Aces
Well-Known Member
12 miles straight out from Tofino and the pilchards aren't there and neither are the fish like they usually are this time of year
12 miles straight out from Tofino and the pilchards aren't there and neither are the fish like they usually are this time of year
The starfish is just South of the Hyson. About 10 miles off of Long Beach
Islandgirl
Well-Known Member
Purple haze hootchies with a golden or silver skirt for the springs seemed to be the ticket.. it was a bright sunny day : )
Happy fishing!
T
tofinofish
Guest
Tuesday - Slowest day in a long time around Tofino area...Halibut still really good considering tides, but Chinook Salmon died off today.
tubber
Well-Known Member
On Saturday we started at outside south (rabbit) and got nothing in 30 minutes. We went to the Wreck from about 8 till 9am. Only one other boat and they were drifting for halibut. Piles of coho, no springs. We went a few miles farther to the little nipple on the inside edge of Big Bank and found lots of springs and coho but no size to the springs from 40-150'. Finally went to bottom and got a 25 lb hali and an 19 lb spring in 225 with 260 feet of cable out. My shoulder is still sore from hand cranking, but we should have done that sooner. Krill and 5-6" herring at both of those places. No pilchards. Green and Silver 4.0 Coyote worked well. Tried big plugs at 4 mph and caught bigger wild coho. Great day for double headers and action, but we didn't catch any over 20lbs. Took a long time to find 4 clipped coho among the many unclipped. One guide at Island West theorized that when that many coho move in, they push the springs out of the area, which seemed to be the case at the Wreck.
Aces
Well-Known Member
No kidding. Slowest day for the end of July in about 15 years
Tomorrow's another day
Sharphooks
Well-Known Member
I spent all last week out on La Perouse. The weather was good so I fished hard and burned lots of gas.
The last thing I expected to see for the amount of water I covered on that trip was a clean screen (as in minimal bait sign) . very few whales, very few pilchards----with the exception of clatters of coho (mostly clipped fish), I started to get the uncomfortable feeling I was floating in a biological desert out there.
Then one morning out at Starfish, faced with what appeared to be another clean screen, I started fiddling with the marker zoom function of my fish finder. I noticed some very vague salt and pepper sign just off the bottom at 180 feet
I lowered both DR's down to the deck (something I NEVER do for summer springs) and in short order, up comes a 25 pound spring. So for the next four days at various spots all over La Perouse I pounded the bottom --- the law of unintended consequences meant that I got lots of halis in the process, but I also filled the cooler with some nice springs (mostly low to mid 20's)
When fishing the normal depths (zero to 80) I caught lots of immature springs--- 3 - 8 lbs----that was a new one for me.
I did have some inshore joy---heading back to Ukee from Starfish I stopped off at Wya on two occasions and each time I found a couple of large pilchard balls---I dropped in the gear and in short order was able to pick up a spring or two in the normal manner at the normal depths.
But that was the exception for me---the normal inshore spots in Barkley Sound seemed to have way more mackerel then anything else
Some interesting things happening in the ocean this year-- if anyone has researched this, I'd be interested to hear specific data of water temperatures and how they compare to year's past off WCVI---I had thought that a La Nina year would be associated with colder temps, not warmer temps (try telling someone in Alaska that temps are warmer this year---they just suffered through a biblical winter with biblical amounts of shelf-ice that came in early and stayed late, corking off piles of productive fishing grounds in the process)
The last thing I expected to see for the amount of water I covered on that trip was a clean screen (as in minimal bait sign) . very few whales, very few pilchards----with the exception of clatters of coho (mostly clipped fish), I started to get the uncomfortable feeling I was floating in a biological desert out there.
Then one morning out at Starfish, faced with what appeared to be another clean screen, I started fiddling with the marker zoom function of my fish finder. I noticed some very vague salt and pepper sign just off the bottom at 180 feet
I lowered both DR's down to the deck (something I NEVER do for summer springs) and in short order, up comes a 25 pound spring. So for the next four days at various spots all over La Perouse I pounded the bottom --- the law of unintended consequences meant that I got lots of halis in the process, but I also filled the cooler with some nice springs (mostly low to mid 20's)
When fishing the normal depths (zero to 80) I caught lots of immature springs--- 3 - 8 lbs----that was a new one for me.
I did have some inshore joy---heading back to Ukee from Starfish I stopped off at Wya on two occasions and each time I found a couple of large pilchard balls---I dropped in the gear and in short order was able to pick up a spring or two in the normal manner at the normal depths.
But that was the exception for me---the normal inshore spots in Barkley Sound seemed to have way more mackerel then anything else
Some interesting things happening in the ocean this year-- if anyone has researched this, I'd be interested to hear specific data of water temperatures and how they compare to year's past off WCVI---I had thought that a La Nina year would be associated with colder temps, not warmer temps (try telling someone in Alaska that temps are warmer this year---they just suffered through a biblical winter with biblical amounts of shelf-ice that came in early and stayed late, corking off piles of productive fishing grounds in the process)
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the fog ducker
Well-Known Member
hope things pick up for you guys , nice seeing honest reports ,
for whatever its worth , my bigger springs were all right off the floor last outting , ( offshore )
its been a few years since ive seen this , but , not uncommon
fd
for whatever its worth , my bigger springs were all right off the floor last outting , ( offshore )
its been a few years since ive seen this , but , not uncommon
fd
tdickenson
Member
Very helpful intel in terms of where the fish were in the water column. We'll try to put it to use.
stratocaster
New Member
Ditto on the new Scotties. I was out with Big Bear on Sunday. Decided to help out the guide by running the riggers. Man are those switches ever twitchy. Dropped a ball doing the same thing. Doesn't help that we were running braid. Guide said he's dropped lots of balls this year lol.
