Beginner kayak fisher

[keokutah]

I'm probably going to have a few questions, so I'm going to keep it all in this thread.

I'm an advanced kayaker but I've never fished, and I want to catch salmon and crabs on my kayak.

I live in Courtenay, Vancouver Island BC, and since area 14-11 (Baynes Sound) is off limits, I'll be fishing in areas 14-9, 14-12 or 14-13, closer to shore near Comox or Tree Island/Denman.

The guys at the fishing store sold me all the equipment I need for that except for something to store the fish and crabs in, and I'm not sure what to do about that!

How do people haul live crabs on their kayaks? Can I just tie the crab trap to my kayak and trail them behind me and then leave a bucket on shore that I can put them in after, or will they be able to escape the trap if I do that?

And will I get in trouble from fisheries if I store any fish I catch in a garbage bag and strap it to the top of my kayak, or does it also have to be stored in a container?

I think I'm going to take it slow and learn how to trap crabs first before I start fishing because there's a lot to remember about what kinds of crabs and size and quantity limits, let alone all the fish rules.

 

[Tsquared]

Welcome Keokutah ! Is your yak a sit in or sit on top? If it's a sit on top there should be room behind you for a crab bucket, which is what I do. For salmon, I slide them into a green garbage bag and then under my hatch. Leaving them in a plastic bag on deck will not help the quality of your fish, if you are out for any length of time. If you must keep them on deck, buy an insulated fish bag and use ice. As for spots in your area, I'm not that familiar with them. Maybe someone from your area could chime in with some places to try--kitty Coleman maybe?
T2

 

[Northdogboy]

Crab buckit behind you is what I do as well. And I have a old freezer bag from Walmart. With some ice packs for my fish. Pulling a crab pot is tricky off.yur yack. I have the Scotty pot puller arm. It's a must have.
There are a few of us kayak anglers here. I'm in Nanaimo. I don't know who is up in your area. But there are a few different web sites we hide on as well as here.

 

[Scavenger]

Not sure but I'm thinking the sockeye fishery that just opened in alberni would be great start. Lots of fish, light simple gear, shallow, slow trolling, near shore.

 

[Scavenger]

A Brooks bag from MEC with a bag of ice works great for keeping your catch

 

[Northdogboy]

I would watch going to Port Alberie. It's narrow and lots of boats and ships. Your just a speed bump. If your not carfull also it gets pretty chopy when the wind picks up.and on tide flow.

 

[Northdogboy]

http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/

http://canadiankayakanglers.com/forum/index.php?action=forum

 

[Northdogboy]

I also use both a big box trap. And or a big ring trap depending on where and how long I'm fishing

 

[keokutah]

Thanks for the tips. I'd also like to know what spots are good around here. I went out crab trapping yesterday but got nothing, so I probably didn't choose the right spots.

I'm thinking of paddling to area 14 10 on the other side of Denman Island, but that's a long way to go if it's not the best place for fishing or crabs.

Tree island would be great too, which is sort of connected to Denman, because last time I was out there I saw so much shellfish, it was like a goldmine. Never seen that much shellfish anywhere before.

Apparently, there's a beach around here called King Coho (not exactly sure where that is yet but i think its near airforce beach up past point holmes) and a lot of guys go fishing on and off the shores there during a certain time of year, I'm guessing right before the salmon start spawning. I wonder if I can catch some there now though...
I wonder if Point Holmes also gets a lot of salmon around that time.

I'm pretty sure I was wrong about all fishing being off limits in my area 14 11, I believe it's just restricted to Chinook only. I think sockeye and wild coho are off limits to all of area 14.

I think I might like to try shore fishing as well, can I use the lures I have for shore fishing? (The guy sold me some buzz bombs and some medium sized jiggs and lures for mooching in my kayak.)

It would be kind of cool to take my kayak to a beach and do some kayak fishing out deeper, then come to shore and do some shore fishing and go swimming lol.
My back was kind of bothering me yesterday when I went out in the kayak for only 4 hours so I don't know if I want to do any long paddles this summer.

 

[Northdogboy]

Talk to the guys at gone fishing. Let them know what your up to. And they will help you in the right direction.
I was thinking of trying deep bay soon. Pm me if you are interested. Also check out the site's I said above. There are some guys in your area.

 

[halimark]

Hello keokutah

Welcome to kyak fishing, I lived in Comox for a total of 10 years, used my older sit in kyak for a mutitude of things but never salmon fished. I found most crab spots were inside Comox harbour/bay. Watch for strong tidal currents, pic your days as they will pull floats under and move traps if not weighted properly. I would never reccomend dragging or towing anything behind your kyak, way to hard to paddle, get gear and traps on top. I used a bucket for crabs, little water and a wet cloth over top kept them fresh/alive, and cool until I cleaned them on the jetty. Never targeted salmon but jigged legal lings, flounder and the odd pee cod, bonked and were also kept in wet sack in bow of kyak for travel back to launch. Partook in your plan for tree island a few times, one day relaxed on beach on outside, eat a good supper with firepit, fished until dark, then packed up and set out for paddle back. The spit between island was high and dry so paddled around towards Comox marina launch site. On way accross bar tide was ripping and paddle took a few hours, what cauced my heart to race was all the seals that decided to play with kyak in the dark. OMG nervous times, they are very big durring a black dark night and bumping the boat. After that, kyak rode on roof of Double Eagle then anchored and launched Kyak to fish, crab, also easier on the old back as you stated.

Stay safe and enjoy fishing in your kyak, a total new experience and lots of challenging fun.

HM