adanac
Well-Known Member
Big six gill or sleeper shark
2019 Haida Gwaii Reports
- Thread starter SFBC
- Start date
- Status
Big six gill or sleeper shark
ILHG
Crew Member
I have a Searunner 190 with a Yamaha 150. Its a nice pair.
Attachments
ILHG
Crew Member
I'm thinking big sleeper. Like really big
advTHXance
Well-Known Member
I boat from Masset to the west side (about 80 or 85 miles) on Sunday. Weather is supposed to be good which always makes it easier. Last year we hit 4-5 metre swells about 1/2 way down the west side which was some of the roughest seas Ive experienced on a small boat. Looking forward to the next chapter, ILHG.
ILHG
Crew Member
***************** Day 3 Continued************************
As soon as we started to come down off the top of the pinnacle all you could see was bait & fish. I mean it was stacked with activity and over 200’ thick… Everyone dropped big swimbaits & not one made it to bottom.
Immediate triple header with big lings on each line. Smallest Ling was 14lbs, & biggest was ~30lbs. The big ling had taken a swim bait called Crazy Daisy. As we continued the drift everyone quickly dropped down again, & the action continued. One big ~20lb ling & this time the others had hooked into the biggest Bacaccio Rockfish I have ever seen. I had no idea that they got this big. I would say at least 10lbs with some closer to 12lbs. I was amazed how well these rockfish fought. Of courses we were slowed down now dealing with descending the rockfish back to the bottom. As I was descending some rockfish, we drifted over the pinnacle & on to the flat bottom. The guy jigging out of the bow hooked up with a beautiful 55lb Halibut. As I carried it to the back of the boat for a measurement it slipped out of my hands & the fish started bucking to use the opportunity to escape from my clutches. It hit the top of my transom box & 2 guys dog pilled on top of it to secure it from escaping….. Way to close! I would never have lived that one down. By the time we got the halibut bleed & in the ice box we had drifted over the hole & needed to re position the boat. As I quickly drove the boat back to our starting point you could see on the sonar that the bait & fish had stacked up even thicker. One of the guys in the boat wanted to try to see if any salmon were in the mix & near the top of the bait. He picked up a light action jigging rod & tied on a small 150gr flat fall jig. As his jig desended towards the top of the bait ball it was taken, but not by a salmon instead a black bass. The black bass was doing its best to get away when the rod suddenly pulled hard & immediately, we knew he had a hitchhiker on the other end. The fish immediately took to the bottom & the small baitcast reel with 30lb test was not doing a good job of slowing it down. I looked at the other 2 guys & they were also both into a big fish. They were able to get the fish to the boat & each had +20lb lingcod which were perfect for the box. As I was dealing with the fish the guy who was dealing with the hitch hiker informed me he was running out of line & was down to his last ~100yrds. It was time to chase down this fish & get back some line. I used the kicker to chase down the fish & recover some line. This dragon had a firm grip on the black bass & was not letting go. He must have come to the surface 3 times & take his meal right back down to the bottom. The light gear was making this a real fight. He finally got the fish close enough I put it in the net & got it to the boat. A beautiful 38lb Lingcod. When I looked in its mouth it had a huge tentacle of a big octopus. It had just started to swallow. It was still bright in color & must have just been ripped off before taking the rock fish. We fished for about 30 min & we were limited out on Lingcod. Even if we were not both fish boxes were full & couldn’t take another fish if they wanted. It would have been great to stay & continue to fish for fun but out of no where the wind came in. Not a slow increase, it came in like a beast. We quickly packed up & started to head back for home before it got any worse. On the way back we were trying to comprehend what the heck just happened. Never before I had I had such amazing lingcod fishing. Everyone lost count on the fish caught. Our trash pail had what was left of chewed up swimbait bodys that looked like a dog got to them. What a freaking day!
