Victoria 2014 Reports

I managed to make it out for a few strategic strikes over the weekend; Friday, Saturday and Sunday from dawn until 10am. I focused on the Metchosen shoreline to keep out of the wind.

Friday didn't really count though. I took a buddy from Calgary out and I was a tad under the weather from the night before. I set him up, showed him a line and then went to sleep. He got to take home two 8lb spring so he was a happy guy.

Saturday I went back out on a buddies boat and released about an 8lb on anchovie in 67' and 62' on rigger. We kept a nice 12lb spring caught on a lemon lime with a twist sandlance down 77' in 85' water.

photo1 (1).jpg

Today I went out solo. Lost a nice one, released an 8lb spring, took home a 9lb spring and then to my surprise trolled up a 13lb chicken halibut. I heard of others trolling up halibut on the sandlance spoon, but that was the first for me. All caught on a blue moonjelly/glow sandlance spoon with 4' leader.

It felt more like winter fishing with the weather and the small spring....but it was a good weekend in my books regardless.
photo2.jpgphoto3.jpg
 
Fins -n- Skins said:
Hey Andrew are you selling some tape at the shop ?
Click to expand...

Hey Fins -n- Skins, we are giving away a good assortment at the shop with the spoons(more and more) but right now I'm figuring out a die-cut version that is perfectly cut to fit the spoon.

AND....back to reports: I talked to a buddy who went out on a charter yesterday out to the Bank. They got into 6 spring. 2 nice ones on the boat to take home and one of them looked like a solid 20lb hatch job in the pic that I saw....beautiful thick and healthy looking hatch.
 
Andrew
What size and type of hook are you using in the photos?
Looks like a good heavy hook. I have been using lighter hooks on your spoon to get more action but would prefer something stronger.

FYI
I found for adding tape it worked well to cut oversize, stick on and cut excess off using edge of spoon as guide.

Thanks
Tips
 
I tried clover point and the flats for a couple hours Monday afternoon. I saw some on the screen off clover but did not hook up with anything. Early evening jigged up a couple greenlings for my daughter to reel in. She was very happy.
 
I was out and fished the Gap and the flats on Saturday morning over tide change from 530-830 and we landed on one bite. 14lb spring landed on the flats glow hootch. Out again solo on monday. flats from 12-2, then west constance to feed the dogfish while anchored, then trolled the flats from 6-730. No salmon or hali love, but did have a very close encounter with a humpback while anchored. He swam over and I got some good pics from about 75 feet away. You can see the barnacles in my iphone pics. That was my catch of the day.
 
Out on Sunday and it was slow. Only landed one mature clipped male at 7-8lbs. It was a white too. Tide line off Victoria. 80' in 120' of water on a sandlance spoon with custom coloring. Yellow and green colors. Had bait on other side and a couple missed hits. Don't know how they can dodge treble hooks but it happens. Crab trap only had one and it was 1/4" undersized. Wanna go west but work is killing my mid week opportunities and wind is not cooperating for most weekends lately. Heard pender bluffs are good right now with lots of good hatchery fish.
 
Dave S...are you running one treble about halfway down the body of your bait?......lots of times the salmon will come up and strike at the tail of the bait, so the midbody treble doesn't get a chance for a hookup.........
 
Out for a solo trip today and landed a 29.5 at macaulay point, 87ft on the rigger in 83ft of water, green haze head, long leaders are the ticket. There are fish there, just got to mix it up a bit!
 
Good evening bite on the flats tonight. Three heavy weights on , landed one 15 white spring all on bait. Lots of sand lance coming up in the auklets mouths. things are going to heat up on the waterfront in the next week.

beemer
 
Chin up Craven!! They are here.

Went out last night with “Da Man” (DM) AKA Bag Juan. Tried to get a third body I invited Fish Assassin since I read he was coming to vic, he couldn’t make it. Invited two non-fishing buddies… nope. Invited Chero. He was in, but then he was out. Had a chance run in with Andrew P on my way to the launch. Had him right up to the boat with his rod and tackle box in hand but then he shook off. Ok just the two of us.

The plan was to go and check out Constance but the wind predictions I thought were 5’s and 10’s until at least 8pm. When we left the launch in Esquimalt around 5 it sure was snotty out there. We checked BWD and it said over 20 kts at race??? ARG I was surprised but I guess I shouldn’t have been weathers been nasty lately.

Decisions decisions… Stick with the original plan and slog out in 3-4 foot chop and problably just have to turn around out there? Ride it to oak bay where I expected some protection but then pound back? Fish the waterfront? Pound over to albert head and fish those protected waters? I even thought about turning around and putting the boat on the trailer and driving to pedder…

We made our decision and I won’t spoil the fun of finding the fish for the rest of you. Long story long…. We went fishing.

I hooked up on the first pass and got a 4-5 pounder to the boat. I was looking at the fish waiting for it to stop squirming so I could ID it as a small spring or coho when our favorite seal Sammy emerged below him. The fish had no chance and I couldn’t help it. Gone. Sammy took a long run then started tossing the fish around and thankfully my hook came out. Ok fed one to the seal but I looked over at DM and said that was a big seal I think we’ll need to feed him another one before he leaves us alone.

We scooted away from the seal before dropping again and DM got his rod in first. WHACK he hooks up right away. What the heck that won’t do so I drop in with no regard to the fact he’s got a nice fish on and may need a hand landing it. The greed pays off and WHAM we are into a double header one low teens and one high teens. A great battle ensues and finally they are both getting tired. We get both up to the boat. There is no net, so we start elbowing each other trying to get our hand on the one gaffe. I’m looking down my high teen fish right at the boat maybe 10 feet under and there he is again… Sammy the seal. YOINK! ARG

While I had the seal distracted DM lands his fish. My hooks didn’t come out so easy this time but eventually the seal knawed off the jaw. Smart buggers those seals are.

So two passes, maybe 40 minutes on the water and we had one in the boat and had fed two to the wildlife. Kinda fun watching the seal take the fish right under the boat I know guys get pissed off but it doesn’t really bother me too much as long as I get my gear back and don’t lose too much time in the process. At least I got to fight both fish.

The seal and a bunch of gulls feasted beside the boat and when he was done Sammy gave me a thank you snort. Off he went. From there it was steady (some may call it frantic) action for unclipped fish between 9-18 pounds.

Bites on!

Dinner.jpg

(If you can spot the mystery bait in the pile that may be a bit helpful I found early season the fish were not on needles but they were on something else that is apparently still around in lower numbers... and no it isn't the poop!)

Craven has Id'd the mystery bait below. Obviously fish were mainly on needles and we did find some lures/colors produced better then others.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Thanks for the reports guys. The last few springs I have seen in the last week and a half have been hooked by hootchies- glow, electric chair, and purple haze. No squirts, spoons, or bait have got anything but waste of time 2lb coho.
 
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