We were out at Starfish as well. Put 5 springs in the boat 15-22 lbs and hooked and released 7 wild coho. Managed to scare up a couple of small halis fishing 90 feet. PH hootchie the ticket in the morning with 5" green stripe coyote in the afternoon. Varying the depths all morning as both fish and bait were scattered. No real good bite, just picking off a fish here and there throughout the day. Whales put on a good show off in the distance.
oh well at least it was flat out there. Wife didn't even get seasick which was a bonus.
tubber
Well-Known Member
springs have to be under 77cm at Wya and along that stretch as of today.
http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/rec/opportunities-possibilites/PN/2012/23-ch.pdf
http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/rec/opportunities-possibilites/PN/2012/23-ch.pdf
Islandgirl
Well-Known Member
Thanks for pointing out the AUG 01 changes
One needs to fish offshore for 2 big springs and inside for 2 coho that are not marked
J-GLOBAL
Well-Known Member
Early L.W.
Friday am - Portland - 2 Hali 20-25, some coho, only 1 Spring 15.
Saturday - Hyson - A Billion Coho. A few springs, nothing over 20. Maybe 2 Billion Coho.
Sunday - past Hysen, Springs early, limited & sent some back by 8am, and shallow, largest 28. + Lotsa Coho
Everything on Hootchies & Spoons. Too many Coho around & too busy to mess with bait.
Friday am - Portland - 2 Hali 20-25, some coho, only 1 Spring 15.
Saturday - Hyson - A Billion Coho. A few springs, nothing over 20. Maybe 2 Billion Coho.
Sunday - past Hysen, Springs early, limited & sent some back by 8am, and shallow, largest 28. + Lotsa Coho
Everything on Hootchies & Spoons. Too many Coho around & too busy to mess with bait.
walleyes
Crew Member
Got home last night from the trip to Ukee and all I can say is awesome.. According to the regulars of the area this was supposed to be a slow year, but as far as I was concerned it was great. Mind you I have been fishing Sooke for the last 9 years so this was a real treat. In all we easily came home with enough fish. We weren’t pigs about it we brought home only what we feel we can comfortably use. Of course we could always use more but we came home with plenty. In all we came home with 8 beauty Chinook and 7 Coho. The Chinook all ranged between 10 – 29#. The Coho were all nice fish at around 5 -6#. Not bad for 5 mornings of fishing and we threw many a smaller Chinook back in the 8 – 10# range and a boat load of wild Coho were released at the side of the boat.
The last day out I finally got a whopper. A friend of mine from Comox came out and we went out to Starfish, we went there one other day on the trip but mostly we stayed close to shore ( Turtle Head and Amphrite ). It was just the icing on the cake for me it really was, the fish hit hard and did a few nice runs and held to bottom hard, what a rush, its what I live for man it really is. We also managed a nice Hali one day. Got lucky on that one, just dropped the jig and not 2 min later,, wham it was on, a nice 35#er. Both days we went out to Starfish we were limited out with our 4 springs wihtin 2 hrs the last day were had them in an 1.5hr,, what a blast.
Yes it truly was one of the best Salmon fishing trips I have been on, I must say my son enjoyed it as well, never a complaint getting up with me at 5 every morning and just a real good companion to have on the water, he is turning in to be a real heck of a fisherman. We pretty much only fished until about noon every day and one day only until 11 because the boy and I went and tried surfing one afternoon so to catch our fish with the ease we did was a really treat. To all the folks we met at Ukee if you read this thx for the help and we will see you next year till then tight lines all. Here are a few pics.
Sam and his nice Hali.
And his 22# Chinook.
My biggest a 29#er
One of the mornings catches.
The last day out I finally got a whopper. A friend of mine from Comox came out and we went out to Starfish, we went there one other day on the trip but mostly we stayed close to shore ( Turtle Head and Amphrite ). It was just the icing on the cake for me it really was, the fish hit hard and did a few nice runs and held to bottom hard, what a rush, its what I live for man it really is. We also managed a nice Hali one day. Got lucky on that one, just dropped the jig and not 2 min later,, wham it was on, a nice 35#er. Both days we went out to Starfish we were limited out with our 4 springs wihtin 2 hrs the last day were had them in an 1.5hr,, what a blast.
Yes it truly was one of the best Salmon fishing trips I have been on, I must say my son enjoyed it as well, never a complaint getting up with me at 5 every morning and just a real good companion to have on the water, he is turning in to be a real heck of a fisherman. We pretty much only fished until about noon every day and one day only until 11 because the boy and I went and tried surfing one afternoon so to catch our fish with the ease we did was a really treat. To all the folks we met at Ukee if you read this thx for the help and we will see you next year till then tight lines all. Here are a few pics.
Sam and his nice Hali.
And his 22# Chinook.
My biggest a 29#er
One of the mornings catches.
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