Tales From The Tyee Pool........2017...

[Dave H]

I'm giving up rowing for Tyee.

Due to a long string of circumstances involving rod-holders going home, rod-holders unavailable, an available one sympathetic to my situation regarding wind following the tide, old age and a slightly sore back, I ended up on the beach at the Clubhouse this evening.

But let me back up a bit. The last three evening outings for me have basically been good exercise as we've seen fish as they porpoise, as they splash, as they jump and as they cavort madly about the pool mocking we poor mortals, and not counting our magnificent Dogfish, we've not had a decent strike since last Saturday with Leaping Lena.

So I wasn't terribly sad to not row tonight plus I've now discovered the secret to having a good bite happen after not happening for a few nights in a row is to have me on the beach.

I base this on the bite that happened tonight when we could see one boat on a fish, lost it, then another rowed out and the net dipped. Then another, and someone up north, then right in front of the Clubhouse. Three or four guys on within minutes of each other.

And naturally the wind eased off too, making for a much easier go and leaving a lovely evening that could have been enjoyed, had we been out.

Off the top of my head there was a 26 1/2 first, then a 25 or so, then a 37 1/2 Tyee, then back to back to back 29 somethings with two called 29 1/2 and one 29 I think.

At least three fish were hooked and lost and I saw six weighed in but as I left only the one Tyee.

Just before I started typing tonight I received a text telling me that I had just been officially nominated as the Sure Bite At Sundown Mascot For 2017, valid as long as I stay on the beach at the Clubhouse.

Should I choose to actually go out and row, thereby jinxing the pool and killing anyone's chance for a Tyee, my neat foil-festooned plastic wine glass "trophy" will have to be returned.

I kind of like that trophy and everybody seemed happy when they caught fish while I watched so.......................maybe I should quit.

NOT!!

Here's a few pics from tonight.

The line-up at the cleaning table with a couple more still lying by the scale so not pictured. They were mostly darker fish tonight.






When it's nice here it's really nice and watching Tyee rowboats plying the pool with the coast mountain range as a backdrop never gets old. Mount Doogie Dowler on the Mainland far away.




More pics when I figure out why my computer isn't working properly.

The thumbnails don't seem to open although they can be viewed in original place by clicking upper right icon. (Not the X)

Something not right.



Take care.

 

[crab bait]

Dave, if that's how the good evening bites happen, don't be surprised that just when you step into the rowboat for an evening tide, all goes black. You find yourself gagged & bound, and laying on the lawn at the clubhouse watching another evening tide! Instructions to Bob the weigh master to release you only after 9.30 pm.

(It could happen a few nights in a row. We will try to be gentle.)

Seriously, great pictures and write ups. Keep typing, you are awesome!

 

[Dave H]

Dave, if that's how the good evening bites happen, don't be surprised that just when you step into the rowboat for an evening tide, all goes black. You find yourself gagged & bound, and laying on the lawn at the clubhouse watching another evening tide! Instructions to Bob the weigh master to release you only after 9.30 pm.

(It could happen a few nights in a row. We will try to be gentle.)

Seriously, great pictures and write ups. Keep typing, you are awesome!

Ha ha ha ha..........thanks for the warning though.

And about the only "awesome" thing about me appears to be my ability to miss the good bites, although as was noted this AM it seems people are getting all excited about catching unders when really the quarry is a Tyee, so what's the big deal with that kind of bite?

Some discussion ensued regarding that topic before a hastily convened meeting reached a consensus that it's all true, I AM a jinx on the pool, particularly after three Chinook hook-ups with nothing boated and my only successful outing insofar as to actually boating something resulted in nothing but a large Dogfish, so...............I've been sent to the bleachers and forbidden to darken the pool with my shadow or sully it by sallying forth in my rowboat.

I was heartbroken at first but quickly recovered as the perfect plan to thwart the ban on me came to mind.

I'm going to row wearing a disguise.

Anyway, the Tyee registered last evening was caught by brand new Tyee Club member Rob Nugent rowed by Ian Murphy and fell for a plug.

Here they are, and yes, Rob really is that tall and is now leading in the Tallest New Member For 2017 category, one I had hoped to achieve myself. I'm eliminated now though 'cause I'm only 6' 2".

That's all for now from here as I'm busy working up my costume for tonight's go out.






Take care.

 

[getbent]

This was my first time being a rod holder in the famous Tyee Pool and it was a bitter/sweet experience that I’ll never forget.

