2022 Vancouver-Howe Sound-Sechelt Reports Thread

[fishin_magician]

Most of the Coho are off West Van and not RC this year.

 

[sweettjim]

Most of the Coho are off West Van and not RC this year.

I’ve had heard a few guys trying there around west van but no luck coho r running later this year seems like

 

[fishin_magician]

I’ve had heard a few guys trying there around west van but no luck coho r running later this year seems like

They’re just getting started.

 

[sweettjim]

They’re just getting started.

U get into any coho off west van?

 

[fishin_magician]

Yep. Same old places they used to be. It’s a wet summer so far. Lots of fresh water means Coho to the harbour not off RC like recent years.

 

[Rcook.bc]

Most of the Coho are off West Van and not RC this year.

Hi
Sorry to ask what might be obvious, but what is “RC”?
Thanks!

 

[Alison2]

Hi
Sorry to ask what might be obvious, but what is “RC”?
Thanks!

Roger Curtis point off Bowen Island by Tunstall Bay.

 

[Rcook.bc]

Roger Curtis point off Bowen Island by Tunstall Bay.

Thanks! Appreciate the tips!

 

[Aquaholic]

Hi
Sorry to ask what might be obvious, but what is “RC”?
Thanks!

It’s French for Thrasher Rock.

 

[Jd604]

Had good day today at Gower point area 29-1 trolled down to Camp Byng and back-forth all day . 5 keeper crab (somebody been pulling claws off some including smalls -a bit "tacky" IMO) , 200 prawn and finally first of the season , first ever 5-6 pound chrome hatchery Coho! Absolute accident, as buddy was setting our rods, - stacked, cable was pulled close at 38 feet, ready to clip his line on the top stack postilion and go down - and bang! - Fish on my shallow, half-set bottom rod. Before he got scotty release clipped on, handy for clearing the rod - wasn't out yet!
Handed me my old favorite technium rod and was a good jumpy fish, and first salmon of the year in the cooler ( yay!, we weren't skunked again!) . Was caught on a 3.5" "Boone" UV Green Haze Hoochie behind chartreuse glow flasher. Again at only 38 feet, middle of setting ( fluke) . Rest of day only 3 Jack springs - so pretty slow and quite a few dogs. Dogs seem heavier than normal - not sure what's up with that. Wasted bunch of bait on them - annoying. But was dead calm sunny glorious day. Nice pulling traps when not getting beat up by big waves! Fish was a bit too small to be "picture worthy", but one fish is better than no fish!

I dropped prawn traps five times this weekend around gower point, worlcomb, secret covewith not a single prawn.
Any tips that I’m doing wrong?
I dropped in 350ft
I have 500’ weighted rope.
First Bauer trap on the end with 5 lbs
35’ up second Bauer with 5 lbs
15’ up 15 lb ball weight
Then floating scotchman

I used pnw oil and pellets crushed with yum yum bait overnight.

I caught prawns a last year with a 75 percent success rate. But this year nothing.
I do have some d funky bait stuck in the corner of the bait jars. But other than that it’s the same setup.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Really frustrating

thanks

 

[Old Deckhand]

I dropped prawn traps five times this weekend around gower point, worlcomb, secret covewith not a single prawn.
Any tips that I’m doing wrong?
I dropped in 350ft
I have 500’ weighted rope.
First Bauer trap on the end with 5 lbs
35’ up second Bauer with 5 lbs
15’ up 15 lb ball weight
Then floating scotchman

I used pnw oil and pellets crushed with yum yum bait overnight.

I caught prawns a last year with a 75 percent success rate. But this year nothing.
I do have some d funky bait stuck in the corner of the bait jars. But other than that it’s the same setup.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Really frustrating

thanks

Hey jd, tips after 50 years in Howe sound are as follows: 1. I fish in 280-325, 350 a bit deep sometimes, = find we pick up more shrimp, less than 280 feet = langoustines. 2. Bait : Keep your cod and salmon heads and guts and grind them into the prawn oil and pellets mix, freeze in 5 gallon pails and ready to go . Throw in boat night before and thawed and ready when setting. Add a can of Carlyle for max return. ( filled two 5 gallon pails Saturday with this bait blend - see picture) 3. Terrain: find a mud flat that gradually trails off to deeper water, near a steep shoreline at the correct depth. They eat mud worms and stuff in the mud. 4. Your weights sound good. 5. Setting gear = set INTO the current so main weight is at front of the set and weighted traps trailing in current behind it. 6. Setting time ( IMPORTANT) leave them set for at least half a day across a SLACK tide , most prawn climb in when no current = you get way less if set during ebb or flow tides when running hard, so check you tide tables and set well before and pick up well after slack. 7. Overnight sets, set up shallower, like 250 feet even , prawn have been known to come right up to 50 feet at night. 8. Area: Good F'n luck!!!, I had pull out grandpa's old paper charts hunting for the word "prawns " and run for an hour and a half at 35 MPH to find a spot the commercial boys hadn't raped and decimated. This because at 300 traps a boat and +100 boats in the commercial prawn fleet for 2022 = +30,000 traps hammering anything nearby down to really low numbers. Commercial boys are out to make money and they are efficient! . Will take few months for anything handy and local to regenerate. May be few areas local they didn't hit, but I don't know any. I have to burn up half tank of fuel and several hours out of my day to find the tasty crustaceans myself. But worth it, soul food for me!

