Thunder21
Well-Known Member
Mine were smaller also. Around 10lbs
2023 Bamfield and Barkley Sound Reports
- Thread starter SFBC
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Charleygirl
Well-Known Member
Ok, I am going to start with a veiled reference to a John Denver tune. Alright I get it, not exactly a " get off your feet and shake your booty " kind of performer but a couple of hundred years from now someone somewhere will be singing " County Roads " around a campfire. I digress.... John Denver once wrote a song called " Some days Are Diamonds, Some days Are Stones ". His song perfectly summed up my last two days out on the water here in Barkley Sound.
I'll get to that in a few paragraphs.
What you all want to know is what's happening in the Sound fish wise.
I think we are seeing the first real push of Robertson Creek springs and a whack of feisty coho in the mix as well. Mears Bluff at Effingham, Kirby, Austin, Cree and Cape Beale have all gone off in the past few days. Run your gear 35 to 65 feet off your riggers and you are in the money. I still haven't switched to bait yet, no need. Irish Cream, No Bananas, and Bon Chovy skinny g's have been lighting it up. There are also a good mix of shakers and pinks hanging around so no sense feeding the fish with bait. It's expensive and spoons are working very well. I have been having success with Irish Cream and Bon Chovy 4 inch Amundsen skinny g knock offs. I run them at 55 - 65 ' at Austin and Cree, 37 and 42 at Kirby and Beale. 6' to 7' behind green and chartreuse flashers. Troll them 2.7 to 3 mph.
We have been landing springs from 16 - 24 lbs the past few days. The coho are getting noticeably bigger, some are already pushing 10 lbs.
Hali fishing has tapered off some. It's always worthwhile putting in the effort though. With halibut (like most fishing) it's persistence and putting in the time. As I always preach, get on the bank, find a hump that comes up to 200 '. Fish near and around it. Salmon bellies work the best out here.
I spent 9 hours on the hook yesterday with guests, Francis, Victor and Dwayne and managed only one 85 cm hali. After dragging up numerous skates, dog fish and whatnot it turned into my worst hali trip in years. I came home humbled with my tail firmly between my legs. I felt terrible for my crew. The only positive was getting Dwayne his first ever halibut. As the song says, " some days are stones ". The next morning was their last day and we were after spings and coho. We fished Irish Cream skinny g knockoffs behind chartreuse flashers and it just went off. We limited out my guests and managed two for me. 8 springs in 3 hours. It doesn't happen all the time but hmmm.... Some days are diamonds...
So get your butts here people. Whether it's by Highway 4 and waiting for the pilot car, Lake Cowichan way, or float plane via Pacific Air, it's on. We dream about these kind of summer days on the water.
I'll get to that in a few paragraphs.
What you all want to know is what's happening in the Sound fish wise.
I think we are seeing the first real push of Robertson Creek springs and a whack of feisty coho in the mix as well. Mears Bluff at Effingham, Kirby, Austin, Cree and Cape Beale have all gone off in the past few days. Run your gear 35 to 65 feet off your riggers and you are in the money. I still haven't switched to bait yet, no need. Irish Cream, No Bananas, and Bon Chovy skinny g's have been lighting it up. There are also a good mix of shakers and pinks hanging around so no sense feeding the fish with bait. It's expensive and spoons are working very well. I have been having success with Irish Cream and Bon Chovy 4 inch Amundsen skinny g knock offs. I run them at 55 - 65 ' at Austin and Cree, 37 and 42 at Kirby and Beale. 6' to 7' behind green and chartreuse flashers. Troll them 2.7 to 3 mph.
We have been landing springs from 16 - 24 lbs the past few days. The coho are getting noticeably bigger, some are already pushing 10 lbs.
Hali fishing has tapered off some. It's always worthwhile putting in the effort though. With halibut (like most fishing) it's persistence and putting in the time. As I always preach, get on the bank, find a hump that comes up to 200 '. Fish near and around it. Salmon bellies work the best out here.
