2025 Secret Cove, Pender Harbour and Texada Reports

[Girica]

Saturday was beautiful. The sea like glass.
The coho were everywhere around thormanby, but went through 12 wilds before our first hatchery. Since rerigging my hoochies over to single hooks I've had very clean and easy gaff releases with hopefully minimal harm to the fish.

Sunday eve the seas were suprisingly flat at epsom and I had the opposite experience as the day before - my first two coho caught were hatchies! A short but wonderful night.

 

[sly_karma]

Hot coho bite Sunday at Pirate Rock through the low slack. Released 10-12 wilds plus a few self-releases. Got just a lone clipped fish before the bite ended as the flood came on. 45 and 55 ft on a mix of hoochies and spoons.

The big solstice tides of the last few days created quite defined bite windows through the slacks. The coming week has more relaxed tides, so the fishable windows should become larger. The few coho we've retained have had very little in their stomachs, so expect them to be not too fussy about presentation. Find them and you'll get strikes.

 

[HMSFrosty]

Hello! it will be my first time fishing in the area this weekend, staying at Buccaneer Bay. Is Epsom point a good spot? If so, is there a specific tide that works best? Also looking for where to drop crab/prawn traps. New to fishing

 

[Girica]

Hello! it will be my first time fishing in the area this weekend, staying at Buccaneer Bay. Is Epsom point a good spot? If so, is there a specific tide that works best? Also looking for where to drop crab/prawn traps. New to fishing

If you're new to fishing research is your best friend. Spend 15 mins reading the archives, and then 15 mins more, and you'll have all the info you need. Good luck!

 

[HMSFrosty]

Spend 15 mins reading the archives and you'll have all the info you need. Good luck!

Yep, I have been reading them - but I know patterns change over the years. So far I have Epsom point for salmon and the entrance to Buccaneer Bay for crab traps. But recent/local information is always appreciated.

 

[Aces]

Yep, I have been reading them - but I know patterns change over the years. So far I have Epsom point for salmon and the entrance to Buccaneer Bay for crab traps. But recent/local information is always appreciated.

I’ve only fished there once a couple of weeks ago and did quite well on the flood tide

 

[MiddlepointBight]

Yep, I have been reading them - but I know patterns change over the years. So far I have Epsom point for salmon and the entrance to Buccaneer Bay for crab traps. But recent/local information is always appreciated.

Should be plenty of boats out so long as the NW doesn't blow to heavy - usually a good vector. You can fish the entire edge of the bank which comes out from Epsom Pt. and wraps all the way around to Vaucroft.

 

[Sea.S.I]

Lots of action past couple of days off Epson. Mostly springs (some hatchery!) but able to get my limit of hatch cohos after it’s if practice gaff releasing everything else. Seems a little backward to me as springs are being caught through the water column (even at 20’) while cohos are bit deeper. Can’t keep the springs off even with shorter leaders.

 

[Pineapple Express]

Was up at Pirate Rock on Friday morning. Several boats around, wasn't seeing much action. I released one wild and lost a few others.

Headed over to explore around South end of Lasqueti and had a great time. Found the bait. Found the fish. Both fish stuffed with little 2" bait fish.



Got to play with the new MFD & transducer too. Pretty cool to see fish on the screen and then fish on the rod!

 

[MiddlepointBight]

Quick tack with the kids at Epsom yesterday on the flood with constant action. Had a hard time keeping two lines in the water - coho and chinook hitting both sides from 57'-91' on riggers. Probaby 70:30 ratio of coho to chinook. Mostly wild coho, but found a couple hatch in the mix. Gaff got a workout!

Charteuse flashers were the ticket (started with one chart and one green, then swapped out the green when chart started to hit), paired with a homeland security coho killer on the deeper rod and a silver knight uv green splatter kingfisher spoon on the shallower rod - boys selected that lure and nailed it! Hatch didn't have much feed in their bellies (one had a 2" shard of wood [ouch] and the other had what looked to be a 2-3" jack herring spine in it... otherwise empty). Loads of bait out there - we were surprised they weren't full.

Also tickled when the "smoking gun" was found. Literally the final checked fuse on the entire boat. Doesn't always work out like that, but grateful when it does. Nice to have the trim tabs, marine VHF and windlass back in action! Good reminder to keep a spare ATC fuse kit on board.

Tight lines everyone!

 

[Rum Buddies]

Cruising from Pender Harbor to Nanaimo last weekend I put the gear down from Texada to Sangster - coho everywhere. 80 feet was most consistent, two rods was almost too much work.

tons of whales (grays or humpbacks?) out there as well - saw 10+ on the cruise.

A few days earlier watched some dudes fly fishing for coho in 10' of water off SE savary island - they must have landed 3-4 in a hour.

 

[MiddlepointBight]

Cruising from Pender Harbor to Nanaimo last weekend I put the gear down from Texada to Sangster - coho everywhere. 80 feet was most consistent, two rods was almost too much work.

tons of whales (grays or humpbacks?) out there as well - saw 10+ on the cruise.

A few days earlier watched some dudes fly fishing for coho in 10' of water off SE savary island - they must have landed 3-4 in a hour.

Nice one!

I think they're humpbacks - seen them around the past few days out front. Been a pod of orcas out there too. Malaspina Strait is going off right now!

 

[sly_karma]

Cruising from Pender Harbor to Nanaimo last weekend I put the gear down from Texada to Sangster - coho everywhere. 80 feet was most consistent, two rods was almost too much work.

tons of whales (grays or humpbacks?) out there as well - saw 10+ on the cruise.

A few days earlier watched some dudes fly fishing for coho in 10' of water off SE savary island - they must have landed 3-4 in a hour.

Greys should be well north of us by now. They rarely venture into inside waters, usually traveling fairly quickly along the WCVI in the annual migration between Sea of Cortes and Gulf of Alaska.