Hi All
Fishing continues to be solid here in Barkley Sound. That said you are still going to have to put the time in and work for them. Perserverance goes a long way to success.
Ok here is an update as to where I have been fishing and what I have been using.
I fished with Marcus and Raquel last weekend. We went around the corner of Beale to Seabird Rocks. Once again we trolled Irish Cream and Bon Chovy skinny gs. We fished tight to the reefs and kelp beds keeping our gear at 29′ and 27′. We had a very successful morning with 4 lovely springs to 18 lbs. Seabird is a technical troll. Many times my gear was was running at 29′ with 28′ feet of water under the boat. I really like that kind of fishing but don’t feel that you need to do the same. I saw boats fishing in safer water nearby and they also did quite well.
On Monday this past week I had the opportunity to fish with my partner Makiko. The sun was out and the water flat calm. We returned to Seabird and decided to keep the downriggers in the boat and do some old fashioned jigging. We tied on 70 gram MacDeeps and fished amongst the reefs and kelp beds, way in tight. What a blast!
We were fishing 20′ of water and in less than two hours we fought 8 springs and a couple of pinks. We put 4 in the box for us for the winter, all between 15 and 19 pounds. If you think the only way to catch salmon is trolling off the downrigger then explore the jigging option. Albeit the conditions have to be almost perfect but man is it ever worth the payoff! Can’t wait to try it again!
I also fished Beale a couple of mornings and found it to be well worth the time. The only issue was the Beale Seal! I lost four springs in a row to the seals on Thursday morning last week! It was a bit frustrating to say the least. That said I am not one to advocate the seal cull. Seals and sea lions are smart and learn quickly. It’s an easier way to catch dinner for them by waiting for us to do it for them. If it’s a problem just get up and move.
Offshore fishing has been picking up. I did a trip out to Big Bank and the Rat’s Nose this past week. It was steady and nice to see some bigger fish. We had Jason, Francis and their Uncle Jimmy out and it didn’t take long to limit out on springs and coho. I can’t give up my skinny g just yet so we ran a Bon Chovy at 120′ and my standard go to on the bank, a large glow white hootchie at 135′. It was a very productive day!
Halibut fishing is still going strong although I did get skunked the other day, well sort of. I was out at 12 mile and anchored up in 205 feet. After battling through 3 large pacific octopus that all three did a twirl around the boat and tangled all three lines, we finally hooked up a hali. The rod was bent down to the water and the line was screaming of the reel. As excited as I was I knew this fish was too good to be true. Indeed it was. Once again I was fishing with Jason, Francis and their Uncle Jimmy.
Uncle Jimmy was on the rod and was in the battle of his life. We managed to get the fish to the boat and it was plainly obvious that she was well over the 133 cm limit. I placed my harpoon next to her and she was equally of length or more. Pushing 165 cm would have been close. We were lucky enough to get some great pictures and video before cutting her lose and watching her ease her way back to the deep.
Sad to see her go in some ways and yet what a feeling to release such a beautiful fish to continue the gene pool.
We are fast approaching the middle of the season. It’s flying by! We would love to help you out if you are in the area. Gas and diesel are in plenty of supply at the dock. The shop is stocked and the coffee is on. Please feel free to come by and quiz us as to what’s hot and where to go. We are happy to share. August is coming and so are our local big fish. We have some rooms available at the lodge and some open charter dates as well. Don’t miss out! Call us for bookings!
Till then,
Tight lines and full boxes…
Coach, Aussie John, Tom, Joe and Brett
