Gorge Herring Already?

[saltydawg]

For the last week a large flotilla of 60-100 Cormorants have been diving in herding formation in Victoria harbour. I've been watching them from my office buildings window. Same behaviour you see further up in the Gorge when the herring run in March.
Is it possible herring are staging a little early this year?
Also if the herring are there, do you think salmon would follow into the harbour???
Also, do you think the local harbour patrol would kind of frown on a guy trolling up and down in front of the Empress Hotel? I guess you couldn't exactly drop your trousers and use a pee bucket within smiling distance of the tourists in the Bengal Room eh?

I wonder how deep the water is there?

If I get inspired, maybe Wednesday I'll try it.

So if you see a 17' red Campion jigging or trolling of the Coho dock on Wednesday, don't call the cops. It's me.

 

[Mongoose]

well all of the fry herrings are coming out of the gorge. they have been exiting for about 4 weeks now. all of the winters ive caught their bellies are full of 2-3.5" herring. but in march all of the mature herring go in the gorge to mate.

 

[scott craven]

larger of the 2 fish we had saturday had a gut full of 6" herring !!

 

[totally tyee]

Full swing is around the beginning of March each year. If there are any left.............

 

[victoriaboater]

Earliest I have pulled herring from the Admirals bridge is early February.

 

[Mongoose]

are you allowed to catch them with a net?

 

[wolf]

Learn to read the reg there mongoose!!!!!!


Wolf

 

[Mongoose]

hahaha...fine

 

[Rum Buddies]

I was reading the other day and I think a dip net or cast net is ok for herring but I'd double check on that one.

I've never actually seen them spanning in the gorge but are they tight enough together that you could use a cast net? Anybody tried that?

 

[Last Chance]

Not on the Gorge, but we had a big chunk of herring net we'd string between two fingers on the Cow Bay gvt warf as kids during the winter, they would blacken the water there. They are spooked easily and go FAST, so you would need a BIG damn net. We would wait untill they swam over, and pull the sides up quick. With a BIG HONKING chunk of net, we did ok.

 

[Rum Buddies]

ya i remember hearing about the legendary mill bay herring balls and I assumed cowichan got the same, I don't think they return in the respectable numbers to that area any more.

 

[Last Chance]

I'll bet the eel grass beds off Botwsain Bank (Chery Point) would hold them, that is one huge piece of spawning real estate.

 

[islandboy]

I watched a cormorant catch and eat a large herring [8)] at the foot of Colquitz Yesterday. Has anyone tried jigging from the walkway? Or a boat? Anyone having success yet?

 

[Rum Buddies]

saw a couple come off the galloping goose bridge the other day, then checked out admirals and nobody had anything.

 

[totally tyee]

I've got a few reports, its pretty hit and miss out there. One day its good the next day nothing.

 

[Rum Buddies]

really good on the galloping goose today

 

[explorer185]

I loved it, 7 brave soles out there this morning on the Craigflower Bridge at 11:30 am and it was snowing to beat the band.

 

[tekk11]

going for herring tomorrow am
is the goose bridge still the hot spot???
any info would be great
gk

 

[Rum Buddies]

I stopped by admirals twice yesterday for about 30 mins each time - not a thing happening.

 

[Yote]

A couple weeks ago I went through a nice bait ball twice and used my salmon net to scoop up a 5 gallon pail worth of herring. Too easy...I would have pent many cold days on that bridge trying to catch the same amount there. It was incredible how many herring there were.

I see the birds are in the gorge every morning doing their controlled hunt where they are herding the schools of herring.