I spent 9 hours on the hook yesterday with guests, Francis, Victor and Dwayne and managed only one 85 cm hali. After dragging up numerous skates, dog fish and whatnot it turned into my worst hali trip in years. I came home humbled with my tail firmly between my legs. I felt terrible for my crew. The only positive was getting Dwayne his first ever halibut. As the song says, " some days are stones ". The next morning was their last day and we were after spings and coho. We fished Irish Cream skinny g knockoffs behind chartreuse flashers and it just went off. We limited out my guests and managed two for me. 8 springs in 3 hours. It doesn't happen all the time but hmmm.... Some days are diamonds...
So get your butts here people. Whether it's by Highway 4 and waiting for the pilot car, Lake Cowichan way, or float plane via Pacific Air, it's on. We dream about these kind of summer days on the water.
Pippen
Well-Known Member
Great report John!!
Charleygirl
Well-Known Member
I often do when I am fishing just for myself but with guests I find flashers just a bit more productive. Gotta get fish in the box.
Thanks for sharing though....
Sharphooks
Well-Known Member
^^^^^^^^^^^^THIS!^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
It’s a stone cold mystery to me why people use flashers——sucks the fight right out of the fish and worse, makes for a way more awkward release if you’re releasing fish properly (shaking the fish off with a gaff, NOT netting the thing)
If you just can’t go through your day without using a flasher, use it as a dummy on the ball
Aces
Well-Known Member
Exactly right! Sometimes you gotta maximize your chances with some guests
capman
Well-Known Member
Thanks so much for your accurate report. I had the pleasure of meeting John for the first time in Bamfield. John, your generosity, humbleness and support allowed me and my group to have an amazing fishing trip. Showing us how to use the anchor system and letting us to follow you so I can catch my first hali on my own was unreal. Your tips on where to fish and what to use abled to put us in front of number of springs and coho. Really appreciate and thank you again. Leaving this morning and now looking forward to come back to Bamfield again next year and hopefully fish this beautiful part of our province for years to come.
G
gone fishin
Guest
The answer to your question is, if it is a question, it depends on your personal experience which will determine your opinion.
For me there is no doubt fishing with an in-line flasher for chinook will improve your success.
If you are looking for some "real stats and literature, etc." best you contact DFO scientists and see what you get. lol
Kate Mckinley
Member
Hows the wall been for chinooks? Any good sizes? Depth? Ive always had luck with the white cuttlefish bodies. Thanks!
ExFlyGuy
Well-Known Member
Just back from Bamfield. Had my bud from high school, his old man and his father in law. We fished Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Road closure was ok with some planning. Sunday we hit Keeha at first light. We spent an hour there without a hit but it was quite weedy so we packed up and hit Beale until 9:30 am. Got springs and coho before pulling the pin and heading off shore for Hali. Spent the rest of the day anchored at a couple spots 20 miles off with only one Hali…
Monday we started at first light at sandford but after an hour with no hits we packed up and headed back to Beale. Got our springs and a few more coho and headed off shore around 10 am. This time we anchored around 5 miles and got all our Hali in 3-4 hours. After dinner we hit the wall four a couple hours but only found a few under sized fish.
Tuesday morning we hit sail rock and had a few hits but nothing stuck so we headed to Cree island and found some more springs and coho. Headed out to the reefs at around 11 am and picked up a pile of black bass and a few lings before calling it a trip.
Anchovies we’re the hot ticket for us, but we got a few fish on herring aid spoons and white hoochies. Better sized fish around Beale I found and that produced our biggest spring at 22lbs. Springs were at all kinds of depths from 37- 157 feet on the riggers. We fished tight to the rocks and out in the middle of no where on the bottom. Just needed to find the bait and get the hooks to that depth.
All in all a good weekend! The guys went home with limits of chinook and Hali and a few rock fish and lings. The old boys at 68 and 75 put in some serious sessions! I’m pretty sure I had to call it every day because I was exhausted!
Caught a new species for me as well. A wolf eel. He left some pretty serious teeth marks in the gaff when I was trying to release him. Also kept my first octopus. Not the one in the pick but a smaller one. I guess we’ll see how it goes as I’ve never tried one.
