2022 Victoria and Oak Bay Reports

[Doug]

Irishwolf.
Great Video.
It takes a lot of skill to run a 14 ft aluminum boat, run two rods and to maneuver the pack of big boats while fishing solo. To video and land a nice spring while dealing with all the other challenges takes great skill.
Good Job, see you out there.

 

[Irishwolf]

Irishwolf.
Great Video.
It takes a lot of skill to run a 14 ft aluminum boat, run two rods and to maneuver the pack of big boats while fishing solo. To video and land a nice spring while dealing with all the other challenges takes great skill.
Good Job, see you out there.

Thanks. It gets a bit chaotic sometimes, but it's fun. I never ran the cameras for the longest time because of that actually, enough to manage already, but I've figured out a bit of routine now and I'm loving the underwater footage. Also helps when the other boats give you room to play a fish, which I super appreciate!

I do have GoPro footage of the landing I'll post a bit later so you can get a glimpse of the chaos

Cheers

 

[abl]

Pretty much done with halibut now,got any good salmon spots?

Thriftys,can’t miss!

 

[Slack-tider]

Great Video. Interesting how the fish swam by to check it out and the came back for the hit. Ran to Pedder this morning. Just got the second rod down and bam, the first one goes off. Fishing a loan and holding the screaming reel, I noticed I had not even got the net out yet. So with one hand on the rod and the other trying to extend the net, the fish did a big run and looped around the second line. After 2 failed attempts to get the 13lber in the net I finally succeeded. A real gong show!! Lucked out on the crap today as well. Purple haze flasher with AP tackle. 55 on the DR moving from 100' on to a 55' ledge. It was a clipped fish, male with a belly full of small herring about 2" long. Would this be a good head to drop off at the collection point at the Esq Anglers? I was keeping it for crab bait but could always drop it off. I assume you just put it in a bag and throw it in the box??

 

[Cataline]

At the salmon head drop bin there is a pocket with forms to fill out about the fish: date of catch, length of the fish, fishing zone and common name for the location. If you want to find out about the fish you are asked to fill out your contact information, either e-mail or postal address. There are usually some pencils at the pocket of forms. You will receive the story of the fish a few months after you drop it off, and they welcome your comments/feedback.

 

[Ldub]

Fished Albert Head with my 12 yr old daughter from 6-8:30 this evening. A little rough out there and not a sniff on 2 rods. One bait and one spoon. I’ve been using the sport bait herring and that stuff is crap! Falls apart after about 20 mins trolling! Any tricks to keep it together?

 

[Irishwolf]

Fished Albert Head with my 12 yr old daughter from 6-8:30 this evening. A little rough out there and not a sniff on 2 rods. One bait and one spoon. I’ve been using the sport bait herring and that stuff is crap! Falls apart after about 20 mins trolling! Any tricks to keep it together?

Get some kosher salt and coat the herring in it. Will toughen up the skin.

 

[Doug]

Fished out front of Victoria today 6 to 10. Kind of choppy first thing this morning. Got our first fish on at 650 landed a 6lb winter spring. Then at 830 lost a good one. 10 minutes later got another good fighting fish on and landed a 79.5cm red spring. Then nothing for us after that.
There were about 20 boats out and I did see a few other boats with fish on at around 830.
All of our fish today were caught in 70 to 90 ft of water and 60 ft on the DR with bait.

 

[megabite]

Fished this morning 8 am. Fish on 8:15, landed and bonked it as under 80 cm. Weighed 10 1/2 pounds. Took it on a 4 inch AP herring spoon, same as worked well last year, at 60' in about 100' water off of Clover Point. Only the 3rd spring I've kept this season; wanted one to feed visiting guests.

 

[Irishwolf]

A bit late, but here's that video I promised. Had to learn a new video editing program.

At any rate, I think this is pretty neat. I show a split screen with me fighting the fish on one side and the underwater footage on the other. I had forgotten to turn the GoPro on when the fish first hit so there's about a minute of just fish before I jump in.

Also, yes I'm using a level wind. Don't kill me I find the lever drag a lot easier to manage when fishing solo...perhaps I'll graduate to a mooching reel soon....

Hope you enjoy...

 

[Stosh]

A bit late, but here's that video I promised. Had to learn a new video editing program.

At any rate, I think this is pretty neat. I show a split screen with me fighting the fish on one side and the underwater footage on the other. I had forgotten to turn the GoPro on when the fish first hit so there's about a minute of just fish before I jump in.

Also, yes I'm using a level wind. Don't kill me I find the lever drag a lot easier to manage when fishing solo...perhaps I'll graduate to a mooching reel soon....

