Success for both Chinook and halibut has been picking up nicely over the past few weeks.
Gord Gavin of Sea Ghost Charters reported hitting 7 good sized Chinook today including several in the mid to high teens. Those are good sized fish for this time of year. He's not alone in his success, as many anglers are reporting similar results.
Most of the fish are being caught at Constance Bank, Whirl Bay or Pedder Bay. Gear depths range from 170 to 60 feet, with the 80 to 140 range producing the best. In most cases, it seems that being within about 30 feet of the bottom seems to be an important rule of thumb.
The Chinook don't seem to be too fussy about presentation right now and all the usual combinations are having their good days, but I'd suggest that anchovies may provide a bit of an edge closely followed by spoons with a glow or chrome\green finish.
Halibut fishing has been consistent when wind and tides cooperate, although the combination of strong wind and fairly big tides have kept a lot of potential hally hunters either tied up to the dock or chasing salmon over the past couple of weeks.
Both jigs and bait have been catching fish with bait having the advantage as long as dogfish aren't in the area. We havent heard any complaints recently about dogfish, so it appears they aren't out there yet in any serious numbers.
The good tides are due to arrive starting with next Tuesday and Wednesday May 10 & 11. Let's hope the wind keeps down and we should be in for some good catches.
Other best halibut tide days lok to be May 12, 13, 14 and then again May 24 to 26 inclusive. Of course there are always shorter term "windows" around tide changes, but the selected days feature the smallest exchanges and should produce the slowest currents. There is no magic formula though - some anglers like a bit of tide action, others don't. The key is to just get out there and go fishing! You're guaranteed to get skunked sitting on the couch.
We have a great fleet of well equipped rental boats here just waiting for you to go out and catch a few nice ones for the barbecue. Give us a call and we'll let you know the latest conditions and what kind of catches are hitting the dock. Better yet, load up the camper or RV and come join us for a weekend of camping and fishing. 1-877-478-1771.
Tight lines...
Pedder Bay Crew.
