract dog fish. There's a way to rig them, but I wouldn't worry about that until you master the spoons and hootchies.

 

[Foxsea]

Che has given you some good info but keep in mind that what works for him may not for you or me. I catch local fish on purple haze flashers and herring aid spoons. Just as important as gear is time of year, time of day, tides, size and type of bait, leader length, trolling speed and direction, and location, location, location. The list goes on.

As Che says, some guys are pretty tight lipped but other guys will happily share the intel. Tackle shops are always a good bet but b.s. at the cleaning table is better. Network with other fishers. Part of the fun of fishing is constant observation, research and experimentation.

Some of the best advice available when you come to a new area, is from a professional guide. Hire one for a day and ask lots of questions, pay attention and take notes. A good guide will save you time, money and aggravation.

Above all, there is no substitute for time spent on the water. Enjoy it!

 

[ericl]

All good advise. All meant to be used Downrigger trolling with Flashers, which is usually the most productive technique. Requires a descent SONAR so you don't loose your expensive downright gear hanging up. Combined cost will be a grand or so. (BOAT = Break Out Another Thousand). I have been downrigger fishing since 1985 & view it as a 3 person job; 1 to handle the fish, 1 to handle the boat, & 1 to handle clearing the gear & netting the fish. Some fishers can do a reasonable job at all 3 by themselves. A boat with autopilot goes a long way at eliminating 1 person as does an electric downrigger.

Still fishing with bait (called mooching) or jigs works as well although strong winds and/or current and deep fishing depths can make these techniques challenging. So what technique to use often comes down to where you are fishing regarding depth/wind/current.