2017 Victoria and Oak Bay Reports

[NautiGirl]

Skinny G/Coyote spoon just wobbling in the current. I have caught pink salmon and pacific code that way. Circle hook through the tip of the nose to reduce drag in the current and keep the hook exposed. I have various sizes but this weekend it was fairly small, about and inch or inch and a quarter across. one caught in the corner of the mouth and the other was actually a small piercing in the roof of the mouth. I think the main think to catching is having bait in the water and not having to reel it up to remove dogfish or rebait because the ratfish ait the herring. salmon heads are durable and put off a good scent. The other tip is pounding the mud many times every once in a while to let them know how to find your bait. kick up a mud storm down there. I saw no bananas catch 4 hali to our 1 back in may and the big difference was how hard and often he banged bottom. So I copied that action and the salmon heads that I knew already worked well. Good luck on the hali.

 

[brands51]

Hit the waterfront for the first time since April today. Launched at 11am and got back to the dock by 2pm, we landed a scrappy 70cm white spring about 12lbs and lost another about the same size. Beautiful weather out there!

 

[megabite]

On the water just after 5 am. Trolled from Clover Point west past the flagpole. Picked up and moved to Ross Bay. Sounder showed bait, no big fish. About 7:20 just east of Clover Point, 50 ft or so in about 90 ft of water, got a gentle, strong take. Well hooked and strong fish. Took me over 20 minutes to land the beauty, a wild spring about 93 - 95 cm. Solo in a small boat with long rods, so had to net it, and put it back with no damage that I could see. Lost some slime I'm sure on my net is about all. It had worked the tail hook off; the treble in the body of the anchovy was going nowhere. Catch and release but good fun for me, a learning experience for the fish.

 

[Xena]

Fished the waterfront, 7-11. Not a sniff, just a snuffy hoping for a hook up. Beauty day on the water, saw two fish caught. Xena

 

[tinboatrobb]

Out early today. Nothing at clover so hit the flats. Wife and I each got one. 7 and 9 lbs very scrappy little fish. Anchovies close to the bottom just before low tide

 

[Gear'n'beer!]

Out early today. Nothing at clover so hit the flats. Wife and I each got one. 7 and 9 lbs very scrappy little fish. Anchovies close to the bottom just before low tide

And what a low it was 0.0.....not quite a negative ride but pretty darn close!

 

[Alex]

Out from about 730-200. Fished the waterfront. Fished flag pole/clover point. Fished the flats. Nothing

 

[Sam7]

Took Lime Ricky out today for the first time to make sure things were working properly, had a late start, on the water by 9:30. Trolled the waterfront in front of the breakwater, green can buoy until about 12:30, with no action except for dodging the kelp and weeds which were in abundance. Fished from 45-78'. Then I headed out to William Head and drifted for halibut down to Albert Head, ended with 4 dogs all on herring, and nothing on my salmon head.

 

[PatyO'Furniture]

buddy of mine got a 17lb on the OB flats on sunday.

 

[saltydawg]

Boy o boy... Lost a big one to a seal beside the boat at Constance this morning. Broke off the hot flasher/lure combo too .
Got two more closer in.

 

[mbowers]

Skinny G/Coyote spoon just wobbling in the current. I have caught pink salmon and pacific code that way. Circle hook through the tip of the nose to reduce drag in the current and keep the hook exposed. I have various sizes but this weekend it was fairly small, about and inch or inch and a quarter across. one caught in the corner of the mouth and the other was actually a small piercing in the roof of the mouth. I think the main think to catching is having bait in the water and not having to reel it up to remove dogfish or rebait because the ratfish ait the herring. salmon heads are durable and put off a good scent. The other tip is pounding the mud many times every once in a while to let them know how to find your bait. kick up a mud storm down there. I saw no bananas catch 4 hali to our 1 back in may and the big difference was how hard and often he banged bottom. So I copied that action and the salmon heads that I knew already worked well. Good luck on the hali.

I like the salmon head on a circle hook rig. Have you tried a bridle type rig to keep the circle hook fully exposed and the salmon mouth shut? I'd think this rig could be a good option too.

 

[wagonmaster]

Went out this morning to check my crab traps. A good spot which usually produces a good number of crabs with each set. Had definitely been raided by some A hole. One trap empty, but all the bait eaten. Floats not quite in the same spot they were put down. A commercial boat nearby pulling traps. Can't prove it was him, of course, but you gotta wonder. Was a tough run in fairly heavy seas to get there. Happy Canada Day.

 

[kaelc]

Put in at Esquimalt anglers about 7, trolled and rolled to clover point and picked up and ran to the far side of discovery. Limited out on doggies, in two spots. Happy Canada day, you aren't missing much on the water

 

[Kildonan]

I had an encounter with a commercial crabber one time near Esquimalt lagoon. I pulled my two traps and they were stuffed, every crab was 1/4 inch too small or smaller though. The commie yelled over and asked how I did. I reported the results, he told me to pull alongside his boat. When I got there he dumped 8 dungies into my boat.

They're not all bad guys.

 

[wagonmaster]

A nice story Kildonan. I hear you. Good and bad in every sector. As I said, in my rant, I have no idea who pulled my traps. Could have been anybody and we need to keep in mind that the vast majority of people are good, honest citizens that we can be proud to call Canadian.

 

[Gear'n'beer!]

Ok so dropped my traps yesterday on my way out to watch fireworks from the boat. Loaded with halibut heads/carcasses from fridays fish. Went to check today and 2 Ladner traps gone, that's like $300 in traps and gear disappeared. I spliced all my gear myself and as a former grappleyarder hooktender I know a few things about splicing. Hope I find someone fishing my gear and we will have a lil chat. Ok rant over.....hope you all had a good one, peace out

GnB

 

[Humpbubble]

Jigged up a nice 35# hali up Haro this morn while my buddies fed the doggies via spreaders. Nice to get the boat back out after a long fall/spring of engine woes. See ya'll on the flats

 

[Stosh]

GNB
Sorry to hear about your loss. Unfortunately this has been going on forever. Best to fish within sight of your float, or get a GTR - galvanic timed release. Neptune products makes them.
Low life thieves. You'd figure only good guys would be on the water.
Adios Amigo
Stosh

 

[Bugs]

Quick afternoon fish on the flats. Saw a couple caught out of a handful of boats. Great bait and bird show everywhere on the tide change. Hooked one on an Andrew P spoon (the only lure that catches fish for me these days) that played possum right to the surface and then jumped about 6 times, throwing the hook on the last one. My boat is about 5 for 20 on hooked to landed this season. No crabs for once

 

[Englishman]

Quick afternoon fish on the flats. Saw a couple caught out of a handful of boats. Great bait and bird show everywhere on the tide change. Hooked one on an Andrew P spoon (the only lure that catches fish for me these days) that played possum right to the surface and then jumped about 6 times, throwing the hook on the last one. My boat is about 5 for 20 on hooked to landed this season. No crabs for once

I'm afraid that is the great problem with spoons and barb less hooks, Bugs. Heavy and dense objects that they are, a few shakes of the head and the leverage of the piece of metal causes the hook to be thrown clear.
Hootchies or teaser heads are so much lighter, the hook up to boat ratio is much higher. I rarely fish spoons for that reason because like you find, hooked fish are very difficult to get into the boat.