2025 Nanaimo Reports

[JWS]

Brought home 2 from thrasher today, 69&71 and a few other shorts. Both on a 5” big eye spoon, 181’ and 201’. Looked like most other boats were hooking up.
Saw quite a few jumpers, I’m just gonna assume they’re coho. Beauty day.

Edited to add, both fish had empty guts

 

[1.1marko]

Anyone fishing herring..?

 

[JWS]

Pretty slow around thrasher this afternoon. Found one to bring home, though, 6” black and white spoon above a dummy flasher.

 

[Squire]

Fishing was steady at Entrance from about 10 til 1 then it went dead. About 2 we moved to the Grande and grabbed our fourth baby keeper.
All between 62 and 65 cm

 

[JWS]

Fishing was steady at Entrance from about 10 til 1 then it went dead. About 2 we moved to the Grande and grabbed our fourth baby keeper.
All between 62 and 65 cm

Well done!

 

[1.1marko]

And nothing today..??????
Thinkin of crossing

 

[JWS]

And nothing today..??????
Thinkin of crossing

I snuck out for a couple hours this evening to thrasher, not a sniff. If youre crossing, I’d try entrance

 

[Squire]

Well, that’s a wrap for the ‘24-‘25 season. Took a run to the Grande with the wife and only ran one rod. Had to get her back on board after two rod chaos last time with her trying to keep the boat straight in a 15 mph headwind. Note to self: fish only downwind with rookies and wives.

Kept busy with 58-60cm Chinook today but couldn’t manage a keeper. Hope this school is around in July or even next March!

 

[tannerc]

Some very large fish around entrance right now. Got hit on the way down with a few coho today as a bonus- on 5” plugs. Great to see so many boats out enjoying the fishery. Of course a shame to see possession stop tuesday, but I hope to see many out practicing proper catch and release over the next few months.
Overall that was the best December - March fishing I’ve seen in the Nanaimo area.
What a ripper morning.

 

[JohnS]

Some very large fish around entrance right now. Got hit on the way down with a few coho today as a bonus- on 5” plugs. Great to see so many boats out enjoying the fishery. Of course a shame to see possession stop tuesday, but I hope to see many out practicing proper catch and release over the next few months.
Overall that was the best December - March fishing I’ve seen in the Nanaimo area.
What a ripper morning.

I can't get excited hooking and potentially killing fish there's no chance I can keep. Won't be out until July.

 

[Aces]

Almost time for me to get the boat in the water for spring

 

[SpringVelocity]

I will be fishing 2 regardless. Not going sit around feeling sorry for myself till July. What good does that do? Just catch and release for a bit, and collect DNA data.

 

[Squire]

I'll be fishing 17-6, 17-9 and possibly 18-7 hoping to find a hatchery Chinook that got lost.

I'll also be trying to up my crab game which is a pretty low bar to date.

I see lots of boats out in 17-6 and 17-9 for the prawn opener.

 

[Bearded wonder]

mighty dead on this thread. Went out today to soak the prawn traps for a couple hours. Didn’t do to well. Probably didn’t soak them long enough and my sounder was having a stroke and could find bottom. So I’ll blame it on those things.
Tried for halibut while they soaked and obviously stuck out. One day it will happen…..But it was beautiful out there.

saw a friend later and they said c & r fishing was quite busy.

 

[SpringVelocity]

Glad guys are still doing C and R regardless.

 

[MikePA]

Went prawning off Ladysmith, was slow for us and the other two boats we were with.. 117 prawns, 2 hour soak, 8 traps. Decent size though. This was the first two traps.

 

[codfather]

We had a couple days of good weather and found some nice Prawns. This year’s size were bigger than last year.

Prawn taco’s for the last two nights were great.

 

[Howzer]

Hopefully the ling opening May 1st and a chance to bag something substantial.

 

[gecko]

Love the area. Will certainly go back - regs sure have been brutal up there. Personally love that they allow C&R even when "closed" for retention. Now how it works in the states. Unfortunately I think C&R , to DFO , is treated the same as if it were open. They argue that over 50% of the smaller fish released die ... fish on!

 

[seadog19]

anybody know where commercial prawning opens?