Port Hardy / Winter Harbour / North Island Report - Spring and Summer 2011
- Thread starter MyEscape
- Start date
Busterbrown
Active Member
I am up at Telegraph Cove now. Will be here for a month, I plan on going over to Winter Harbour on FRI for five days. The fishing here has been real spotty. We got nothing yesterday but managed 3 springs this am. They were all 18-22 lbs. there was some real nice halibut at the dock this pm A couple looked to be near 100lbs. Very nice tides in the afteernoon for bottom fishing and the water has been real flat.Will post when I get back from Winter Harbour
spring fever
Well-Known Member
That would be great BB we haven't had a report out of WH for some time-thanks.
Marsman
Active Member
There will be some big coho around that time of year pushing over 20lb's. With the weird year up there I imagine there will be some springs around also.
Cheers, Rob
Sharphooks
Well-Known Member
NORTH QUEEN CHARLOTTE STRAITS REPORT
Just spent a week of fishing from the Mastermans to Cape Caution and everywhere in between. Burned a pile of gas in "explore mode". My deal is not necessarily to catch lots of fish in one spot but to catch a fish or two in lots of different spots. My experience with Pt. Hardy is this: sometimes they come really easy, but over the long haul, you have to work for them and sometimes you have to work really hard......
Boat camped in some really dramatic places, had my GPS puke on me so navigation in the rain and fog through rock gardens became interesting again, and in between all that, I got some beauty fish and saw some stunning country. I never get tired of that part of the world----raw and wild!!
When I put in last Sunday afternoon, I bumped into the group off Cuba Libre who were pulling out. How was it I asked? One of the guys used the "S" word in a particularly gloomy manner--you know, the word that rhymes with "no show"?
It was like ice water down my back. Here we go again, I think to myself, a day late and a dollar short (my ex-wife used to say that to me but that's a whole different story that I won't go in to....)
Anyway, great trip, learned a few more places, learned a few more tricks. One tidbit of info: I saw a guy cleaning a few springs at the cleaning table when I came back to the dock for fuel on Tuesday. I noticed they were absolutely plugged with green label herring. So here's the thing----I continually hear how when in Pt. Hardy you have to stay small and match the candlefish hatch or you won't catch squat; it's anchovy or die, yet here were fish plugged with the bigger stuff that I know and love and have spent a lifetime rigging up in just the right way then sticking them in front of salmon faces.
I immediately drew the conclusion, rightly or wrongly, that springs are a lot like the yappy dog who I take on these boat trips of mine---they're opportunistic feeders that will grab whatever is stuck in front of their face if it's there at the right time and they're in the right mood for the grab...
So what do you do with a piece of info like that if you don't have any green label herring in your boat? You break out the freaking spoons, that's what, and right away I started banging some really nice fish. These were the beat up Luhr Jensen spoons I usually use in Bamfield and Ucluelet in June for the feeder springs; I never fish spoons when I'm at Pt Hardy!!!
My biggest fish, maybe low to mid 30's, was plugged with candlefish, yet here was my 5 inch Cookiesn'Cream spoon stuck in his face. I probably would never have busted out the spoons if I hadn't seen those fish back at the ramp gorged with large herring....
So enough of that, here are some mood shots of Q.C. Straits:
[/IMG]
Then there's this one---I counted almost fifty eagles that morning. Each one of those white spots in the trees? There was an island next to it that had another 30 or 40 of them They were diving on bait which was pretty spectacular to watch
Here's where I camped. I showed some guy this picture of where I was spending my nights camped on the beach and he asked: is that in freaking Tahiti?????
Just spent a week of fishing from the Mastermans to Cape Caution and everywhere in between. Burned a pile of gas in "explore mode". My deal is not necessarily to catch lots of fish in one spot but to catch a fish or two in lots of different spots. My experience with Pt. Hardy is this: sometimes they come really easy, but over the long haul, you have to work for them and sometimes you have to work really hard......
