2018 OFFICIAL Vancouver-Howe Sound-Sechelt Reports Thread

[Burgerchow]

U using wire or braid in the downriggers? Have u checked the electrolysis around your boat ?
Have u located any schools when out?
Are u using black hooks on your set ups?
What size hooks u using

Thanks for all the replies guys. I've tried everything. I vary the speeds between 1.2 -2 mph. Try zig zagging back and forth, different leader lengths. Usually keep down rigger lines between 20-40 degrees. I'm not even getting hits on my sockeye gear.
Using wire for downrigger lines. Haven't found any really big schools. Just follow the flotilla hoping they know better than me.
I always come down the north arm of the Fraser planning to down south towards sand heads, but every time I hit the chuck, I see so many boats around the north arm that I just stay there figuring they must know where the fish are better than me. That's why they're there.

Sir vivor. I'm using nickel hooks. I bought a bunch of small pink hoochies from Berrys and they already had hooks and leader.

I usually start fishing ( actually trolling) by 7:30 am.

 

[CohoOn]

new guy here. I've so far been unsuccessful in bagging a sockeye in 5 trips out of north arm . I'm using multiple flashers, dummy flashers, small pink hoochies with blue heads, white heads, pint heads, you name it , I've tried it. Tried in 500 ft of water down deep around 80-120 ft, tried shallow around 30-50 ft . Still haven't been able to catch one.

I keep reading about you guys getting limits in a couple hours. I even was out last week with 4 guys on the boat, and we couldn't catch anything.

only luck I've had is when I give up on sockeye, I switch to anchovies and caught a few springs and coho.

and plenty of dogfish. I've tried long leaders, short leaders, still not even getting bites. What am I doing wrong?

You see how many boats are out there on a weekend...well over a hundred and we get a handful of guys reporting their limits on this forum and I can assure you some put in plenty of hours out there....don't think you're the only one not limiting out.
There's a great degree of luck in this game but of course try what guys suggest and change things up when it doesn't seem to be working, leader lengths, troll speed,terminal gear yada yada yada.
Good luck on your next outing!

 

[sir-vivor]

Thanks for all the replies guys. I've tried everything. I vary the speeds between 1.2 -2 mph. Try zig zagging back and forth, different leader lengths. Usually keep down rigger lines between 20-40 degrees. I'm not even getting hits on my sockeye gear.
Using wire for downrigger lines. Haven't found any really big schools. Just follow the flotilla hoping they know better than me.
I always come down the north arm of the Fraser planning to down south towards sand heads, but every time I hit the chuck, I see so many boats around the north arm that I just stay there figuring they must know where the fish are better than me. That's why they're there.

Sir vivor. I'm using nickel hooks. I bought a bunch of small pink hoochies from Berrys and they already had hooks and leader.

I usually start fishing ( actually trolling) by 7:30 am.

OK, that's your first mistake, stay away from the fleet, I usually fish off by myself first and then if it's not happening or I see everyone with nets out then I might get closer.
The mini Pinks I use are N15 or NP15 and I tare off all but 3 or 4 of the tenticles then I mark the crap out of it with a black marker. I use a 22-24 inch leader behind a light green (never blue) flasher.. I put the ball down 10ft with a homemade daisy chain then I put my 1st pin 10 ft then the second 30ft (20ft apart). My first line is attached with the flasher just off my stern then the second line about 20ft out. Then I put that all down to 100 on the port side and 120on the starboard side. Then I go to 300ft of water and deeper until I find the Socks.. You should limit out!! Go get em, let us know how u do. Keeps your speed below 3knots 45deg on the wire and turn often.I can always be found fishing the SA straight out from the white tower

 

[A-a-Ron]

OK, that's your first mistake, stay away from the fleet, I usually fish off by myself first and then if it's not happening or I see everyone with nets out then I might get closer.
The mini Pinks I use are N15 or NP15 and I tare off all but 3 or 4 of the tenticles then I mark the crap out of it with a black marker. I use a 22-24 inch leader behind a light green (never blue) flasher.. I put the ball down 10ft with a homemade daisy chain then I put my 1st pin 10 ft then the second 30ft (20ft apart). My first line is attached with the flasher just off my stern then the second line about 20ft out. Then I put that all down to 100 on the port side and 120on the starboard side. Then I go to 300ft of water and deeper until I find the Socks.. You should limit out!! Go get em, let us know how u do. Keeps your speed below 3knots 45deg on the wire and turn often.I can always be found fishing the SA straight out from the white tower

I like your style Sir vivor. I’d love to see your custom tentacle ripped sharpied up hoochie. Pic?

