R
Rodbreaker
Guest
The PREDATOR'S PEN Date: November 28th/2003.
An update of the local saltwater fishing scene for Vancouver To : Saltwater Angler
By: David Korsch (Predator Charters)
E-mail: davek@dccnet.com Web Site: www.predatorcharters.com
Phone: (604) 329 - 8642 Fax: (604) 886 - 1928
Hello Fellow Anglers
What a great start to the winter fishery we have had! Other than three or four days of slow fishing right around the November full moon (unfortunately it occurred when there were crystal clear skies), the winter Chinook fishing has been much better than expected for November. If we see the usual trend of winter Chinook numbers peaking between December and March, we will be in for some extremely good fishing during the next few months.
There have been lots of fish landed between 14 and 18 lbs as well as a 25 lb monster on November 1st. Remember, all of these fish are just "immature feeders", so seeing fish of this size so early in the winter is fantastic (they usually average 8 to 12 lbs). These Chinook are eating machines who are just trying to pack on the pounds and grow. All nutrients are therefore going into their bodies (as opposed to gonad production like maturing fish). They are bright chrome, fight well, and are the best eating salmon of the year. If you haven't experienced a winter Chinook on the table, you don't know what you are missing!
Catches in lower Howe Sound through the middle/latter portion of November seem to be averaging around two legal fish per trip in addition to some undersize and lost fish. The "waterfall" and Hutt Island have also picked up recently, so all the action isn't just centered around Tunstall Bay. I always find it best when all three locations are producing, as it gives alternatives, and the chance of a really great day if you can pick up a legal fish or two from each of the three places! Vancouver Harbour has yet to begin producing fish (other than small shakers) on a regular basis. This area traditionally picks up in the middle of December, so it should start happening at any time.
Unfortunately, things got a bit difficult on some days this past week, as excessively large amounts of "drift" seem to be hanging about in the lower reaches of Howe Sound. These areas of debris make it very hard to fish some of the locations properly, and have hindered the fishing substantially. The strong SE winds we had last night and this morning should clear much of this debris away, so this problem should end shortly.
Early in November, most of the "feed" in the Chinook's bellies were Shiner Seapearch, but lately they seem to have switched over to Herring in the 5 to 6" range (or the herring schools moved into the area). I guess overall bait has been the best producer (Anchovies or small whole Herring) either fished with or without a flasher. Gypsy and Coyote spoons (also fished with or without a flasher) in glow army truck or green/glow have been a close second, and 4" Tomic plugs in blue/green or green/yellow colour patterns (eg. #171, #413 etc...) have also been doing quite well as of late. Other strong producers at this time of year are hootchies (green/white, army truck, charteuse/white, blue/green) and Glitter Strip (blue/green, green/glow, blue/glow, green/yellow), so these are also worth a try. The key is to use one or two combinations that you know will work, and to experiment a bit with a couple of others. In this way, you should get fish on the proven combinations, but you may just happen to "stumble" on the next hot combo (how do you think I found out how productive the #212 Diamond Lance spoon was 10 years ago.....it became the #1 producer for a couple of winters).
The key to the winter fishery is to fish right along the bottom in depths ranging from 100 to 200 feet. The "winter Chinook" relate very strongly to structure, so if you are more than about 10 or 15 feet off the bottom, you reduce your chances substantially. Also, keep the flasher to a minimum. I find using more than two flashers hurts production, and I often only use one (even if using 6 rods). Water clarity is great at this time of year, so hungry or curious Chinook are easily able to see all of your offerings once the single flasher draws them over to your gear.
Since my last newsletter, new charter rates for 2004 were decided upon. Unfortunately, everything keeps going up in price (GAS, moorage, tackle etc...), so my charter rates have been increased for 2004 by $25.00 for the 5 hour charter. The PREDATOR now goes out for $400.00 + GST for 5 hours, and extra hours are $75.00 + GST. As far as I understand, the rate increase will come into effect as of January 1st, so if you were thinking of doing a winter Chinook charter in the next few weeks, you may want to do it in December rather than wait until January. This means if you have visitors from out of town over the Holidays that may enjoy the unique Westcoast experience of winter Chinook fishing you will also be able to get a trip in before the rates increase.
One "Christmas" note: My wife and her mother have been making/selling Christmas wreaths for the past few years to rave reviews, and they will be coming over to Vancouver for two craft shows this winter for the first time. They will be at the St. Catherine's Church craft fair in Edgemont Village (North Vancouver) on December 6th, and will be at another fair in Burnaby (I will get the location by the time of my next newsletter) on December 13th. If you are looking for a wreath it may be an idea to stop by and see them. Look for the tall redhead with the new baby.
I typically have lots of open times for charters at this time of year, so booking in a trip if you are interested will usually be quite easy. In addition, due to my relatively "open" schedule at this time of year and the unpredictable weather, I am quite flexible on moving the date of your charter around if necessary in order to avoid unpleasant weather.
As always, feel free to pass this information along to any associates whom may appreciate the report. If you have any questions, or wish to book a charter, e-mail me davek@dccnet.com), or call me at (604) 329 - 8642.
Tight Lines,
David Korsch
Predator Charters
(604) 329 - 8642
davek@dccnet.com
www.predatorcharters.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
that's why there's a warranty!
