Sharphooks
Well-Known Member
hello, Gents
I just returned from a seven day expedition to Port Hardy. I tent camped the entire trip, setting up camp in multiple spots on both sides of the Strait. It was my second trip there in the last three years and I learned quite a bit.
Unfortunately, the greatest chunks of fishing knowledge come hand in hand with successful fishing and for the second trip in a row to Port Hardy, that wasn't necessarily the way it went down.
The first night, I got the boat launched at 7 P.M, went out to the first set of islands past Duvall, set up my tent, let the dog do her business, then went out to the Gordons and got about one hour of fishing in on the last of the flood tide.
Result? Two big springs my first 15 minutes of fishing, both of them mid to upper twenties, nice big fat healthy specimens we all love so dearly.
Hah, I said to myself--it's good to be back--and based on what just happened, it's going to be a fantastic trip!
So what did I do? I shook them both off my gear at the boat and let them swim away, convinced there'd be lots more where they came from...... Not!
Long story short, I burned multiple tanks of gas, covered many miles of coast line, risked my skinny arse in huge water and fierce winds in a very small boat all the way up to the Southgate Group and down to Browning and everywhere inbetween, all for one more spring (which this time, I mercilessly beat over the head). Yes, boat-loads of rockfish and ling cod but that wasn't what I went to Port Hardy for.
Side bar--I fished Uke last August, Bamfield this past June. If I'd pulled into a small fleet of 5 to 10 boats during a tide change in that part of the world, I would have seen multiple boats with net in hand.
Not at Port Hardy. Every time I went through Duvall or off the end of the Gordons during a nice ***y tide change, all I saw were boat loads of dour-faced people clutching coffee and looking like they weren't having too much fun. Not a net in hand for the whole fleet. In fact, in seven days of fishing I saw one boat fighting a fish. The only other springs I saw were the ones I caught
And back at the dock to re-fuel, the only fish I saw being cleaned had spines or were big and flat. Nothing silver in sight!
So, this all leads up to my hook --What's up with Port Hardy?!!?
If I had fished Uke and Bamfield as hard as I just fished Port Hardy last week, I'm convinced I would have shook hands with at least 15 to 30 springs. Find the bait and you find the fish -- that worked like a charm in Bamfield. That didn't work at Port Hardy.
Case in point--I just bit the bullet and installed a 1 Kw transducer the size of a suitcase in my boat and attached it to a high-end Furuno color sounder. When there was bait around, I could see it like it was in my hand. But far as I could tell, the only things eating it were rockfish and ling cod.
I'd really be interested to hear a Port Hardy Insider's perspective. Maybe something like:
Welcome to the club, it's been a crumby year; or,
You're just not looking in the right places; there are springs around and fishing has been good but they are in very specific spots and if you're not fishing them, you won't catch one; or,
You got lucky with the fish you did catch; shut up and feel contented. Or:
Port Hardy just isn't one of Van Isle's best places to consistently catch springs.... maybe it was in year's past but it's dropped off, just like Campbell River and Desolation Sound and lots of other places and you'd be better off on the West Coast side
Any one out there care to comment?
I ain't whining--I just want to make sense of all the effort I invested for the slim compensation I got back in return. All part of the learning thing, I guess.
Thanks for hearing me out
Dullhooks
I just returned from a seven day expedition to Port Hardy. I tent camped the entire trip, setting up camp in multiple spots on both sides of the Strait. It was my second trip there in the last three years and I learned quite a bit.
Unfortunately, the greatest chunks of fishing knowledge come hand in hand with successful fishing and for the second trip in a row to Port Hardy, that wasn't necessarily the way it went down.
The first night, I got the boat launched at 7 P.M, went out to the first set of islands past Duvall, set up my tent, let the dog do her business, then went out to the Gordons and got about one hour of fishing in on the last of the flood tide.
Result? Two big springs my first 15 minutes of fishing, both of them mid to upper twenties, nice big fat healthy specimens we all love so dearly.
Hah, I said to myself--it's good to be back--and based on what just happened, it's going to be a fantastic trip!
So what did I do? I shook them both off my gear at the boat and let them swim away, convinced there'd be lots more where they came from...... Not!
Long story short, I burned multiple tanks of gas, covered many miles of coast line, risked my skinny arse in huge water and fierce winds in a very small boat all the way up to the Southgate Group and down to Browning and everywhere inbetween, all for one more spring (which this time, I mercilessly beat over the head). Yes, boat-loads of rockfish and ling cod but that wasn't what I went to Port Hardy for.
Side bar--I fished Uke last August, Bamfield this past June. If I'd pulled into a small fleet of 5 to 10 boats during a tide change in that part of the world, I would have seen multiple boats with net in hand.
Not at Port Hardy. Every time I went through Duvall or off the end of the Gordons during a nice ***y tide change, all I saw were boat loads of dour-faced people clutching coffee and looking like they weren't having too much fun. Not a net in hand for the whole fleet. In fact, in seven days of fishing I saw one boat fighting a fish. The only other springs I saw were the ones I caught
And back at the dock to re-fuel, the only fish I saw being cleaned had spines or were big and flat. Nothing silver in sight!
So, this all leads up to my hook --What's up with Port Hardy?!!?
If I had fished Uke and Bamfield as hard as I just fished Port Hardy last week, I'm convinced I would have shook hands with at least 15 to 30 springs. Find the bait and you find the fish -- that worked like a charm in Bamfield. That didn't work at Port Hardy.
Case in point--I just bit the bullet and installed a 1 Kw transducer the size of a suitcase in my boat and attached it to a high-end Furuno color sounder. When there was bait around, I could see it like it was in my hand. But far as I could tell, the only things eating it were rockfish and ling cod.
I'd really be interested to hear a Port Hardy Insider's perspective. Maybe something like:
Welcome to the club, it's been a crumby year; or,
You're just not looking in the right places; there are springs around and fishing has been good but they are in very specific spots and if you're not fishing them, you won't catch one; or,
You got lucky with the fish you did catch; shut up and feel contented. Or:
Port Hardy just isn't one of Van Isle's best places to consistently catch springs.... maybe it was in year's past but it's dropped off, just like Campbell River and Desolation Sound and lots of other places and you'd be better off on the West Coast side
Any one out there care to comment?
I ain't whining--I just want to make sense of all the effort I invested for the slim compensation I got back in return. All part of the learning thing, I guess.
Thanks for hearing me out
Dullhooks