 

[pescador]

Hey, I got skunked 2 days last week as well. It happens.

 

[Canso]

I'm embarrassed that I have weeds but it did't stop the sockeye.

I was trying to get the cam close to the action but the flasher made the cam rotate. I have other ideas I will try next time.

 

[FishDoc]

new guy here. I've so far been unsuccessful in bagging a sockeye in 5 trips out of north arm . I'm using multiple flashers, dummy flashers, small pink hoochies with blue heads, white heads, pint heads, you name it , I've tried it. Tried in 500 ft of water down deep around 80-120 ft, tried shallow around 30-50 ft . Still haven't been able to catch one.

I keep reading about you guys getting limits in a couple hours. I even was out last week with 4 guys on the boat, and we couldn't catch anything.

only luck I've had is when I give up on sockeye, I switch to anchovies and caught a few springs and coho.

and plenty of dogfish. I've tried long leaders, short leaders, still not even getting bites. What am I doing wrong?

I agree with the above. Don't fish with the flotilla. I never fish with the crowd unless I have nothing happening on my own and see nets flying like crazy in the group. Crowds form with large groups of people who like to school together because they don't know what they're doing themselves. A bunch of followers. I admit I've done it when I am at a new location. I've found going out deeper was helpful for me 300 to 600 feet.

I fish four rods and stack dummy flasher below my rods. Check out my set up in the video. I go through everything in detail at the beginning. I am no expert by any means. This was from my third time out this year. Since then I have been out 6 more times and I think I have been getting better every time out with how to handle the fish on the line and even learning the sockeye flop. Thanks to all the help I got online and from Sportfishingbc.com forum. It really was a game changer for me out there.

 

[FishDoc]

I'm embarrassed that I have weeds but it did't stop the sockeye.

I was trying to get the cam close to the action but the flasher made the cam rotate. I have other ideas I will try next time.

oh man that makes me quite dizzy haha.

 

[perfect chaos]

But dogs mean you're definitely going too slow, trust me I'm the dog fish king. We've had some big tides so that will play havoc with your gear.

thats helpfull...lines conezones and whathaveyou turned into macr

OK, that's your first mistake, stay away from the fleet, I usually fish off by myself first and then if it's not happening or I see everyone with nets out then I might get closer.
The mini Pinks I use are N15 or NP15 and I tare off all but 3 or 4 of the tenticles then I mark the crap out of it with a black marker. I use a 22-24 inch leader behind a light green (never blue) flasher.. I put the ball down 10ft with a homemade daisy chain then I put my 1st pin 10 ft then the second 30ft (20ft apart). My first line is attached with the flasher just off my stern then the second line about 20ft out. Then I put that all down to 100 on the port side and 120on the starboard side. Then I go to 300ft of water and deeper until I find the Socks.. You should limit out!! Go get em, let us know how u do. Keeps your speed below 3knots 45deg on the wire and turn often.I can always be found fishing the SA straight out from the white tower

 

[perfect chaos]

thx sur-vivor...could you give me an outline like that for chinooks ? ...say at t10 or wherever ?
thank you man !

 

[kingspring]

Kudos for helping this fellow fisher out, top notch!!

My bit is to try tying directly to the flasher so no bead, 40 lb leader, green glow or green uv flashers.

And think positive, it translates don your line.....

 

[Burgerchow]

I agree with the above. Don't fish with the flotilla. I never fish with the crowd unless I have nothing happening on my own and see nets flying like crazy in the group. Crowds form with large groups of people who like to school together because they don't know what they're doing themselves. A bunch of followers. I admit I've done it when I am at a new location. I've found going out deeper was helpful for me 300 to 600 feet.

