Any good tip for new fishermen?

[Discus]

I love fishing since I was a little boy. In my dream I always want to catch some nice big spring but I don't have good luck. I would like to ask you to give me some information and sharing your tip. I would like to try to fish tomorrow very early morning.
We will go to fishing from Trap to Race Rock.

Is a good fishing when the full moon? I think we have full moon for 3 or 4 days.

How do I know if the springs are feeder?

How could I find the schooling fish?

where is the hot spot for springs?

Is good fishing for tide changes? high tide or low tide?

We will use two rods and we will two anchovies with 7 feet leader beside the flasher.

In early morning around 530 am. What is the best deep for down rigger? 50 feet and 70 feet?

in late morning around 8 or 9 am what is the best deep for down rigger?

speed trolling, 2.0 MPH to 3.0 MPH if the current push the boat trolling . The boat moves faster so he have to adjust speed slower to 2.0 MPH?


Any suggestions or tip.

thank you

Discus

 

[hambone]

Hire a guide....

 

[drilleryells]

Hire a guide....

Good advice if you dont have alot of experience in the area, well worth the money if you want to get a headstart on the process or put the time in.... Driller

 

[Seafever]

Discus:- there is a percieved "jinx" about fishing on a Full Moon.....with many claiming that the fishing is slower.
However......nothing is written in stone and if you stay home you catch nothing for sure.

(2) Any Chinook that is actively feeding is technically a 'feeder'. When they approach their natal rivers/estuarys at spawn time, they will stop actively feeding. But they still have a bite response. They will still hit bait,spoons, hoochies.

(3) To find them use a fishfinder...and know how to read it correctly....or learn the favorite routes, stack-up areas, travel paths , depths,etc, from experienced fishermen. Most locations around the coast they show up in the same place,same time give or take, same depths year after year.

(4) Chinooks move around with tides and bait. Don't look for the fish so much as look for the places where they will most likely be. Look for where bait can be herded up or pushed into places by tides. And where the bait will be on an ebb or a flood tide.


(5) An hour before,during and an hour after a tide change is your best bet. Many places :- just after the low slack when it starts to flood is best. But other places high tide is good too.

(6) In early morning the fish are generally shallower. As the sun comes up and especially if it is bright sunny and hot GENERALLY they will go deeper. But nothing is written in stone.


(7) Off Sooke it seems that a lure fished at 40ft on down to 140ft will produce fish. There is no "fixed' depth.

(8) If you are going WITH the current:- don't slow down, troll at 2 to 3 mph. If you are going AGAINST the current you should slow down....either that or adjust all your leaders, bait-roll, etc.etc. to compensate for current going against you.
If you are going WITH the current and the current is 2 knots, lets say,..........you should still troll so that the downrigger wires are at the correct angle.........


Could it be a sort of general rule-of -thumb in Sooke at this time of year that the closer you get up Otter Point way, the bigger the fish. And the closer you get to Whirl Bay the smaller they are?


And you don't always need a flasher for bait. Sometimes an anchovy or big fat herring fished by itself will do wonders. Just run it by itself (still with a leader and beadchain.....20 to 40ft back of the d/clip.

Actively feeding Chinook and Coho will both "herd" bait. Watch for bait balls on your fishfinder......good chance there's fish feeding on them. They will "herd" bait against walls and ledges pockets in bays. Take a pair of binoculars with you and watch for "bait boils" on the surface. If the bait is jumping out of the water like maniacs....there's something after them. Look for frenetic clustered bird activity as well. If you see 20 or 30 gulls in a group on the chuck just sitting there doing nothing....then there's probably nothing going on where they are.


You are fishing bait.......have you learned how to "brine " it yet? Brining is good.....much better than straight out of the package.

 

[Discus]

Hi Seafever,

Thank you for your explain.

I think I should not go to fishing during the full moon. The full moon are staying for several days. I will wait.

I am sorry I don't understand what is EBB?

Discus

 

[Seafever]

An ebb tide is a receding tide.......in other words the tide is going OUT.

