Summer’s in full swing and the fishing continues to progress along at a moderate pace. Part of the problem, of course, has been the weather which by no means is an excuse but who wants to fish in gale force winds.
One of the two places I can say that has been producing well is Pedder Bay itself. We’ve had lots of Springs in the high 20’s from all areas of Pedder. Most salmon have been caught on the flood tide and on the change with depths varying from 60 to 90 feet all depending on where you are in the bay.
As for gear, there’s been a lot of bait in the bay so far this month and when cleaning the catch the stomachs are turning out small squid. I’d suggest Mint Tulip squirts, Jellyfish, and of course the old reliable Purple Haze. What you want to do is put out something that you feel will imitate squid.
Also mixed in with this squid is baitfish so what ever you do don’t give up on your Anchovy; remember who knows how long this Squid will hang around.
As for you salmon jiggers, the game is still on at both the deep hole and R.C.N. blasting. Another hotspot has been the backside of Church Rock, especially on the ebb tide.
Hatchery Coho are open in our area. Just remember that you can only have 2 per day and they must be adipose fin clipped.
As for Sockeye, as of this hitting print we are still closed. Check with your marina of choice prior to heading out to see when this will change.
Ling cod are open. The daily Ling cod limit is (1) and make sure it is 28 inches, this way you know you’re safe. For any Lings you hook that are under size, please be mindful of their release what we don’t want is a bunch of dead Ling cod floating around out there. Remember this is a test opening for the recreational angler and we don’t want to ruin a good thing.
Halibut Tides
Seeing I’m late with this month’s Word on the Dock, I’ll jump in midstream…
- Saturday July 15th you’ve got a 2 to 3 hour window between 11:00am and 3:00pm.
- Sunday the 16th starting at 5:00am precisely and continuing through until about 8:30am you have a slow moving flood to work. After that you might want to change it up and go too the slack side of the Ebb and fish that till 2:30 or so in the afternoon.
- Monday the 17th should keep you fishing just about all day so pack a big lunch, from daylight forward to around 10:00am you will be fishing a slow flood. After the turn you will fish the rest of the day working slow Ebb that should take you through until probably 4:00pm.
- Tuesday the 18th is basically a full day of Halibut fishing working the flood tide from dawn till dinner.
- Wednesday the 19th and Thursday the 20th are basically the same tide wise, a good ebb tide first go in the morning, and then you will move forward to fish a flood right through till dinner.
- Friday the 28th how about the low slack between 10:00am and 1:00pm. Then the high slack from 5:00ish till dark.
- Saturday the 29th you get a quick high slack from 5:00 am until around 7:00am, then it’s the low slack between 10:30am and 1:30 – 2:00 o’clock, for the over active you can even fish the dinner high tide from 6:00pm till dark.
- Sunday the 30th you get 3 kicks to catch starting at first light with the high slack tide, then you move to the west side of the Race to fish the low slack from 12:00 noon until around 2;00pm. Last but not least, for the dinner crowd you want to be out on the water by 5:30pm so you can catch the high slack until dark.
- Monday the 31st you have as close to a cardiac tide day of fishing as you’re going to get. A bit of a flood slack at daylight until 9:00am then the boat will turn on the hook to fish the slow ebb right through until around 3:00 in the afternoon.
All you salmon fishers, take notice of all the times that above for turns and slacks as you, my friends, will want to key off those numbers when it comes to hitting the hot bite times for salmon.
Remember to always be aware of your weather when on the hook and good luck fishing to all.
Sean Moore
Manager
Pedder Bay Marina & RV Park
