Tofino – big fish?

[tdickenson]

After 3 years in a row out of Bamfield, I’m headed up to Tofino Aug 2-6 with my father-in-law, brothers-in-law and son. The last two years we kept burning gas to get up to Starfish, so it seemed like Tofino made sense for access and variety. We work hard and have pretty much been able to bring back limits even though we have 5 people fishing on one boat with 2 down riggers. This year, we want to focus on something that’s eluded us so far… Tyees! Here’s the advice we could use… 1. Inshore vs. Offshore for big fish at Tofino? I’ve heard about big fish in close and inside, but what do you think would give us our best chances? 2. True or false – bigger plugs and spoons will give us better odds for bigger fish? 3. What about pilchards? That’s what we’ve seen in our bigger fish. We even took a fresh one out of a stomach, plug cut it, and caught another fish on it last year! But does anyone sell pilchards for bait? Would it be worth using herring jigs to get fresh pilchers? We’ve got plenty of Bamfield waypoint but we definitely need some new Tofino waypoints so I’d be happy to exchange info via PM. Any other advice? As always I’ll be posting a detailed report after our trip. We rented a house with a private dock in Tofino, but if you’ll be up there around the same time, definitely let us know.

 

[tofinofish]

Quick reply with more to follow later,
1. Offshore is your only option as Chinook is not an option inshore after August 1st.
2. Usually true
3. Spoons and plugs with Pilchard dots are productive and popular, we have numerous in stock at Tofino Fly and Tackle.

 

[Birdsnest]

Large Plugs and spoons, and have a handful of each. They do catch the big ones but part of the purpose of fishing them is they keep the gosh darn cohos at bay. Less coho hookups mean more quality time gittin' springs.

 

[Aces]

Inside waters closed for retention of mature Chinooks

No guarantee that the Starfish bank will hold the big fish

You should enter the Legion Derby that weekend. It's great a family event that raises funds for a great cause

 

[tdickenson]

Great quick and helpful replies. We're stocking up on some plugs and spoons. Does anyone sell a helmet big enough for a big pilchard? The derby sounds fun. Thanks for all the advice!