I grew up hearing stories of my grandparents annual pilgrimage from Vancouver to Campbell River to chase the many different fisheries of the area. Of all, it was the Tyee Pool fishing stories that stuck for me and I’ve since dreamed of becoming a member of the Tyee Club of BC for landing a Tyee according to the challenging rules that must be followed. My grandfather became a member of the Tyee Club on September 2nd, 1975 with a 34.5lb Chinook and my grandmother successfully landed a 43lb Chinook although it did not qualify because of some infraction with someone else touching the rod.

Greg Askey has had a standing offer to come join him in the pool for a couple years and I finally took him up on the generous offer this week. We fished Thursday night and Friday morning for a quick trip up from Victoria and back, where I am decompressing from the experience.

Thursday night we hit the water at 7pm with two rods rigged up and ready to fish, even though we were only going to have one rod in the water. The first rod had a proven Lucky Louie on the line and the other had a one-of-a kind 7” spoon that I had made just for the occasion. We started with the plug and worked the bar with the 50 or so other row boats for an hour with little action happening among the quiet pack. We decide to change things up and put down the spoon. Another peaceful hour passed with little action in the fleet aside from a couple undersized (in a place where undersized is less than 30lb?!...). It was starting to get dark and we were considering calling it a night when the rod pounds, head shakes a few times and then starts peeling out line in the direction of it’s choosing. Unfortunately this was in the direction of a dozen or so boats up the bar and a domino effect of gear gets pulled as our fish charges under the row boats and up the bar with us rowing in chase. We gained some ground as it took a break from its burst and then it took off running again. The runs were not in burst like some fish do…but in a steady, solid run. And then, as quickly as the peace was broken by the initial hit….it was gone without a headshake or a jump. The disappointment the moments after we realized the fish was indeed gone, was quickly replaces by the prospect that….this spoon….which had WORKED…may have broken off. Luckily, after pulling in a couple hundred yards of line we found the spoon still there. We never saw the fish but were left with the feeling that it was a good one.

We were back on it for first light and this time there was only one rod rigged to fish. Greg admitted on the way out that he was partially humoring the night before in my desire to run my spoon, being that there is a long history behind what ‘works’ and what doesn’t for catching these fish. I was happy to see that only the spoon came out of the truck and we worked it through the different current conditions, judging by the rod tip at what the spoon might be doing below. Two hours went by and we started talking about what to do for breakfast and considering calling it a pleasant tide change…when the rod pounded and a solid fish went on a run. It stopped about 100’ away showed itself briefly at the surface and then ran at the boat, went straight passed and out to the deep water outside the pool to sound. It took two good deep runs before quickly coming close to the boat and the net came out….but this fish had no intention of coming in that easy. We got a good view and realized that we were dealing with a tyee (Greg’s eye has been honed by the 3 he’s landed this season!!!)and off it went on another run. After a few bursts of speed it came back to the boat again and but still with a lot of energy. Instead of going for another run like we had hoped….it went into a violent head shake at the surface about 15’ from the boat and in an instant…the hook came out. I was pretty devastated about it…but also very happy that my own spoon had hooks to hogs on two tide changes.

It turned out that a similar situation had been unfolding right beside us…although I was too fixated on the fish to notice. Mike and Mike were also into a tyee but this one was using its airborne moves to get away…and fortunately for the fish, it ended it ended up shaking the hook after a few massive cartwheels.

We all played through the scenarios over and over during breakfast of what could have been done differently.

It was an amazing experience and I thank all of the welcoming anglers that I met, and who preserve this traditional way of fishing, some of which have been fishing since my late grandparents rowed the same waters.

I’m hooked.

is there a tyee pool spoon on the horizon? Or is it just for you...way cool BTW...

 

[Gear'n'beer!]

Man those fish are getting dark......i guess that is usual for the fish hanging in the pool in late August. Been away from the riviera for quite a few years. Good luck Dave and if your ever short of rod holders I'm definitely in.

Love this thread.

Darin

 

[Stosh]

Dave
You are way over due. Costume or not, you can never quit - a true inspiration (legend to some).
Too many of us will be very disapointed if you are not out there doing what many of us would love to do.
Good luck Amigo
Stosh

 

[Dave H]

It's nearly 10:30 PM and I'm stoked to report that my well-thought out plan to evade the crew who endeavored to keep me on the beach worked extremely well with only one tiny hitch at the end.

