Aces
Well-Known Member
On the west coast we call the 8th month in the calendar Fogust. Some years i ran in fog every morning for 6 weeksHas the fog been a big issue lately?
Better than the big NW winds, IMO
On the west coast we call the 8th month in the calendar Fogust. Some years i ran in fog every morning for 6 weeksHas the fog been a big issue lately?
FAugust is definitely a thing in Barkley Sound.If you don't have radar like myself, yes. The fogs begun to lift here.
Agreed. The fog can come in fast and it is less about knowing where you are and more about where the other guys are at. Definitely don't consider going offshore without it.You need radar there makes life so much easier. Thanks to @Derby setting me up with chart plotter/compass/overlay it makes boating there so much safer. I know guys do it without ,but not being able to see other boats around you in fog is pretty scary. I ran up to Fleming one day and it was fogged in and was happy to have it.
It was Foggy each morning last Thursday, Friday, Saturday to varying degrees. Usually burned off by 10am to noon but think it hangs around longer in August We used radar while trolling off Beale. Really helps to see who is on the same or opposite tack coming up. If your not comfortable in it you can fish the wall till it burns off.Has the fog been a big issue lately?
Very much appreciated your reports during and after your trip. Your pics did cause a bit of boat envy however.We came back from Bamfield Sunday morning in rather rough conditions. Forecast was for wind to drop a bit around lunch before building again mid afternoon to Gale Warning. Luckily we were going with the waves and tide but still managed to bury the bow up to the anchor once.It was rough and windy till we turned the corner at Trial Island and then was pretty calm the rest of the trip. Winds Sheringham to Victoria were 24 knots. Boat never felt unsafe but things can change quickly if something goes wrong so need to be on lookout for debris and such. Amazingly had cell service most of the way. Even with these conditions we made it the 190 miles back to North Vancouver in 7.5 hours so an average speed of 25mph. In the worse part we were doing 18 to 22mph and then once we turned the corner mostly 32mph.
We ended up with about 90 pounds of processed fish (Salmon, Halibut, and Ling) at we figure an average of $30 a pound or $2700.
Our costs for the 8 days, food, fuel, and moorage was about $2700. So we basically broke even and if you took food away we even made money!
Fishing for large fish was very slow. If you got one a day over 10 pounds you were lucky. Some were getting a couple a day offshore at Rats Nose or Big Bank but along way to go for 2 fish. 2 to 3 pound shakers were non stop everywhere so hopefully that bodes well for the next few years fishing.
It was not busy out in Bamfield and I thought marinas were maybe half full.
Already making plans for next year but will probably go a week or 2 later.View attachment 68667
Coming back from the bank is always the s… once your about 2 miles from Beale , fallowing sea at a weird angle with a wind chop, uncomfortable for the first few timesFished bamfield for the first time in my own boat this past week. July 26-30. Left port early on the 26, the ride out was sweet. Thanks everyone for the tips running the inlet. Was on the lookout for deadheads and since it was calm it wasn’t hard to spot them. Over the week we fished a number of spots - Cree, Beale, whittlestone, the wall, Keeha bay hit laparouse once and 5 mile once. Hali fishing was slow for us - we just couldn’t seem to find them as other boats at the dock didn’t seem to have a problem. Fishing 21 miles offshore on my boat was definitely a highlight of the trip. We saw wales feeding, bait balls on the surface, coho jumping, and lots of eagles. We stopped on our way back from offshore to cast for some coho with buzz bombs, and we got into a few of them. Its awesome fighting a coho on light gear in the salt. While drifting for Hali’s, one of us spotted a coho on the surface right next To the boat, my buddy quickly dropped a buzz bomb right in front of it and the fish smashed it. Epic. the trip taught me a ton about the area. Navigating the thick fog without radar was tricky but we took it slow and had 8 eyes in the lookout at all times. We had a hairy moment coming home around cape Beale as the wind picked up. By my standards it was super rough, probably a 3 foot chop with a big swell. I was relieved to get around the point to say the least. I Strangled the steering wheel and filled my teeth a bit. All was good but definitely one of those ‘always respect nature’ moments. the ride home was amazing. 1 hr 20 mins dock to dock.
Mckay bay lodge is amazing. Brian and Cheryl were super accommodating. Rooms were clean, food was outstanding and the rates are very reasonable. Will surely rebook.
thanks bamfield! I’ll be back mid August.
Oh and we ended up with 15 chinook, 13 coho, a bunch of sablefish, 1 Hali, 1 linger and a few rockfish. Biggest chinook was 28lb
Harsh i was watching wicked tuna and they have clips going to their reels. Sucks bro im planning on packing 2 extra cannon balls. Ive lost a wallet with 500 dollars in cash off the side of the boat. It goes with fishing lol.I've been in Bamfield for five days. Fishing has been slow but really fun. We've worked extremely hard for maybe 7 salmon. We entered the derby and got a 19 # salmon that we didn't take to weigh in. Apparently the prizes were awesome and that was a mistake.
Tonight I took my son and the nephews across from bamfield in the deer island group. There is a little protected bay on the side closest to bamfield. I stacked one side and one rod on the other. We were trolling quick to target the coho. We were getting lots of shakers and the boys were have fun reeling them in. All of a sudden I got the hit of the lifetime and my rod holder sheared I lost a brand new islander and g loomis rod. And a big fish.. crushing blow. Anyone good at rod retrieving it might be worth your while... brand new rod and reel. Got it in January have only used it maybe 30 days.
Happened to me too. I try to replace the boom holders each season to reduce the risk... do you have an approximate gps location for the rod and a guess at depth?Sorry about your loss. I love scotty products but their boom mounted rod holders and regular all plastic rod holders will break. I solved the boom rod holder problem by finding an all stainless holder and actually tig welded the off side mounting clamp to the boom. It is rock solid now. As far as gunnel mounted holders scotty’s stryker line has a ss rod down through the base which makes them much less likely to sheer off.
Happened to me too. I try to replace the boom holders each season to reduce the risk... do you have an approximate gps location for the rod and a guess at depth?