Boat camped in some really dramatic places, had my GPS puke on me so navigation in the rain and fog through rock gardens became interesting again, and in between all that, I got some beauty fish and saw some stunning country. I never get tired of that part of the world----raw and wild!!
When I put in last Sunday afternoon, I bumped into the group off Cuba Libre who were pulling out. How was it I asked? One of the guys used the "S" word in a particularly gloomy manner--you know, the word that rhymes with "no show"?
It was like ice water down my back. Here we go again, I think to myself, a day late and a dollar short (my ex-wife used to say that to me but that's a whole different story that I won't go in to....)
Anyway, great trip, learned a few more places, learned a few more tricks. One tidbit of info: I saw a guy cleaning a few springs at the cleaning table when I came back to the dock for fuel on Tuesday. I noticed they were absolutely plugged with green label herring. So here's the thing----I continually hear how when in Pt. Hardy you have to stay small and match the candlefish hatch or you won't catch squat; it's anchovy or die, yet here were fish plugged with the bigger stuff that I know and love and have spent a lifetime rigging up in just the right way then sticking them in front of salmon faces.
I immediately drew the conclusion, rightly or wrongly, that springs are a lot like the yappy dog who I take on these boat trips of mine---they're opportunistic feeders that will grab whatever is stuck in front of their face if it's there at the right time and they're in the right mood for the grab...
So what do you do with a piece of info like that if you don't have any green label herring in your boat? You break out the freaking spoons, that's what, and right away I started banging some really nice fish. These were the beat up Luhr Jensen spoons I usually use in Bamfield and Ucluelet in June for the feeder springs; I never fish spoons when I'm at Pt Hardy!!!
My biggest fish, maybe low to mid 30's, was plugged with candlefish, yet here was my 5 inch Cookiesn'Cream spoon stuck in his face. I probably would never have busted out the spoons if I hadn't seen those fish back at the ramp gorged with large herring....
So enough of that, here are some mood shots of Q.C. Straits:
Then there's this one---I counted almost fifty eagles that morning. Each one of those white spots in the trees? There was an island next to it that had another 30 or 40 of them They were diving on bait which was pretty spectacular to watch
Here's where I camped. I showed some guy this picture of where I was spending my nights camped on the beach and he asked: is that in freaking Tahiti?????
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Sharphooks
Well-Known Member
Here's a pic of the mothership and the beach assault vessel
and of course, we have to have some bloody deck shots and fish ****:
and of course, we have to have some bloody deck shots and fish ****:
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spring fever
Well-Known Member
Nice pics!!!
Pippen
Well-Known Member
Cuba Libre
Well-Known Member
Sharphooks-- too bad you didnt introduce yourself. Are you the guy that asked about Owen? If so the reason that you got a less than stellar report was that we got spooked by the weather report the day before. That day we fished the immediate Hardy/Deserters/Gordons/Millers areas etc and did poorly with only a couple of sammies in the box and no halibut.
When you saw us, we were heading out for the second day of our trip and we ignored the weather report. We travelled! MUCH better with the largest just shy of 30. The last day of our trip was even better. springs, coho, pinks and even a sox. (yes-released) We were happy campers when we headed for home. Have a look at my post on the filleting fish thread.
Nice photos too. We found a concentration of eagles (may have been the same spot?) on the east side of the Miller group. There were thousands of auklets and two humpbacks that were driving up the herring. They all got an easy meal!.
When you saw us, we were heading out for the second day of our trip and we ignored the weather report. We travelled! MUCH better with the largest just shy of 30. The last day of our trip was even better. springs, coho, pinks and even a sox. (yes-released) We were happy campers when we headed for home. Have a look at my post on the filleting fish thread.
Nice photos too. We found a concentration of eagles (may have been the same spot?) on the east side of the Miller group. There were thousands of auklets and two humpbacks that were driving up the herring. They all got an easy meal!.
