Pilchards are Sardines
- Thread starter Dogbreath
- Start date
Island Fish Lifter
Well-Known Member
The prob with them is they dont last, even in a brine. You pretty much have to catch them and use them right away. Killer bait when fresh though, Ive found a way to fish them live behind the downrigger, also work great cut- plugged.
Fish Assassin
Crew Member
They do make a great plug....I love fishing them when I catch them. Heavy salt if you do want to brine them up. Straight salt....Dry brine them
searun
Well-Known Member
Got some VP and commercially frozen in trays just like chovies one year from Derby and they were simply the best bar none. It was stupid. All my buds thought I was a magician - reality it was the bait. Derby....pull out all the stops...you will be a hero if you can find em.
IronNoggin
Well-Known Member
Eric Maisonpierre at Seattle Seafoods USA
E: seattleseafoods@msn.com
Major supplier including Blue Water Baits up here.
If he can't get them for you, it is unlikely anyone else can.
Tell him Matt from Ukee sent you.
You're Welcome
Cheers,
Nog
E: seattleseafoods@msn.com
Major supplier including Blue Water Baits up here.
If he can't get them for you, it is unlikely anyone else can.
Tell him Matt from Ukee sent you.
You're Welcome
Cheers,
Nog
IronNoggin
Well-Known Member
Not trying to create competition for Derby or anyone else Local by any means. Just so happened I chatted a fair bit with this particular fella when he was up in Ukee last year, and he noted then that if we ever needed any type of particular bait, he would be right willing to help. Also noted pilchards on hand. Maybe he still has some...
Just Sayin' is all...
Cheers,
Nog
Just Sayin' is all...
Cheers,
Nog
onthewater
New Member
Anybody know the price of those little babies??
RookieFisherPerson
Member
"Pacific Sardines, commonly called pilchards, are a small migratory fish related to herring and shad. Sardines migrate to B.C. from California during the late summer and remain until the fall when they migrate back to California to spawn. They can be recognized by a row of black spots on the sides of the body under the scales. Sardines are most frequently encountered off the west coast of Vancouver Island during years when warm El Niño waters are prevalent. "
With this being a La Nina year - should I expect to see less pilchards off the WCVI this summer?
With this being a La Nina year - should I expect to see less pilchards off the WCVI this summer?
River Rat
Active Member
Seafever
Well-Known Member
If I read my biology book right, every year some Pilchards decide to stick around on the west coast instead of migrating back down. The ones that stay are usually older bigger adults and predominantly female.
They are sensitive to water temperature.
If the water gets too cold over the winter here, many will die off because of it.
Wholesale sports in Nanaimo had some in their freezer awhile back.
They looked kind of "freezer burnt" and the eyes were starting to go milky.
What impressed me was the size of some of them........big.
It looked like they'd make good bait if I was, say, trolling for Bullsharks....
They are sensitive to water temperature.
If the water gets too cold over the winter here, many will die off because of it.
Wholesale sports in Nanaimo had some in their freezer awhile back.
They looked kind of "freezer burnt" and the eyes were starting to go milky.
What impressed me was the size of some of them........big.
It looked like they'd make good bait if I was, say, trolling for Bullsharks....
tubber
Well-Known Member
some reading for march madness timeouts. Looks like about 50 per game so far.
http://www.pices.int/publications/scientific_reports/Report10/mcfarlane.pdf
Derby
Crew Member
The jigs up. I guess its ok now to come to Renfrew in June and chase some BIG BUTTS
Is there something you forgot to tell me
Sharphooks
Well-Known Member
Tray-pack pilchards
Hello, Gents
Thanks for the good word, Nog. I appreciate it. Yes, I work with Bluewater, but mostly for commercial applications (pilchards and squid for pot fishing) My customer base for pilchards are dungeness crab fishermen and guys up in Alaska who pot-fish Pacific cod
I always grab a few blocks for myself from the July fishery and some for my buds who use them for their prawn traps (deadly). I tease the pilchards apart with a heat gun, then brine them. I fish them whole (in a plastic head) or plug-cut them. Yes, they can be deadly, but up in Port Hardy last year, I noticed that they weren't all that effective when the springs were feeding on sandlance. It seemed to be a "size" thing --the small 2" firecracker anchovies seemed to be the ticket.
