Fishing around Sidney?

[teamchachi]

Long time reader/lurker, first time poster...

I live in Calgary but usually get out to the salt for some Salmon action a couple of times every year. All my fishing over the last 10 years has been in Barkley Sounds and Alberni Inlet.

My Dad just retired, bought a boat and is keeping it in Sidney. In early July I'm bringing the wife and kids out for a week on the boat. If I had my way we'd be heading to Sooke or Renfrew, but the kids are small and I want to ease them into things. So we'll stick around Sidney.

Where will I find the locals at this time of year?

 

[Bodie]

We usually fish around Hambley Point, on the south east corner of Sidney Island, Fairfax Point, on the south west corner of Moresby Island and Sidney Channel, along the west side of James Island. With small kids along, you can hang out at Sidney Spit where there are excellent beaches and walking trails, and get to all three areas in minutes. Sidney Spit has docks, mooring buoys and lots of good holding ground.

 

[Mongoose]

its been very slow ive heard and the few that were caught were only around 10lbs. for some fish go to pedder bay (lots of fish their) but before</u> the Juan de Fuca Salmon Derby ( on the saturday and sunday) just dont go during or a couple of days after it, let some fish get back into the area.

 

[Tsquared]

Considering your family situation, everything Bodie said is right on the money.
T2

 

[teamchachi]

Has anything changed at all since I first posted a couple of weeks ago?

Still pretty dead? The Island Outfitters report wasn't terribly verbose this week....

 

[teamchachi]

A quick update now that I've returned home. Had a great afternoon of fishing at Fairfax Point. We boated 12 and 18 lb Chinooks, and lost a couple of others. Had one up beside the boat who appeared to be in the 25 lb range before he straightened the hook.

All fish were caught on army truck coyotes with chartreuse green flashers in 100' of water right near the bottom.

 

[Tsquared]

Good for you chachi. Glad you got some and had a good trip.
T2

 

[Bodie]

Great fishing teamchachi!

We spent Saturday and Sunday in Sooke, trying to fish in fog, uncomfortable winds and rough water. Two strikes on Saturday was all we were able to manage. We moved the boat back to Sidney and fished Fairfax on Tuesday, but didn't fare any better. The weather was so good, it didn't really matter, and when we got back to the Spit we had our limit of Dungeness Crab.

The only coyote I didn't try was the Army Truck, and I should know better - most of my Sidney fish have been caught on Coyotes, either the Army Truck or the Cop Car.

Whenever we're fishing in Sidney and not catching anything, I usually think of a local fisherman named Otto. I never met him, but he apparently fished the Sidney area for years, always caught fish and only used Army Truck hootchies. Apparently he started every season with a visit to Harvey's Sporting Goods for a box of them.

 

[teamchachi]

I was starting to wonder if there were any salmon in the Sidney area after getting skunked in Sidney Channel, Coal Island, and Wymond Point. We got all of our Springs on Tuesday night around dinner time in the middle of the flood.

We keep the boat in Sidney, so I'm glad to have at least one spot thats close to the marina (Canoe Cove) where we can drop the lines with some reasonable chance of success!

Sounds like Sooke was bumpy? The VHF weather sounded like it was blowing pretty hard....

 

[Bodie]

Fairfax and Hambley have always been our best spots for catching fish. Coal Island costs me too much in lost gear on the rocks, and with manual downriggers, I find dragging the bottom of Sidney Channel more work than it's worth. There's a good evening tide tonight, we might give it a shot...

 

[teamchachi]

Fishing Fairfax is great with the GPS. I just followed the 100 ft line all the way around. All our fish were taken about 100 metres towards Schwartz Bay from the point, along the 100 foot contour.

How does one fish Sidney Channel? Aren't the crab traps a nuisance? Is there a particular spot? Or do you just drag the bottom down the middle of the channel?

 

[Bodie]

We fished Fairfax from 4-7pm Saturday...nothing, not even a nibble. Same area, 90-120 foot line, Army Truck and Cop Car Coyotes and Army Truck Hootchies. Lots of targets on the sounder, everywhere

Regarding the channel, the usual track is from just west of the red can south towards the bay on the east side of James Island, then along the eastern beach to the end of the island. The area is all sand, and full of needlefish, so you pretty much drag the the bottom, usually at about 125-135 feet. Tiny teasers with small strip and other needlefish lures work best. There are others that drift fish in the bay with good success. I've heard of the odd halibut being picked up there, too.

And yes, the commercial crab lines can be a nuisance, all you can do is try to keep clear of them. If you're not already, be aware that each commercial float you see marks one end of a line that usually has at least 10 traps on it and a float at the other end, so if you see one, you have to try to identify where the other end is so you can avoid the whole line.