if you had 1 week to go fishing in bc......

[wolf]

"THE TROLLING THING" first off it sounds like you dont have convidance in this form of fishing or your new to it and dont know what your doing 4 days skunked id pick the latter, did it ever occur to you that the "run" wasnt there yet as backatit said, also just because someone has fished the island for ten years doesnt make him a good fisherman, your un success has nothing to do with our fishery so please dont tell people not to come here based on WHAT you cant do.

B.C. has become the premier destination to catch Salmon where else can you drive an hour and be in prime fishing from a major city or town!!!!!!!!!!!!if you dont like go and catch your perch, but dont hack one of the "greatest "place to catch salmon.


Wolf

 

[viking46]

Ain't the greatest place in the world to catch fish - maybe salmon as i have not caught salmon anywhere other than BC last year (this year I remain skunked). But as an all around fishing destination - it ain't!

I fished the Alberni channel mouth end of August which we were told was the "prime time". The dozen or more boats out those days also got nothing. I felt sorry for the lodge folk who paid big bucks to not catch anything. That's a rip-off and you know it. I think the salmon fishery is over-played and just is not worth the dollars put into it. In Ontario if the walleye are not biting in one end of a lake or bay, chances are they are in another. Go to Northern Ontario and you WILL catch fish. Go to the saltwater around Vancouver Island and you MAY catch a fish. Any 5 lb. walleye will give you fight equal to a 20 lb. salmon. All I am saying is if it's fish you're after - BC is not the best place to dip your line. The problem may be that the salmon fishery is too close to large towns/cities and therefore under tremendous pressure. Maybe a closed season or two to ALL (including native and commercial)fishing may result in a better fishery. My neighbour tells me tales of many salmon caught by fisherpersons as recently as 6 years ago but says that now they are fished right out. I tend to agree with him. I'm not dissing BC but am dissing the "Great BC Salmon Fishery" - don't exist!

 

[wolf]

Well my guests dont seem to have a problem catching salmon most of them were getting 3 to 6 springs a day in august and had someone from this forum get a nice 35 lb spring with and a lot more in the boat so dont know why you have a problem guess you just cant catch salmon.


Wolf

 

[Rum Buddies]

quote:Any 5 lb. walleye will give you fight equal to a 20 lb. salmon

Now I know you've never caught a salmon in your life and the whole story is BS. I've caught walley and on anything but ultra light you can pretty much just crank them in, the do taste good though.

Let me ask why on earth are you participating in a BC sport fishing forum when you don't like fishing BC?

 

[scott craven]

right on poppa...
if ya don't like it here, go fish Ontario Viking.

 

[viking46]

Dead on! Will do my fising in Ontario and manitoba and Saskatchewan. Not going to waste money on a non-exixtant fishery that has been mis-managed.

Have fun fellas - the salmon fishery is dying and you are part of it.

Then 5 years from now you can re-tell - "how great was way back when in 2006". I'll stick with freshwater where I can at least catch a supper once in a while - the salt is off my list until folks smarten up and allow the fish to regenerate.

Enjoy. While you can.

 

[wolf]

BYE BYE have fun !!!!!


Oh and good luck!!!!!!!!!!Wolf

 

[Mongoose]

hey viking46 when you were fishing in bc for salmon did you put hooks on your lure? lol??[:0]

 

[Rum Buddies]

ya be sure to come back with a report about your amazing day perch fishing in Saskatchewan and the 15 foot run that trophy walley made before you horsed it into the boat.

 

[blueorca]

I'm sorry to hear of your experience here. It is disapointing to hear that your efforts were all in vain, but hope that you at least enjoyed the scenery and the boat rides.
There's always been the 80/20 rule in my opinion. 20 percent of the people catch 80 percent of the fish.
I have just wraped up my season which started in full swing at the end of May. To date this season I have boated 487 fish and lost at least 100 plus due to improper hook-ups or in-experienced clients. I keep a log and know this to be an accurate count. Down from last year by 15 percent due to the smaller run of Sockeye in Port Alberni. Personally, I have kept 17 fish for my own consumption. 9 Chum, 6 Sockeye and 2 Springs.

I agree that the fishing is more challenging as there are less fish. Ten years ago, when stocks were plentiful, even the most inexperienced could catch Salmon with little or no knowledge. Back then the top guides were still catching 80 percent of the fish but the average Joe was able to bring home a decent catch.
Today, it takes a lot more effort and dedication but thats why most people love fishing. To challenge themselves to improve techniques and
get better with practice and patience.
If there was no challenge it would be pretty boring. It would be nothing but a meat fishery.
Sorry to hear that you have given up. In retrospect, do you think that you were up to the challenge in the first place?

 

[the runt]

Geez Viking,you live right in the middle of a fishing mecca.Yes there are good fishing in other provinces.But your not going to catch the big five anyware else in Canada.If you check out these sites you really can't go wrong.These extremely generous people on these sites do everything but put them on your hook for you.If your not into the salt, there is some fantastic rivers and lakes.You want to smell skunky alot come on down to washington you'll get a good sniff.As for black mouth because of these guys i wen't from a ok fisherman, to a pretty successful one.One week to fish, hire a guide the first day.either fresh or salt ask a few ?s you'll catch fish.
good luck

 

[IronNoggin]

Good Post Blue!