An update of the local saltwater fishing scene for Vancouver To : Saltwater Angler
By: David Korsch (Predator Charters)
E-mail: davek@dccnet.com Web Site: www.predatorcharters.com
Phone: (604) 329 - 8642 Fax: (604) 886 - 1928
Hello Fellow Anglers
What a great start to the winter fishery we have had! Other than three or four days of slow fishing right around the November full moon (unfortunately it occurred when there were crystal clear skies), the winter Chinook fishing has been much better than expected for November. If we see the usual trend of winter Chinook numbers peaking between December and March, we will be in for some extremely good fishing during the next few months.
There have been lots of fish landed between 14 and 18 lbs as well as a 25 lb monster on November 1st. Remember, all of these fish are just "immature feeders", so seeing fish of this size so early in the winter is fantastic (they usually average 8 to 12 lbs). These Chinook are eating machines who are just trying to pack on the pounds and grow. All nutrients are therefore going into their bodies (as opposed to gonad production like maturing fish). They are bright chrome, fight well, and are the best eating salmon of the year. If you haven't experienced a winter Chinook on the table, you don't know what you are missing!
Catches in lower Howe Sound through the middle/latter portion of November seem to be averaging around two legal fish per trip in addition to some undersize and lost fish. The "waterfall" and Hutt Island have also picked up recently, so all the action isn't just centered around Tunstall Bay. I always find it best when all three locations are producing, as it gives alternatives, and the chance of a really great day if you can pick up a legal fish or two from each of the three places! Vancouver Harbour has yet to begin producing fish (other than small shakers) on a regular basis. This area traditionally picks up in the middle of December, so it should start happening at any time.
Unfortunately, things got a bit difficult on some days this past week, as excessively large amounts of "drift" seem to be hanging about in the lower reaches of Howe Sound. These areas of debris make it very hard to fish some of the locations properly, and have hindered the fishing substantially. The strong SE winds we had last night and this morning should clear much of this debris away, so this problem should end shortly.
Early in November, most of the "feed" in the Chinook's bellies were Shiner Seapearch, but lately they seem to have switched over to Herring in the 5 to 6" range (or the herring schools moved into the area). I guess overall bait has been the best producer (Anchovies or small whole Herring) either fished with or without a flasher. Gypsy and Coyote spoons (also fished with or without a flasher) in glow army truck or green/glow have been a close second, and 4" Tomic plugs in blue/green or green/yellow colour patterns (eg. #171, #413 etc...) have also been doing quite well as of late. Other strong producers at this time of year are hootchies (green/white, army truck, charteuse/white, blue/green) and Glitter Strip (blue/green, green/glow, blue/glow, green/yellow), so these are also worth a try. The key is to use one or two combinations that you know will work, and to experiment a bit with a couple of others. In this way, you should get fish on the proven combinations, but you may just happen to "stumble" on the next hot combo (how do you think I found out how productive the #212 Diamond Lance spoon was 10 years ago.....it became the #1 producer for a couple of winters).
The key to the winter fishery is to fish right along the bottom in depths ranging from 100 to 200 feet. The "winter Chinook" relate very strongly to structure, so if you are more than about 10 or 15 feet off the bottom, you reduce your chances substantially. Also, keep the flasher to a minimum. I find using more than two flashers hurts production, and I often only use one (even if using 6 rods). Water clarity is great at this time of year, so hungry or curious Chinook are easily able to see all of your offerings once the single flasher draws them over to your gear.
Since my last newsletter, new charter rates for 2004 were decided upon. Unfortunately, everything keeps going up in price (GAS, moorage, tackle etc...), so my charter rates have been increased for 2004 by $25.00 for the 5 hour charter. The PREDATOR now goes out for $400.00 + GST for 5 hours, and extra hours are $75.00 + GST. As far as I understand, the rate increase will come into effect as of January 1st, so if you were thinking of doing a winter Chinook charter in the next few weeks, you may want to do it in December rather than wait until January. This means if you have visitors from out of town over the Holidays that may enjoy the unique Westcoast experience of winter Chinook fishing you will also be able to get a trip in before the rates increase.
One "Christmas" note: My wife and her mother have been making/selling Christmas wreaths for the past few years to rave reviews, and they will be coming over to Vancouver for two craft shows this winter for the first time. They will be at the St. Catherine's Church craft fair in Edgemont Village (North Vancouver) on December 6th, and will be at another fair in Burnaby (I will get the location by the time of my next newsletter) on December 13th. If you are looking for a wreath it may be an idea to stop by and see them. Look for the tall redhead with the new baby.
I typically have lots of open times for charters at this time of year, so booking in a trip if you are interested will usually be quite easy. In addition, due to my relatively "open" schedule at this time of year and the unpredictable weather, I am quite flexible on moving the date of your charter around if necessary in order to avoid unpleasant weather.
As always, feel free to pass this information along to any associates whom may appreciate the report. If you have any questions, or wish to book a charter, e-mail me davek@dccnet.com), or call me at (604) 329 - 8642.
Tight Lines,
David Korsch
Predator Charters
(604) 329 - 8642
davek@dccnet.com
www.predatorcharters.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
that's why there's a warranty!
