Got back tonight from Winter Harbour -went of course with much too high expectation but as an old WH player -I expected this. Got into Cole harbour 12 noon on mon. and talked to guys coming out and found out that people were having a little problem finding Springs. Should have been there last week. LOL Crab traps dumped and Kaine Island by 2 pm fairly lumpy off the end -tried seaward but a little rough so stuck around Kains-got a few decent Springs and released a few 10 lbers really a little tough. By 7 pm blowing hard so went to a secure anchorage for late supper and a bit of strategy. First light Grants Bay--very dead!!! finally off Lippy a chovy scored a mid teen Spring-- But that was it-trolled out to the hiway got a hali and a few keeper lings--looking bleak so put a centre rod with an 8oz banana weight and a green and silver coyote plus a CCar coyote at 40 feet and a chovy at 180 ft and went prospecting. Even a blind squirrel gets the odd nut--and so it was-we played with coho for a few hours til we tired of it and had a limit. Living on the hook is great but it does have limitations-one of which is you don't hear where everyone else is getting fish. Snoozed the afternoon away-had an early supper and went to Kains-
Gorgeous evening lots of boats doing the usual parade outside the kelp-put on my big boy pants and went pinnacle hopping in tight on the end and around the seaward side of kains. Nailed a dandy on a green and silver 3.0 coyote-then booted another-- All at 33 to 40 ft. Died-decided to use my partners flasher and CCar coyote as a dummy and went beside him with a bare chovy no flasher. Like a light had been switched on--5 screamers on and 4 landed--Amazing evening-nobody came around-they just continued the parade on the inside and left us alone. First light-going to do it again--tide was right but the word was out-lots of boats back of kains but no fish!! By the way --if you insist on trolling in a narrow known passage way that is 20 feet wide at first light-you shouldn't be surprised that boats don't go 1/2 mile around the island to avoid you--Beauty is skin deep but Stupid is --to the Bone!!! Couldn't believe this guy-17 ft boat-no lights-trolling middle of the gap at first light with 10 Grady type boats piling thru for the open ocean. There are some things you can't unsee!! LOL On out to Grants-Nada continued out the RCA line and 164 ft of water with 150 ft down get a good take but didn't stick--hit man O board circled and came back and got a real burner-mid-20's-we stuck it out until we had a 3 man spring limit--then pulled up everything to under 45 feet-added a centre rod and went looking for coho--found a few but nothing too exciting. Called it a day as the wind had switched to the south-tried a few passes at Cliffe. nothing doing there. Headed up to the narrows and a quiet anchorage to clean and ice fish. Quiet evening-some tunes ,stories and the odd brewski just to remind us how fortunate we are to do this 10 to 12 times a year. Pulled the traps this morning-one had been pulled(zap strap gone) but the other 2 were decent. All in all a great trip--not overflowing with fish but if you are persistent and know your business you should be rewarded,
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