Hi everyone, Fishmaster Ken reporting.
Cookie has taken a week off to visit Las Vegas giving me a great opportunity to return to Langara for some fun and games (and a little hard work) with the great crew of the Charlotte Princess.
Our guests on this trip have learned the value of persistence. The “big bite” has proven elusive, but by following the tidal current, looking for birds and bait balls and sharing information when they hit a fish, the group has ended up with a good catch of Chinooks and Cohos to take home. In the morning the fish tend to be close in and shallow, moving offshore and deeper as the day progresses. Generally the salmon are hitting aggressively, but you need to be patient, ensuring they have really bitten before you set the hooks. So far we have had a 30 pound Chinook from McPherson and a 26 from Gunia, but all the points are producing fish. We also had a Sockeye from McPherson yesterday.
The West side has been pretty rough for bottom fishing, but we did get some 10 to 20 pound halibut from Parry Passage yesterday. A 44 pound hali was caught at Andrews yesterday. Michael John Barats was jigging for Lings and quite happy with his “incidental catch.” Today, two boats decided to work the very southern part of Egeria Bay, a spot rarely fished. In 70 feet of water they pulled out a 35 pound hali as well as lots of Lingcod and Rockfish. People are always asking me where to catch bottom fish, and I’m happy to look at a chart with them and pass along what I’ve learned, but sometimes I think the best answer might be: “I don’t know. Just try anywhere.”
