Lastchance - Are you still going to the east side of the bank to get yours? I think I understand what you mean about picky eaters. We picked up most of our hali. with herring last time, but the two larger fish came on white B2s tipped with real squid. Is this what you are finding?
Swiftsure Report
- Thread starter Cornfed
- Start date
Lastchance - Are you still going to the east side of the bank to get yours? I think I understand what you mean about picky eaters. We picked up most of our hali. with herring last time, but the two larger fish came on white B2s tipped with real squid. Is this what you are finding?
I didn't even open the bait bucket up, was all artificial, but the fish were smaller as is the norm with the smaller lures. And we did keep to the east, they were a very small patch, about 200 yards across. Very short drifts. But we don't have a big tide this coming weekend, that is what you really need to make the east spots work, I'm thinking I may hit the spud this weekend, then some deep water fun on Monday.
I didn't even open the bait bucket up, was all artificial, but the fish were smaller as is the norm with the smaller lures. And we did keep to the east, they were a very small patch, about 200 yards across. Very short drifts. But we don't have a big tide this coming weekend, that is what you really need to make the east spots work, I'm thinking I may hit the spud this weekend, then some deep water fun on Monday.
B
battaglino
Guest
Corn-fed, I spent quite a bit of time talking to your dad about his albin last year. I will give you some gps places that we fish and have done well over the years when I get the GPS set up this weekend.
Joe
Joe
B
battaglino
Guest
Corn-fed, I spent quite a bit of time talking to your dad about his albin last year. I will give you some gps places that we fish and have done well over the years when I get the GPS set up this weekend.
Joe
Joe
B
battaglino
Guest
Sorry to say I don't have mine up there yet. I have a 25 foot carver. I have gone up with freinds boats the last two trips. I am planning on bringing mine up over the 4 of July weekend. I will come by and say hi.
Fished the SW corner of Swiftsure this last weekend as well as US Blue Dot and "72 Squared". Did ok, but once again didn't get anything over 28 lbs. I must be doing something wrong. I see bigger fish coming in. A guy caught a 129 lber on the U.S. side of Swiftsure on the one day opener (saturday). He said he was using horse herring. i don't know if I want to do that since I ran into the dogs when I was out there. I dumped the bait and they still destroyed a Berkely Power Grub. I am running white 9" B2s tipped with skins with spreader bars for the most part. Any suggestions on this would be greatly appreciated. I did manage to pick up a 28 lb. ling at 72 squared though....not too bad I guess.
Not having as much luck as you...LastChance. I am pondering heading west of the bank and hitting up some of the deep holes. What do you think?
Not having as much luck as you...LastChance. I am pondering heading west of the bank and hitting up some of the deep holes. What do you think?
I think it looks very fishy out West of the bank, however I haven't been out there as of late, and not much overall. I am very surprised the Blue Dot did not produce very many fish for you, usually it is a sure bet this time of year. For numbers, the offshore banks are usually the best bet. For bigger ones, you are allways going to be better off anchoring up on the inshore pinnacles (in my opinion).
If I had some guys come down to the dock, and whip out my guide fee to wave in front of me and say they wanted to hold out for a bigger fish (Not a quick boatload of tennis rackets), I can assure you I would not be anywhere NEAR Swiftsure. I would suggest that they either come back in April, or that we would hook up on some of the pinnacles close to shore and do a lot (and I mean a LOT) of waiting, with great BIG bait that the dogfish can't get their mouths around.
Horse herring gets shredded this time of year, all I can say is I hope you saved your smaller coho and sockeye heads, something about the size of a softball. You can watch the doggies mouth it on your rod, but when it is on a 20/0 hook, I don't know of a lot of doggies that can actually get it in their mouth. They can chew on a head for an hour and it will still be plenty intact to catch a slug, and the action of the dogfish knawing away on it should distribute the scent downstream even more.
No joke here, I am not trying to keep boats away from the bank, I just have historicly caught bigger fish on the smaller pinnacles in the spring. I have hit the odd big one, maybe one out of 50 is over 60 lbs for me on Swiftsure, but for the most part is is just a great way to get lots of fish in the boat quickly.
There is no reason that the butts shouldn't be in the deeper water at all. Longliners often get them deeper then 500 feet, and look at 5Salt's luck as of late. I was going to drop my lines on a few DEEP humps I have found today (400ft and deeper), but my real job came a calling so I am sitting at a desk right now
.
Bottom line, in my somewhat educated opinion, throwing hardware out and drifting the offshore banks makes numbers, not size.
If I had some guys come down to the dock, and whip out my guide fee to wave in front of me and say they wanted to hold out for a bigger fish (Not a quick boatload of tennis rackets), I can assure you I would not be anywhere NEAR Swiftsure. I would suggest that they either come back in April, or that we would hook up on some of the pinnacles close to shore and do a lot (and I mean a LOT) of waiting, with great BIG bait that the dogfish can't get their mouths around.
Horse herring gets shredded this time of year, all I can say is I hope you saved your smaller coho and sockeye heads, something about the size of a softball. You can watch the doggies mouth it on your rod, but when it is on a 20/0 hook, I don't know of a lot of doggies that can actually get it in their mouth. They can chew on a head for an hour and it will still be plenty intact to catch a slug, and the action of the dogfish knawing away on it should distribute the scent downstream even more.
No joke here, I am not trying to keep boats away from the bank, I just have historicly caught bigger fish on the smaller pinnacles in the spring. I have hit the odd big one, maybe one out of 50 is over 60 lbs for me on Swiftsure, but for the most part is is just a great way to get lots of fish in the boat quickly.
There is no reason that the butts shouldn't be in the deeper water at all. Longliners often get them deeper then 500 feet, and look at 5Salt's luck as of late. I was going to drop my lines on a few DEEP humps I have found today (400ft and deeper), but my real job came a calling so I am sitting at a desk right now
.Bottom line, in my somewhat educated opinion, throwing hardware out and drifting the offshore banks makes numbers, not size.
Blue Dot produced a couple pancakes for us but we had to head 8 miles SW to 72 Square to finish out our limits. The charters did the same. there must be a hell of a lot of bait out their too becasue the lings and halis were full of huge 7 inch plus herring! The water turned green out there too...about 57 degrees F.
I see what you're saying about the bigger fish. May have to start looking at my bathometric and get out the anchor. Will have to wait for some better weather. We actually managed to get a wave over the back end of 'Hangm High'. I was sitting back their reeling in a hali. when it happened. Luckily I was in rain gear. It sure felt like I was in Cabo backing down a marlin....[]
I see what you're saying about the bigger fish. May have to start looking at my bathometric and get out the anchor. Will have to wait for some better weather. We actually managed to get a wave over the back end of 'Hangm High'. I was sitting back their reeling in a hali. when it happened. Luckily I was in rain gear. It sure felt like I was in Cabo backing down a marlin....[
]