Monday we started at first light at sandford but after an hour with no hits we packed up and headed back to Beale. Got our springs and a few more coho and headed off shore around 10 am. This time we anchored around 5 miles and got all our Hali in 3-4 hours. After dinner we hit the wall four a couple hours but only found a few under sized fish.
Tuesday morning we hit sail rock and had a few hits but nothing stuck so we headed to Cree island and found some more springs and coho. Headed out to the reefs at around 11 am and picked up a pile of black bass and a few lings before calling it a trip.
Anchovies we’re the hot ticket for us, but we got a few fish on herring aid spoons and white hoochies. Better sized fish around Beale I found and that produced our biggest spring at 22lbs. Springs were at all kinds of depths from 37- 157 feet on the riggers. We fished tight to the rocks and out in the middle of no where on the bottom. Just needed to find the bait and get the hooks to that depth.
All in all a good weekend! The guys went home with limits of chinook and Hali and a few rock fish and lings. The old boys at 68 and 75 put in some serious sessions! I’m pretty sure I had to call it every day because I was exhausted!
Caught a new species for me as well. A wolf eel. He left some pretty serious teeth marks in the gaff when I was trying to release him. Also kept my first octopus. Not the one in the pick but a smaller one. I guess we’ll see how it goes as I’ve never tried one.
dmurph
Well-Known Member
Nice looks like a good trip
I just got back from a successful family trip to Bamfield. Going in to the trip the reports weren't great. I feel it turned on while we were there. The weather was unbelievable, calm and sunny. We were able to get to all the spots we have been wanting to for years. Between Beal and Pachena was our most productive spot, in about 120 feet of water at depths Between 45 and 75. We landed 23,18,18,16, all at that spot. The other spots didnt get us the same size but still produced. We never even got a bite right at the Pachene spot.. Coho came very easy for us. We found them at Effingham, right around the corner from the bluff. On anything. But mostly the WCS jolly rancher and a no bananas coho killer, because that's what we were having chinook success on. Anchovies became a bit annoying do to pinks everywhere an didn't seem any more effective then a skinny G or Brad's bait.
The biggest trend for us was the 2 hours after every high slack were power hours. Produced most of the chinook. We would go hours with nothing the bang it would turn on for a chaotic 2 hours.
We stayed at Mills Landing. They do a fantastic job, Jerry and Diana run a smooth operation. Its also beside a nice little addition, the Bamfield wreckage. We had three meals there, would have had more but it's not open Monday or Tuesday.
All in all it was a great trip. We could have had our limits twice over if we didn't release fish each day. Thanks to the community of Bamfield for the hospitality and letting us take some fish. See you next year.
The biggest trend for us was the 2 hours after every high slack were power hours. Produced most of the chinook. We would go hours with nothing the bang it would turn on for a chaotic 2 hours.
We stayed at Mills Landing. They do a fantastic job, Jerry and Diana run a smooth operation. Its also beside a nice little addition, the Bamfield wreckage. We had three meals there, would have had more but it's not open Monday or Tuesday.
All in all it was a great trip. We could have had our limits twice over if we didn't release fish each day. Thanks to the community of Bamfield for the hospitality and letting us take some fish. See you next year.
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trophywife
Crew Member
some nice fish coming in to the weigh in station. 31 lbs on the leader board as of yesterday afternoon.
300 fish weighed in on day one!!!
300 fish weighed in on day one!!!
kaelc
Crew Member
Nice what's the derby?
Fishonjeff
Active Member
Just got back from our annual trip to Bamfield and staying at McKay lodge again. Our trip started out with a bit of unknown as for the Hwy closure going into Port Alberni as we’re on the first boat out of Horseshoe bay to Nanaimo. As we headed off the ferry with my fingers crossed hoping to make it through before the road is closed and were unable to make it as we had to sit until 11:30am which wasn’t the worst but did put us behind our usual time of arrival but did make it into Bamfield around 2:00pm as it was a smooth ride down the inlet. We did end up going out for a quick fish at Beale and got into a few springs and a couple of coho and all hits came on a Gibbs Irish cream skinny G with a chartreuse flasher at 46 feet.
