Morning Fishing....
- Thread starter Seafever
- Start date
FishWhisperer
Active Member
I too usually fish about 180". I used to guide out of Nanaimo way back when ... Springs, mornings, Green/glow spatter back needlefish hootchie (rising tide best): Green Can - 50" to 77". Neck Pt. - 77" to 107". Fingers - 77" to 127". HWY (3.5 Miles off the Fingers) - 117" to 227". Entrance Reef - 50" to 77". * Entrance Gap (watch your tide and your cannon balls) - 147" to 187". Orlebar Pt to the Cannery - 50" to 77" (I like 7's). Keep in mind, the higher the sun the deeper the fish.
* A flood tide will try to push your gear into the wall. Quarter your boat into the tide and rake the wall.
Good luck!
* A flood tide will try to push your gear into the wall. Quarter your boat into the tide and rake the wall.
Good luck!
Charter Tofino
Well-Known Member
Depends on the fishery. Obviously the qualicums is a morning/evening show with fish up on the surface. Other than that i don't think it matters in our area as the fish are "normally" deep. Ill hit them around 100ft at the shallowest and 280 at the deepest. Like you i rarely bother getting up early as i would rather fish the tides. That said my ideal situation is getting on the water at 730am and having a 10:30 low tide. It gives me time to find the fish before it turns on.
Peterman
Active Member
My buddies who fish Sooke a lot and Renfrew, Bamfield, Ukee etc are hooking fish in the Top 30ft, even as the bait lays on top of the water before the sunrise... but Nanaimo seems a lot deeper... maybe has something to do with them nozing the freshwater to find their home Rivers... but thats a wild guess...
From my experience there isn't really a significant ECVI morning bite and I don't really fish any shallower then the known producing depths. Like others have said, it seems to be all about the tides. Something about getting out at first light always feels good though.... I feel like you get rewarded for the effort more often than not.
Sharphooks
Well-Known Member
I always thought that getting on the water at first light was a head maneuver as much as anything else-- it gives you time to sort out your strategy and while you're busting that move, if you're going to make a mistake or have some issues come up with the boat or the gear, having that extra part of the day allows you to get the crap out of the way and be properly loaded for bear when the bite does come on.
I'm a high-slack, low-slack kind of guy, but early AM always seems to fit right in between those two grooves, especially if one of the slacks is in the first few hours of daylight.
I agree with Sculpin--think deep April through June, but early AM, sometimes that 50/60 foot part of the column can light up. Not sure about ECVI, but that has been a productive part of the column for me in Bamfield late May/early June, then down to 150 once the light gets on the water.
I also noticed that some of the bigger fish I saw caught or heard about were hooked at 150+. I remember a guide getting a 40 lb early June fish at 250 feet. That was an eye-opener for me
I'm a high-slack, low-slack kind of guy, but early AM always seems to fit right in between those two grooves, especially if one of the slacks is in the first few hours of daylight.
I agree with Sculpin--think deep April through June, but early AM, sometimes that 50/60 foot part of the column can light up. Not sure about ECVI, but that has been a productive part of the column for me in Bamfield late May/early June, then down to 150 once the light gets on the water.
I also noticed that some of the bigger fish I saw caught or heard about were hooked at 150+. I remember a guide getting a 40 lb early June fish at 250 feet. That was an eye-opener for me
EstevanPoint
Active Member
All fish species that live in waters where light penetrates are affected by sun up and sun down. (Salmon live in that range) They are affected by the change in light and choose this time to feed because animals may see well at night or in daylight, but nothing sees well during dawn or dusk, eyes just aren't designed to do that. Therefore predators, of nearly any species, not just fish, choose dawn and dusk as a prime time to hunt! Salmon are a predator! Get out early its usually the nicest part of the day anyway... just make sure you have a nice thermo of coffee!
spring fever
Well-Known Member
I try and arrange one side of the boat to stay on the top part of the water column- but when I'm off-shore I check out 90 ,120,150 early in the morning but within 1/2 hr I'm where I like to fish with a chovie 180 to 220. When that lights up you're 90% sure she's a good one. Not muh trouble arranging mine to be the deep line-most people find it too much trouble to fish a chovie that deep LOL
