Fishing at Night??

[Jacob's Ladder]

Other than the obvious risks. Is it legal to hali (anchored)or salmon fish at night (trolling). Providing the boating requirements for nav lights etc are followed of course.

just curious

JL

 

[scott craven]

A guy I know anchored up on Constance over night a few years back,
they caught Halibut, but said it was a little scary.
why would you bother, they bite in day light as well.

 

[Rockfish]

Went a little early once to fish off Sooke for Salmon and ended up in the dark for a bit. Running lights, GPS/ChartPlotter, Radar and reflector. Charged up glow teasers etc but found it mostly a pain because you can’t see or avoid the tide lines and crap in the water that fouls your lines and rigger cables. Large flood lights may have helped but I don't think they are allowed. I did not think fishing in the dark is worth the headaches and have not tried it since.

As far as I know there is nothing unlawful about fishing in the dark except using artificial light other than as perscribed in the regs and nothing listed in the Unlawful Actions section of the Salt Sport Fishing Guide against fishing in the dark. It just does not seem to be that pratical in a place like Sooke with lots of tidelines and floating crap.

 

[fshnfnatic]

Don't know about hali's,but I can tell you that you won't catch salmon in the dark. I commmercial trolled back in the
late 80's/early 90,s and my skipper was as hard core as they get. Up at 4 am every morning and the gear down before
the crack of dawn. Not once in 5 years of fishing did we ever get our first fish of the day until there was some sort of
discernable light. Likewise in the evening, we would troll until it was pitch black out. I remember many nights when the
bite was on and the coho were nailing every hook we had down. The instant the sun went over the horizon, " some of
the most incredible sunsets I,ve ever seen in my life!!",the fish would stop biting. It was like someone had thrown a
switch or something. Never ceased to amaze me!

 

[GDW]

What about under the light of a full(ish) moon?

 

[albernifisher]

A few years back I went out at 1am on a crystal clear night and a full moon, in Port alberni harbour. Ran glow in the dark plugs and hoochies for a couple hrs without a nibble.

 

[Dogbreath]

Of course back in the Old Days we didn't have the kind of strong glo paints we have now-the kind that glows for hours & hours.

I've certainly caught Halibut up @ Langara in the dark and bioluminescent Needlefish were spilling out of their mouths first I'd ever seen that.

 

[PK SCALE]

No nite bite for me either. Tried a few times after work when I guided in Vancouver, City lights didn't seem to work either.

 

[steel_dreamin]

I believe Mark P (sportfishing BC) was night fishing in Nootka and doing quite well.

 

[JAC]

In the Great Lakes they fish early like 2am they catch fish in pitch black. Full moons would be a good time to try. In the up river part of the Columbia river there out there at 330am dark. Some people in Nootka sound start really early in the dark too!

 

[JAC]

On another note I have done really well sturgeon fishing in the night!

 

[hud52]

First light or tide change have always worked best for me, including Nootka.

 

[Andrew P]

I caught my fish of the year in the dark last year. Sept 15. Arrived at the launch at Mcaulley Point in Esquimalt to realize I had left way too early; only time I have ever been first to the launch there. I decided to slowly motor over to Ogden Point and got there and it was still half an hour before first light. I had charged up a glow flasher and glow teaser head for anchovie on the cruise over with a flashlight. I have lights and had navigation so I dropped a rod in the dark and before I could get a second rod down(which was a good thing probably), it was on. It took about 20 or so minutes to get it in the boat and was just first light by the time it was over.

I give full credit to the glow gear. Perhaps some would say that 20 minutes before first light, which is before sunrise by a while, isn't quite dark....but it was pretty darn dark. It wasn't until the second pass by the boat that I realized just how big it was. It was my biggest by far.

This guy weighed in at 32.4 on the Esquimalt Anglers' scale. I was expecting more coho than tyee so I had a fly reel set up with mono. It made for some action...as did solo netting this guy. The dark was certainly a challenge, but for me was worth it.

 

[ChoveyRoller]

Nice Fish!

 

[hooktender68]

I tried lake fishing at 1 am, full moon on willemar lk years. It was pretty cool, I did well. Tried lighted camera on down rigger one night, no good. Glow hootchies and plugs in Barclay early am in the dark has worked before light 4 me before.

 

[Labman2]

Night time is the best time for big Walleye, but that's a diffrent beast and nthing to do with the O.P. Sorry!

 

[Degree of Freedom]

I'd rather sleep....

 

[spring fever]

I have had tremendous success very early before dawn with a Pirates den double fash white LED light in an ivory cuttlefish or the pearl glow wench-standrd ties behind a normal flasher. Man that is early morning in June and I don't make it that often!!! LOL

 

[vanislehunter]

My uncle used to fish Sockeye in the dark. He'd leave Cowichan Bay at 2am, fish the mouth of the Fraser and be home for breakfast at 7am with a limit. I can only assume he was catching fish while it was dark.

 

[scott craven]

My uncle used to fish Sockeye in the dark. He'd leave Cowichan Bay at 2am, fish the mouth of the Fraser and be home for breakfast at 7am with a limit. I can only assume he was catching fish while it was dark.

your uncle's got some big cojones !!