Sharphooks
Well-Known Member
Yo gents
Thanks for the comments on the pics. Nothing too exotic on the camera, Holmes: just an old school Olympus SD550 (7 mega pixels) that I picked up on eBay for $ 150. It's been on lots of these trips and just keeps ticking. I even went swimming with it up while fishing steelhead up in Alaska this past April and it's still alive and kicking!
Here's a picture of a steelie I took the next morning after the swim---a little on the misty side but made for a great mood shot. I never would have believed a digital camera would survive to tell another tale (I was under water with bubbles coming out of my nose and the camera was around my neck unprotected---I figured it was a goner for sure):
Hey lazoman--ya, I rigged those clips up and fish them religiously on both downriggers. I learned the trick from Two Ton Marge, a gal who fishes by herself in my neck of the woods out of a little Boston Whaler (she also dyes her bait and when you see her, she's chartreuse or cerise from the tips of her fingers to both elbows; she's quite a gal; if she didn't weigh 100 kilos I would have fallen in love with her for sure...)
Anyway, she told me how to make those sexy clips and I've fished them ever since (with a dummy flasher on the ball) She was also the one who showed me how to double and triple rig Tomic plugs so it looks like a school of bait---what a gal!!
I took apart some "cowbells" I picked up on eBay--easy to make with crimps and Scotty clips.
here's a pic of what they look like out of the package:
I did pick up some springs this trip on straight anchovy behind those clips. Stuck a bamboo skewer through them the way the Rivers Inlet guides do with their purple label herring. Fished them naked without a cap on tandem 3/0 hooks; no flasher, nothing but an anchovy chasing a few spinner blades. That set-up drove also drove the coho berserk.
Thanks for the comments on the pics. Nothing too exotic on the camera, Holmes: just an old school Olympus SD550 (7 mega pixels) that I picked up on eBay for $ 150. It's been on lots of these trips and just keeps ticking. I even went swimming with it up while fishing steelhead up in Alaska this past April and it's still alive and kicking!
Here's a picture of a steelie I took the next morning after the swim---a little on the misty side but made for a great mood shot. I never would have believed a digital camera would survive to tell another tale (I was under water with bubbles coming out of my nose and the camera was around my neck unprotected---I figured it was a goner for sure):
Hey lazoman--ya, I rigged those clips up and fish them religiously on both downriggers. I learned the trick from Two Ton Marge, a gal who fishes by herself in my neck of the woods out of a little Boston Whaler (she also dyes her bait and when you see her, she's chartreuse or cerise from the tips of her fingers to both elbows; she's quite a gal; if she didn't weigh 100 kilos I would have fallen in love with her for sure...)
Anyway, she told me how to make those sexy clips and I've fished them ever since (with a dummy flasher on the ball) She was also the one who showed me how to double and triple rig Tomic plugs so it looks like a school of bait---what a gal!!
I took apart some "cowbells" I picked up on eBay--easy to make with crimps and Scotty clips.
here's a pic of what they look like out of the package:
I did pick up some springs this trip on straight anchovy behind those clips. Stuck a bamboo skewer through them the way the Rivers Inlet guides do with their purple label herring. Fished them naked without a cap on tandem 3/0 hooks; no flasher, nothing but an anchovy chasing a few spinner blades. That set-up drove also drove the coho berserk.
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Sharphooks
Well-Known Member
Hey Cuba Libre---no, that wasn't me asking about Owen. I talked to you Sunday at about 4 PM when you were pulling out. Glad you guys had better reports the next few days---ya, it was all about travel. Same story for me.
And ya, those eagles were just past the Millars. At first I thought they were dive bombing the auklettes that were feeding on the bait but no, they were sharing the bounty and leaving the smaller birds alone. I've never seen so many eagles in one place. They were also eying my dog as potential lunch but she was too busy yawning and buffing up her nails to notice....
And ya, those eagles were just past the Millars. At first I thought they were dive bombing the auklettes that were feeding on the bait but no, they were sharing the bounty and leaving the smaller birds alone. I've never seen so many eagles in one place. They were also eying my dog as potential lunch but she was too busy yawning and buffing up her nails to notice....
