2022 Secret Cove, Pender Harbour and Texada Reports

[sherrett]

We went out to fish the slack high tide last night on the W side of Epsom and had 5 to the boat in about an hour and a half, 3 of them good sized 8-12 lb fish. Tons of bait around with herring balls right at the surface, at one point surrounding the boat as we drifted and did a bit of jigging and ate picnic dinner. Beauty warm and calm night on the water. Looking forward to Friday opening!

 

[doug78]

Tried my luck for lings at south Texada and south Thormanby on Sunday/Monday. Plenty of undersized lings and action with other rockfish and . no keepers. Best size was around 55cm. Found most action around 60 foot mark, are the big ones maybe deeper? Shallower? Mostly jigged shimano flat falls. Need to widen my gear approach.

Caught bottom a few times but managed to save all my gear. New to this bottom fish game.

 

[Last_Call]

Tried my luck for lings at south Texada and south Thormanby on Sunday/Monday. Plenty of undersized lings and action with other rockfish and . no keepers. Best size was around 55cm. Found most action around 60 foot mark, are the big ones maybe deeper? Shallower? Mostly jigged shimano flat falls. Need to widen my gear approach.

Caught bottom a few times but managed to save all my gear. New to this bottom fish game.

try some live bait. Jig up a few perch / shiners. 60ft mark usually about right for nice lings in my experience.

 

[Tighthead]

Tried my luck for lings at south Texada and south Thormanby on Sunday/Monday. Plenty of undersized lings and action with other rockfish and . no keepers. Best size was around 55cm. Found most action around 60 foot mark, are the big ones maybe deeper? Shallower? Mostly jigged shimano flat falls. Need to widen my gear approach.

Caught bottom a few times but managed to save all my gear. New to this bottom fish game.

Go deeper.

 

[sherrett]

Go deeper.

Agreed on deeper. I've caught them anywhere from 50' to 100' around S Texada and Thormanby. I like the falling jigs too. Get down to the bottom and come up a bit. Go back down to bottom. I often find I'm getting greeling and rockfish as well and the wind has to be really calm to keep the jigging pretty vertical. I find too much drift pulls the jig up and makes it hard to feel fish.

 

[doug78]

Agreed on deeper. I've caught them anywhere from 50' to 100' around S Texada and Thormanby. I like the falling jigs too. Get down to the bottom and come up a bit. Go back down to bottom. I often find I'm getting greeling and rockfish as well and the wind has to be really calm to keep the jigging pretty vertical. I find too much drift pulls the jig up and makes it hard to feel fish.

Wind was tricky on Sunday, used the kicker to help slow the drift. I got into the rockfish and greenling as well, like I said lots of action.

I thought about live bait...will give it a go next time.

Thanks for the tips.

 

[Last_Call]

Wind was tricky on Sunday, used the kicker to help slow the drift. I got into the rockfish and greenling as well, like I said lots of action.

I thought about live bait...will give it a go next time.

Thanks for the tips.

A little birdie told me that kelp greenling make the best live bait. Rigged up with one hook thru the upper lip and a dangling treble on a 6' leader (40lbs) behind an 8oz ball weight. Since they are arguably 'inedible species (DFO term)' you are permitted to use kelp greenling as bait. Keep in mind you'll likely catch a ling of 15lb + so you'll need to decide what you're comfortable bonking. Nice to let anything 20+ swim free IMO as those are generally the big breeding females. Might wanna get a 2nd opinion from the "ling king" himself, @Rain City

 

[Rain City]

I little birdie told me that kelp greenling make the best live bait. Rigged up with one hook thru the upper lip and a dangling treble on a 6' leader (40lbs) behind an 8oz ball weight. Since they are arguably 'inedible species (DFO term)' you are permitted to use kelp greenling as bait. Keep in mind you'll likely catch a ling of 15lb + so you'll need to decide what you're comfortable bonking. Nice to let anything 20+ swim free IMO as those are generally the big breeding females. Might wanna get a 2nd opinion from the "ling king" himself, @Rain City

@hippaisland taught me everything I know lol.