The next few mornings we hit Beale at first light as myself and my dad as we usually left the lodge between 5:45am and 6:00am hoping to pick up our springs and coho using the same setup with the Gibbs Irish cream skinny G and also a white Needle fish with a purple onion flasher fishing depths 46 feet and 38 feet. We tried anchovy’s but with no success. We usually grabbed the rest of the family around 9am as my kids were always itching to get out and have their turn on the rods which they did.
On our fourth day me and my dad thought we’d shoot over to Effingham to give it a go as I heard some good reports over there and were rewarded with a couple of Springs 17 and 19 but this time the anchovies were the hot ticket as our go to spoon seemed slow in the mornings as our go too depth at Effingham was 65 feet with bait and 54 with spoons or hootchies. Once grabbing the family we headed back out to Effingham with steady action of Springs, coho and pinks with everyone taking turns on the rods and we’re also rewarded with a great whale show at Meares Bluff as there was so much bait around.
All in all it was a great trip again as everyone in our family got multiple opportunities on the rods but we didn’t just fish as we took a walk down the boardwalk for ice cream, kayaking, beach day and just some relaxation at our cabin with my kids usually checking out everyone’s daily catch down on the docks. The one thing I did notice this year was also more kids up in Bamfield as I know it was the long weekend and also the Bamfield fire fighters derby which was nice to see.
So, as for a a wrap we ended up fishing Beale, Whittlestone, Fleming and Effingham between Meares bluff to Cree with spoons, needle fish, hootchies and Anchovies being the ticket at the end of our trip at 65 feet. We ended up bringing home 11 Springs between 16-19 pounds and 10 coho between 6-8 pounds with multiple releases and also lost quite a few with teaching the family how to work the rod plus drive the boat lol Also all the staff and guests at McKay lodge again has made this another great year and of course my kid’s favourites Marvin and Badger the dock dogs!
The next few mornings we hit Beale at first light as myself and my dad as we usually left the lodge between 5:45am and 6:00am hoping to pick up our springs and coho using the same setup with the Gibbs Irish cream skinny G and also a white Needle fish with a purple onion flasher fishing depths 46 feet and 38 feet. We tried anchovy’s but with no success. We usually grabbed the rest of the family around 9am as my kids were always itching to get out and have their turn on the rods which they did.
On our fourth day me and my dad thought we’d shoot over to Effingham to give it a go as I heard some good reports over there and were rewarded with a couple of Springs 17 and 19 but this time the anchovies were the hot ticket as our go to spoon seemed slow in the mornings as our go too depth at Effingham was 65 feet with bait and 54 with spoons or hootchies. Once grabbing the family we headed back out to Effingham with steady action of Springs, coho and pinks with everyone taking turns on the rods and we’re also rewarded with a great whale show at Meares Bluff as there was so much bait around.
All in all it was a great trip again as everyone in our family got multiple opportunities on the rods but we didn’t just fish as we took a walk down the boardwalk for ice cream, kayaking, beach day and just some relaxation at our cabin with my kids usually checking out everyone’s daily catch down on the docks. The one thing I did notice this year was also more kids up in Bamfield as I know it was the long weekend and also the Bamfield fire fighters derby which was nice to see.
So, as for a a wrap we ended up fishing Beale, Whittlestone, Fleming and Effingham between Meares bluff to Cree with spoons, needle fish, hootchies and Anchovies being the ticket at the end of our trip at 65 feet. We ended up bringing home 11 Springs between 16-19 pounds and 10 coho between 6-8 pounds with multiple releases and also lost quite a few with teaching the family how to work the rod plus drive the boat lol Also all the staff and guests at McKay lodge again has made this another great year and of course my kid’s favourites Marvin and Badger the dock dogs!
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capman
Well-Known Member
Sounds like a fantastic trip Jeff! Glad the family enjoyed, and were rewarded with some beautiful fish.
Fishonjeff
Active Member
Thanks so much and thanks for the insight prior to getting up to Bamfield! Maybe next year we’ll get together for a drink or two!!
Percy Stipec
Active Member
Did you get snapped off at Beale with the skinny g chartreuse flasher combo?
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