Sitkaspruce
Well-Known Member
Sharphooks
Saw you on Sunday in Hardy and was admiring your pilothouse to the Arima. Not sure if we chatted, I had the Hewes 180 Searunner and was parked just down form you in the parking lot.
Nice work on the boat. And nice job on the fish, it is a great place to explore....
Nice report
Cheers
SS
Saw you on Sunday in Hardy and was admiring your pilothouse to the Arima. Not sure if we chatted, I had the Hewes 180 Searunner and was parked just down form you in the parking lot.
Nice work on the boat. And nice job on the fish, it is a great place to explore....
Nice report
Cheers
SS
Sharphooks
Well-Known Member
Hey SS, thanks for that. I always enjoy your posts as well--always informative, painting a good pic of what's going on and what ain't.
By the way, I hope I don't come across like a chest-beater or even worse, a kiss n' teller.
Plain fact is, this is the most informative forum I have ever seen on the web. I have learned majorly good info from forum member's posts over the years... I feel the least I can do is try and pay some of it back even if the info is redundant for some of you guys.
A few years ago I was in Uke, a total newbie. I bump into a guy named Nog who posts on this site. With a handshake and a grin he lays out the whole picture for me. Nothing in it for him, just a real good guy with a great 'tude willing to share the bounty. Next morning, following his lead, I stumble into a jag of springs that by noon, made me feel like I'd been beaten up. I lay that very cool fishing experience squarely at Nog's feet
And all the other stuff over the years from other forum gents about how to rig and where's hot and where's not--'nuff said. Cool site, and thanks to all of you!
But man, Skeena country in October? Forget about it! I'm into the hole at o'dark thirty with a miner's light and back out before the new-age fly-boys with their Simms this and Patagonia that are even out of bed. I'm a crusty old git when I'm around those guys and I don't say nothin' to nobody nohow.
How's fishin' they ask? It sucks, I say, cupping my hand over the fly I'm using. Just getting some exercise, I tell them. These are the guys who want to point and click and get instant information without paying an ounce of dues for it. Say a word of encouragement to them on where to find some fish and the next morning they'll be in your spot with 100 of their closest buddies, giving you stink eye for coming in on top of them because now it's "their" hole.
Reminds me a bit of a place just north of Slingsby... but it was a good thing. Forced me to go carve out some different territory. Nothing sheepish about doing that.....
By the way, I hope I don't come across like a chest-beater or even worse, a kiss n' teller.
Plain fact is, this is the most informative forum I have ever seen on the web. I have learned majorly good info from forum member's posts over the years... I feel the least I can do is try and pay some of it back even if the info is redundant for some of you guys.
A few years ago I was in Uke, a total newbie. I bump into a guy named Nog who posts on this site. With a handshake and a grin he lays out the whole picture for me. Nothing in it for him, just a real good guy with a great 'tude willing to share the bounty. Next morning, following his lead, I stumble into a jag of springs that by noon, made me feel like I'd been beaten up. I lay that very cool fishing experience squarely at Nog's feet
And all the other stuff over the years from other forum gents about how to rig and where's hot and where's not--'nuff said. Cool site, and thanks to all of you!
But man, Skeena country in October? Forget about it! I'm into the hole at o'dark thirty with a miner's light and back out before the new-age fly-boys with their Simms this and Patagonia that are even out of bed. I'm a crusty old git when I'm around those guys and I don't say nothin' to nobody nohow.
How's fishin' they ask? It sucks, I say, cupping my hand over the fly I'm using. Just getting some exercise, I tell them. These are the guys who want to point and click and get instant information without paying an ounce of dues for it. Say a word of encouragement to them on where to find some fish and the next morning they'll be in your spot with 100 of their closest buddies, giving you stink eye for coming in on top of them because now it's "their" hole.
