2025 Nanaimo Reports

I was doing some bike packing in the Powell River area and was coming home on the PR to Comox ferry yesterday. The waters were almost calm, warm with a nice breeze, lots of people fishing and cruising, humpback whales frolicking... in other words idyllic get me on the water conditions. I get back here and its blowing like a fricken hurricane. :(
 
Well, if the forecasts are correct, ... :rolleyes: Wednesday looks like a beauty day wind-wise.
 
Fished for a couple hours this evening. Picked up a hatchery coho right away on a white hootchie at 120 feet. Finally got a nice 79 cm spring on a no bananas wee gee at 140 feet. Lots of shakers out there the past few days.
 

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Toughed it out on Friday at Entrance and was rewarded with 5 hatch coho and a decent 78 Spring. Had 2 less experienced anglers as crew so just did downwind tacks all morning. Saturday we poked our nose out to Entrance and decided that the fish just were not worth the pounding (as did everyone else). Waited until early evening and went back out to Entrance and it was 'sporty, but manageable" . We were the only boat out there and were rewarded with 2 beauties at 78 and 79 cm. Tried yesterday to get to entrance and followed 2 whale harassment boats on the way out. They gave up before getting to Entrance and eventually so did we. Ugly seas stacked up and just not worth it. Tried Thrasher in the afternoon and were rewarded with a 75 and an 80 on the button, as well as a nice "over" (probably 86 to 88cm) that was gently released from the knot free net. All springs were right on the bottom in 180 to 250 feet.
 
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Toughed it out on Friday at Entrance and was rewarded with 5 hatch coho and a decent 78 Spring. Had 2 less experienced anglers as crew so just did downwind tacks all morning.
Once the wind gets up to 15 mph I only do downwind tacks as well as I mostly fish with my wife or other novices. Without autopilot it’s pretty much the only option for me in those conditions; not being able to look away for two seconds while steering without going off course takes all the fun out of it and is a great recipe for marital discord. In contrast, I barely have to steer going downwind and I can even lower gear without having to have someone take the wheel. The ride is so much better as well making it a bit of a no-brainer.
 
Took out a buddy tonight who's never been fishing in the ocean before, suffice to say he may be addicted now. Fished 7-830pm

Tomic 602 (6") @ 140' on rigger 3-4 mph. I tried a 7" herring and 5" spoon without flashers but didn't get anything but wild cohos and shakers.

Starting to be shoulders on some of these fish 80.0 and 78.5cm



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Took out a buddy tonight who's never been fishing in the ocean before, suffice to say he may be addicted now. Fished 7-830pm

Tomic 602 (6") @ 140' on rigger 3-4 mph. I tried a 7" herring and 5" spoon without flashers but didn't get anything but wild cohos and shakers.

Starting to be shoulders on some of these fish 80.0 and 78.5cm



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Are those waypoints where you marked bait, fish or both?
 
Way points are from earlier in the spring, the track was last night. Way point 5 was a blue rod with a Shimano Torium on it that accidentally went swimming. I occasionally go and drag for it but no luck yet
 
I got out for my first solo fish in my current boat yesterday and had lots of action but no keepers. I started at the Flat Tops and got three pinks right away so I moved to the Grande. I got a pink every 5 minutes there so I moved back to the Flat Tops. More pinks but I managed to get a nice wild coho to the boat then got into a battle with a dandy spring on my last anchovy. It did a nice leap right behind the boat to show just how big it really was (mid 20s?) before spitting the hook and I was surprised to see that it was turning dark already.

I’ll be back out there today and I’m wondering if it’s worth taking a few pinks home for the smoker? Some of them were a good size yesterday but I just released them all beside the boat. I kept one beauty pink off Barkley Sound this summer (pic below) so I’m considering adding a few to make a batch.
 

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I got out for my first solo fish in my current boat yesterday and had lots of action but no keepers. I started at the Flat Tops and got three pinks right away so I moved to the Grande. I got a pink every 5 minutes there so I moved back to the Flat Tops. More pinks but I managed to get a nice wild coho to the boat then got into a battle with a dandy spring on my last anchovy. It did a nice leap right behind the boat to show just how big it really was (mid 20s?) before spitting the hook and I was surprised to see that it was turning dark already.

I’ll be back out there today and I’m wondering if it’s worth taking a few pinks home for the smoker? Some of them were a good size yesterday but I just released them all beside the boat. I kept one beauty pink off Barkley Sound this summer (pic below) so I’m considering adding a few to make a batch.
Pinks smoke up great!
 
I got out for my first solo fish in my current boat yesterday and had lots of action but no keepers. I started at the Flat Tops and got three pinks right away so I moved to the Grande. I got a pink every 5 minutes there so I moved back to the Flat Tops. More pinks but I managed to get a nice wild coho to the boat then got into a battle with a dandy spring on my last anchovy. It did a nice leap right behind the boat to show just how big it really was (mid 20s?) before spitting the hook and I was surprised to see that it was turning dark already.

I’ll be back out there today and I’m wondering if it’s worth taking a few pinks home for the smoker? Some of them were a good size yesterday but I just released them all beside the boat. I kept one beauty pink off Barkley Sound this summer (pic below) so I’m considering adding a few to make a batch.
Keeping pinks on ice immediately after catching is key. I only keep 1 or 2 a year for dips or pastas
 
Got out to take advantage of the mild winds with the wife yesterday with the idea of retaining some of the numerous pinks from the day before for smoking.
As with any good plan it got derailed when the first fish and only pink released itself behind the boat.
I wasn’t exactly disappointed though as I decided to give the Tomic plug in 602 a real go and ended up with a nice hatch coho and a beauty 80 cm white spring along with several unders in the 50-55cm range.
We topped the day off with a 65cm spring on an anchovy before we packed it in for the day.
 
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