R
Rodbreaker
Guest
The PREDATOR'S PEN Date: November 21st/2004.
An update of the local saltwater fishing scene for Vancouver To : Saltwater Angler
By: David Korsch (Predator Charters)
E-mail: davek@dccnet.com Web Site: www.predatorcharters.com
Phone: (604) 329 - 8642 Fax: (604) 886 - 1928
Hello Fellow Anglers
It has been about a month since my last newsletter. That final bunch of Chinook that arrived off the Capilano only stuck around for a couple days even though the weather was pretty dry. The GVRD had been drawing down the Capilano reservoir for some maintenance work so water levels were still relatively high, and the fish shot right into the river. Oh well......if we had that spectacular fishery for too long we would get spoiled, and it just leaves us to anticipate next fall's run all that much more.
As I also mentioned, I tried out the winter Chinook fishery a few times in the early to mid part of October with some limited success, but my success has picked up significantly since late October. Weather and tides still play an important role in a day's success, but we are now entering the peak winter Chinook season (late November through March), so catches should continue to increase for the next few weeks. The nice thing about the early portion of the fishery is that the weather tends to be a bit warmer than during the December to February portion of it. There has also been quite a bit of bait present along the western side of Bowen Island during the past month, so that should help to concentrate the Chinook for us.
On October 26th a spectacular 24 lb feeder (winter) Chinook came aboard the Predator. This is the first feeder Chinook over 20 lbs I have ever seen in October, and it could indicate we will be in for a winter with some exceptionally large fish. I have had several 20 to 33 lb feeders boated over the years, but previously the earliest I had ever taken one was around November 20th, and most usually show up between mid-December and late February. It will be interesting to see what transpires on the "large fish front" during the coming months.
I have also released quite a few undersized Chinook (45 to 62 cm) over the past month, and this is also an encouraging sign. Last winter the undersized fish were VERY scarce (I think I only had 3 or 4 total up until the end of December), and it seemed to translate into a slow Chinook fishery in Georgia Strait between May and July. A healthy population of undersized Chinook at this time of year should mean we will see better fishing next summer......especially during May and June over off the Gulf Islands.
During November I have only been out about once a week, and have had success in the form or at least one legal fish in the 12 to 14 lb range each day. There have been some days very good days where associates have hooked into 3 or 4 good fish, but I have not been lucky enough to get out on one of those better fishing days so far this month (though on Oct. 26th we landed 3 undersized in addition to that 24 lb fish). Seems rain and blustery winds have followed me around for the past three weeks, and while the fish don't really care, the wind can make it a bit hard to troll along the structure patterns that are necessary during the winter fishery.
The vast majority of the fish have been hitting spoons (specifically 2 3/4" Gypsy spoons in the Army Truck or Flaming Hans colour patterns) trolled behinf a flasher on a 6 to 7 foot leader. Hootchies (Army Truck or blue/green/white) have also been quite good, though other traditionally hot lures (4" Tomic plugs, Glitter Strip, Diamond Lance spoons etc...) have only seen limited success. All three of my favorite winter haunts (Tunstall Bay, the Waterfall, or the Hutt flats) have been relatively equal in their productivity, though the better spot seems to change almost daily. Fishing withing 10 feet of the bottom in 130 to 200 feet of water is best, and 90% of my fish have hit my bottom rod.
As usual, my schedule is fairly open during the winter season, and if you also have a flexible schedule that makes it a bit easier to move a potential charter around a bit in order to avoid the days with bad weather. During the next couple weeks, I am presently unavailable on November 27th, 28th, and on December 1st only, though I plan on getting my boat out of the water for a couple days to do some engine maintenance work very soon. That timing is also flexible at this time, so I could schedule it around any potential charter dates at this time.
As always, feel free to pass this information along to any associates whom may appreciate the report. If you have any questions, or wish to book a charter, e-mail me davek@dccnet.com), or call me at (604) 329 - 8642.
Tight Lines,
David Korsch
Predator Charters
(604) 329 - 8642
davek@dccnet.com
www.predatorcharters.com
that's why there's a warranty!