Reminds me a bit of a place just north of Slingsby... but it was a good thing. Forced me to go carve out some different territory. Nothing sheepish about doing that.....
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Cuba Libre
Well-Known Member
Say a word of encouragement to them on where to find some fish and the next morning they'll be in your spot with 100 of their closest buddies, giving you stink eye for coming in on top of them because now it's "their" hole.
Reminds me a bit of a place just north of Slingsby...
hehehe! Reminds me of a situation that arose the day after I saw you. Along with about 4 Codfathers boats and a number of other guide boats, and a few non-commercial guys like me, we were fishing one of the popular spots north of Hardy. Fishing was slow, just the odd fish being taken. All of a sudden, one of the guys fishing with me ses "Check it out! " -- the guide boats have pulled gear and are racing to an area about 3 miles away. We watched as the rest of the fleet quickly raced off for deeper water.
Well, normally I am not an advocate of chasing other boats----- but the temptation was just too much!!! They had obviously gotten a radio call from the boss to get thier clients over there. One of the guys with me asked-- What are we waiting for???? LETS GO!!!!!
Well we followed the pack and it was the right thing to do. Double header almost immediately. We ended up after a couple of hrs with just 2 hatchery coho short of a limit of large springs, coho and pinks.
Gee-- maybe I should change the boat name to "BAAAAA!!! hehe!
Reminds me a bit of a place just north of Slingsby...
hehehe! Reminds me of a situation that arose the day after I saw you. Along with about 4 Codfathers boats and a number of other guide boats, and a few non-commercial guys like me, we were fishing one of the popular spots north of Hardy. Fishing was slow, just the odd fish being taken. All of a sudden, one of the guys fishing with me ses "Check it out! " -- the guide boats have pulled gear and are racing to an area about 3 miles away. We watched as the rest of the fleet quickly raced off for deeper water.
Well, normally I am not an advocate of chasing other boats----- but the temptation was just too much!!! They had obviously gotten a radio call from the boss to get thier clients over there. One of the guys with me asked-- What are we waiting for???? LETS GO!!!!!
Well we followed the pack and it was the right thing to do. Double header almost immediately. We ended up after a couple of hrs with just 2 hatchery coho short of a limit of large springs, coho and pinks.
Gee-- maybe I should change the boat name to "BAAAAA!!! hehe!
Wanted to also give my thanks to Nog as well as he has been terrific sharing his knowledge of the sport with me and all who visit this site. I was up in Port Hardy several weeks ago and had a very successful trip and a lot of the things that Nog suggested helped me excel when the fishing was tough. I in turn try to pass on what I have learned to others as there is enough fish in the sea for all. Since I generally fish by myself I was able to take 3 guys out who were not having any luck and they were able to catch their limits and I showed them what I have learned from others on this site. Since I have two passions in life (teaching and fishing) I know how important it is to help others. The rewards of seeing others enjoy the sport is well worth the time and effort of sharing what you have learned.
Nog!! keep up the good work and thanks to all who contribute to this and other sites.
Tfish
Nog!! keep up the good work and thanks to all who contribute to this and other sites.
Tfish
Fish Assassin
Crew Member
Hey, CL if it was me being spoken about I really hope it was all good. Hate to have to get the gaff out....LOL
Will give you a call.
Cheers,
Will give you a call.
Cheers,
SerengetiGuide
Well-Known Member
saw your boat sharphooks...hope you had a good trip...its always nice to explore and has definitely paid off for me handedly this year 
boomer
Member
Hi serengetiguide going to winter for my first time I'm bring the anchor is it better north or south for hallys I do really good In Victoria, I make my own jigs ,or should use circle hooks with fresh salmon. In Vic I fish 180 to 26o what depth do you like?I be up augest 3 to8 thanks boomer
spring fever
Well-Known Member
Come on guys-got to make the decision- Winter Harbour or back to the traffic snarl of downtown Nootka even a bad news report is appreciated. Thanks.
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