I fish four rods and stack dummy flasher below my rods. Check out my set up in the video. I go through everything in detail at the beginning. I am no expert by any means. This was from my third time out this year. Since then I have been out 6 more times and I think I have been getting better every time out with how to handle the fish on the line and even learning the sockeye flop. Thanks to all the help I got online and from Sportfishingbc.com forum. It really was a game changer for me out there.

Thanks fishdoc. Your video is great. I'm going out again tomorrow morning,hope that happens to me.

 

[reeltordarius]

I'd also recommend going out on someone else's boat. I've taken a few guys from here out and learned a lot more about what they do differently, which helped me dramatically. Went from being skunked half the time to putting fish in the box consistently.

 

[Pippen]

Oh and a sip of lager to the fish gods both port and starboard if all else fails too .

If you're going down that road then I would highly recommend a Hawkins Cheezie or two off either side of the boat to start the day.


On Saturday we were into them all morning including a quad; larger boat at 33' with 20lb pancake weights down, we weren't much past vertical (maybe 20ish degrees and current played factor) but maintained speeds about 1.3 to 1.5.

 

[Sotally Tober]

....would highly recommend a Hawkins Cheezie or two off either side of the boat to start the day.

Yum, like the Hawkins!
So how do you rig those on a hook and how long a leader?

 

[reeltordarius]

Anyone out this morning? Thinking of hitting the NA/QA with the fam and wondered how the wind/waves are...

 

[Daveroo]

Kinda in the same boat as well... but I have had a bit of success. I know guys are doing well at NA but the couple times I’ve been there I’ve been skunked. Much better luck at Sand Heads. Also seem to get hits on the turns.

When you say you haven’t bagged any... are you losing them? Big problem I had was setting the hook like I would for a spring. Ripped it right out of their soft mouths. (1/8 first day). Better success after when not setting the hook so hard.

I actually do not even set the hook anymore with the socks. Back in 2014 a buddy I went out with tried to set the hook and kept losing them on the set. This year I have not tried to set the hook and my land ratio is about 80% with almost all loses coming from other mistakes I made (e.g. bad netting technique, letting the fish come too close to the motor, etc.) I found as long as the hit pops the line off the downrigger clip by itself, the sockeye is hooked well enough already. I've had my clip tension set just right this year and I have not had to pop the clip myself this year, thereby minimizing tearing out the hook at that point. Not claiming to be a great fisherman, but just something I started to learn this year from my previous mistakes.

 

[Tockeyetalmon]

Had an 18 fish day Sunday lost a bunch too. Rigger cable was rarely below 45 as it's hard to get slow in our bigger boat so not sure how much speed matters. My best pointer IMO is to have all flashers that are in the water the same or very similar. 1st dummy 8 feet out from the cable. 6 feet up. Second dummy 8 feet out from the cable. 6 feet up. 1st rods flasher 8 feet out from the cable 10-13 feet up (just enough to not get tangled) second rods flasher 8 feet out from cable.

Should look like this

BOAT
|
|------{ }-----hoochie
|
|------{ }-----hoochie
|
|------{ }
|
|------{ }
|
BALL 15-18#

 

[pescador]

It’s blowing 10 mph se. bit lumpy but fishable.

 

[Sam7]

I agree with the above. Don't fish with the flotilla. I never fish with the crowd unless I have nothing happening on my own and see nets flying like crazy in the group. Crowds form with large groups of people who like to school together because they don't know what they're doing themselves. A bunch of followers. I admit I've done it when I am at a new location. I've found going out deeper was helpful for me 300 to 600 feet.

I fish four rods and stack dummy flasher below my rods. Check out my set up in the video. I go through everything in detail at the beginning. I am no expert by any means. This was from my third time out this year. Since then I have been out 6 more times and I think I have been getting better every time out with how to handle the fish on the line and even learning the sockeye flop. Thanks to all the help I got online and from Sportfishingbc.com forum. It really was a game changer for me out there.

Great video, thanks