2024 Nanaimo Reports

[Tomfoolery]

You mean kinda like a kone-zone? I remember when I was just starting out salmon fishing using a kone-zone rig off the mouth of the Fraser fishing for sockeye... I've never been as badly tangled up as I was with that dang thing. I've been too scared to ever try again! LOL!!

As standard practice, I run three of those 'rotating on their axis' flashers off the top of my snubber to the canon ball. I then run my main flasher and lure about six feet above (just higher than the length of the dummy flasher chain to avoid tangle-ups) and various distances behind the dummy flashers depending on what I am targeting. Closer for coho (10-15 ft) and further back for chinook (20-40ft). I figure when I am down 150 plus feet I need all the flash I can get. I pretty much fish like that all the time now so not sure if I am scaring fish away with too much flash or not. I really want to get an underwater camera to drag down there and see what is going on, but it would be of limited use down deep in the low light.

 

[Bearded wonder]

Got out this morning for a quick fish with a buddy. Lines in the water by 6:30. Quite rough out there, more than I expected. Trolled deep water off five fingers looking for coho. Our only coho was a hatchery so that was great. Lots of smaller springs. Fished 60-100’ with 75’ being most productive. Smaller white and pink spoon got the most action.

 

[TipUp]

Got out yesterday afternoon for a 3 hour fish. Entrance was slow so moved over to the fingers. Lots of small springs and the odd coho. Had all the action on white hootchies at 90 - 110 feet.

 

[baddogg]

Fished from noon to 3 yesterday off the Fingers and towards Neck Point.
One hatchery to the boat.
3 Confirmed wild to the boat.
2 springs to the boat, 8 to 10 pounds and 3 or 4 long line releases.
Fished two spoons the entire time, one with flasher one without.
Equal performance.
Fished as deep as 150 and caught fish, including Coho

 

[JoJo]

Headed out to Five Fingers by myself yesterday morn with new, smaller boat. Wind was up a bit and only fished one rod. Gotta get some practice...hard to steer and tend rods in the wind by yourself. You could sure see the rain hitting hard back in Nanaimo. At least one bite for each "loop" I made. One nice hatchery coho, one wild released and one Spring released. Looked like it calmed down later in the day.

 

[chille51]

What are your guys strategies for fishing the Nanaimo area when the winds are borderline? I've really only been out to fingers and neck point/Pipers the most, and Entrance once. Seems like all these areas are fairly exposed, wind direction considered. Do we just need to pound it out in the chop (which I've done) or stay home, or are there more sheltered areas that may produce I am not considering?

 

[Bearded wonder]

There isn’t really anywhere sheltered I find. Especially with a SE wind. Sometimes with a NW wind you can fish pipers down past Clark Rock and be ok. Granted I am in a 18’ campion explorer so I can’t handle wind like bigger boats.
If it’s windy I would rather pound into the waves going to fish and go with the wind on the way home.

 

[chille51]

There isn’t really anywhere sheltered I find. Especially with a SE wind. Sometimes with a NW wind you can fish pipers down past Clark Rock and be ok. Granted I am in a 18’ campion explorer so I can’t handle wind like bigger boats.
If it’s windy I would rather pound into the waves going to fish and go with the wind on the way home.

Yes, I am in a 17' myself. It is very stable but there comes a point where trying to manage riggers and steer solo in the wind becomes an exercise in frustration. Still learning and only into my second season, but my experiences align with what you mentioned. All the worst days I have been out here have been on a SE, and generally the NW winds have been fishable in comparison. That said, I probably just haven't been out in a strong enough NW. My limit so far seems to be anything approachjng 15 knots its going to be tough.

 

[DasBrew]

Flat Top Islands (between Grande and Thrasher) was on fire this morning between 7-9 am. 12 Chinook to the the boat, 7 would have been legal size. About 12 coho to the boat 3 of which were hatchery and 1 pink salmon.
Best Fishing I’ve ever seen around Gabriola. 200-300 feet of water, strings at 87 and 70.

 

[S-357]

Seem to be catching what apear to be half clipped coho at the fingers

 

[Grant_J]

Yes, I am in a 17' myself. It is very stable but there comes a point where trying to manage riggers and steer solo in the wind becomes an exercise in frustration. Still learning and only into my second season, but my experiences align with what you mentioned. All the worst days I have been out here have been on a SE, and generally the NW winds have been fishable in comparison. That said, I probably just haven't been out in a strong enough NW. My limit so far seems to be anything approachjng 15 knots its going to be tough.

Amen brother. 3rd year for me and I've got a 17' Arima which is very stable but managing steering (no hydraulics) and 2 downriggers at once has me running back and forth like a squirrel. I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one with a steep learning curve.

 

[chille51]

Amen brother. 3rd year for me and I've got a 17' Arima which is very stable but managing steering (no hydraulics) and 2 downriggers at once has me running back and forth like a squirrel. I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one with a steep learning curve.

Arima Bros. I am in a 17' Sea Ranger. I just repowered and now have hydraulic steering, but usually if I am fishing solo I am tiller steering from the kicker.

 

[TMan]

I don't have an Arima, but I do have 16.5' boat with hydraulic steering. I find if I walk to the gunnel, the boat turns because the boat lists that way. Also putting down the rigger causes instant drag and I'm turning almost immediately. You may be stuck with this issue.
I suffer with this, but will soldier on for bragging rights when my friends don't have any salmon in the freezer. So stiff upper lips fellas. Carry on, because we need fishing reports and stories to help get us through our days when we aren't on the water.

Arima Bros. I am in a 17' Sea Ranger. I just repowered and now have hydraulic steering, but usually if I am fishing solo I am tiller steering from the kicker.

 

[chille51]

Got out for my first attempt at Coho out front since they opened a couple weeks ago. 3:30-6:30 mostly around Fingers and the deeper water east of it. Got about 5 or 6 Coho to the boat, only one of which was hatch and is now in my freezer. Also a few Chinook shakers, and one nice one that would have been legal a month from now. Did a tack in close to fingers and something popped the pin and peeled a bit of line off, but it was gone before I got the rod out of the holder. Missed a few other ones as well. Probably a half dozen boats out there, and I did see a few other people land fish as well.

 

[fishingforfunz]

tough decision on the windy days for sure. i'm in a similar sized boat so i hear you on the challenges fishing solo when it's bouncy out there. sometimes you just gotta pick your battles, but man it's hard to stay off the water when the reports keep rolling in!

 

[baddogg]

Fished off the Fingers last night from 5:30 to 8. Once again only one hatchery coho. One wild and numerous springs including one in the 20 pound range. Most fish caught in the 150 foot range. Not much happening up in the normal shallower coho range.

 

[Southswell]

Slower fishing last night. No bites in the 80-50 ft range and very few coho around. dropped down between 150-200ft and played a bunch of bigger springs in the 65-80cm range. Beautiful night overall.

 

[ebrench]

Out early morning today. Great weather, non stop Coho at the fingers. Flasher size didn't seem to matter. All fish on skinny G. Tons of hatchery. Limits in 2 hrs. I think they liked this one:

 

[TipUp]

Fished from 9 to 12 this morning. Lots of wild coho but only managed to find one hatchery. Some nice size wilds. 70 to 90 feet on white hootchies seemed to do the trick.

 

[Tomfoolery]

Fished a few hours late morning and man what a wild time. Wild coho, wild chinook, but not a hatchery to be found! Those wild coho really are robust compared to the clipped fish. Guess I should have gotten out earlier!