Porta Boat Fishing in Becher Bay, can it handle the waves!?

[Nick Nooch]

Hi guys, just got a couple of questions regarding fishing in Sooke Becher bay. Saw a couple of youtube video of people kayak fishing there, but i have never been so don't know what i am expecting in terms of current/swell/surf. I have a small 12' foot boat with a 6hp 4 stroke that I fish in. My wife and I are planning to Fish around Becher Bay/ Spirit bay area not targeting anything in specific, but thought I ask....if anyone have suggestions that be great. I tried researching online and around the fourms

We are planning to go this week 7/15 and 7/16, I am checking the surf report and it says swell up to 1M and Wind at 20-26KM. Is this consider dangerous?? can the 14 foot handle the waves or should i just not go out on the water and just shore fish (which I am pretty new at as well)

Thank you guys in advance for being helpful, its our 7 years anniversary so we thought we take a two day trip to the island and enjoy fishing like we use to. Unfortunately that is the best setup I can afford at this time, been struggling with life and career since Covid...

or is there affordable guide near the area, who can maybe teach us a thing or two.

Also i am so confused reading DFO Salmon notice on Chinook and Coho restrictions: Chinook no retention until July 31?

 

[the gambler]

Hey there Nick,
With the winds the way they look for the next few days, i'd be very careful heading out any further than Lamb Island/Frasure Island in a 12 foot boat.
On a super calm day you'd have no problem but Beachy Head / Aldridge Point (in Becher Bay) when it's blowing 20 -25 is NOT where you want to be with that setup.
If you got some crab traps, head to Pedder Bay and just toodle around in the inside of that inlet there. Way more protected.

 

[Nick Nooch]

Hey there Nick,
With the winds the way they look for the next few days, i'd be very careful heading out any further than Lamb Island/Frasure Island in a 12 foot boat.
On a super calm day you'd have no problem but Beachy Head / Aldridge Point (in Becher Bay) when it's blowing 20 -25 is NOT where you want to be with that setup.
If you got some crab traps, head to Pedder Bay and just toodle around in the inside of that inlet there. Way more protected.

Hi Gambler, thank you for the suggestion, I will see if i can find some crab traps.

Would shore fishing still be ok you think? Any suggestions like location, bait, gears? Sorry for asking so much, Originally I booked a private charter last year, but was postponed till this year because of Covid, and now the person disappeared along with my deposit (haven't tell my wife). So I am kind of on my own figuring things out now. Appreciate the help

 

[the gambler]

So i don't fish from shore. I keep my boat at the marina in Becher bay but always see people casting from Beachy Head (west side of the mouth of the bay - also the southernmost point on VI). It's about a 35-40 minute walk from the parking lot in East Sooke Park. I'm sure you can find lots of advice for shore fishing here on the forum.
Send me a Private Message with the name of that guide and i might be able to help. Know a lot of the local guides.....

 

[Deepaaaar]

I do a fair bit of kayak fishing in and around Becher Bay and the key is going on the right wind/tide day - aka, don't force it if the wind looks iffy. The westerly can be pretty nasty out from Lamb/Fraser on an ebb tide. If you're stuck to those to specific days (15/16), I would consider fishing somewhere with less wind forecast (Sidney or the inlet, for example) on the 15th as Sooke looks lousy. Friday the 16th looks reasonable for Becher and I'd probably give it a go with the kayak if I had the day off. All that said, the wind is rarely a problem deep inside the bay, so if you planned to stay north of Fraser island and east of Lamb, you'd be OK in most conditions, and you'd still have a shot at catching a legal hatchery spring. It's a beautiful spot.

 

[Nick Nooch]

I do a fair bit of kayak fishing in and around Becher Bay and the key is going on the right wind/tide day - aka, don't force it if the wind looks iffy. The westerly can be pretty nasty out from Lamb/Fraser on an ebb tide. If you're stuck to those to specific days (15/16), I would consider fishing somewhere with less wind forecast (Sidney or the inlet, for example) on the 15th as Sooke looks lousy. Friday the 16th looks reasonable for Becher and I'd probably give it a go with the kayak if I had the day off. All that said, the wind is rarely a problem deep inside the bay, so if you planned to stay north of Fraser island and east of Lamb, you'd be OK in most conditions, and you'd still have a shot at catching a legal hatchery spring. It's a beautiful spot.

Hi there, thank you for the information, greatly appreciated. I'm was reading on regulations and are getting confused, are we allow to keep hatchery spring now?

Also I was thinking about the inlet as well but don't really know what's there to fish, like groundfish? Pink?

 

[Deepaaaar]

Hi there, thank you for the information, greatly appreciated. I'm was reading on regulations and are getting confused, are we allow to keep hatchery spring now?

Also I was thinking about the inlet as well but don't really know what's there to fish, like groundfish? Pink?

The Becher Bay regs are detailed and you'll have to study them a fair bit to make sure you're not in violation. The long and the short of it is that you can keep one hatchery spring if you're north of a line between the south end of Fraser Island and Creyke point. If you stay north of Fraser and east of Lamb island, you'll remain in the hatchery chinook retention zone. There's also an RCA that begins on the north edge of Fraser island on the east side and runs south. You can find rockfish, small pacific cod, chinook, and ling on the inside (among other things, probably). Pinks and coho tend to be in deeper water. I don't know their patterns all that well yet, though. Saanich Inlet has rockfish and ling, and salmon of course (non-retention for springs). Lots of RCAs in there, too, but you'd be able to find groundfish pretty easily outside of them.

As always, don't trust rando dudes on a forum for the regs, though, double check everything I said with the actual regs. Cheers.