As we approached the west entrance to the narrows the wind was at out back and was already up to ~30 knts. Luckily it was a flood tide moving in the same direction. This made for some big swells pushing fast & hard. It was fun to get up ontop of the swells & surf them. As I entered more sheltered water inside the narrows I put the hammer down & we here homeward bound.
As soon as we started to come down off the top of the pinnacle all you could see was bait & fish. I mean it was stacked with activity and over 200’ thick… Everyone dropped big swimbaits & not one made it to bottom.
Immediate triple header with big lings on each line. Smallest Ling was 14lbs, & biggest was ~30lbs. The big ling had taken a swim bait called Crazy Daisy. As we continued the drift everyone quickly dropped down again, & the action continued. One big ~20lb ling & this time the others had hooked into the biggest Bacaccio Rockfish I have ever seen. I had no idea that they got this big. I would say at least 10lbs with some closer to 12lbs. I was amazed how well these rockfish fought. Of courses we were slowed down now dealing with descending the rockfish back to the bottom. As I was descending some rockfish, we drifted over the pinnacle & on to the flat bottom. The guy jigging out of the bow hooked up with a beautiful 55lb Halibut. As I carried it to the back of the boat for a measurement it slipped out of my hands & the fish started bucking to use the opportunity to escape from my clutches. It hit the top of my transom box & 2 guys dog pilled on top of it to secure it from escaping….. Way to close! I would never have lived that one down. By the time we got the halibut bleed & in the ice box we had drifted over the hole & needed to re position the boat. As I quickly drove the boat back to our starting point you could see on the sonar that the bait & fish had stacked up even thicker. One of the guys in the boat wanted to try to see if any salmon were in the mix & near the top of the bait. He picked up a light action jigging rod & tied on a small 150gr flat fall jig. As his jig desended towards the top of the bait ball it was taken, but not by a salmon instead a black bass. The black bass was doing its best to get away when the rod suddenly pulled hard & immediately, we knew he had a hitchhiker on the other end. The fish immediately took to the bottom & the small baitcast reel with 30lb test was not doing a good job of slowing it down. I looked at the other 2 guys & they were also both into a big fish. They were able to get the fish to the boat & each had +20lb lingcod which were perfect for the box. As I was dealing with the fish the guy who was dealing with the hitch hiker informed me he was running out of line & was down to his last ~100yrds. It was time to chase down this fish & get back some line. I used the kicker to chase down the fish & recover some line. This dragon had a firm grip on the black bass & was not letting go. He must have come to the surface 3 times & take his meal right back down to the bottom. The light gear was making this a real fight. He finally got the fish close enough I put it in the net & got it to the boat. A beautiful 38lb Lingcod. When I looked in its mouth it had a huge tentacle of a big octopus. It had just started to swallow. It was still bright in color & must have just been ripped off before taking the rock fish. We fished for about 30 min & we were limited out on Lingcod. Even if we were not both fish boxes were full & couldn’t take another fish if they wanted. It would have been great to stay & continue to fish for fun but out of no where the wind came in. Not a slow increase, it came in like a beast. We quickly packed up & started to head back for home before it got any worse. On the way back we were trying to comprehend what the heck just happened. Never before I had I had such amazing lingcod fishing. Everyone lost count on the fish caught. Our trash pail had what was left of chewed up swimbait bodys that looked like a dog got to them. What a freaking day!
As we approached the west entrance to the narrows the wind was at out back and was already up to ~30 knts. Luckily it was a flood tide moving in the same direction. This made for some big swells pushing fast & hard. It was fun to get up ontop of the swells & surf them. As I entered more sheltered water inside the narrows I put the hammer down & we here homeward bound.
Sangstercraft
Well-Known Member
What size boat are you going in?
wildmanyeah
Crew Member
Lings are such pigs, I caught one this year that had its belly so full you could see its belly sticking like 3 inches out from it. When I got home I cut open the stomach and it had two full size flounder in its gut.
advTHXance
Well-Known Member
22' Whaler
donnie d
Well-Known Member
I hope there’s a day 4 report?
