Victoria/Sooke Halibut Question..
- Thread starter Trowser
- Start date
wolf
Well-Known Member
There are few factors that happen.
1 they get fished out theres a lot of pressure on them
2 people start salmon fishing more
3 the tides get stronger less and less available days to fish them
4 the biggest reason why most dont FRICKEN DOGFISH tried doing a trip mid june once moved 3 times and each time got dogged out it can get really really bad.
they are starting to show up now in numbers one last set of tides and then off to get salmon!!!!
1 they get fished out theres a lot of pressure on them
2 people start salmon fishing more
3 the tides get stronger less and less available days to fish them
4 the biggest reason why most dont FRICKEN DOGFISH tried doing a trip mid june once moved 3 times and each time got dogged out it can get really really bad.
they are starting to show up now in numbers one last set of tides and then off to get salmon!!!!
the halibut from here spawn in january, people start to target the large salmon that traditionally arrive after swift sure, weekend so you dont see as many halli after that there is a huge amount of small dogfish around from end of may and on, so most people stop halli fishing there is lots of halibuts here still. your chances of getting a fish over a hundred around victoria are excellent all year around. the halibut fishing is better now than35 years ago. cant say the same for ling and rockfish though. you also get double jumbo prawns here crabbing is lousy now too. lots of very experienced guides to choose from, is a bonus. as isthe excellent tackle shops in the city. westerly afternoon winds also comeon in june and july. suffice to say the fishing pressure on halibut drops off considerably after the large salmon start to show in sooke. therefore not as manybuts are weighed in. just what ive noticed thankyou. halibut spawn offshore and deep then they migrate back to feeding areas. they are not cosidered long lived so no mercury problem. come and fish anytime towser. good luck on a biggie too.personally rathersee a 1oo lb than 10 ten pounders. on the wharf. good luck
lots of big halibut in the summer and no conservation issue halibut is the fish our DFO doesnt control and the only fish whose stocks are not in trouble tells you something about our fisheries officers eh. thankyou pacific halibut commission like trev says stay on rock it cuts down on doggie catch.
Sea Ranger
Active Member
scott craven
Well-Known Member
Fishing the rocks might cut down the dogfish problem,
but don't you lose a lot of gear ?
but don't you lose a lot of gear ?
Theres prawns all over the place off Victoria/Race, you just have to take extra care with your traps. YOu need proper anchors, and consequently, a good puller to get the traps up. Saanich Inlet is great because there is very little tide to speak of, but off Victoria, if a raft of kelp gets on your trap float, it's gone gone gone. ANother thing, DO NOT use large floats off Victoria. You want your traps to stay put, not float away on you! Do a small string of floats, the hard styrofoam ones so that if it does pully our string down, it won't collapse them.
I use a 5 pound Bruce with 10 ft of 1/4" chain tied 50 feet ahead of my traps. They did not MOVE on me once, I threw them in 240 feet of water with 300 feet of scope.
I use a 5 pound Bruce with 10 ft of 1/4" chain tied 50 feet ahead of my traps. They did not MOVE on me once, I threw them in 240 feet of water with 300 feet of scope.
Sea Ranger
Active Member
Thanks for the info. I'll keep a look out for traps in that area and maybe see if I can't give it a try. I'll have to look up more info on trap sizes and types and where to put them but it would be fun to try.
Go to Trotac marine, and just get the good traps. There is plenty of crap going around, folding traps suck, so do the Can Tire round ones. Get the big white bait cups, and drill a million holes in them. Get the prawn bait in the silver bag with a pic of a crab on it, Crappy Tire or Outfitters (This stuff is OILY and STINKS, do not drop it in your bilge!). Get the small size ground line, 1/4" to reduce current drag, NOTHING BIGGER. You can get a 600 foot spool at Outfitters, that's where I got mine. Setup so your anchor is 300 feet down, this will give you plenty of scope for up to around 250 feet of water. Get a bag of standard issue prawn bait.
Get a $15 5 pound anchor, and 10 feet of chain, Set this ahead of your traps. Space your traps every 60 feet. You will probably need to pull the anchor off the bottom with the boat, it is possible to pull that mess up by hand, but off the waterfront we have a lot of hermit crabs, when they get in your traps, they get heavy quickly.
While you are getting the hang of things, do it on days with light currents (Look at Current tables, not tide tables). If the current starts to move, it will be next to impossible to get these things up by hand, my puller REALLY grunts some days. Maybe start with two traps per string. If you don't want the anchor and current BS, Saanich Inlet is the place to be but the commercial boys are pounding it really hard.
Find 200-250 feet of water and go. I never got a chance to try by the Clover Point sh*t pipe, but I"ll bet the prawns there are 16" long LOL.
gillreaper
Member
Is that you Mike? good day on the water! were going mon and tue pipe jiggin' the flat's. AL
Rum Buddies
Well-Known Member
wow, hows that for a step by step guide on how to prawn around victoria. nice post LC
Sea Ranger
Active Member
Yes, thank-you very much LC. I will be sure to give it a try.
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