 

[Jd604]

Hey jd, tips after 50 years in Howe sound are as follows: 1. I fish in 280-325, 350 a bit deep sometimes, = find we pick up more shrimp, less than 280 feet = langoustines. 2. Bait : Keep your cod and salmon heads and guts and grind them into the prawn oil and pellets mix, freeze in 5 gallon pails and ready to go . Throw in boat night before and thawed and ready when setting. Add a can of Carlyle for max return. 3. Terrain: find a mud flat that gradually trails off to deeper water, near a steep shoreline at the correct depth. They eat mud worms and stuff in the mud. 4. Your weights sound good. 5. Setting gear = set INTO the current so main weight is at front of the set and weighted traps trailing in current behind it. 6. Setting time ( IMPORTANT) leave them set for at least half a day across a SLACK tide , most prawn climb in when no current = you get way less if set during ebb or flow tides when running hard, so check you tide tables and set well before and pick up well after slack. 7. Overnight sets, set up shallower, like 250 feet even , prawn have been known to come right up to 50 feet at night. 8. Area: Good F'n luck!!!, I had pull out grandpa's old paper charts hunting for the word "prawns " and run for an hour and a half at 35 MPH to find a spot the commercial boys hadn't raped and decimated. This because at 300 traps a boat and +100 boats in the commercial prawn fleet for 2022 = +30,000 traps hammering anything nearby down to really low numbers. Commercial boys are out to make money and they are efficient! . Will take few months for anything handy and local to regenerate. May be few areas local they didn't hit, but I don't know any. I have to burn up half tank of fuel and several hours out of my day to find the tasty crustaceans myself. But worth it, soul food for me!

Hey jd, tips after 50 years in Howe sound are as follows: 1. I fish in 280-325, 350 a bit deep sometimes, = find we pick up more shrimp, less than 280 feet = langoustines. 2. Bait : Keep your cod and salmon heads and guts and grind them into the prawn oil and pellets mix, freeze in 5 gallon pails and ready to go . Throw in boat night before and thawed and ready when setting. Add a can of Carlyle for max return. ( filled two 5 gallon pails Saturday with this bait blend - see picture) 3. Terrain: find a mud flat that gradually trails off to deeper water, near a steep shoreline at the correct depth. They eat mud worms and stuff in the mud. 4. Your weights sound good. 5. Setting gear = set INTO the current so main weight is at front of the set and weighted traps trailing in current behind it. 6. Setting time ( IMPORTANT) leave them set for at least half a day across a SLACK tide , most prawn climb in when no current = you get way less if set during ebb or flow tides when running hard, so check you tide tables and set well before and pick up well after slack. 7. Overnight sets, set up shallower, like 250 feet even , prawn have been known to come right up to 50 feet at night. 8. Area: Good F'n luck!!!, I had pull out grandpa's old paper charts hunting for the word "prawns " and run for an hour and a half at 35 MPH to find a spot the commercial boys hadn't raped and decimated. This because at 300 traps a boat and +100 boats in the commercial prawn fleet for 2022 = +30,000 traps hammering anything nearby down to really low numbers. Commercial boys are out to make money and they are efficient! . Will take few months for anything handy and local to regenerate. May be few areas local they didn't hit, but I don't know any. I have to burn up half tank of fuel and several hours out of my day to find the tasty crustaceans myself. But worth it, soul food for me!

Many thanks for the tips. I really really appreciate the detail.
I definately missing a couple of steps.
Does it matter how fast I drop my weight down? I read I should drop it slowly and other people say just let it fall.
In my head I’m just thinking my traps are all piled song with my weight on top of each other if I let it just free fall

 

[Old Deckhand]

Many thanks for the tips. I really really appreciate the detail.
I definately missing a couple of steps.
Does it matter how fast I drop my weight down? I read I should drop it slowly and other people say just let it fall.
In my head I’m just thinking my traps are all piled song with my weight on top of each other if I let it just free fall

I set at slow troll speed, 1.5 mph give the string a pull when half set to make sure falls nice. holding for 10 seconds. and setting into current helps negate pile-ups. Oh and you are welcome. good group around here for most part. They give me tips, I share back, and appreciate same.

 

[TheNootkaRose]

The fill up amount in imperial gallons with a 90 Merc and a 9.9 kicker after 8 hours of trolling and travel. False Creek to Bowen, around to Tunstall. Tank was full before we left, this was at the fuel dock at the end of the day to see the actual usage. I converted litres to imperial gallons by dividing it by 4.5. This included periodic trolling with the main in strong currents and wind.


View attachment 80865View attachment 80866

Just catching up after a while away, but that’s some killer fuel econo! Boat’s lookin rad too!

 

[Marco Polo]

Trolled the West Van shoreline all morning running through a bunch of different set ups but didn't even get a sniff. Oh well, still a great day to be on the water.

 

[Aquaholic]

Trolled the West Van shoreline all morning running through a bunch of different set ups but didn't even get a sniff. Oh well, still a great day to be on the water.

They (Coho) are in the witness protection program, and doing a good job at not being found. Hoping a dry run of weather will have them lining up near the Cap soon.

 

[sweettjim]

Trolled the West Van shoreline all morning running through a bunch of different set ups but didn't even get a sniff. Oh well, still a great day to be on the water.

Marking much on your sounder ?

 

[Marco Polo]

Marking much on your sounder ?

No, not really marking much either. A few small blobs around the fisheries but not much else anywhere.

 

[Tinny]

I was out for a late afternoon troll last night around the high slack. Lighthouse. Fisheries. And almost to the pink apartments. Nothing and not much at all on sounder. There was nothing fishy about it. And didn’t see anybody else even trying their luck.

 

[Mo]

Hung out by the fisheries this afternoon nothing on sounder headed over to Bowen had a seal follow us 40’ back all the way to RC and back nothing there either but the seal didn’t help