Need tips for salmon fishing

[crobar]

Hello - My wife & I will be staying near Oyster bay, Vancouver island, (Aug 8-14). We have a boat with down riggers and various types of tackle but are not familiar with salt water salmon fishing. We are simply targeting the easiest salmon to catch that might be in that general area (area 14 or 13 during our stay. I realize that there are many variables with this type of fishing but am hoping that someone could give me a general idea of where to start fishing and what terminal tackle to try in this area within reasonable distance from Oyster bay where we will be staying. I have 10lb dr balls and am willing to purchase some of the other tackle needed to give us a reasonable chance at catching some type(s) of Salmon. We can trailer our boat and travel to other areas if need be. Any help is appreciated.

Thanks

 

[seadna]

Hello - My wife & I will be staying near Oyster bay, Vancouver island, (Aug 8-14). We have a boat with down riggers and various types of tackle but are not familiar with salt water salmon fishing. We are simply targeting the easiest salmon to catch that might be in that general area (area 14 or 13 during our stay. I realize that there are many variables with this type of fishing but am hoping that someone could give me a general idea of where to start fishing and what terminal tackle to try in this area within reasonable distance from Oyster bay where we will be staying. I have 10lb dr balls and am willing to purchase some of the other tackle needed to give us a reasonable chance at catching some type(s) of Salmon. We can trailer our boat and travel to other areas if need be. Any help is appreciated.

Thanks

I've not fished much on that side of the island so I don't have much in the way of tips for you there. That said, the few times I did fish on that side, the fishing wasn't near as good as it is on the west side. Once you have your boat on the island, you've paid the big expense of getting it there so you might as well fish the west side if you have the time. Uclulet, for example, would be far more productive. For terminal tackle - I created a list of a "starter kit" awhile ago on another site - here's the link to that list.

 

[Percy Stipec]

Anywhere where a creek meets the ocean is a good bet for pinks, they are the easiest to catch and they hit almost anything but hit most on pink spoons or hoochies. If they're around they will be jumping early in the morning and in the evening. Pink fight hard and are quite tasty fresh, just remember to bleed them. Good luck!

 

[TenMile]

Probably a good idea to poke around the forums here in the fishing reports sections particularly around the gulf islands. I would guess fishing the Georgia Straight sections of Valdes or Galiano Islands would be productive -- or if too rough, fish the inside of them along the steep drop offs targeting for pinks and springs.

 

[crobar]

Thanks to all of you for your help. I did have another question. The regs limit the weight to 6oz up in the Campbell river area so how do you fish that area. Drifting with spoons or ??

 

[seahorse]

I would suggest stopping in at Tyee Marine or River Sportsman in Campbell River and ask the guys where the hottest spots are and what tackle is working, take some of your current tackle with you to see if it's what's working at the moment. They can explain leader length, speed of troll, flasher colour, spoons and hoochie colours, they are very knowledgable in my opinion.
I like to use anchovie with a teaser head but the dogfish love them better for the West Coast and Port Hardy area, so usually spoons, plugs and hoochies work best on the inside here in Georgia Strait/Johnstone Strait. Look for the boats grouped at the south end of Quadra Island around the red and green can and try to fish one hour before until one hour after the high or low slack tide for the best bite and ease of trolling.
You can also launch at Pacific Playgrounds or Salmon Point and run up to the south end of Quadra in about 10 minutes or south down to Kitty Coleman in about 15 minutes. There is a launch at Kitty Coleman but it's not good for my boat which is a 542 Campion, it's fine for aluminum and smaller boats.
Hope this helps.

 

[Pippen]

Thanks to all of you for your help. I did have another question. The regs limit the weight to 6oz up in the Campbell river area so how do you fish that area. Drifting with spoons or ??

Will you be trolling with your downriggers? If "yes".....no need to worry about the weight as you can have your downrigger balls weight whatever works for you. Not sure if that is what you were referring to or if you intend to mooch or jig for fish.

 

[Big Green Machine]

Thanks to all of you for your help. I did have another question. The regs limit the weight to 6oz up in the Campbell river area so how do you fish that area. Drifting with spoons or ??

Areas 13-3 and 13-5 yes, but just head to the hump and you'll find something and you can use a downrigger.

 

[Pippen]

Areas 13-3 and 13-5 yes, but just head to the hump and you'll find something and you can use a downrigger.

As I thought about this afterwards and not looking at a map....kind of thought that may be the area in question.

 

[Samnjoe]

Hello - My wife & I will be staying near Oyster bay, Vancouver island, (Aug 8-14). We have a boat with down riggers and various types of tackle but are not familiar with salt water salmon fishing. We are simply targeting the easiest salmon to catch that might be in that general area (area 14 or 13 during our stay. I realize that there are many variables with this type of fishing but am hoping that someone could give me a general idea of where to start fishing and what terminal tackle to try in this area within reasonable distance from Oyster bay where we will be staying. I have 10lb dr balls and am willing to purchase some of the other tackle needed to give us a reasonable chance at catching some type(s) of Salmon. We can trailer our boat and travel to other areas if need be. Any help is appreciated.

Thanks

Depending on how big your boat is you could fish the hump (south end of Quadra) or Kitty Coleman (just north of Comox) or just out in front of the Oyster river.
Should be loaded with pinks for sure.
Go into Tyee or River Sportsman and buy a chart. They will mark a few spots on it for you.
Im sure they will gladly sell you a whack of tackle.
The only place you cant use a downrigger is the Tyee pool just north of the mouth of the Campbell.