A FLOOD tide is one that is coming in or in other words a "rising" tide.

The full-moon thing is over-rated......get out there and get your hooks wet ....LOL


When you are fishing two lines for an hour,for example, you can cover a lot of different depths going 20 minutes per line per depth.

Example 20 and 40, 50 and 70, 90 and 120.......etc.etc.etc.

When you are fishing two lines at two different depths:-and the difference between
line depths is fairly big:- and you are relying on the angle of the wire or braid as your trolling speed guide:- go by the angle of the deeper one and disregard the shallower one.


If you happen to have a "lucky charm" that you use in daily life and you believe it brings you good luck, then take it with you on the boat. For some reason "belief systems " seem to produce better results. Maybe it's because we do things better when we believe we can.


I have a pair of Wilson running shoes that I always wear when I'm fishing.
I catch more fish when I am wearing these. Why I don't know.
I just feel that I catch more fish when I wear them. When I don't wear them I'm off my game. Go figure......


By the way....you mention "you don't have good luck"

"Luck" has little to do with fishing.

Guys that catch fish aren't luckier than you.........they just have more experience and knowledge.

 

[MRACER]

well done Seafever- always good to help set the hook on a newbie- Hope he has a life time of "good luck".

 

[lucky strikes]

SeaFever, nice work laddy....appreciate you taking the time and sharing your knowledge base. Those shoes must be ****-kicked lmfao

 

[JAC]

Use teaser heads with a stainless wire off the so you can control the roll of your bait. Green flashers whatch you rigger line I like it to be on a 30 to 40 degree angle this will be determined by speed of travel and current. I have caught a lot of chinooks when i was going to lift my rigger ball up because i was almost dragging bottom. I have learned a lot off of this site and on he Internet so do some searching. They will tell you flood tide high tide low tide slack tide full moon no moon put you time in you can't catch anything with out your gear wet.

 

[Seafever]

Discus:- when you rig a a bait for "roll" and you test it in the water.....try to test roll at the speed you will be using it. Some guys test the roll at almost idle speed and go by that...and then when the bait is in the water they speed way up, often changing the characteristics of the roll entirely.

A brined bait stands up a lot better to trolling punishment. Non-brined baits will often fall apart when you start trolling pretty fast with them. And fishscale falls off a non-brined bait much easier than a brined one.

Go over the Sooke threads and posts as far back as you can for a particular time like say, August and September.

You will notice that locations, patterns, technique,depths and tackle tend to stay largely the same year after year.

You can learn a lot from that alone.

Using scent:- I have a small spray bottle. In it I mix Krill oil,Herring Oil, and Sardine Oil. These oils are fairly runny so they don't clog the spray tip.
I just hang the hoochy or spoon over the side of the boat and give it a couple of shots.

These oils will wash off fairly quick....but they will leave behind a film residue that stays on for hours. You can still smell it when you wash the spoon after the fishing trip.
And the residue will not dull the shine on your spoons . Unlike some of the others on the market.

No fuss ,no muss. You don't want any oil or fish paste etc . on your hands/fingers because if you get it on your fishing line when you are putting it in the clip, it is almost a guaranteed line "pop-out".


Hooks:- When changing out hooks on spoons:- I am not a big fan of the ordinary Siwash hook for spoons. The tang (barb-end) of the hook is straight......and IMO "kicks up" on strikes to an angle that does not penetrate very well. result?:- missed fish.
A hook design of the type like Matzuo Sickle hooks, Gamakatsu 510's, certain designs of modified circle hooks, beaked Siwash with an offset tang etc. are much better for spoons.

Some Siwash hooks you can bend an off set in the shank to replicate a Matzuo sickle hook. Or you can bend the tang to replicate a mild circle-hook design.

But it depends what metal the hook is made of. Some stainless hooks will just snap apart when you do this. Some of the other metals bend very well. Some don't at all.


