Fishin out of Browns Bay Marina

[tinboatrobb]

My wife and I are towing our 14.5 foot Lund to browns bay for a week of camping and fishing in early September. We usualy fish Oak bay, the waterfront and Sooke. I am well aware of the tides and currents
locally on the south island, not so much around Campbell river. I do know they are fast and very dangerous to small craft and am looking for some local knowledge of where to fish north of the narrows for salmon and bottom fish. The boat and motor are new and reliable, I have depth sounder and chart plotter. What i really want to know is what to saty away from as far as current and danger areas. Have been fishing and small boating for 40 years and consider myself very competant with my boat. Always error on the side of caution. Any info would be appreciated. I have also been on a few whale watching boats up there and have seen what the current can do. Thanks.

 

[Barnacle Bill]

In the late 80's early 90's while guiding, I used to see almost daily a lady
running a 14' pale yellow tin boat with a 9.9 outboard, fishing up in Deep
Water Bay. She would run up from Campbell River in that boat all by herself.
Never saw her until the pinks, sockeye and chums were running.

If she could run up and down through the narrows, surely with your boating experience,
and having no need to go through the narrows, and using common sense, you should have
no problems.

Maybe some other old time guides know of this lady and may comment please? Now that it
has come to mind, sure would like to know more of her. .......BB

 

[salmonkiller01]

Browns bay is a great place to fish in small boat. It is situated on the mouth of Seymour narrows and has a lot of tidal flow, however I have always found it easier to fish than the south end of Quadra Island most likely as we fish 40-90 at Browns bay and 200 at the south end of Quadra. From browns bay going south into the narrows about a mile is where the tidal action can get a bit squirly, whirl pools and boils. You are not gonna be fishing there and even if it was a big flood it is intimidating but stay out of the whirl pools and your fine. I have run thru hundreds of times and even stopped in a whirlpool to see what happens(we spun slowly). Deepwater Bay, Plumper bay and the wall outside of Browns bay will be holding fish that time of year and the people at Browns Bays will let you know the fish are at. The only downfall is if you get a NW wind, comes straight down from Johnson strait and gets a bit choppy.

 

[Cuba Libre]

You would not have wanted to be out there today! It was not the whirlpools--- I stay away from those during a large flood or ebb, it was the NW wind. Not dangerous, just plain irritating. I was out with two grandaughters that are not that boat savy--- Impossible to run two lines.

 

[Seafever]

I don't think I'd want to put a 14.5 Lund in the middle of any of those whirlpools to find out what happens.....

 

[tinboatrobb]

Not to worry. I have been in some huge whirlpools on the Eagle Eye Whale watch boats up there and they are fun but not in my boat....Every year seems there is a story of a boat getting sucked down and coming up way down stream destroyed.....

 

[salmonkiller01]

A boat will not get sucked under from the whirl pools, the whirlpool would have to be much wider than the boat and deep enough to have the water flow over the transom or gunnels and would swamp the boat then maybe suck it down as it loses bouyancy. Myth buster did a test and to sink an 18 foot boat the whirlpool had to be 150 wide or something like that.

 

[tinboatrobb]

It is apparent that you have not seen the size of the whirlpools in that area. They can be huge. No place to mess around in any case with a small boat. Some impressive rapids etc up there.

 

[salmonkiller01]

It is apparent that you have not seen the size of the whirlpools in that area. They can be huge. No place to mess around in any case with a small boat. Some impressive rapids etc up there.

Been thru Seymour narrows well over a hundred times, big boils and whirl pools but never felt unsafe. Places like hole in the wall are more intimidating. Guess it depends what your used to.

 

[JAC]

Myth buster proved you couldn't suck a boat under in a whirlpool. It was a funny episode

 

[tinboatrobb]

Salmomkiller. Hole in the wall is the place I was actually thinking about. Maybe a little different that a whirlpool.. Both are places to avoid at the wrong time.