Also...did you keep that tentacle? Grilled, olive oil, some oregano....Yum.
Also...did you keep that tentacle? Grilled, olive oil, some oregano....Yum.
ILHG
Crew Member
Day 4: The wind that rolled in the night before was blowing steady at 30 knts with gust of 35 knts. That morning when I woke up and looked outside it was obvious that we were not going anywhere. We went back to bed for some much needed rest.
There is nothing worse than being stuck on land because of wind. When I was a kid I remember days spent staring at the water waiting & wishing for the wind to slow down & for the white caps to disappear so we could go fishing. That same feeling I had as a boy is no different today.
I spent the day thinking of a plan that would allow me to get one last adventure in before I ran out of time. The wind forecast overnight & into the next day was for gradual improvement. Night time was calmer & as the sun rose, the wind increased. I got the guys together and proposed that we head out that evening through the narrows & spend the night fishing. I have always wanted to bottom fish at night & we would not be offshore. When early morning flood tide came we would head for home. My boat is equipped with lots of lights & the deck lights up like day. We had spent the day sleeping and resting & I was ready to go.
One guy in the group quickly said, "No Way". It was a 50/50 split between the 4 of us. It was disappointing & for a moment or 2 I considered leaving the other 2 at base.... Then I remembered this trip was about me showing my friends a trip of a lifetime & not about me. The memories we made together are what mattered. Splitting up the group was not an option.
Day 5 was our last day before we left. I needed to clean up and pack up the boat and supplies so it was ready to go when I returned in a couple weeks. So this ment that we would have to fish out of Masset & I was planning for a short day. Fishing out of Masset provided no shelter and we were about to get beat up again.
Day 5 to follow
There is nothing worse than being stuck on land because of wind. When I was a kid I remember days spent staring at the water waiting & wishing for the wind to slow down & for the white caps to disappear so we could go fishing. That same feeling I had as a boy is no different today.
I spent the day thinking of a plan that would allow me to get one last adventure in before I ran out of time. The wind forecast overnight & into the next day was for gradual improvement. Night time was calmer & as the sun rose, the wind increased. I got the guys together and proposed that we head out that evening through the narrows & spend the night fishing. I have always wanted to bottom fish at night & we would not be offshore. When early morning flood tide came we would head for home. My boat is equipped with lots of lights & the deck lights up like day. We had spent the day sleeping and resting & I was ready to go.
One guy in the group quickly said, "No Way". It was a 50/50 split between the 4 of us. It was disappointing & for a moment or 2 I considered leaving the other 2 at base.... Then I remembered this trip was about me showing my friends a trip of a lifetime & not about me. The memories we made together are what mattered. Splitting up the group was not an option.
Day 5 was our last day before we left. I needed to clean up and pack up the boat and supplies so it was ready to go when I returned in a couple weeks. So this ment that we would have to fish out of Masset & I was planning for a short day. Fishing out of Masset provided no shelter and we were about to get beat up again.
Day 5 to follow
ILHG
Crew Member
Kept that tentacle for bait. Looking back that would have been a good idea!
ILHG
Crew Member
Day 5: We got a bit of a late start & the plan was to go out & target 2 under halibut. The wind was still ~22 knts & we exited Masset inlet during an opposing flood tide. Because of the rough water in the shallows we headed for deeper water where it was a bit more manageable. The downside to deep water halibut holes in Masset during the spring is they are for the most part chicken ranches... The larger halibut are up in the 50' water feasting on bait & molting crabs. I set up the kicker to back troll. The odd wave would go over top the kicker or get the kicker prop out of the water on swells. However the Yammy 9.9 did a great job & kept us on spot. Again I had 2 people in the back & one brave soul on the bow. It was lots of halibut, but just small ***** between 8-12lbs... After a while I said lets pack up & troll for them in shallower water. In the past I had picked up plenty of 20-25lb Halibut trolling the contours from 90-65' of water. Once you find a depth they are at it can be productive. A couple guys in the group didnt like the idea of trolling for halibut & didnt like the idea of trying that shallow. I assured them that this is Masset & it would work. we just had to find the depth they were hanging out.
