fishin_magician
Well-Known Member
The PREDATOR'S PEN Date: May 18/2009.
An update of the local saltwater fishing scene for Vancouver To : Saltwater Angler
By: David Korsch (Predator Charters)
E-mail: davek@dccnet.com Web Site: www.predatorcharters.com
Phone: (604) 329 - 8642 Fax: (604) 886 - 1928
Hello Fellow Anglers
"SMOKIN'!!!" The Gulf Island fishery has really turned on in the past couple of weeks! Unlike the previous few years, the fish are not holding in on "structure", but rather, they are located "offshore" a mile or two out in deep water, and the number of fish has to be just massive. I have been getting reports of extremely hot fishing from Nanoose Bay all the way East to Thrasher Rock, and since the "band" of fish seems to be upwards of 5 miles wide, this "school" of Chinook must cover more than 100 square miles.
On Saturday morning (May16th) I was finally able to get over off Gabriola to experience the action myself, and we managed to boat 6 legal Chinook up into the middle/higher teens (and I really would have liked to see the size of one of the fish we lost.......). As good as our action was, there was one boat fishing a few miles to the East of us who managed to boat an incredible 14 legal fish that morning (well done Len)!!!! Most of the fish are in the 12 to 18 lb range, but I heard of a few that were significantly larger (up to the 30 lb range).
Sunday we were back over there but found the action quite a bit slower, though I think that was due to the fact that there were likely 80+ boats working from Thrasher Rk. to the middle of Gabriola. I never counted the total number at the peak, but in the early afternoon when we were thinking that everyone had gone in, I still counted 34 boats. Even in that big area, a long weekend crowd can affect the fishing it seems. Though I considered it to be "slow" we still kept 3 nice fish, I'll be most boats managed to put at least one in the boat, and a few did better than us....funny how I consider that slow fishing....it is amazing how your expectations change during certain fisheries.......
Since it is only the middle of May, I am very optimistic about what we should see over the next couple months as the Gulf Island fishery generally peaks between mid-May and mid-July. Of course, running over there to fish required a longer trip than the minimum 5 hour charter (I need it to be a minimum 7 hour charter), and more importantly we need relatively calm water. Luckily, at this time of year we usually find far more than 1/2 the days are calm enough to cross, and when it is too windy, we can usually see that coming a few days in advance.
For those wanting to specifically book trips over to the Gulf Islands, I have no problems postponing or cancelling a trip at the last minute if water conditions won't allow us to cross. My dock construction projects look as if they could continue for the next month or two, so a last minute cancellation just means I would switch gears and work at that on mid-week days.
Of course there are still some fish to be found locally, though the South Bowen fishery has slowed significantly (as is typical at this time of year) over the past week. We are beginning to see some larger fish entering Howe Sound on their way to the Squamish system, and we could potentially find some very good fishing within the next few weeks if these fish decide to hold in good numbers in some area (potentially Hole in the Wall, Grace Islands, Porteau Cove, and/or Defence Islands.
I am still available most week days (potentially even on short notice of a day or so), but I do not have any openings on weekends until the 13th/14th of June. As always, feel free to pass this information along to any associates whom may appreciate the report. If you have any questions, or wish to book a charter, e-mail me davek@dccnet.com), or call me at (604) 329 - 8642.
Tight Lines,
David Korsch
Predator Charters
www.predatorcharters.com
davek@dccnet.com
(604) 329 - 8642
An update of the local saltwater fishing scene for Vancouver To : Saltwater Angler
By: David Korsch (Predator Charters)
E-mail: davek@dccnet.com Web Site: www.predatorcharters.com
Phone: (604) 329 - 8642 Fax: (604) 886 - 1928
Hello Fellow Anglers
"SMOKIN'!!!" The Gulf Island fishery has really turned on in the past couple of weeks! Unlike the previous few years, the fish are not holding in on "structure", but rather, they are located "offshore" a mile or two out in deep water, and the number of fish has to be just massive. I have been getting reports of extremely hot fishing from Nanoose Bay all the way East to Thrasher Rock, and since the "band" of fish seems to be upwards of 5 miles wide, this "school" of Chinook must cover more than 100 square miles.
On Saturday morning (May16th) I was finally able to get over off Gabriola to experience the action myself, and we managed to boat 6 legal Chinook up into the middle/higher teens (and I really would have liked to see the size of one of the fish we lost.......). As good as our action was, there was one boat fishing a few miles to the East of us who managed to boat an incredible 14 legal fish that morning (well done Len)!!!! Most of the fish are in the 12 to 18 lb range, but I heard of a few that were significantly larger (up to the 30 lb range).
Sunday we were back over there but found the action quite a bit slower, though I think that was due to the fact that there were likely 80+ boats working from Thrasher Rk. to the middle of Gabriola. I never counted the total number at the peak, but in the early afternoon when we were thinking that everyone had gone in, I still counted 34 boats. Even in that big area, a long weekend crowd can affect the fishing it seems. Though I considered it to be "slow" we still kept 3 nice fish, I'll be most boats managed to put at least one in the boat, and a few did better than us....funny how I consider that slow fishing....it is amazing how your expectations change during certain fisheries.......
Since it is only the middle of May, I am very optimistic about what we should see over the next couple months as the Gulf Island fishery generally peaks between mid-May and mid-July. Of course, running over there to fish required a longer trip than the minimum 5 hour charter (I need it to be a minimum 7 hour charter), and more importantly we need relatively calm water. Luckily, at this time of year we usually find far more than 1/2 the days are calm enough to cross, and when it is too windy, we can usually see that coming a few days in advance.
For those wanting to specifically book trips over to the Gulf Islands, I have no problems postponing or cancelling a trip at the last minute if water conditions won't allow us to cross. My dock construction projects look as if they could continue for the next month or two, so a last minute cancellation just means I would switch gears and work at that on mid-week days.
Of course there are still some fish to be found locally, though the South Bowen fishery has slowed significantly (as is typical at this time of year) over the past week. We are beginning to see some larger fish entering Howe Sound on their way to the Squamish system, and we could potentially find some very good fishing within the next few weeks if these fish decide to hold in good numbers in some area (potentially Hole in the Wall, Grace Islands, Porteau Cove, and/or Defence Islands.
I am still available most week days (potentially even on short notice of a day or so), but I do not have any openings on weekends until the 13th/14th of June. As always, feel free to pass this information along to any associates whom may appreciate the report. If you have any questions, or wish to book a charter, e-mail me davek@dccnet.com), or call me at (604) 329 - 8642.
Tight Lines,
David Korsch
Predator Charters
www.predatorcharters.com
davek@dccnet.com
(604) 329 - 8642