It all started off innocently enough as I met my two rodmen as arranged and we made our way to my boat to head out.

I should tell you that I and my good pal Pierre Tabernac had spent some time today looking for a suitable disguise I could use tonight when I rowed the pool against the wishes of some heavy Tyee guys but in the end I stuck with my initial brain-storm and simply removed my big black cowboy hat and replaced it with a checkered pattern trucker cap I inherited when my Dad passed away. I thought about wearing the matching patterned sports-jacket that he often wore with the hat, but as a master of human intuition and a firm believer in the KISS principle I knew that the simple change of hat would work like a charm.

I was nearly right too and if only I could affect a better German accent I might have fooled the two reprobates who pointed at me and outed me in front of the whole pack.

I ignored them and rowed away after giving my rodmen the secret numbers for pulls.

I gave Dano the hot shovelnose I'd hooked three Chinook with before and Aaron my other shovelnose, trying to have two plugs working together rather than one working and one not, which can happen with unmatched pairs.

Fish were rolling, jumping, porpoising, wagging their tails, finning lazily and in short making darn sure we all knew they were there.

And there was a bite over there, and then down south of us right where we had just been, then up north of us on the outside.

Within minutes there were four or five boats out fighting fish and we'd already seen a Tyee registered before we even got out, so things looked very promising and geeze I wanted Dano to get a Tyee so bad.
Aaron was on the rod when we boated a 45 pounder back in 2013 but Dano had not even a strike to show for having been out with me four years in a row and as we'd worked together years ago and I really like him I really wanted him to hookup.

And by cracky we did, just after 8:30.

Aaron quickly reeled in and I hauled on the oars headed out of the pool as Dano held the rod tightly while the fish made small runs and some headshakes but never erupted in any jumps or long runs.

It didn't seem very big at first and Dano controlled the give and take of line very well I observed but he really wasn't gaining on it so I kept rowing.

My theory is that when you hook a fish you attempt to row away from it constantly, more or less, so when it's tired out the rod-person can present it at the side of the boat in a relatively docile state at which time you net it.

And then ten minutes had passed and the darn thing still was making short strong runs and not coming in at all.

"My arms are getting sore," Dano complained.

"Keep the pressure on him," I replied. "See if you can pull up and reel down on it."

Dano made a little progress with that until the fish sounded and made another series of runs, short but strong.

Our hopes were raised that perhaps this fish wasn't as small as we thought at first.

My hope was that we'd boat it before we ended up south of the old Argonaut wharf, now way inside of us.

As a rower one of the things you try to do is give your rodman a good angle and this can involve many circles as the fish moves back and forth and you're also trying to keep it downstream of you so I must have rowed around in a circle a half dozen times all the while keeping an eye on the bend in the rod, which was considerable at times as the darn fish just would not give up.

"It's been over 15 minutes now," I observed aloud. "You're doing great Dano."

A couple more minutes passed when Dano said he could see the plug down deep. He worked away at pumping and reeling as I kept rowing.

"Getting closer," he declared.

There was a swirl on the surface which gave us a glimpse of the fish.

It wasn't that small at all and boy did I feel good when Dano moved the fish up and into the weak beam of light from the flashlight Aaron was wielding, almost close enough to net.

"Just a bit more," I implored.

And then there it was, right next to the boat and docile as could be.

I netted it easily and we all whooped a bit.

After administering the Priest I manhandled the fish into the boat, whacked it again then retrieved the plug, the hook harness and the weight from the now slimy net and we took a look at our catch.

We all agreed it just might be good but one never knows until the fish is on the scale and the Weighmaster makes his declaration.

I dug out my tape measure and we measured the fish, although it was hard to see in the dark.

"It's over 40" Aaron declared. "Nearly 41."

Now that is usually long enough to weight 30 pounds.

The needle on the scale begged to differ though and so we ended up with another in the long list of 29 1/2 pounders Bob has weighed in this year.

So close.

But my disguise worked, we caught a fish and it was a lovely night in the pool.

I'm calling that a win.

I know there was at least one Tyee registered tonight, maybe more.

I'll update you all in the morning.

Right now I'm hitting the shower then the sack.

And I smell fishy but I like it.




Take care.

 

[Stosh]

Dave
Wonderful news! I just knew you were due.
Might want to have the scales checked out for accuracy.
Can't wait for the next one.
Adios Amigo
Stosh

 

[noluck]

well done Dave!

