cowichan chum

[knucklebuster]

Hi.Newbie here.Any you folks ever fish for the cowichan chum?

it must be something in the water

 

[saltybeaver]

Ocean or river?

 

[knucklebuster]

ocean

it must be something in the water

 

[saltybeaver]

I was wondering my self ,I wonder if its all closed you would think you would here of people fishign there since so many fish go through there .

 

[knucklebuster]

most of the 'Narrows' and sattelite are closed till the 15 oct. Aft that,Cowichan bay is still closed at the regular boundaries till oct 31.then,apparently,the bay will be opened.This is a month earlier than other years.I usually try and get a couple of trips out for chum but am not very succesful.Youre right,there are a lot of them.I need better technique.

it must be something in the water

 

[saltybeaver]

I was fishing chum up in campbell river (browns bay) the last couple weekends. we were trying everything mostly purple huchies/white (heard thats what they like )everybody was catching them except us so we starting looking for what they were useing all pink even the flasher as soon as we changed are gear double header . Thats what I would try .

 

[Eric]

I was told that late October and November is the time for chum around here.
And isn't the narrows just shut down for Chinook retention?

 

[Pablo2079]

I see how it is... everyone's interested in Cowichan Chum, but if you ask about Sunshine Coast Chum... NOTHIN' Oh yeah, we Sun Coasters are used to being treated as second class fishermen. Just PLEASE, don't be so obvious about it.

LOL <img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

Actually, I assume techniques on the East side of Vancouver Island should translate to the mainland side.

Now to recap the techniques I've recently read about:

Large Herring (cut or whole)
purple haze flasher and hootchie with purple
and now... in this thread pink hootchie and flasher.

I guess you just have to be willing to experiment a bit. Seems like the common thread is trolling DEAD slow. Correct?<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

 

[knucklebuster]

Sansum Narrows,as well as most of the area,from Halls, all the way to Nanaimo is non retention.But ,this year they made the area South of 'the power lines' Closed(marked on shore)all the way to Cherry point and a line drawn across to Saltspring,just east of Musgrave rock.(also marked on shore).This includes the areas of Seperation point,and all the shoreline in between.I know.You see people fishing there all the time,but it is closed.What I hear is,that area is supposed to reopen and allow retention on Oct.15.With the Bay opening Nov.1
As far as gear,the same.I hear dark colors,like purple.Large cut plug.and troll very,very slow.I try that but never get any.I don't know why they get them up at Browns so much.They are thick in this area when they show up.I even carry a spinner when i'm trolling so I can watch for them surfacing/jumping.I try casting in front of the school and let it flutter thinking they would snap at it but no luck.

it must be something in the water

 

[knucklebuster]

how many of you are from the Cowichan area?

it must be something in the water

 

[saltybeaver]

I'm from nanaimo, fish the river in the winter and the trout in the lake pretty soon.

has anybody heard of chums being cought after the opening?

 

[Eric]

I'm from Crofton

 

[knucklebuster]

Eric,you do much fishing in your area?winter springs/tent?any prawning?

it must be something in the water

 

[Eric]

I used to spend a ton of time on the local water with my father when I was younger. But for a long time (maybe 15 years) I'm ashamed to say that I didn't fish at all. And forgot a lot of what my dad taught me, be it areas, tactics or times.
Now I take my kids out locally, outside the no fish area, and crab, prawn and catch a rock cod or two. Am just taking salmon fishing back up this year but there isn't a lot of fish around here......
For the last couple of years I mostly fished fresh water. Bass are a lot more fun that trout IMO(except for the St Mary's trout) tho I will say I am shocked to see where 'the bucket bastards' have stuck smallies in. Crofton lake and Fuller lake? Kinda silly.



Edited by - Eric on 10/07/2005 14:27:27

 

[Gooey Bob]

I too am going to have a go at Cowichan Chum in the ocean this year. I guess all the buzz about the Campbell River area has got to get you as little interested, doesn't it? No need for fish in the freezer for me, but the Chums I've caught incidentally to pursuing other species put up a great scrap and the action sounds like a blast once you get them dialed.

The forecast is for about 150,000 to the Cowichan alone this year, so yup, there should be the odd one around....

Getting them dialed on what they'll hit seems to be the trick. Chums in Sansum Narrows, Satellite Channel and Cowichan Bay are WAY closer to the river they'll spawn in thatn thos in Johnstone Strait, this may make them much more difficult to catch. That being said, they can get awful agressive in the river, so there seems to be no reason why they wouldn't snap outside, right? About 10 years ago, I actually had one decent day for Chum in the Narrows looking for Coho and hitting the Chum on dead drifted cut plugs right in the rip off Bold Bluff. We fluked on to the Chum by running out of gas in the kicker, and then let the boat just drift with the cutties dangling while we switched over tanks - wham!! - Double Header followed about about another 8 or 10 fish until the tide went slack. The problem is, I was never able to duplicate the feat, even the next day!!!Thats where I'm going to start, anyway. Other threads have indicated that brighter chum seem to like current so this may also make the Bluffs the place to start. If the fish will cooperate, it should be fun. I'll be out next weekend if the Narrows do indeed open Oct 15th (I thought the whole area was Nov 1st??)and will post anything worthwhile that happens.

The bay opens Nov 1st - bucktails, anyone?

Bob

 

[knucklebuster]

The Narrows does reopen on the 15th.and the bay on Nov.1st.Could be some ops for coho.1 wild,1 clipped.
Let us know if you have any luck with chum.I'd like to give them a shot as well.I usually fish them in the lower river in Nov.Even get some chromers at times.I could use some more smoking fish.

 

[Eric]

So has anyone been out yet? KB? Gooey?

 

[knucklebuster]

I was out yesterday.Beauti day.Dragged a lot of gear around.No hits.Lots of fish on surface.Schools of fish porpoising.real silver as well.I thought they were chum but today a buddy says they were coho.I was fishing real slow for chum.Who knows how the chum or coho would be acting?

it must be something in the water

 

[Gooey Bob]

Yup, been out a couple of times. Haven't been skunked yet. Didn't get out this weekend, decided to hit the flow instead, sounds like it was a good choice. KB, those most likely were chum you saw porpoising, a little early yet for a lot of Coho and Chum do definitely porpoise like that (more than Coho do in my experience). I've found that ignoring them is a good idea as I've haven't been able to coax a hit yet while chasing the schools of jumpers - even though I was told it was the way to go by others who have caught a hell of a lot more chum in the salt that I have.

The bite seemed to come on at mid tide rather than slack tide in my two expeditions. As suggested, they seemed to like the mid channel waters better.

No real gangbuster action yet, but perhaps this weekend will be better....

Bob

 

[knucklebuster]

GB,I assume you have caught some chum?How about some tips.Depth,gear location.I was hanging around Seperation yesterday.Was a couple other boats.One jigging,one spin casting.Didn't see any one catch anything though.

it must be something in the water