 

[hippaisland]

@hippaisland taught me everything I know lol.

Classic case of “do as I say not as I do”.

 

[Aces]

A little birdie told me that kelp greenling make the best live bait. Rigged up with one hook thru the upper lip and a dangling treble on a 6' leader (40lbs) behind an 8oz ball weight. Since they are arguably 'inedible species (DFO term)' you are permitted to use kelp greenling as bait. Keep in mind you'll likely catch a ling of 15lb + so you'll need to decide what you're comfortable bonking. Nice to let anything 20+ swim free IMO as those are generally the big breeding females. Might wanna get a 2nd opinion from the "ling king" himself, @Rain City

I keep them up to 40 lbs

 

[Rain City]

I keep them up to 40 lbs

40lb is perfect table fare according to Brendan Mo.

 

[Aces]

40lb is perfect table fare according to Brendan Mo.

40lb is perfect table fare according to Brendan Mo.

 

[Aces]

Yum!

 

[spoiler]

Wind was tricky on Sunday, used the kicker to help slow the drift. I got into the rockfish and greenling as well, like I said lots of action.

I thought about live bait...will give it a go next time.

Thanks for the tips.

big Ling love live Shiners!

 

[doug78]

big Ling love live Shiners!

I'm guessing the live bait keeps the little rockfish off the end of the line?

 

[sherrett]

Got out into the breeze for first morning of retention and worked hard to keep the boat on tack get a keeper. Hid behind Thormanby to fish the E side of Epsom Point bank with ~4 other boats on the early shift.



Caught this hatchery male in 100’, 60’ on the downrigger at around 8am, after a slack high tide of 6 am. Popped the clip and ran then came in pretty easy. Solo job on the net so thankful for his cooperation.


Beautiful red flesh and nothing in the stomach. 73 cms on the tape.

 

[Dan Mills]

Egmont. Silver horde high five at 120'. Marble

 

[Tail Chaser]

Opening day looked a little nasty off Epsom in the morning, so watched from the living room. Then is calmed down, so went out for a couple hours around 5:30 pm and got into 6 springs in short order. There is a lot of undersized springs around this year. First mate out-fished me as usual........

 

[Netanyahu]

Ok so City slickers coming over next Thursday through Sunday! Reading this site and the Vancouver thread (yes Van mentions Sunshine coast) and wanting to get some practice laps in before the white board retraining lessons I mentioned to the swimbait queen "now is when you want to be out there"! (did not tell her we where not fishing lings) She comes back with "when is the tide"? Wow good timing, right after the honey due list is done I report! She commits to 1 hour before 1 after the tide! Seven minutes to the marina. Nice, practice laps, boat floats, riggers rig, Buccaneer has local frozen herring (live as well if you have to row out due to gas pricing) Epsom beckons, herring roll. Four under, one popoff, one nice yum-yum on the deck. Cleaning table still works. Looking forward a to fresh steamed collar dinner. lots of boats out a ton mooching (looked like early 80's) All and all welcome back everyone! good to see all of you out enjoying the day.

 

[Rain City]

Ok so City slickers coming over next Thursday through Sunday! Reading this site and the Vancouver thread (yes Van mentions Sunshine coast) and wanting to get some practice laps in before the white board retraining lessons I mentioned to the swimbait queen "now is when you want to be out there"! (did not tell her we where not fishing lings) She comes back with "when is the tide"? Wow good timing, right after the honey due list is done I report! She commits to 1 hour before 1 after the tide! Seven minutes to the marina. Nice, practice laps, boat floats, riggers rig, Buccaneer has local frozen herring (live as well if you have to row out due to gas pricing) Epsom beckons, herring roll. Four under, one popoff, one nice yum-yum on the deck. Cleaning table still works. Looking forward a to fresh steamed collar dinner. lots of boats out a ton mooching (looked like early 80's) All and all welcome back everyone! good to see all of you out enjoying the day.

What a sick report.