re: Fishing in the lower mainland salt

[jarod]

Hi There,

New to this forum, I am originally from the Terrace area and did a ton of river fishing up there. I became a bit soured on fishing after a couple of trips to the Vedder. It wasnt exactly what I was used to...many days up north I would be the only one on the river and had the fish to myself along with the peace/serenity that came with it. I have recently purchased a Sailboat and want to do some trolling/bottom fishing in the Vancouver area this summer. I am not familiar with the area and realize a sailboat is not the optimal platform for fishing but I caught quite a few chinook and halibut from my dad's boat as a kid. I guess I am looking for general advise on where to fish...not asking for secret spots just good places to start and general information for someone new to the lower mainland saltwater fishing scene....keep in mind that my boat does a whopping top speed of 6 knots under power so for me to get anywhere quick on a wkd is not going to happen. I am currently at lynwood marina (north Vancouver) so i assume the mouth of the capilano and spots in howe sound would be my best bet for a wkd of fishing. Hole in the Wall? Where is it?) Thanks in advance for your advice. Oh also i wonder if I can troll slow enough with the Atomic 4 gas inboard in my boat???? anyone have any experience with this?

Jarod

 

[tortuga]

Keep am eye on the Wednesday fishing report in the North Shore News.
Every other week there will be a salt water report. Wouldn't advise fishing the Cap. with a sailboat. Try around Jericho and the freighters till mid april then troll between Cowans Point and the Q.A. marker. Lot's of room out there.
Good Luck!

 

[knucklebuster]

hi Jarod,try www.fishingwithrod.com if you haven't yet.Seems to be a lot of guys from the main land there.(lots of vedder fisherman too )

a total MILF.Man I Love Fishing

 

[jarod]

ok so no to the Cap ...iam guessing it is pretty tight for room there?...the boat is definately not that maneuverable...so you may be right on that one...is this QA marker on the charts? oh ya and where is this Hole in the Wall i always read about on this forum?

 

[knucklebuster]

quote:
Keep am eye on the Wednesday fishing report in the North Shore News.
Every other week there will be a salt water report. Wouldn't advise fishing the Cap. with a sailboat. Try around Jericho and the freighters till mid april then troll between Cowans Point and the Q.A. marker. Lot's of room out there.
Good Luck!

I'm digging deep into my memory bank but I recall fishing for cap coho in front of the pink apartments.Does this still go on?I launched in Pt. Moody and stopped at a place on North Shore for herring and just drifted around west of ambelside beach.Mooching live herring.Not very deep or fast.Probably be o.k. in sailboat.Also believe there is 2 coho runs per year in Cap and one is coming up.

a total MILF.Man I Love Fishing

 

[knucklebuster]

quote:
ok so no to the Cap ...iam guessing it is pretty tight for room there?...the boat is definately not that maneuverable...so you may be right on that one...is this QA marker on the charts? oh ya and where is this Hole in the Wall i always read about on this forum?

QA marker is out from PT grey.Good for when the pinks are coming in.
Hole in the wall is up howe sound from Horseshoe Bay

a total MILF.Man I Love Fishing

 

[Mr. Dean]

Hello there jarod. Welcome to the Lower Mainland!

As you can see, things are somewhat different here. For starters we have tons of people and tons of traffic. This traffic is hard to get away from. Whether it be on the streets and highways or on a sandbar in the river.

One thing for certain. The North Shore isn't the place for a trolling sailboat. In the summer it isn't much different than any of our crowded bridges and roads. Yes we even get this traffic on our local waters and it can get crazy. Plus the fact that you throw in the cruise ships and freighter traffic of summer

Hole in the wall might work for ya. But it can get busy up there as well, especially on weekends. It is more open though.

Any of these spots you'd do fine in right now. Most of our fishing populous are warmer weather types.