I'm not aware of anyone who tray-packs sardines. I sell commercial quantities of sardines (10,000 lbs ) to a bait distributor down here who fillets them and tray-packs the fillets ( the fishermen wrap the fillets onto a Kwikfish diving plug with magic thread for spring chinook in the Columbia)
If you could put together a large enough order, I'd be willing to ask him to tray-pack some whole sardines. I'd do it at cost but my guess is the order would probably have to be at least a pallet to get this guy's attention
I have 15,000 lbs of 150 gram product (purple label size ??) put up in Astoria (packed in 1 x 10 kg cartons). They would be a good candidate for a tray-pack because the quality is good (no mushy fish)
If you wanted smaller sardines (like a red label or a green label size) I'd have to book an order down in California. They typically get the smaller ones down there, but trucking up the highway would add significant cost
Someone mentioned blue label herring: I fished Uke last August with brined blue label that I fished whole in a blue plastic head. I don't think having a true pilchard in that plastic head would have made any difference: it was ridiculously effective for big springs. I fished the herring side by size with a large Tomic plug (painted with pilchard spots per recommendations from Nog; thanks Nog!)
I'd say the Blue Label out-fished the plugs once the sun came up and the fishing got a bit more scratchy. But during the bite, I got the feeling it didn't matter what you had on the end of your line once you found the schools of pilchard and the downrigger cables started making that magic pinging noise that meant only one thing: fasten the seat belts
But it was hard to beat the blue label as a confidence-booster. Lot's of that around as you guys know
I'm at your service if you want to explore tray-pack pilchards.
And thanks again for the referral, Nog. BTW, the incredible trip I had last August in Uke was due in no small part to the chat I had with you on the dock and the pointers you gave me. You da man.
Hello, Gents
Thanks for the good word, Nog. I appreciate it. Yes, I work with Bluewater, but mostly for commercial applications (pilchards and squid for pot fishing) My customer base for pilchards are dungeness crab fishermen and guys up in Alaska who pot-fish Pacific cod
I always grab a few blocks for myself from the July fishery and some for my buds who use them for their prawn traps (deadly). I tease the pilchards apart with a heat gun, then brine them. I fish them whole (in a plastic head) or plug-cut them. Yes, they can be deadly, but up in Port Hardy last year, I noticed that they weren't all that effective when the springs were feeding on sandlance. It seemed to be a "size" thing --the small 2" firecracker anchovies seemed to be the ticket.
I'm not aware of anyone who tray-packs sardines. I sell commercial quantities of sardines (10,000 lbs ) to a bait distributor down here who fillets them and tray-packs the fillets ( the fishermen wrap the fillets onto a Kwikfish diving plug with magic thread for spring chinook in the Columbia)
If you could put together a large enough order, I'd be willing to ask him to tray-pack some whole sardines. I'd do it at cost but my guess is the order would probably have to be at least a pallet to get this guy's attention
I have 15,000 lbs of 150 gram product (purple label size ??) put up in Astoria (packed in 1 x 10 kg cartons). They would be a good candidate for a tray-pack because the quality is good (no mushy fish)
If you wanted smaller sardines (like a red label or a green label size) I'd have to book an order down in California. They typically get the smaller ones down there, but trucking up the highway would add significant cost
Someone mentioned blue label herring: I fished Uke last August with brined blue label that I fished whole in a blue plastic head. I don't think having a true pilchard in that plastic head would have made any difference: it was ridiculously effective for big springs. I fished the herring side by size with a large Tomic plug (painted with pilchard spots per recommendations from Nog; thanks Nog!)
I'd say the Blue Label out-fished the plugs once the sun came up and the fishing got a bit more scratchy. But during the bite, I got the feeling it didn't matter what you had on the end of your line once you found the schools of pilchard and the downrigger cables started making that magic pinging noise that meant only one thing: fasten the seat belts
But it was hard to beat the blue label as a confidence-booster. Lot's of that around as you guys know
I'm at your service if you want to explore tray-pack pilchards.
And thanks again for the referral, Nog. BTW, the incredible trip I had last August in Uke was due in no small part to the chat I had with you on the dock and the pointers you gave me. You da man.
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C
cheech
Guest
Sharphooks
Well-Known Member
Jigging pilchards? A couple of you mentioned you've had success picking up live pilchards with herring jigs. What kind of jigs and hook sizes are you using???
On multiple occasions I dropped herring jigs down into huge schools off Bamfield and Ucluelet and never got a bite. I finally gave up. If those schools had been herring and I put in that amount of effort I would have loaded a cooler. What kind of jigs are you guys using?
On multiple occasions I dropped herring jigs down into huge schools off Bamfield and Ucluelet and never got a bite. I finally gave up. If those schools had been herring and I put in that amount of effort I would have loaded a cooler. What kind of jigs are you guys using?
cohochinook
Well-Known Member
Is anybody trying to put together a group order through Sharphooks?