 

[tinboatrobb]

this is the first place I look when logging on in the mornings before work, never disappointed. Great stories Dave. Thanks.

 

[Reel Time]

Oh wow! Amazing story, sooooo close. Thanks again for the row last week. Great experience!

 

[Dave H]

So, as I threatened last night, here is this morning's update.

There were two Tyee registered last night, the first by what appeared to be a Father-Son team who were really happy when the scale read 31 pounds.

Here they are, Dad David Duke who was on the rod with Son Ken, who rowed.

Naturally, I couldn't help asking Bob the Weighmaster this morning if he knew what colour plug they used, and rather it was all white or not.

It went over his head I think which is probably just as well as I'm sure Mr. Duke has heard them all by now.

My bad.

The second Tyee of the night came to Larry Dougan and was rowed by Troy Perras, a rookie rower with now his first Tyee, a 31 1/2 pounder.

Well done Troy and now he has a Rookie Rower hat to boot.

Here they are smiling for the camera and not noticing their catch is not in a good position to impress with its size and it looks smaller than the Dukes. LOL

Camera angles can be deceptive.

I've got a couple of pics still in my camera but I'll get them later and share with you all.

In the meantime, have a great day and............



Take care.

 

[Dave H]

Here's a pic of our near-miss last night.

So close.





Slimy boat now which reminds me I've got to go clean it up and get more gas.




Take care.

 

[Team Black Dog]

Wow Dave so close! Well you broke the bubble now hopefully you go on a tear and get a slab or two. We have been watching the live cam every night and cant wait to get back up there. Good luck!!!

Here it is for those that didn't know.
https://www.cameraftp.com/file/CameraPlayer.aspx?parentID=126119847&shareID=12674198

 

[wishiniwasfishin1]

Wow Dave so close! Well you broke the bubble now hopefully you go on a tear and get a slab or two. We have been watching the live cam every night and cant wait to get back up there. Good luck!!!

Here it is for those that didn't know.
https://www.cameraftp.com/file/CameraPlayer.aspx?parentID=126119847&shareID=12674198

There is a live cam? I can't believe you have been holding out on us!

 

[donnie d]

Ha! The size of Troy also makes any fish seem small...he's looking lean and mean these days!

Great stories Dave. As a former Riverite these are some of my favourite reads all season.

 

[fshnfnatic]

Way to go Dave.Just a warm up for the home stretch.Great stories for you to share with us all here and I thank you for that.

 

[Andrew P]

is there a tyee pool spoon on the horizon? Or is it just for you...way cool BTW...

Ha. Well, the first one took me about a day to cut, hand pound and polish....so THAT one is certainly just for me. By next season there may be a few more kicking around. I like it when my own gear works for me...but I love it even more when the gear gets others into good fish.

 

[Dave H]

Sorry for my absence the past coupole of days but I've been a bit under the weather so to speak so didn't row last night and won't be out tonight either.

Others have been out though and I'm pleased to show you the 25th. Tyee of this season rowed by Joe Painter and boated by John Barker.

It's barely a Tyee at 30 1/2 pounds but it counts and it fell for a plug.

I arranged for a pal of mine to row the two rodmen I had lined up for tonight so I'm wishing them well.

Hoping I'll be out again tomorrow.





Take care.

 

[Dave H]

Good day all and here we are with a couple more Tyee to report on plus an interesting side-bar too.

First we have Dan Hryhoryshen with his nice little 30 1/2 pounder rowed by Greg Askey.

The "side-bar" is that Dan is now a new member of the Tyee Club and it was the first Tyee ever rowed by Greg Askey, who has registered three Tyee caught this year but all rowed by Mike Mackie.

Greg might have learned something from Mike.

Next we have a bit more of a slab with this 36 1/2 pounder registered this morning by Dave Soper.

It appears Dave is a bit of a self-sufficient type of guy as he rowed himself to this fish, his first Tyee caught and first Tyee rowed too.

He's the newest new member of the Tyee Club as well as being the proud recipient of a Rookie Rower hat too.

Hmmm, just thought that maybe he's not really self-sufficient after all, maybe he's just a show-off. LOL

Anyway, well done Mr. Soper.

Now, if I only knew which guy in the pic is him I'd be able to follow him around the pool next time I'm out.

I'll be in disguise again so he'll never know it's me.







Take care.