An update of the local saltwater fishing scene for Vancouver To : Saltwater Angler
By: David Korsch (Predator Charters)
E-mail: davek@dccnet.com Web Site: www.predatorcharters.com
Phone: (604) 329 - 8642 Fax: (604) 886 - 1928
Hello Fellow Anglers
It has been about a month since my last newsletter. That final bunch of Chinook that arrived off the Capilano only stuck around for a couple days even though the weather was pretty dry. The GVRD had been drawing down the Capilano reservoir for some maintenance work so water levels were still relatively high, and the fish shot right into the river. Oh well......if we had that spectacular fishery for too long we would get spoiled, and it just leaves us to anticipate next fall's run all that much more.
As I also mentioned, I tried out the winter Chinook fishery a few times in the early to mid part of October with some limited success, but my success has picked up significantly since late October. Weather and tides still play an important role in a day's success, but we are now entering the peak winter Chinook season (late November through March), so catches should continue to increase for the next few weeks. The nice thing about the early portion of the fishery is that the weather tends to be a bit warmer than during the December to February portion of it. There has also been quite a bit of bait present along the western side of Bowen Island during the past month, so that should help to concentrate the Chinook for us.
On October 26th a spectacular 24 lb feeder (winter) Chinook came aboard the Predator. This is the first feeder Chinook over 20 lbs I have ever seen in October, and it could indicate we will be in for a winter with some exceptionally large fish. I have had several 20 to 33 lb feeders boated over the years, but previously the earliest I had ever taken one was around November 20th, and most usually show up between mid-December and late February. It will be interesting to see what transpires on the "large fish front" during the coming months.
I have also released quite a few undersized Chinook (45 to 62 cm) over the past month, and this is also an encouraging sign. Last winter the undersized fish were VERY scarce (I think I only had 3 or 4 total up until the end of December), and it seemed to translate into a slow Chinook fishery in Georgia Strait between May and July. A healthy population of undersized Chinook at this time of year should mean we will see better fishing next summer......especially during May and June over off the Gulf Islands.
During November I have only been out about once a week, and have had success in the form or at least one legal fish in the 12 to 14 lb range each day. There have been some days very good days where associates have hooked into 3 or 4 good fish, but I have not been lucky enough to get out on one of those better fishing days so far this month (though on Oct. 26th we landed 3 undersized in addition to that 24 lb fish). Seems rain and blustery winds have followed me around for the past three weeks, and while the fish don't really care, the wind can make it a bit hard to troll along the structure patterns that are necessary during the winter fishery.
The vast majority of the fish have been hitting spoons (specifically 2 3/4" Gypsy spoons in the Army Truck or Flaming Hans colour patterns) trolled behinf a flasher on a 6 to 7 foot leader. Hootchies (Army Truck or blue/green/white) have also been quite good, though other traditionally hot lures (4" Tomic plugs, Glitter Strip, Diamond Lance spoons etc...) have only seen limited success. All three of my favorite winter haunts (Tunstall Bay, the Waterfall, or the Hutt flats) have been relatively equal in their productivity, though the better spot seems to change almost daily. Fishing withing 10 feet of the bottom in 130 to 200 feet of water is best, and 90% of my fish have hit my bottom rod.
As usual, my schedule is fairly open during the winter season, and if you also have a flexible schedule that makes it a bit easier to move a potential charter around a bit in order to avoid the days with bad weather. During the next couple weeks, I am presently unavailable on November 27th, 28th, and on December 1st only, though I plan on getting my boat out of the water for a couple days to do some engine maintenance work very soon. That timing is also flexible at this time, so I could schedule it around any potential charter dates at this time.
As always, feel free to pass this information along to any associates whom may appreciate the report. If you have any questions, or wish to book a charter, e-mail me davek@dccnet.com), or call me at (604) 329 - 8642.
Tight Lines,
David Korsch
Predator Charters
(604) 329 - 8642
davek@dccnet.com
www.predatorcharters.com
that's why there's a warranty!
