Port McNeil/Sointula Winters

[Steelhead S2]

Heading to Malcolm Island for the holidays. Taking the drift gear to hit the usual North Island flows. But also thinking about hunting some winter springs. I've heard they tend to run shallower up there than down here (CR area). Any tips or tricks?

I always take up a heavy casting rod and take a few throws off the dock, but just end up with flat fish or snagged bait. But a very fishy friend of mine from back east tags winters off the rocks, on practically every cast it seems. (Also made it into the paper up there for capsizing while targeting ho's around the Cluxewe last October.) So that makes me think shallow.

Anyway, if the weather and tides and family obligations all align, I may just sneak out for a troll one day.

 

[Steelhead S2]

Well, thanks for the flood of info! Didn't really come in handy though, as it blew pretty much every day I was up there. I did sneak put for a couple of quiet hours on Christmas day, while my young'un napped and the others bounced off the walls. Nice to get out on the calms water and enjoy a few moments of much needed peace. But, no feesh. I just ran one rod, with a jellyfish/glow type flasher and a glow hoochie. Not that it really maters what I was using, as it didn't produce. Ran it high, medium and low. Actually a little surprised that nothing took a bite, but that's fishing.