We packed up & headed for shallower water. Waves sucked but I was going to make it work. I rigged up a teaser head & flasher on each side & started to troll I slowly worked my way from 90' to 70'. With in 5 min we had a good hit but couldnt keep it on. No more than 20 min later as we entered the 70' contour we had a hit & finally had a decent 18-20lb halibut beside the boat. It was barley hooked in the skin of its lip & and when I went to gaff it I lost the fish...... Fak.... We re baited & dropped back down. No more than 15 min later we had a solid hit & line was peeling off the islander. This was no Halibut. The fish immediately went up to the surface & was swimming perpendicular to the boat & still going on a run. We had a salmon on the line, actually a really big salmon on the line? In the middle of a sandy area & right on the bottom we picked up the fish. The last place I would expect a salmon. The guy on the rod had only caught a few salmon before & was doing everything right. However as fate would have it the salmon got off & the fight was over. I knew it was a big salmon & didn't want to tell him it. However the other guys on the boat where quick to tell him he just lost a slab of a salmon. I know how devastating it is to be haunted by the one that got away. Those are the fish that keep us coming back & in hindsight it was probably best he knew. We set the gear back up & started trolling agian for about 15 min. I could see the guys on the boat who needed one more Halibut were getting impatient. Actually it was easy to tell because they told me.
Funny how a guy gets spoiled with non stop chicken action & after getting accustom to that having to wait 15-20 min between fish seems like something is wrong. I had my chance to prove to them that trolling would get us bigger Halibut & in fairness after ~1 hr I didn't have any Halibut in the boat. Close not but not done. I gave in & packed up the gear & we made the 35 min run into the chop to get back to the Halibut chicken hole. It was only 11 km but the conditions made it slow going. the wind had mad a shift from NW to mostly west... Once we arrived I set up to back troll & the guys dropped gear. After 35-40 min of cycling through chickens they finally through in the cards & settled on a couple 12lbers. We managed to pick up a few Grey cod & put them in the ice box for one of the guys who wanted to take a few home.
So with the wind now coming out of the west getting home was going to be a LONG ****** ride. We were head first into the wind with the tide on a flood. It was a absolute washing machine & no consistency or manageable swells. It took over an hour to make the trek home. It sucked. Once we made it back to the launch in Masset I looked at the time & it was already 7pm..... So much for an early day... I sent the guys home to make up supper & removed the heads & guts out of the fish before I dropped the fish of to be processed (its by the pound & every bit helps). By the time I got home with the boat it was already 9 pm & I had so much to do.... I ended up working until midnight cleaning out the boat & trying to organize the boat. I told the other guys to just let me do it as I had a way I wanted to try to get it done. I am my own worst enemy when it comes to packing stuff in & staying on a schedule. I am famous for one more pass, or lets give this spot a try on the way home. I would like to say by now my lesson has been learned, but i doubt it.
I finally threw in th towel & headed for bed. I woke up @ 5am & went back at it. I had to get the house cleared out & everything packed back in my boat. I leave the boat up there & keep everything in the boat. It was definitely from from how I wanted it done but I managed to get it all done & the boat at the storage site before 8 am. Definitely a gross feeling leaving your boat & all your gear so far away. I have 3 more trips planned for the year with friends & family & I need everything in the boat to make it happen. It is a secure place but its something that is always in the back of your mind.
We all jumped in the truck & picked up the fish at the processors. & headed to Queen Charlotte City so we can catch the ferry over to the Sandspit air port. I parked my truck at the air port & it was finally home time. By this time the fatigue was started to fully set in. every mussel I have hurt, my hands were so chewed up & couldn't close them. Its that beat to **** feeling that I love at the end of a fishing trip. It lets you know you fished hard & gave it all you got.