I'm thinking....Bell buoy....QA....T-10....South side of Bowen as being better areas for you to learn. All these spots put you out in the strait. Some of em can get sloppy depending on tides, wind and timing. Some also have several currents to deal with. But LOTS of room for ya!

I bet it won't be long before you start missing your 'Home Land'. <img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>

Cheers!

Some like it rough...
Others just puke!
Mr. Dean

 

[Dogbreath]

The next 6 weeks are prime time locally.
The mile markers on the Vancouver side all the way down to the mouth of the Fraser are the place to be for the next 2 weeks.
The South end of Bowen is a great place to troll from a sailboat during April into May anywhere from 0.5 to 8 miles offshore and 50'-160' down.
Use whatever works-glo-green spoons/purple haze hootchies or brined bait.
After May 24th most fish have ascended the Fraser and it slows right down until the middle of July although the QA will put out fish occasionally.
Fish the North Shore on a flood tide only.
I disagree that it's too crowded to fish the North Shore from a sailboat but it's also true that not every fish is caught smack dab in front of Ambleside.

 

[Red Monster]

Not the Cap.

Remember, it's called "fishing," not "catching."

 

[dog]

Good Evening. Just found this great forum. Love the salt discussions. I generally launch my 16'Double Eagle in Steveston once or twice a month to troll for a few hours, so I'm usually somewhere between Stanley Park and Sandheads. Occaisionally Porlier on a glass calm day.

I won't bother to share any of my bad habits Jarod, except that once a year, usually in June, we head over to Silva Bay, Gabriola for a long weekend around Fathers Day to fish for Springs. Great 3 day trip for your boat. I think it is a nice cruise across, and a nice place to moor up for a couple nights.

I have a question (not too far off topic) about the blooming brown stuff in the water off the mouths of the Fraser in May. What is it. Last May 23 I trolled an hour off T10, and the rigger line came up coated with brown bloom that was so thick it almost looked like the top of a bullrush. Actually only 1mm thick, but I tend to exaggerate. Does anyone know what is it and what do the fish think of it. Does it mean the Springs are gone to somewhere else that is turd free? I hope it wasn't turd. There were lots (10+) of killer whales transiting from T10 to South of Sandheads that day, so I thought there might be Springs around somewhere. But I didn't get a nibble that day.

 

[Dogbreath]

It's not turd just algae and occasionally some dead jellyfish mixed it-a local curse.
If anything can make local fishing miserable that s*** sure can.

 

[Fishallspec]

As you can see from the boys here,LOTS of great sailing/fishing spots around here.I would highly reccomend you take a Power Squadron course.Being informed is the best safety you can buy.PLUS the course will teach you how to get to these great areas!I am not selling here,I have 2 weeks to go before I write.I have been on and around the water my whole life and have learned alot from this course.We fished the freighters from a 26' Magregor many times, always under power though.Good Luck!

 

[knucklebuster]

quote:
As you can see from the boys here,LOTS of great sailing/fishing spots around here.I would highly reccomend you take a Power Squadron course.Being informed is the best safety you can buy.PLUS the course will teach you how to get to these great areas!I am not selling here,I have 2 weeks to go before I write.I have been on and around the water my whole life and have learned alot from this course.We fished the freighters from a 26' Magregor many times, always under power though.Good Luck!

ditto on the power squadrons.I grew up on the water.Fishing Active Pass ,dodging ferries.I thought I was good on the water.I was doing some chartering so my insurance co. wanted power squadrons.Awesome idea.I learned so much.Also,makes you see a lot more dufuses out there.

a total MILF.Man I Love Fishing

 

[LittleG]

I agree - take the Canadian Power Squadron Course! I'm about half way through it now, and its the best training one can get. I have been around boats for the past 40 years, and have owned a number of them, including my latest, a 2052 Trophy. I do have the latest Nav stuff, GPS, Radar etc, but only now, am I feeling confident, especially with Navigation, Chart Readng etc. I think some insurance companies will offer a discount if you hace successfully completed the CPS Course.