2025 Secret Cove, Pender Harbour and Texada Reports
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Sea.S.I
Active Member
Went for a quick troll last night around Ackland Rock, hour before slack and found several large chinook, a tank wild coho, and two hatcheries. Kept one 72 cm Spring. Lost 2 huge chinook that made 3 long screaming reel runs before I long line released them 
. Beautiful night. See Jordans330 tips on depths and recommended gear!
. Beautiful night. See Jordans330 tips on depths and recommended gear!
EAGLE ROCK
Member
Serious question from less experienced fishers .. how do you quickly measure them? Do you net them? After unhooking do you briefly lie them in the boat and try to hold them still? It can be pretty difficult!!
Cptn_Adventure
Member
Went out last night around slack - ran one line deep and one line shallow to see what we could find. Found 3 hatchery hoes in a row at Epsom before all the boats started converging on the trough for the evening fish. We decided to zip down to Pirate Rock to escape the chaos.
Found 3 more hatcheries, a few small spring and a bunch of wild coho. Ended the evening with 3 coho limits and 3 happy fisherman. No big chinook on our boat, but lots of fun out there.
Found 3 more hatcheries, a few small spring and a bunch of wild coho. Ended the evening with 3 coho limits and 3 happy fisherman. No big chinook on our boat, but lots of fun out there.
Sea.S.I
Active Member
Jordan330 will have his method but a couple suggestions are free stick-on measuring tapes on the gunwhale and/or a gaff with a 62cm handle.
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Cptn_Adventure
Member
I like that gaff suggestion! We've traditionally netted and brought it in if it was close, otherwise, gaff release and let it swim to see another day.
Sea.S.I
Active Member
After learning how to gaff release I’ve gotten lazy and lost some nice fish. If the coho bite is on I start to grab the line to check if hatchery or not, and when I see a marked fish I pull the line into the boat instead of grabbing the net, losing some nice fish at the side of the boat!
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Girica
Member
Great question and really hoping to dial this in myself... Currently I use a rubberized net to prevent scale loss (I've seen first hand improvements here since switching over) + a stick with markings of 62-80cm on it, as well as a 65 for ling. If I'm fishing solo, once the fish is in the net, I keep it in the water with one hand on the net pole and use the stick to measure it's length with the other hand. If it's tight and hard to tell, like near 62 or 80, I'll bring it up on the gunwale where the measuring sticker is for an exact measurement. If I'm with the buddy, still keep it in the net while the other person measures it with either the stick or one of these awesome little measuring tapes. All of this is so much easier if you play the fish and tire it out so it's not thrashing around in the net... and as an aside, way easier to net them solo when they're tired.
Aces
Well-Known Member
Make yourself a stick with both the minimum and the max measurements on it
Cptn_Adventure
Member
We switched to a rubberized net this year, and I can't believe the difference. There are barely any scales left on the boat when we bring a fish in - huge improvement over the old nylon version that would take all sort of scales off.
Weatherall
Well-Known Member
Net the fish on the side of the boat, and keep it in the water. A string tied onto the back of your gaff with min and max marked. This also works for halibut fishing, with a different (or the same) 102cm marked.
EAGLE ROCK
Member
Thanks everyone, lots of helpful ideas. We do have 62-80 marked on the floor but really like your idea Weatherall of attaching a marked string to the gaff. And hadn't heard of a rubberized net, great idea!
Jordan330
Well-Known Member
I have a gaff marked at 62cm and 80cm. Measure it in the net in the water, but you get good at eye balling the fish if it’s worth it to measure or just release.
Fished Epsom today limited 4 licences in 3 hrs. 4 double headers. Beautiful 80cm chinook and a couple 77cms. Fishing is lights out right now, reeling in fish and 2-3 coho following up the fish to the boat, one was even following the clip of the downrigger for a good 20 seconds at the surface, had 4 fish swimming at the surface at once following my coho, thought I was fishing dorado in Mexico. Same tac north of the “crowd” alone today, same tackle and depths. Talking to a few locals in the area saying they haven’t seen this fishery like this since the 80’s. Heard quarry still has some good fish in the area as well but need to work a little harder for them. Best of luck, home for the weekend but Pops is up there still with friends hope to give another report Sunday
Fished Epsom today limited 4 licences in 3 hrs. 4 double headers. Beautiful 80cm chinook and a couple 77cms. Fishing is lights out right now, reeling in fish and 2-3 coho following up the fish to the boat, one was even following the clip of the downrigger for a good 20 seconds at the surface, had 4 fish swimming at the surface at once following my coho, thought I was fishing dorado in Mexico. Same tac north of the “crowd” alone today, same tackle and depths. Talking to a few locals in the area saying they haven’t seen this fishery like this since the 80’s. Heard quarry still has some good fish in the area as well but need to work a little harder for them. Best of luck, home for the weekend but Pops is up there still with friends hope to give another report Sunday
Late report. Fished Sangster yesterday from 8:30 - 10:30 AM. 5” Tomic plug at 121’ on DR on one side, white hoochie at 90’ on the other. Five chinook and a coho on the plug. Two chinook were well over 80cm. Kept a 72cm. Approx 12 coho on the hoochie. 3 clipped. Glassy. Fun. Jiggers nearby seemed to be doing well too.
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