Hope you enjoy...

Great job! Looking forward to more.
Stosh

 

[Stizzla]

Amazing job IW! I never imagined how nuts they are going down there when hooked. I would try for the the same type of video footage, but I would go bankrupt if I were to lose go pros at the rate I lose cannonballs.

 

[Tips Up]

That is a sweet role on your chovie.
Nice work on the video.

 

[Doug]

Fished the Vic water front from 620 to 745 and there were about 20 boats out fishing. Landed 4 fish, let go 2 X 8lb, lost two and had a couple of double headers. For our boat, a none stop action day for some guys from Maine .
We were using bait, 65 ft on the DR. There were a lot of boats around us who had fish on so there must have been a school going past. No fish 76cm + today and all reds and one fish was a clipped fish so it was dropped of at Esq. Angler. Correct location and timing I guess.

Off to try out Sooke tomorrow, I hope the fishing is as good there as in Vic today.

 

[Arjento]

fished Saturday from 9am-12pm oakbay flats, managed a 10lb and a long line release. Lots of bait, fish were marked but not taking. Fished again Sunday at water front 1030am to 1230pm, marked fish but seems like an early morning or late evening bite from these reports I'm seeing. Bit bumpy for my kids so we headed back to Oakbay for more favorable water. 10 min on the bottom and bam got another fish, then soaked lines for a bit until the novelty of catching a fish wore off with the kids patience. Headed back in so 1 a day...... not exactly hot fishing for us but time on the boat is better than time at home working on chores LOL

 

[Irishwolf]

Fished the Vic water front from 620 to 745 and there were about 20 boats out fishing. Landed 4 fish, let go 2 X 8lb, lost two and had a couple of double headers. For our boat, a none stop action day for some guys from Maine .
We were using bait, 65 ft on the DR. There were a lot of boats around us who had fish on so there must have been a school going past. No fish 76cm + today and all reds and one fish was a clipped fish so it was dropped of at Esq. Angler. Correct location and timing I guess.

Off to try out Sooke tomorrow, I hope the fishing is as good there as in Vic today.

Nice work! I was out there this am as well and every time I looked over at you, you had a fish on!

I didn't get a keeper today. 3 to the boat all released. 2 about 5# and a shaker. 2 on a weegee and 1 on bait all around 55-60 on the rigger.

 

[Ldub]

Fished the Vic water front from 620 to 745 and there were about 20 boats out fishing. Landed 4 fish, let go 2 X 8lb, lost two and had a couple of double headers. For our boat, a none stop action day for some guys from Maine .
We were using bait, 65 ft on the DR. There were a lot of boats around us who had fish on so there must have been a school going past. No fish 76cm + today and all reds and one fish was a clipped fish so it was dropped of at Esq. Angler. Correct location and timing I guess.

Off to try out Sooke tomorrow, I hope the fishing is as good there as in Vic today.

I was also out the waterfront today. Started at 6am. Let go a couple 55cm fish before 7 lost a couple 7/8 lbs and landed a large 90cm spring 45’ on the dr. Mostly on spoons and hootchies. Almost packed it in at 11 but snagged a 9lb white spring last minute.

 

[Roberth]

Got a 16lb red spring off Albert Head this morning. Came over to the waterfront and watched a brand new Targa 37 land an obvious high 20’s spring and keep it. They left and went back into the harbour after I yelled at them to let it go.
It ticks me off to see that

 

[Bent-Tip]

Put in a shift with @2xeagle16 today 7-1300. Waved good morning to @Irishwolf pretty quick. You were covering some ground today bud! Lotsa crap in the water today from the all day flood. I swear we spent at least one twenty minute session clearing lines and cleaning things up. Well just when you are ready for a bit of rest from kelp wrestling, bang, fish on! We horsed around a bit with the fish cause we’d only fought kelp so far but managed to box a 70 cm white. Right back to kelp wrestling and boom! Centre rod pops off! 2X is already at the stern clearing kelp from the port rod and grabs the centre rod from the holder and throws it off the stern! (Okay, he dropped it but hey) So before you could blink 2X drops the port rigger line, disconnected the kicker steering, spins the boat around and floored it! I cleared the starboard rod and didn’t even realize I’d left the rigger line down and we snagged it!! So lucky!!! We figured out which end was the rod and reel and 2X hand lines it in. We clear the fishing line from the rigger line where it caught up and 2X reels up the slack. Waiting patiently at end of the line was 72cm red. You can’t make this stuff up!

 

[Slack-tider]

Hey Bent-tip. Feel your pain. Been there. In the end you create some memories and learn from your experiences. I think they call this “fishing”. Great story.