Kinda sounds like Sour Grapes coming from Viking to me...
aYup, I've fished the flatland provinces (and the Arctic, and the Western US), and found very little that compares with what BC has to offer. This year, my charter business saw over 1,000 fish battled, some landed, some lost. Yes, there were a few of those "off" days, and indeed I had 3 charters this year where we only landed a single salmon. On the other side of the coin, there were many many more days when we tagged into dozens, and C&R became the game of the moment. As for August, dunno where you were fishing, but I was RIGHT there, and enjoying fairly easy limits and great fun. Might just behoove you to get out there with someone that knows exactly what he/she is doing in TODAY's evolving fisheries, eh??

To slag the grand fishery this Province has to offer based on a couple of dissapointing runs is a tad childish IMNSHO. But hey, the salt, the open ocean and it's denizons ain't for everyone. Enjoy the slough-sharks out east, but PLEASE cease your degenerating whining about what you know not!

Shaking The Old Nog Yet Again...
Nog

 

[wolf]

Right on my friend Nog well put!!!!!!!!!! comparing a 5 lb walleye to a 20 lb spring ill take the spring any day way more fight and alot more fun.


Wolf

 

[Knotty Seamen]

Well said poppa!

 

[totally tyee]

Alley Cat, how did you make out on the lake?

TT

 

[alley cat]

You mean the big "lake" ie salt water .........or Lake Cowichan ?

I'll answer both of my questions , did reasonable on the salt chuck this year , had some quite lean days and endured being blown off the water by the high winds this year(arthritis in the lower back is affecting how much pounding I can take anymore) but got my 8 springs , some sockeye and 4 coho and kept 2 chums.

Lake Cowichan was good at the west end and down towards the islands by the old Caycuse campsite, there is a spot that locals call seagull **** bay , and we took some very nice sized cuts from amongst reeds and one large 6 lber near the entrance to Widow Creek , used flatfish F5 in orange with black dots and deeper with rainbow wee tads.


AL

 

[Barbender]

quote:This year, my charter business saw over 1,000 fish battled, some landed, some lost. Yes, there were a few of those "off" days

Wow Iron those are some impressive numbers but you need to be more specific. How many boats does your business operate? Where do you fish? Was this Sooke or was this the Charlottes? Big difference. I fished this year every week from the end of May to Sept and fishing was down...way way down. Fished Sooke in May and June. Then Renfrew for the balance of the summer. There is no way anyone can say this was a good year. Overall I would say it was **** poor. Some guys did well but overall it was slow. I do agree that fishing in BC is much more scenic than anywhere else in the world but to say that if you did not catch hundreds of fish then you did something wrong is just not accurate. Just about every fisherman I spoke to this year had a off year. The only exception being the Sockeye where where very thick in July and August. Then again maybe I should have sharpened my hooks more.

 

[blueorca]

Actually Nog fish's the same area that Viking46 couldn't find fish in.
Port Alberni.
Apples vs apples.
Point I would like to make though is that the fishery is constantly evolving. Run timing is changing, habitat is changing, holding areas are changing..etc..
Doesn't matter if you in the salt or on the river.
Anglers need to change to. What worked last year at the same time on the same piece of water may not this year.
But I don't think anyone will argue the point that there are fewer fish out there. That's pretty much a given.

Tomtjt - Did you ever get out fishing?

 

[Last Chance]

quote:Originally posted by viking46

Gang, I wasn't hacking BC - just that there are very few fish being chased by very many fisherpersons. Yes, it is a beautiful province (I live on the east side of Vancouver Island) but a fishing paradise it is NOT! Been fishing in Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario and fish can be caught within an hour of being on any lake or river - be it walleye, northerns, sauger, bass, perch, or catfish. Been on the salt 4 times this summer and nada - been on some freshwater lakes a few times more than that and only a few trout to show for the effort. So, what I am saying is - as a fishing destination - BC is not the greatest, as a matter of fact is kinda pitsie.

I go fishing 60-100 times per year, and I'll bet I get skunked less then 1 out of 15 times. Perhaps an error in you technique? Or targeting wrong species/wrong time of year?

Fishing is a very fun hobby. I feel that there are usually three levels to it.

1) Profesional Guide - Throw years of fishing, a passion for fishing, a great attitude, experience, good gear, LOTS OF PATIENCE, and attention to detail in a boat where he/she has planned to fish based in his/her knowledge of the species being targetted, time to get them, tides, and other factors that they have deemed important into a properly outfitted boat, and mix well.

2) Serious angler - Same as above without the paying guests, maybe not quite the investment in gear, but who goes out ready to play the field, and who has paid close attention to their past experiences to give them the best possible chances of success.

3) "The two guys and a case of beer in a boat fishing show". I love these, and any well stocked boat-launch or marina should have some of these any Saturday morning. They are ready to go to wherever last week's fishing report has talked of good fishing. Their gear is well chosen, based on the reccommendation of the seasoned fisherman at the local tackle shop, who would know how to correctly use what he suggested. Their gear is expertly tied together in a big ball in the bottom of the tackle box, they pick colour and bait pretty much at random, and "fish over by the other boats". Although many may have loads of experience, and the odd good run of luck, the typical grumbling heard around the 3 P.M. haul-out time is usually the same, as in "No F**ing fish here". Often I hear this as they are marching by the guys at the cleaning table who are working on dinner.

I am willing to bet that if you enlist the profesional services of one of the many guides around BC, come out with him when he suggests, and follow his advice, you will go home with a smile on your face, and dinner in the box(As most of my guests, and the guests of the other guides in BC do).

 

[Rum Buddies]

well I think it makes a difference if you actual fish and not just make up a story to help promote other provinces.