I had similar problems out of Neah Bay (Swiftsure and other offshore spots farther down). Swiftsure was relatively reliable but they were mostly small, farther south put out some bigger fish but less often. After mid July, most spots went relatively dead. That said, my buddy has been knocking the crap out of big kings the last 2-3 days on the Columbia. He's had several over 20 on his boat this weekend including a 29 on Sat. So they made it to the river. I think the big algae blooms we had made it harder to find fish (and for them to find us).
Missing Chinooks......
- Thread starter Seafever
- Start date
Dogbreath
Well-Known Member
Just got it from the horse's mouth-lots of Springs off Englefield but few over 30.
trendsetter
Active Member
The area G trollers (WCVI) had no problem getting their July/August quota of 35,826 chinook. They reached their quota on August 8th.
http://notices.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fns-sap/index-eng.cfm?pg=view_notice&DOC_ID=162125&ID=all
http://notices.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fns-sap/index-eng.cfm?pg=view_notice&DOC_ID=162125&ID=all
Rum Buddies
Well-Known Member
I don't doubt it Dogbreath, I wasn't saying the reports are false. I'm just saying that they won't be showing up in barkley, Alberni SVI, ECVI - hope I'm wrong though.
The big Chinook returns were called for the large rivers down south. So the highway off of WCVI should have been hot this year. Can't comment as I never made it out there this year. The Fraser Chinooks were estimated ok this year. South Island has been slower than average I would say. Would not surprise me if the Fraser Chinook forecast was a bit on the high side. But then maybe the Fraser Chinooks also diverted more to the inside due to some unpleasant conditions on the outside. Fraser Sockeye indicate something like that. Better Chinook catches on the inside versus slow fishing inshore WCVI and South Coast seem to confirm such theory. Next couple of years the Chinook forecast looks grim so we know what to expect.
wstcoaster
Member
for the first troll opening in Alaska was 6 days for aproximatey 250000 kings average size was 10 lbs
capt hook
Well-Known Member
somewhere in queen charlotte sound the columbia chinook will turn right and follow their nose down the outside of WCVI ,
never down the inside. They will be off shore and deep , we used to hit them at Cape Cook.
then then they follow the 100 fathom edge down to the river.
As far as mainland and east coast VI chinook , i believe they will come after the Soxs go thru . they wont go thru that mass.
never down the inside. They will be off shore and deep , we used to hit them at Cape Cook.
then then they follow the 100 fathom edge down to the river.
As far as mainland and east coast VI chinook , i believe they will come after the Soxs go thru . they wont go thru that mass.
albernifisher
Well-Known Member
I've gotten the same reports...
Slickwater
Member
Fished big bank on sat around 3 pm & limited out on 25-28 lb springs & coho in 2 1/2 hours. New run just arriving I would say. Fished 4 days before that & the biggest spring was 15 lbs in 6 hours At the rat. The big springs were all caught deep 169'. Lots of fish showing 30 off of bottom. They are sneaking buy !!! Oops did I let a secret out . 
Sharphooks
Well-Known Member
There clearly have been some strange oceanographic developments going on (witness the pilchard disappearing act, basking shark sightings in Puget Sound, etc) I just saw a stunning jellyfish hatch from Rivers Inlet all the way to Laredo Sound---millions of juveniles on the water surface, in places as far as the eye could see:
I walked on beaches and saw drifts of the dead juveniles that were half a meter deep---talk about stench!
I'd never seen anything like this before and after talking to some guys who were brought up in Port Hardy and spent loads of time between there and P. Rupert, they'd never seen that before either
If you didn't check your gear every five minutes you were spinning your wheels---gear was dripping with jelly
I'm leaning towards seadna's comments about depth. Maybe a lot of guys are looking for chinny love in all the wrong places. Fifty feet along the beach might not be the money spot this year
A few years ago in Uke out on the prairie I couldn't find any fish in the normal places. My money depth for dragging the gear is usually 50 feet in 100 - 150 feet of water. Always worked like clockwork but not that year. No love no place.
