Hi All
Barkley Sound fishing is prime time and in full force! The past week or so has been tremendous for springs and our run of coho are also starting to show.
I finished up last weekend with the Pace Processing group. Thanks so much to Sean Darrah for organizing the trip. It was great food, great times and great fishing. We had six boats out on the water for these guys, and every boat did well.
I had Matt and Felix on my boat. Super nice guys and super eager!. We got out o the water last Friday and headed over to Swale. We fished blood and bones teaser heads with anchovies at 35 and 39 feet. We had a great afternoon. We managed to get Matt into his first ever spring salmon. It was a thrill for him and for me watching his eyes light up as his first ever spring ripped line of his reel. We fished for 3 hours or so and came back to the dock with a full box. 6 beautiful springs between 13 and 21 lbs. A great start to the trip for sure!
The next day was an offshore day. We were hoping to get the boys into a couple of halibut and some coho. We anchored 12 miles off Cape Beale on a hump on the bank that comes up to 197 feet. We got the gear down and waited for Mr. Hali to announce himself. It was slow, very slow. In the mean time we jigged MacDeeps for coho. It too was slow. It looked as if the herds of coho offshore had moved on. We landed some small springs which we released and the odd coho. The boys did have some fun however with all of the mackerel about. It seems the offshore waters are inundated with chub mackerel. They are very cool looking fish. They only weigh 4 or 5 lbs but fight like stink! They are a blast. That kept us busy while we waited for a hali strike. It took some time but we managed to get Felix into his first ever hali. It was a lovely 30 lb fish. Matt then followed up with a 25 lber.
The next day we were back out for springs. We returned to Swale and fished again at 35 and 39 feet with the same gear. It was a little slower but we limited out the boys eventually and still dropped quite a few. It was so much fun fishing with Matt and Felix. Their enthusiasm was invigorating. I look forward to seeing them again next year.
I am back in Vancouver for a few days getting ready for school. I am back to Harbourside on Thursday evening. This weekend we are welcoming the Suter Homes Group from Whistler. Paul Suter brings his crew up annually and each year we have a great trip. Really looking forward to it!
The lodge will be busy this weekend as the Port Alberni Salmon Festival gets going on Saturday through Monday. This is such a big event. Some lucky angler is going to win the whole thing. It may even be on my boat. One can only dream…
Please stop in to see us if you are and about searching for the big one. Aussie John and Tom will be down at the docks serving up gas and ,diesel, along with drink ice, salt ice, bait, fishing tackle, drinks and snacks. I’ll be on the water.
Till next time…
Coach….