2025 Victoria and Oak Bay Reports

[Doug]

Got an early start today and there were already 12 boats out fishing and lots of action a first light on the Ebb. Bite happened right away with double header. The sonar was loaded with bait and fish all over the place at first and we got fish from 70 to 110 ft on the DR. XL bait.

When we went in at 830 there were 32 boats out and when the boats showed up the fish disappeared from the sonar. Luckily we got our fish prior to the pack of boats showing up. But I did see people still netting the odd fish here and there.

Ended up with 79.5, 79.5, 77 (lost 3) and four bigger pinks for a friend's smoker.

 

[islandboy]

Banker's hours: I came back from walking the dog, coffee, then the decision, Grocers or go rowing. Easy
On the water at the crack of 8:15. Lost something on the deep line in 155' of water. Not on long enough to know what. Just long enough to create a tangle, again!
Hooked a 4 lb pink doe that danced around so much I thought it was a coho. In 160', at 70' of line, 6 ounce weight (25' deep??).
Off the water at 10:15
I guess if I want a spring I will have to get up earlier.

 

[Stizzla]

Got an early start today and there were already 12 boats out fishing and lots of action a first light on the Ebb. Bite happened right away with double header. The sonar was loaded with bait and fish all over the place at first and we got fish from 70 to 110 ft on the DR. XL bait.

When we went in at 830 there were 32 boats out and when the boats showed up the fish disappeared from the sonar. Luckily we got our fish prior to the pack of boats showing up. But I did see people still netting the odd fish here and there.

Ended up with 79.5, 79.5, 77 (lost 3) and four bigger pinks for a friend's smoker.

That last pink looks like a 10lber! Nice slot springs!!!

 

[tinboatrobb]

My son had to release this 90cm spring off the harbour mouth this morning. We did keep a 10lb spring and 2 good pinks. Yes, the fish was properly handled and swam away just fine.

 

[Doug]

No Fishing for me today. It is a gong show.

Saturday and a derby day makes for a lot of boats. Went to Esq Anglers for coffee this morning at 630 and it was packed with trailer which started showing up at 425am. There was already 5 trailer on the street. One of the guys walked down to the water front and counted 65 boats out front. I was there for 1.5 hours and saw two 8lb fish come in.

Tomorrow will be the same.

DFO was out checking boats yesterday and also sitting inside the Esq Anglers breakwater waiting for boats to come around the corner to pull out.

 

[Beachcaster]

No Fishing for me today. It is a gong show.

Saturday and a derby day makes for a lot of boats. Went to Esq Anglers for coffee this morning at 630 and it was packed with trailer which started showing up at 425am. There was already 5 trailer on the street. One of the guys walked down to the water front and counted 65 boats out front. I was there for 1.5 hours and saw two 8lb fish come in.

Tomorrow will be the same.

DFO was out checking boats yesterday and also sitting inside the Esq Anglers breakwater waiting for boats to come around the corner to pull out.

Yesterday I never saw DFO when I came in around 11:30am. Better to visit with them on the dock then when you’re trying to fish on the water. Busy today for sure.

 

[Sam7]

SLOW…..

Out fishing by 5:40am, I had 3 rods going, anywhere from 29’-87’, 2 with spoons one with bait….Nada. Not a sniff. I saw a few smaller fish being caught but that was it. Even though there were tons of boats out, things were pretty spaced out due to the fact the fish weren’t anywhere to be found and we were all looking for them. I counted about 30 boats at 6:00 am

Packed it in at 1:00

 

[eroyd]

First boat at Cattle Pt at 0700. Weird, I left home actually worried about parking.

Out to the Flats. Bait on one side, spoon on other. SLOW. Three springs to the boat, released one maybe six pounds promising my newby guest we could do better. Nope. Best fish of the morning was a 7lb clipped coho, on the flats. All fish on NBs Skinny G. Didn't see any other boats doing better.

Fished the short slack and picked up a decent ling, a few sharks and lost a probable halibut.

Found a few pinks South of Commodore Pt. (SW Discovery) but not the entertainment action I was hoping for.

 

[fishinforever]

Full moon
It’s been really good in the usual spots for the last few weeks

 

[islandboy]

Out before dawn this morning. Not many boats at 5:30. First fish on the 5 of diamonds within a stones throw of Fleming Beach breakwater. A flounder.
Not long after a dogfish took my choked herring.
Then zippo. In around 9:30.
Maximum effort for minimum returns today. Even the battery for my electronics gave up :

 

[Doug]

Out at 545 and fished until 815 and nothing, not even a bite and then got 4 pinks in 15 minutes. At 830 landed a 77 and then a 78. lost a high 70s at the boat and then released a 88cm. At 930 it went dead again and nothing for an hours so we went in. There were about 30 boats spread out everywhere which help make fishing easier.

Very short bite window today, of and hour and it was over. It appears tomorrow the bite window will be even shorter

Today the fish were all at 80ft and caught on XL bait.

 

[WaldoDingy]

Went for a sleigh ride this morning. Showed itself twice before hanging the gear on the other line.
It was one of the three hits on the 5 of diamonds at 70' in 160' off Macaulay. Earlier I missed a pink. Wet but warm with all the action.

Thanks for the tip about putting strip on a spoon! I didn't have a 5 of diamonds but putting a herring strip on my herring aid got me a 76 cm spring in about 30 minutes that morning. I also got mine at 70' in 160'.

 

[Hyde-N-Seek]

Good report, Doug!
Apparently Victoria harbor chinook salmons are keen early raisers and must have a hate on or allergic to cruise ships arrivals.

Didn’t start until later, after 9 am. Was super slow. Only saw 2 decent chinooks landed and another smaller salmon.

Landed 4-5 lb snapper, 7-8 lb ling and dog fish. Even a flounder but no salmon. 2 cruise ships arrived in the day

Is Clover Point tide table you folks reference to for the harbour mouth?

 

[rockdog]

Picked up 2 pinks and released a beauty 89cm. Back at the ramp by 8:50 am so I could get my boat out of the water. Otherwise I'd be stuck till 12 or 1pm.

 

[Doug]

Got out early and not a bite until 830, when we got a pink. Then nothing until 10 and we lost a spring, then landed a 79 on the other rod which was still down. Then got a double header 72, 66 and done by 1030.
It was slow and we could see fish and lots of bait on the sonar but not a bite. The bite happened at the tide change only.

Two fish on XL bait and one on a no bananas spoon that one of the guest was using.

I'm packing it in for a few days and until the water flow slows down.

 

[Slack-tider]

Any news or reports from Constants Bank?

 

[Rosen]

Any news or reports from Constants Bank?

Was on fire for pinks this evening. Landed 7 lost ~7 in 45 min or so. Double header after double header

 

[islandboy]

A slow go this morning 8:20-11:40. Saw a few nets out early, then Nada. A couple of Porpoises frolicked a couple km off Sax Point.:
Trolled for 2 hours; one net shy 6 lb Pink buck on a pink hootchie; 5 o' diamonds skunk today. Mooched for an hour. A choked herring hoping for a spring (nope) and a herring/pink belly on the bottom hoping for a Ling (dogfish).
Creel checked back at the launch.

 

[Doug]

From what I see for Victoria tides, they are not good again until Friday and first thing in the morning. This year, I have found the springs only like to bite on or near the tide change more than normal on the waterfront. Then it goes dead. Past years we would always get fish here and there.
We have yet to land a clipped fish this year.

I just hope the winds are low and it is a cloudy Thurs night. Then fish on Friday

 

[CoolC]

Crazy amount of sox rolled through constance this evening. Jumpers everywhere you looked. had to go deep to keep them off. really cool to see though.