Well gang, it’s been a very odd year for fishing. It can be blamed on hotter than usual water temperatures, 70 odd percent of the Pink fishery going down Johnstone Strait instead of coming down the outside, and DFO getting caught in a situation when both the Sockeye and Pinks turned up in Area 20 were setting new records for showing up later than the oldest return records that DFO has. But enough of what’s under the bridge... Let’s look forward to what’s ahead for the rest of this month and October.
First up, everybody’s favorite...
Halibut tides
- September 21st
- Dawn till around 2:00pm
- September 22nd
- Dawn till around 3:30pm
- September 23rd
- 12:00 till around 6:00pm
- September 24th
- 11:00 till after dinnertime (watch your afternoon winds)
- September 25th, 26th, 27th
- All work about the same as the 24th
- September 28th, 29th, and 30th
- you have 2 choices a day an early low at day break, or a mid afternoon high
- October
- I would start working the early to mid morning tides starting on the 3rd and going through to the 7th
- October 10th, 11th, 12th, and the mid day of the 13th all should work
It starts all over again on the mid morning low of the 17th and stretches itself out right through the 22nd remember. Every day moves the time over by about a half an hour but by Thursday, Friday, and Saturday you can fish it almost all day long.
Last but not least, try the morning low tides of the 28th, 29th, 30th, and 31st.
Good luck to all and remember to not wait too long if you start to see the sea changing or the wind picking up.
Chinooks
While appears that things may seem like they’re slowing down a bit, rumor has it we should be starting to look at some
Why Esquimalt? Because thanks to that hard working team at Goldstream Hatchery and the Esquimalt Anglers we were given the gift of a net pen program and those fish are headed home. The result is we could see fish well into the 40 lb. range and the Fraser fish will be about the same. The difference between the two will be that the Frasers will probably have a white or marble meat color. These fish are my favorites because the oil content is higher and they are much more flavorful either broiled on the barbie or done up in the smoker.
Coho
As I write this column you only have 10 days left until the retention rules change for Coho. As of October 1st, your daily possession on Coho will change from the present 2 hatchery fish per day to the option of 1 wild and 1 hatchery. Just imagine, we finally get to keep a “WILD” Coho while there’s still a bunch around! I can just hear those reels screaming as you watch these fish do tail walks across the water. I hope some of you anglers will back off on your line strength, say down to oh 12lb. test. Now that’s the making of a crazy battle, 10 or 12lb test line and a 16lb Wild Coho on the other end!
As for the rest of the salmon stocks, there are still Pinks and Sockeye on their way home. There are also some huge Silver Chums rolling through already — another great smoking fish. And ,you can still keep 1 Ling Cod a day till the end of September.
- Need a boat to get you fishing?? We have everything you need, get in touch and we’ll get you set up.
- Want to go out halibut fishing?? We can help you get lined up with one of our knowledgeable charter boats.
- Want to go salmon fishing but don’t know the waters?? We can set you up with Chris, our guide, and he can take you out and show you the ropes.
Well, if all that doesn’t keep you busy, then I don’t know what else to say. Oh, I know: keep your rod tips up, your line tight and, as usual, be careful on the water.
Talk to you again in late October, when we’ll start looking at Winter Spring fishing.
Because the fall season is upon us, starting September 26th our hours of operation will change. If you want to check, call the office at (250) 478-1771.
Sean