Sharpening hooks:- IMO hands down the best is a file. Stones work in a pinch.....but the file will do a better job. keep the file in good shape. Use "Fluid Film " on it. Stones don't rust ...but files do anywhere near saltwater.
Don't buy those cheapy short files in tackle shops with the plastic yellow handle on them.
They rust out in no time.

Sharp hooks are a must. A lot of times a fish will take a run at a spoon etc. just because it peeves them off. They'll "nosebump" it. A sticky sharp hook will often connect on a hit like this. A dull hook will just bounce right off.
Even if you think the hook is sharp , check it again. My thumbs are pockmarked with little holes where I've tested the hook for initial penetration.
Sometimes a hook "looks" like it's tack sharp........but when you test it...it isn't.

 

[Seafever]

The hook at the top is a Siwash with an extra bend in the shank and also an added offset bend.
Row 2 from top:- far left is an ordinary Siwash. Middle is a Siwash with an extra inward bend and an added offset bend. far right is a "beaked "hook with an offset bend.
Row 3 from top:- When you buy a Siwash make sure it is 'deep cup". one on left is deep, the one on right is shallow. one on right is not as good as one on left.
Row 4 from top:- on left on spoon is a Siwash with tang bent in and also an added offset bend. One on right on spoon is a Matzuo sickle hook. If you buy a Matzuo sickle hook, buy one with a closed eye and add it to a split ring. The open eye versions are crap and will snap in two and break while you are bending them onto a welded ring.

 

[lordofthesprings]

check your line every twenty min if you got a bite or not

 

[JAC]

Don't be scared to get in tight to the rocks and the kelp beds.

 

[Gunsmith]

Good information by all, I would like to add respect. When you are just learning about fishing there are a few things you should do. When in a fishing area sit back a bit and watch the pack, once you see what the rotation or tac is enter but don't crowd, and when some one has a fish on give them room.
Don't follow boats around as if you are glued to them, watch what they do and when they leave move in and give it a try. People have their secret spots and like to keep things that way, they tend not to mind so much if you don't hound them or track too close.
I have found that if you are respectful of this people are more sharing than you think. They will give you bits of information that will be very helpful in your pursuit of happy fishing grounds.

 

[Seafever]

Yes I will second Gunsmith's advice.


Too many guys when they see a fish on think the fish are all underneath that guy's boat and they will race over and start fishing beside him or a lot of times in front of him.

You won't make many friends doing that. And some guys get downright nasty about it. Understandably.


The fish are not under that guys' boat. 9 times out of 10 by the time it is in the net it is a long way from where he first had it on the line.....

 

[Discus]

Hi Seafever and Jac,

Million thank you for sharing and tip with your rich experienced. I am going to follow up when I will go to fishing. I did bend hooks for the spoons and the hooks look like circle.

lordofthesprings "check your line every twenty min if you got a bite or not" Yes I always check every 20- 30 mins if the flasher or hook trap by weeds or bite it off.

I did not go to fishing because I was very sick. now i am feeling ok but still sick.. I hope I could go fishing tomorrow or on Monday.

I can not wait to hear from Sooke report by tonight.

 

[Seafever]

This picture shows a jig with a treble hook where one hook has been removed.

Why?

Lots of times when jigging bottomfish with a treble , you'll get a 'button-up'.
That is:- all three hooks are stuck in the fishes mouth in such a way that you can't get it out without killing the fish or performing surgery.

Barbs can be left on for bottomfish...and this is where the problem starts. Although you get better hookups with the barbs left on, it sometimes can be very difficult to get the hook out.

One way is to leave it as a complete treble and pinch one of the barbs. That way you have one barb that will come out easy and the other two shouldn't be much trouble after that.


The other way, as in the pic, is to cut one hook off. This will be the hook with the "weld" on it.
After......get rid of the burr with a file or dremel tool.

Flatten out the remaining hooks...or.... leave them where they are Tuna-hook style.
You can leave one or both barbs intact on the remaining two-hook rig you are left with.


I wouldn't bother doing this for Halibut though.