2022 Nanoose Bay/French Creek Reports

[SFBC]

Post your 2022 fishing reports here!

 

[salmonkiller01]

Spent Saturday morning trolling the humps. Absolutely flat calm. Dragging bottom white hootchie on one side hiccups on the other. 2 keepers and 10 unders released
Limit of crab on the ride in! Great start to the new year.

 

[robertg]

Out yesterday off of the humps, 3 of us in the boat limited out on springs, anchovies and a white hootchie at 200 feet. one fish had had a large fish in it, looks like an anchovy but about 10 inches long, not enough left of it to do a positive id but it does look like a pilchard, definitely not a herring.

 

[RBL]

Out yesterday off of the humps, 3 of us in the boat limited out on springs, anchovies and a white hootchie at 200 feet. one fish had had a large fish in it, looks like an anchovy but about 10 inches long, not enough left of it to do a positive id but it does look like a pilchard, definitely not a herring.

I sure hope the pilchards are back!

 

[wolfemanJ]

I sure hope the pilchards are back!

Pulled this out of ones guts a couple weeks back, glad to see they have some food in their stomachs

 

[RBL]

Pulled this out of ones guts a couple weeks back, glad to see they have some food in their stomachs

Yeah that’s a good size herring. Spawns coming up soon. I’ve only seems the pilchards on the west coast and they haven’t been around for about 10 years now. It would be nice if they came back as the fish were bigger when they were around.

 

[Islandson31]

Anyone in a tinner been fishing along the French Crk marina breakwater and French Crk rivermouth? Productive?

 

[RBL]

Anyone in a tinner been fishing along the French Crk marina breakwater and French Crk rivermouth? Productive?

It’s going to be a **** show soon with the herring spawn and sealions

 

[sweettjim]

It’s going to be a **** show soon with the herring spawn and sealions

when does the herring spawn begin usually?

 

[baddogg]

I recall taking pictures around Neck Point with a new camera one year on St. Patricks Day and the spawn was in full glory.

 

[RBL]

when does the herring spawn begin usually?

In a few weeks

 

[Redfisher]

Was out today jigging some herring in Baynes Sound. It’s on from Qualicum Bay up to Comox. Will work it’s way down here soon. Weather was awesome.

 

[Here fishy fishy]

This morning 200 ft on dr halfway between mistaken and Sangster

 

[Cookie's Cutter]

I tried my usual prawn spot today and it was the worst I have ever done. Is anyone else having low prawn numbers recently?

 

[Here fishy fishy]

I here the odd story of halibut caught around here anyone have any tips

 

[Sangstercraft]

I tried my usual prawn spot today and it was the worst I have ever done. Is anyone else having low prawn numbers recently?

Last two springs the commercial fleet did very well with prawns. In June 2021 after the commercial season ended, I caught one or two prawns per trap in an area that would have been over 100 per trap.

Imagine how catching, sorting, tossing back the undersized prawns for 40 days does to the stocks. The same undersized prawns keep getting caught over and over, and no one's going down 250' to see if they're still living when they hit bottom. If they could survive it, I'd be catching them in my traps. But NOTHING. And all those bottom fish that eat juvenile prawns are missing out too.

Email the prawn managers and tell them what you're finding.

laurie.convey@dfo-mpo.gc.ca, mike.Kattilakoski@dfo-mpo.gc.ca, david.fogtmann@dfo-mpo.gc.ca, Rachel.Mcguinness@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

 

[Cookie's Cutter]

Last two springs the commercial fleet did very well with prawns. In June 2021 after the commercial season ended, I caught one or two prawns per trap in an area that would have been over 100 per trap.

Imagine how catching, sorting, tossing back the undersized prawns for 40 days does to the stocks. The same undersized prawns keep getting caught over and over, and no one's going down 250' to see if they're still living when they hit bottom. If they could survive it, I'd be catching them in my traps. But NOTHING. And all those bottom fish that eat juvenile prawns are missing out too.

Email the prawn managers and tell them what you're finding.

laurie.convey@dfo-mpo.gc.ca, mike.Kattilakoski@dfo-mpo.gc.ca, david.fogtmann@dfo-mpo.gc.ca, Rachel.Mcguinness@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

Good idea, I would hate to see it go the same way as the herring fishery

 

[Redfisher]

Last two springs the commercial fleet did very well with prawns. In June 2021 after the commercial season ended, I caught one or two prawns per trap in an area that would have been over 100 per trap.

Imagine how catching, sorting, tossing back the undersized prawns for 40 days does to the stocks. The same undersized prawns keep getting caught over and over, and no one's going down 250' to see if they're still living when they hit bottom. If they could survive it, I'd be catching them in my traps. But NOTHING. And all those bottom fish that eat juvenile prawns are missing out too.

Email the prawn managers and tell them what you're finding.

laurie.convey@dfo-mpo.gc.ca, mike.Kattilakoski@dfo-mpo.gc.ca, david.fogtmann@dfo-mpo.gc.ca, Rachel.Mcguinness@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

Last year was generally poor prawning here in the gulf for the commercial guys. Price was good but production was low. The 2020 season was much better in terms of numbers.

There wasn’t a lot of smaller prawns here last year. With commercial traps having larger mesh size than sport traps the real small ones don’t come to the surface.

Will soon see what this year looks like as the commercial season opens May 5.

 

[Hot-Streak]

**Edit posted in the Nanaimo forum but makes more sense here ** Clam and Oysters near Rathtrevor camp ground (Parksville)

Hello everyone!

My wife is forcing me to go camping may long weekend 20-23rd in Rathtrevor park while there will be good Halibut tides back home in Victoria that weekend.... I've resigned myself to this terrible fate....

So then I thought why not make the best of it. I have a friend that COULD tow my boat up and go fishing BUT that might be a bit of a hassle.

I think for something fun and easy I'll take the kid and his friend out for some easy clam and oyster digging. I looked at the regs/map and some areas are open for small clams which would suit me fine for my young son and his friend. Is there any area besides nanoonse that would be fun and easy for them? Clam and oysters would be our target. We wouldn't even take full limits as we just want a few to cook to show the kids.

I was wondering if its worth bringing up my kayak?

If anyone would be kind enough to share info/general spots that are kid friendly I'd be happy to return the favor in kind somehow when you come down to Victoria.

 

[scott craven]

We were up there 2 weeks ago, most beaches were closed to shellfish harvesting
check the DFO regs and if you can navigate the website you can see what's left open.