Then I saw some salt and pepper on the bottom on my sounder that looked suspicious: I dropped the gear to 200 feet and boom--- multiple springs
Once I figured that out I turned what had been a slow trip into a good trip
I'm going DEEP next week when I'm out on La Perouse prairie, down where it's cold---just took the 8 lb balls off I usually use for summer springs and replaced them with 12's, the ones I usually use in winter.
We'll see.
I look at that Alaska commie catch and then hear the Van Isle complaining ( at least in some camps) and I'm thinking....something isn't adding up
I walked on beaches and saw drifts of the dead juveniles that were half a meter deep---talk about stench!
I'd never seen anything like this before and after talking to some guys who were brought up in Port Hardy and spent loads of time between there and P. Rupert, they'd never seen that before either
If you didn't check your gear every five minutes you were spinning your wheels---gear was dripping with jelly
I'm leaning towards seadna's comments about depth. Maybe a lot of guys are looking for chinny love in all the wrong places. Fifty feet along the beach might not be the money spot this year
A few years ago in Uke out on the prairie I couldn't find any fish in the normal places. My money depth for dragging the gear is usually 50 feet in 100 - 150 feet of water. Always worked like clockwork but not that year. No love no place.
Then I saw some salt and pepper on the bottom on my sounder that looked suspicious: I dropped the gear to 200 feet and boom--- multiple springs
Once I figured that out I turned what had been a slow trip into a good trip
I'm going DEEP next week when I'm out on La Perouse prairie, down where it's cold---just took the 8 lb balls off I usually use for summer springs and replaced them with 12's, the ones I usually use in winter.
We'll see.
I look at that Alaska commie catch and then hear the Van Isle complaining ( at least in some camps) and I'm thinking....something isn't adding up
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SpringVelocity
Crew Member
From end of July to now I have done 11 trips as of today. In Sooke area. In 11 trips I have gotten two teen springs ( 10 days nothing chinook wise). That is very poor. I am fishing same areas and same tactics with my logbook. Even switching it up, and trying different things. Same places they aren't there this year. Today was 12th trip. Sooke has taken a nose dive this year. There are small schools around but unless you are on top of those everyday there are few far between.
In 8 years in just this area year round Its my worst year on record. And you ask most that fish out hear they will say the same. Victoria has taken a nosedive as well. That's just my opinion.
In 8 years in just this area year round Its my worst year on record. And you ask most that fish out hear they will say the same. Victoria has taken a nosedive as well. That's just my opinion.
The guys that were doing well in Neah Bay and La Push were fishing the deep banks (300-500' deep) with 15-20lb down rigger balls. Most had 300+' on their cable, some were even running 425'. Some guys I know indicated that 200-250' was nothing and 300' plus was "game on". From that info, I assume I missed a lot of fish by not fishing deep enough.
scott craven
Well-Known Member
Thats for sure, I would have to say worst in the last 15 years.
Englishman
Well-Known Member
I agree with Sharphooks and others on here who hypothesise the chinook have gone deep. It is all relative of course but here in Sooke I have had a few fish recently below 130' in over 200' (up to 400') of water. That is not my understanding of "normal" Sooke summer fishing. About 10 days ago, looking for sockeye (also missing from JDF!) in 400' of water there was a continuous line of fish echoes from 260-340' deep. It was totally amazing. Nothing above, nothing below, just this solid band of fish echoes. I don't think it was bait or pacific cod or something; some of the echoes looked big. Anyway, I'm going out tomorrow and I'm not doing much of the 60' in 80' of water in-tight thing (although I will give it a short go), I'm gonna got out to 200, put on the glow spoon again and head out further!!
(Going deep may be a response to warmer water temps, algae blooms, juvenile jellyfish swarms, or plain evolution in response to selective pressure - anglers have caught most of the shallow migrators and fewer survive to breed - although I admit the last one is a bit of a stretch since not enough generations have been subjected to angling pressure....probably.....)
(Going deep may be a response to warmer water temps, algae blooms, juvenile jellyfish swarms, or plain evolution in response to selective pressure - anglers have caught most of the shallow migrators and fewer survive to breed - although I admit the last one is a bit of a stretch since not enough generations have been subjected to angling pressure....probably.....)
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