2025 Nanaimo Reports
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Aces
Well-Known Member
Nice to see you brought your pup with you for good luck
Well done. We were one of the other boats dealing with the wind at the high end of prediction.
No love on the plug for me, but a couple of coho and a 68cm at 120' on a white hoochie.
Got out for a really quick troll tonight. Solo trip. Rod in the water just after 7. Flat calm. Caught a 62cm hatchery spring right away, then nothing. Sun was down and getting dark. Did the old '5 more minutes'. Saw some fish on the fiinder and circled back. Pin popper 75cm chinook. Put up an awesome fight. Had 8 inch herring in its belly. Fished around 85 ft with a mini hotspot white glow flasher and 3.5 inch skinny g herring aid spoon. Great night for 45 minutes of trolling!
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On vacation this week so managed to take advantage of the good weather window Monday and Tuesday. Don't get water like that in Nanaimo very often! Yesterday was the better of two days action wise. We fished the afternoon flood at Entrance on Monday, 3 people in the boat and only managed to boat one hatch coho. A few more wilds and some under chinook released on my side. My fishing buddy was having an off day - he got plenty of hits but only managed to get a couple of them boat side which were all wild. Lost a lot of fish before we ever saw them - so much so that I had to give him a gentle ribbing about his conversion ratio.
Yesterday was a solo mission for me. Launching the boat by myself at first light as the low tide approached was a bit of a challenge, but got it done and now I know my bow line needs to be about 3 feet longer than it is. Add that to the winter project list. Action was pretty steady all morning though - first hour I found a consistent chinook bite between Clarke Rock and Piper's - mostly just unders but a couple that may have taped out if I brought them in the boat. All released though. Tomic 602 on one side, white glow hoochie on the other side - probably 3:1 in favour of the plug. Anywhere from right on bottom up to about 88' in 150 FOW.
Chinook bite seemed to taper off after the low slack and when the sun was fully up, but coho turned on - especially when I trolled over to fingers. 4 or 5 wilds released including a couple nice fat ones. Ended up with two hatch - one of them a decent size and fought harder than his weight. Popped the pin, took it on a good peel and lots of zipping and flipping as it got close to the boat. Almost tangled the other line but managed to avoid it with some creative rod handling. I was using chovies because I had some leftovers in the freezer that needed to be used. Almost felt like cheating the way the coho were getting after them - the hoochie on the other side never got a sniff.
Limited on coho by 11am. Water was as flat as I've ever seen it, so killed the engine and cleaned them on the boat. Poured another coffee and decided to run up north a ways and try for a ling. Took about an hour to weed through the unders before trolling up a 68 cm. Great run back to the launch again on flat clean water. Here's hoping for a few more days like that still before the end of the month.
Yesterday was a solo mission for me. Launching the boat by myself at first light as the low tide approached was a bit of a challenge, but got it done and now I know my bow line needs to be about 3 feet longer than it is. Add that to the winter project list. Action was pretty steady all morning though - first hour I found a consistent chinook bite between Clarke Rock and Piper's - mostly just unders but a couple that may have taped out if I brought them in the boat. All released though. Tomic 602 on one side, white glow hoochie on the other side - probably 3:1 in favour of the plug. Anywhere from right on bottom up to about 88' in 150 FOW.
Chinook bite seemed to taper off after the low slack and when the sun was fully up, but coho turned on - especially when I trolled over to fingers. 4 or 5 wilds released including a couple nice fat ones. Ended up with two hatch - one of them a decent size and fought harder than his weight. Popped the pin, took it on a good peel and lots of zipping and flipping as it got close to the boat. Almost tangled the other line but managed to avoid it with some creative rod handling. I was using chovies because I had some leftovers in the freezer that needed to be used. Almost felt like cheating the way the coho were getting after them - the hoochie on the other side never got a sniff.
Limited on coho by 11am. Water was as flat as I've ever seen it, so killed the engine and cleaned them on the boat. Poured another coffee and decided to run up north a ways and try for a ling. Took about an hour to weed through the unders before trolling up a 68 cm. Great run back to the launch again on flat clean water. Here's hoping for a few more days like that still before the end of the month.
SpringVelocity
Crew Member
I went out yesterday afternoon for a spin. Got 5 real nice teen chinooks at Entrance just before dark between 90ft and 120ft on DR. It seemed they were shallow not deep.
Lost three right side of boat and let two go.
Got a sockeye (wow what a
surprise) with heavy gill net scars and a few coho tossed back.
White flash flies out produced everything including bait.
Lost three right side of boat and let two go.
Got a sockeye (wow what a
surprise) with heavy gill net scars and a few coho tossed back.White flash flies out produced everything including bait.
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SpringVelocity
Crew Member
Went back to Entrance last night. Remind me not go out in that wind direction out there. Super annoying constant side waves from Howe Sound 
Fish seem to have moved around a bit. Found some small pockets chinooks close in at 90 to 100 ft of water off gabriola.
Surprising to see such a small amount of jack springs. I thought they were feeders but these were all gold and darker.
They were all shallow 50 to 70ft.
Fish seem to have moved around a bit. Found some small pockets chinooks close in at 90 to 100 ft of water off gabriola.
Surprising to see such a small amount of jack springs. I thought they were feeders but these were all gold and darker.
They were all shallow 50 to 70ft.
Brockandahardplace
Member
Got out to five fingers for high tide Saturday night. Lots of action for two hours of fishing but nothing huge. 2 Biggest fish were caught on the 602 glow plug around 150’. More action but smaller fish on green/moonjelly flasher and Irish cream spoon at 120’.
Looked nice and calm last night. I went out with a friend on Friday. Water was a bit lumpy. Trolled a flasher and herring aid spoon on one side and a herring cut plug on a 8 oz weight on the other side. Lots of undersized chinook on the flasher/spoon, and one nice keeper 75cm lingcod on the cut plug. Calm this morning, wishing I could go out now, but will have to try later in the day when I am free.
Salmon-slayer
New Member
Still lots of fish around the fingers. Got several low teens fishing close to bottom mid morning, closer to slack caught a few near the surface dropping the gear. Lots of undersized chinook still. Lots of nets out and high fives from other boats. Kept a couple of the bigger ones for the smoker tons of fun out there right now
Top Rod
Active Member
Hey guys, looking to head out on Saturday and have never been out from Nanaimo Harbour but fishing is good so I’m gonna run up from Cal Bay and launch in Nanaimo-take some guests out and would like to drop crab traps and prawn traps while fishing the fingers and or entrance can anyone help me out on where to drop traps? I appreciate the help and will report my outing.
Brockandahardplace
Member
I was out on Monday and was still getting Coho at 100 to 120‘. Didn’t have any luck finding any decent chinook though
SpringFever2359
Well-Known Member
Pictures or they weren't there..This is such a quiet thread considering the dozen boats I saw at Fingers on the ferry home. Must be just FIRE over there.
Rain City
Crew Member
They were probably just whale watching. No fish over there. I can report that The Beach Club is a nice spot for a little family vacay. I've never done the Goats On The Roof deal, that place is great for the wife and kids, terrible for the wallet. Nanoose Bay Cafe had a great happy hour. My wife still won't let me move to the island unfortunately. I'll keep trying.Pictures or they weren't there..
There is a Dutch store just along the road there. Salted candy! And Walker boats accross the street. You could always just grab a bag of candy and just sit and stare at the boat building going on.
Or maybe that's just my dream.
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