I am heading back down on June 7th with my Uncle & an older friend. My uncle has never been on the ocean before & I know I will need to take it easy on him. Still long hours, but not pounding through the waves like i did before. I think he would **** his pants.... Its a short trip as we fly out on the 11th. This leaves 3 days to fish & on the 3rd day I need to make it a 8hr day at most so I can clean & pack up the boat proper. That leaves me with 2 days to head to the west side of the island & get it done. Its going to be a challenge & I like the fact I am nervous about it. I just pray for reasonable winds so I can make good time traveling & also have the fishing grounds open to fish..... The only thing that haunts me at night is I haven't got Halibut down on the westside. I need more time to work areas & figure them out. I just hope I get lucky & find a spot!
I will let you know how it goes. Lastly, I will try to remember to slow down & take some pictures this time.
We packed up & headed for shallower water. Waves sucked but I was going to make it work. I rigged up a teaser head & flasher on each side & started to troll I slowly worked my way from 90' to 70'. With in 5 min we had a good hit but couldnt keep it on. No more than 20 min later as we entered the 70' contour we had a hit & finally had a decent 18-20lb halibut beside the boat. It was barley hooked in the skin of its lip & and when I went to gaff it I lost the fish...... Fak.... We re baited & dropped back down. No more than 15 min later we had a solid hit & line was peeling off the islander. This was no Halibut. The fish immediately went up to the surface & was swimming perpendicular to the boat & still going on a run. We had a salmon on the line, actually a really big salmon on the line? In the middle of a sandy area & right on the bottom we picked up the fish. The last place I would expect a salmon. The guy on the rod had only caught a few salmon before & was doing everything right. However as fate would have it the salmon got off & the fight was over. I knew it was a big salmon & didn't want to tell him it. However the other guys on the boat where quick to tell him he just lost a slab of a salmon. I know how devastating it is to be haunted by the one that got away. Those are the fish that keep us coming back & in hindsight it was probably best he knew. We set the gear back up & started trolling agian for about 15 min. I could see the guys on the boat who needed one more Halibut were getting impatient. Actually it was easy to tell because they told me.
Funny how a guy gets spoiled with non stop chicken action & after getting accustom to that having to wait 15-20 min between fish seems like something is wrong. I had my chance to prove to them that trolling would get us bigger Halibut & in fairness after ~1 hr I didn't have any Halibut in the boat. Close not but not done. I gave in & packed up the gear & we made the 35 min run into the chop to get back to the Halibut chicken hole. It was only 11 km but the conditions made it slow going. the wind had mad a shift from NW to mostly west... Once we arrived I set up to back troll & the guys dropped gear. After 35-40 min of cycling through chickens they finally through in the cards & settled on a couple 12lbers. We managed to pick up a few Grey cod & put them in the ice box for one of the guys who wanted to take a few home.
So with the wind now coming out of the west getting home was going to be a LONG ****** ride. We were head first into the wind with the tide on a flood. It was a absolute washing machine & no consistency or manageable swells. It took over an hour to make the trek home. It sucked. Once we made it back to the launch in Masset I looked at the time & it was already 7pm..... So much for an early day... I sent the guys home to make up supper & removed the heads & guts out of the fish before I dropped the fish of to be processed (its by the pound & every bit helps). By the time I got home with the boat it was already 9 pm & I had so much to do.... I ended up working until midnight cleaning out the boat & trying to organize the boat. I told the other guys to just let me do it as I had a way I wanted to try to get it done. I am my own worst enemy when it comes to packing stuff in & staying on a schedule. I am famous for one more pass, or lets give this spot a try on the way home. I would like to say by now my lesson has been learned, but i doubt it.
