2024 Port McNeill, Telegragh Cove Reports

Good job, did you get the crabs in front of the river, I thought the Otters cleaned them out of there
No, we dropped the traps literally right in front of my in laws place in Mcneill. They kept an eye on them while we went fishing!
 
One more morning on the water up here before we load up the boat and head home, and the wife managed one more hali:

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Weather not as nice as yesterday for sure. There was a couple hour window that it was not pissing rain and water conditions were acceptable for my little 17 footer. Or as the wife called it looking at the patch of blue in the sky as we headed out... a "sucker hole". Well, we made it count and headed back with this behind us. Got the boat tied off and stowed just before the skies opened, like we planned it that way.

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We got out Saturday, gave the anchor/bait thing a try out by Numas Bank, on a good looking hump 290-310 feet. 3 hours on the hook without a nibble was all I could take of that so we went in shallower towards the mainland (outside of the RCAs) and got out the jigs. We had more luck with that, getting a couple of chickens and generally more action. I was hoping to give salmon a try in the open area up Wells but the only action my downriggers got was descending a big pumpkin my son got, to both of our surprise.
 
Haven't fished McNeill for years. Started there in a 14' tin boat with a 25hp and 7.5 kicker. Was introduced to the area by Mike Roberts (RIP), the designer of the Lucky Jig that GIbbs ripped off with the MudRaker. Anyway, we only fished the Neap tides during the slack current times and wacked the Halibut. We jigged out from Malcom Bay on the 300' ledges, behind Stubbs from 250' to 400', but our favorite was across the face of the Parsons Bay closure area where the drift went from the Red Point side toward the beacon on the little island off Parsons. It was about 250' if I remember right. If you have the Navionics app on your phone, our waypoint from years past is still there. It's called Parson'S Bay Closure Line. Many honest double digit Halibut tides there for just my wife and I bouncing a Lucky Jig with a slice of Octopus. The middle bench seat in that little boat was a fish box and many times we returned to the dock with 4 50# fish that more than filled it with the tails sticking out. Made for a funny picture. We loved that place until the Halibut limits were changed basically to 1. Just too far to go up Island. We had 2 per day, 3 in possession during those times. Made the long drive more than worthwhile. The real secret there is to fish those Quarter Moon Neap Tides during the 2-3 hours of slack current when you can basically bang the bottom straight up and down with a 1# jig. Once the current starts to run again, the bite stops and you are done. About 4 days every two weeks are prime. We learned very early on when that tide changes, the wind starts to blow and Johnston Straight gets really ugly, really fast. A day we fished a little too long that lead to trying to get back to Alder Bay across 4' to 6' wind chop in 20+ knot winds was a quick and lasting lesson. Go home early and wait 6 hours until the next slack current series. Flat and no wind returns too.
There were a couple of other places there we loved too. The wall you ran into on Craycroft as you ran down Blackfish Sound toward Baronet was one. (I just noticed our old mark is there in the app too, as is our Ling mark off Craycroft Point) In August, through the low slack currents, if we were done with Halibut, we would fish the Northern's there. Most in the 20's easily. They hit so hard they would pin the rod where it was literally difficult to get it out of the rod holder. Beautiful fish that looked like white mouthed Springs.
Lastly, the kelp beds off the Donegal Head end of Malcom. Lots of Springs on MacDeeps right in the middle of that kelp that made us crazy. I miss that place. Definitely one of the favorites. jc Tuna Maru

 
I definitely remember the original Lucky Jigs and bought a few of them in the 90s. I seem to remember a promotional picture of somebody (was it Mike Roberts?) standing next to a big barn door caught off Stubbs with a Lucky Jig.
 
Well finally got the new tub out for a journey and set some traps. Everything working out great even the prawns and crabs cooperated.
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Always had to watch traps like a hawk. We air-tagged a prawn trap with a waterproof tube made to look like a line weight in Beaver Cove, and sure enough when they pulled it, it pinged. They were gone before we could get there, but they were headed to Alert Bay before they tossed the tag.
 
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