5
5-Salt Fever
Guest
Wind and 7-8ft seas were the operative words for this year's June Barkley Trip.
We ran out 22-25miles from Bamfield each day but fishing was tough as 6-8ft swells at 7-8secs and 2-3ft wind waves made it hard to dail in troll speeds and presentation at the honey holes. We scatched out some nice Columbia bound chinook and coho each day but the ride out a slow slog.
Highlight of the trip was trolling for chicken hali's in 190-200ft of water on the outer La Perouse Bank. Cop-car or Green 11in Hotspot flashers and Army-truck coyote spoons, army-truck candle fish hoochies or North Pacific hoochie #C28CR on 48in leaders trolled at 1.8-2.8mph, 15-20ft above the bottom was the set up. Solid hookups and sporting fight on salmon rods made this fishery an absolute blast. We also pick up 2-3 lings and one or two chinook on same troll tracks each day. Talk about your multi-tasking! Halibut ran 30-37in and lings around 8-9lbs. Chinook ran 18-26lbs and coho were a healthy 7-10lbs.
Idea rod stacking was 20ft from bottom for halibuts and lings and secon and third rods at 85-110ft deep.
We also were able to scratch out resident chinook inside Barkley Sound at Swale Rock, Kirby Point, Whitlesome point, The Wall, and Cape Beal trolling above mentioned army truck spoons or hoochies at 80-120ft down in 200-300ft water. Cape Beal was fished at just off the bottom in 120-150ft of water. Other producers were Ry Davis anchovy specials at same depths behind red, green, cop-car and purple haze flasher. Forget about bait outside the sound - dogfish were way too thick to let the salmon even get a sniff.
Cop-Car Hotspot w/ Amry Truck Coyote spoon was the 2-1 favorite for samon inside and outside. Looks like ocean is to lay down this coming week for those headed up.
Plan on 5-8ft swells if the wind is blowing more than 10mph. Worst seas of the trip we 8-9ft sea at 10seconds mixed with 3-4ft wind wave when wind kicked up in the afternoon one afternoon. We had only one wave break on the motor bracket which, was a non-event but for a healthy dose of spray for the skipper while reaching down to fire up the kicker. Most troll tracks speed controlled by backing into the swell to slow down wind drift. The upwind trolls were 15deg off the wind to either port/starboard tack. Trolling straight up wind was pure mental gymnastics and beam trolls put the downwind riggers and rods way under the boat and into the prop.
Sockeye are still not schooling in the ususal areas. Plenty of boats working it but very few nets flying just yet.
Great trip but can't wait for August Trip and the promiss of Robertson Creek springs, fishing inside and calmer weather.
Special Thanks to Iron Noggin for his insite and wisdom. Regrettably we had no cell service to inform of our delay arrival and we were unable to connect Saturday.
We ran out 22-25miles from Bamfield each day but fishing was tough as 6-8ft swells at 7-8secs and 2-3ft wind waves made it hard to dail in troll speeds and presentation at the honey holes. We scatched out some nice Columbia bound chinook and coho each day but the ride out a slow slog.
Highlight of the trip was trolling for chicken hali's in 190-200ft of water on the outer La Perouse Bank. Cop-car or Green 11in Hotspot flashers and Army-truck coyote spoons, army-truck candle fish hoochies or North Pacific hoochie #C28CR on 48in leaders trolled at 1.8-2.8mph, 15-20ft above the bottom was the set up. Solid hookups and sporting fight on salmon rods made this fishery an absolute blast. We also pick up 2-3 lings and one or two chinook on same troll tracks each day. Talk about your multi-tasking! Halibut ran 30-37in and lings around 8-9lbs. Chinook ran 18-26lbs and coho were a healthy 7-10lbs.
Idea rod stacking was 20ft from bottom for halibuts and lings and secon and third rods at 85-110ft deep.
We also were able to scratch out resident chinook inside Barkley Sound at Swale Rock, Kirby Point, Whitlesome point, The Wall, and Cape Beal trolling above mentioned army truck spoons or hoochies at 80-120ft down in 200-300ft water. Cape Beal was fished at just off the bottom in 120-150ft of water. Other producers were Ry Davis anchovy specials at same depths behind red, green, cop-car and purple haze flasher. Forget about bait outside the sound - dogfish were way too thick to let the salmon even get a sniff.
Cop-Car Hotspot w/ Amry Truck Coyote spoon was the 2-1 favorite for samon inside and outside. Looks like ocean is to lay down this coming week for those headed up.
Plan on 5-8ft swells if the wind is blowing more than 10mph. Worst seas of the trip we 8-9ft sea at 10seconds mixed with 3-4ft wind wave when wind kicked up in the afternoon one afternoon. We had only one wave break on the motor bracket which, was a non-event but for a healthy dose of spray for the skipper while reaching down to fire up the kicker. Most troll tracks speed controlled by backing into the swell to slow down wind drift. The upwind trolls were 15deg off the wind to either port/starboard tack. Trolling straight up wind was pure mental gymnastics and beam trolls put the downwind riggers and rods way under the boat and into the prop.
Sockeye are still not schooling in the ususal areas. Plenty of boats working it but very few nets flying just yet.
Great trip but can't wait for August Trip and the promiss of Robertson Creek springs, fishing inside and calmer weather.
Special Thanks to Iron Noggin for his insite and wisdom. Regrettably we had no cell service to inform of our delay arrival and we were unable to connect Saturday.