I finally threw in th towel & headed for bed. I woke up @ 5am & went back at it. I had to get the house cleared out & everything packed back in my boat. I leave the boat up there & keep everything in the boat. It was definitely from from how I wanted it done but I managed to get it all done & the boat at the storage site before 8 am. Definitely a gross feeling leaving your boat & all your gear so far away. I have 3 more trips planned for the year with friends & family & I need everything in the boat to make it happen. It is a secure place but its something that is always in the back of your mind.
We all jumped in the truck & picked up the fish at the processors. & headed to Queen Charlotte City so we can catch the ferry over to the Sandspit air port. I parked my truck at the air port & it was finally home time. By this time the fatigue was started to fully set in. every mussel I have hurt, my hands were so chewed up & couldn't close them. Its that beat to **** feeling that I love at the end of a fishing trip. It lets you know you fished hard & gave it all you got.
I am heading back down on June 7th with my Uncle & an older friend. My uncle has never been on the ocean before & I know I will need to take it easy on him. Still long hours, but not pounding through the waves like i did before. I think he would **** his pants.... Its a short trip as we fly out on the 11th. This leaves 3 days to fish & on the 3rd day I need to make it a 8hr day at most so I can clean & pack up the boat proper. That leaves me with 2 days to head to the west side of the island & get it done. Its going to be a challenge & I like the fact I am nervous about it. I just pray for reasonable winds so I can make good time traveling & also have the fishing grounds open to fish..... The only thing that haunts me at night is I haven't got Halibut down on the westside. I need more time to work areas & figure them out. I just hope I get lucky & find a spot!
I will let you know how it goes. Lastly, I will try to remember to slow down & take some pictures this time.
ILHG
Crew Member
I forgot to give a summary of current fishing conditions & where I found them.
Salmon: Fishing running along the westside right now. The north end is still slim but could pick up any day. I have a buddy who is at a lodge out of Masset & they are struggling to get salmon. 14lb is the largest. The fish on the westside have had large herring in the bellys (~8"). This surprised me as I typically find small herring. The Tyee was caught on a extra small herring.
Halibut: Tons out of the north. Anything of size is in the shallows. My buddy who is up there right now is catching lots daily in 30-45' of water. I was surprise how well Octopus worked for bait this trip. However that was mostly chickens. The 55lb Halibut we got was on a swim bait as per the attached pic. No bait but aggressively jigged/
Lingcod: I had the chance to work depths from 45-300' of water. All of the big girls we caught were in the deeper water now. They are stacked up thick & very aggressive. They only want to take lures that are actively jigged. The more aggressive you jig the more aggressive big lings will take it.
Salmon: Fishing running along the westside right now. The north end is still slim but could pick up any day. I have a buddy who is at a lodge out of Masset & they are struggling to get salmon. 14lb is the largest. The fish on the westside have had large herring in the bellys (~8"). This surprised me as I typically find small herring. The Tyee was caught on a extra small herring.
Halibut: Tons out of the north. Anything of size is in the shallows. My buddy who is up there right now is catching lots daily in 30-45' of water. I was surprise how well Octopus worked for bait this trip. However that was mostly chickens. The 55lb Halibut we got was on a swim bait as per the attached pic. No bait but aggressively jigged/
Lingcod: I had the chance to work depths from 45-300' of water. All of the big girls we caught were in the deeper water now. They are stacked up thick & very aggressive. They only want to take lures that are actively jigged. The more aggressive you jig the more aggressive big lings will take it.
Attachments
Rum Buddies
Well-Known Member
sounds like a skate to me....
They suction to the bottom and when you do get them off, it's like reeling up a sheet of plywood.
Awesome reports. I’d bet you hooked a gigantic shark of some sort. I once foul hooked about an 8 to 10 foot salmon shark (in the tip of the dorsal fin) while trolling for springs back in my guiding days. 3 hours later after we thought we had a 60 or 70 pound Chinook coming in, we saw the shark about 30 yards from the boat. It rolled in the line and broke me off. I was glad to at least see it and get an ID though, I feel for you on that monster! Great reports and keep them coming!
- Status
