Greetings From Alberta

[Prairie Locked]

Hey all,

first time poster! I've been reading and researching from the shadows for about a month or so now but thought it might help to participate a little bit too. I just wanted to introduce myself and to say thank you for the insights and opinons shared here.

Unfortunatley I'm land-locked in north central Alberta but am fortunate enough to spend 4 weeks in the Comox Valley each summer with my family. I was introduced to salmon fishing last year by a very generous local through a chance encounter, and I can now admit that I am addicted to salmon fishing (among other saltwater species). To the point of having purchased a 14' Westcoaster this winter to support my addiction...

Now the only thing is to try to gain knowledge and experience, strategies and tactics.

 

[Dogbreath]

Welcome!

Downriggers for that boat are the first thing you need Planers are OK as long as the fish aren't much more than 40' deep.

Lots of Courtenay/Comox folks here so there's lots of info on the area.

 

[Prairie Locked]

Hey Dogbreath, thanks.

Luckily, I bought it from an aquaintance in Courtenay and it's all outfitted with the essentials - 2 manual Scotty riggers with risers and swivels (would like to upgrade 1 to electric though), electronics, etc.

 

[fishhunter327]

I do my hunting in North Central Alberta so you are welcome to do your fishing over here , tight lines and Hello.

 

[Bows Up]

Welcome. Always room for more contributors. You are going to have a blast this summer with your own boat.

 

[Duffer]

Get some electrics soon it sucks fishing 225 with hand cranks. Welcome to the Valley! And the forum

 

[Rockfish]

Congrats on your West coast boat, it’s like your first girlfriend, you will remember it. The coast is a big place with room for lots more Alberta guys.

Reliable motor/s and safety gear are much more important than fishing on the smaller lakes and with a 14 footer don’t push the weather. It can change fast and there is always another day. Get a good full power DSC VHF and a smaller GPS chart plotter/sounder combo; they are your life line if things go bad.

Fished with manual riggers for years, but Duffers right; two electrics have real advantages: such as allowing you to completely clear one side of the boat with the touch of a button so you have a place to bring in the big Chinook if you are fishing by yourself.
With bite times that sometimes last only a half hour or so, being able to get up and down and reset fast after putting one in the boat can get you another Chinook opportunity you would otherwise miss.

 

[Prairie Locked]

Thanks for the hints tips and suggestions guys, thats part of why I registered to post.

Got most of the safety gear locked up, still need the radio and an old school compass (alway like manual backup/redundancy). I'd love 2 electirc, but this year will be lucky if I manage to get 1. Have been looking around for something used as I have champagne wishes on a beer budget (the integrated sounder/gps will need to wait too). Plus, often fish with my two kids (6 and 12) so with a single touch they can help immensely.

Rockfish, I completely understand about the first girlfriend, though I'm anxiously awaiting our first date! Luckily, I managed to spend a fair amount of time on the water last summer and had some great mentoring about scanning the horizon with binocs. Fished the Kitty Coleman humps mostly out of Bates Beach so get to watch the water quite a bit and getting decent at predicting conditions (within reason). Tides, weather and wind forcasts to help plan but still learning. Plus I try to be a fairweather fisheman which helps.

Here's a picture of my baby!

 

[Rockfish]

If money is tight I would suggest getting a used LCD gray scale marine fishfinder/sounder with transducer before even the electric rigger. You should be able to get a good used one in the $30.00 -$70.00 range or even less as most have moved on to color and GPS combos. Not only will you catch more fish but you will waste less time and money with expensive lost gear on reefs etc. It is the one piece of equipment that will save you money and a sounder and compass work well together to find your way in, in the fog without a GPS. Too bad as I gave away a good one last summer that would have been perfect for you. Perhaps someone on here has one they can give you or sell you cheap.

Nice looking boat and trailer by the way.

 

[Prairie Locked]

Rockfish, sorry thought I had indicated that I do have a sounder (electronics). Have a 3 year old Eaqle sounder, just no integrated GPS. May just get a cheap handheld GPS unit to hold over. Thanks for thinking of me.

I agree with you, I wouldn't want to try to fish too deep which is what I did last year staying in the 50-100' range without a sounder. Caught mostly coho, but stayed safe. Did manage a 12 lb hatch spring by going down to 190' for about 5 minutes!

 

[Rockfish]

Sorry did not see that. The one I gave away was also an Eagle - good units. Sounds like you have the basics.

It is snowing here right now like Alberta.

 

[Prairie Locked]

Pssst. I saw FA's post, you call that snow? Thats barely a skiff (though I know it shuts things down for you, cancel school, etc.)

It's currently a balmy -22C (-28 windchill) right now. I'd love to relocate to your guys neck of the woods, it's truly God's country. Been coming out every summer the past 6 years and thoroughly enjoy it.

Here's a picture of what snow looks like

 

[Da Bay Bye]

Welcome to the valley and the forum Prairie Locked. Always good to have more fishermen on the waters. I too fish the Bates Beach, Kitty Coleman area quite regularly. I use an old Hummingbird fish finder and 2 manual down riggers. I get to fish deep and get some exercise at the same time. Look forward to seeing you on the water.

Don

 

[Rockfish]

Yea, but think of all the ice fishing you get to do and your orange golf balls just roll to the edge of the hazard ponds.

 

[Prairie Locked]

Too funny, only problem is I don't fish in the winter ....... (not yet anyway!) .......

 

[NautiGirl]

You can get set up with the riggers and electronics and practice your salmon fishing by trolling for those lakers on Cold Lake after ice off.

 

[Prairie Locked]

You can get set up with the riggers and electronics and practice your salmon fishing by trolling for those lakers on Cold Lake after ice off.

Looking forward to it, as well as a few other local lakes for lakers. It sounds like Cold Lake has rebounded somewhat with the lake trout population and fishing has been pretty hot the last few years.

 

[seadna]

Since you already have a sounder but need a GPS, you might consider installing the Navionics software on a smart phone (it's available for Android and iPhone) or a tablet. I have it on my Android and on an iPad and it compares favorably with my Lowrance GPS (just a smaller screen and it's a little harder to read in bright light). A small handheld Garmin is also nice and if you do both, you have a backup. The Navionics software is around $30 (prices vary a bit and seem to be rising - it was around $10 when I first bought it). But if you already have a smart phone or a tablet it's the cheapest way to go. Note: make sure your tablet has an integrated GPS or you'll also need to buy a GPS puck to hook to the tablet. When the coho are thick or when you're fishing the kelp beds for kings, a delta diver is all you really need to get the bait down in the 20-30' range. But if you're fishing deeper for kings, the electric downriggers are a must.

 

[Prairie Locked]

Seadna, thanks for the tips.

For the integrated Navionics on an iPhone, do you need to have wifi or 3G/4G connection for it to work? I don't have or really need a data plan. I've been looking at the portable/hand held GPS unit and I can't believe how cheap they are these days.

 

[seadna]

Seadna, thanks for the tips.

For the integrated Navionics on an iPhone, do you need to have wifi or 3G/4G connection for it to work? I don't have or really need a data plan. I've been looking at the portable/hand held GPS unit and I can't believe how cheap they are these days.

On an iPhone, once you get the software and the maps installed (you can do this using a wireless network), you don't need 3G/4G connectivity. E.g. the maps are local to the phone and the nav program doesn't need other data. On an iPad, the same is true EXCEPT that the iPad doesn't have an internal GPS UNLESS you buy the version that is 3G/4G capable. You needn't use that capability, but the internal GPS is only packaged with the 3G/4G capable iPad. I really like using it on a tablet since the screen is large and the tablet has other functions (email, watching movies, listening to music etc).