460 replies to this topic

[DustMagnet]

Bass Pro is a "big box" store like any other.  You might get some staff with good knowledge, but that's incidental and not by design.  Would you really go into Best Buy and expect information and advice that you could not have gotten yourself (and of better quality) from Googling a bit?  Likewise Bass Pro isn't an Outdoor Experts shop, it's an Outdoors Products Warehouse.

 

This is how brick and mortar can differentiate itself from Online Warehouse shopping, but generally doesn't except in the case of actual local Expert shops (be they actual Mom & Pop, or just focused).

[AllseeingEye]

/\....yup lesson learned; not long after that mall opened I happened to be on the mainland and gleefully waded into BP and was impressed by the volume and variety of their stock. Because I know what I'm looking for I had no need to speak with the floor sales people so the experience was a good one. Not so great now that the onion layer has been peeled back revealing the dearth of staff knowledge. Hell simply from osmosis and having to put up with my fishing crap spread out all over hell's half acre whenever I prep to go fishing Mrs ASE knows more than she ever wanted to about fishing, and certainly more than those kids...

[Mattjvd]

Just returned from my Kyuquot finishing trip, it was a great few days. We found fishing to be a little slow close to shore, but out where it really starts to drop off (about 12 miles off shore) was incredible.

On Wednesday there were so many Coho we couldn't get our gear deep to look for chinook or halibut. A Coho would take the line on the way down. It was a blast.

We dropped off a couple hundred pounds of salmon at St. Jeans in Campbell river on the way back to have it packaged, and to have about 30lbs smoked.

[AllseeingEye]

Just returned from my Kyuquot finishing trip, it was a great few days. We found fishing to be a little slow close to shore, but out where it really starts to drop off (about 12 miles off shore) was incredible.

On Wednesday there were so many Coho we couldn't get our gear deep to look for chinook or halibut. A Coho would take the line on the way down. It was a blast.

We dropped off a couple hundred pounds of salmon at St. Jeans in Campbell river on the way back to have it packaged, and to have about 30lbs smoked.

Sounds like a well worthwhile trip. That's just as well as the resident orca pods which primarily feed exclusively on chinook need them more than you or I do. Was speaking to the Island Outfitter's guys recently who are encouraging many of their charter guests to go strictly catch and release where the chinook are concerned. We took the boat out onto Constance Bank last week and released all four of the chinook we tied into that day.

 

That far out were you seeing any tuna being boated?

[Mattjvd]

Sounds like a well worthwhile trip. That's just as well as the resident orca pods which primarily feed exclusively on chinook need them more than you or I do. Was speaking to the Island Outfitter's guys recently who are encouraging many of their charter guests to go strictly catch and release where the chinook are concerned. We took the boat out onto Constance Bank last week and released all four of the chinook we tied into that day.

That far out were you seeing any tuna being boated?

We didn't see any ourselves, but there was some radio traffic from the fishing guides about seeing tuna 15+ miles out. It's uncommon to catch one without targeting them, you need to troll about twice as fast as you would for salmon.

That's not a bad idea, re the chinook. We kept one each over the trip (and limited out on Coho). It's pretty common to see whales, including orcas, around Kyuquot. Honestly, I was ignorant of the fact that some pods almost exclusively each chinook until recently. We mostly see single orcas or small groups feeding on the seals and sea otters.

Edited by Mattjvd, 31 August 2018 - 09:36 PM.

[AllseeingEye]

We didn't see any ourselves, but there was some radio traffic from the fishing guides about seeing tuna 15+ miles out. It's uncommon to catch one without targeting them, you need to troll about twice as fast as you would for salmon.

That's not a bad idea, re the chinook. We kept one each over the trip (and limited out on Coho). It's pretty common to see whales, including orcas, around Kyuquot. Honestly, I was ignorant of the fact that some pods almost exclusively each chinook until recently. We mostly see single orcas or small groups feeding on the seals and sea otters.

Yup the resident orca's are primarily fish eaters (chinook in particular); the single or transient orca's are the ones that will primarily target larger mammals and other whales.

 

That said if presented with the right opportunity the resident orcas will certainly take out seals or sea lions in the absence of fish. I've seen it most frequently off Sooke out towards Secretary Island. Impressive as hell to be that close to an orca hunt, and more than a little scary especially when the big male orcas go into full attack mode. At that point especially if you are in a smaller craft you want to be somewhere else......

[AllseeingEye]

Once in awhile the boys even let me drive the boat. As Mrs ASE is not a member of VV and won't see this, I'm ok with this pic showing me sneaking one of the occasional old port cheroots in my left hand. This was on Constance Bank last week; we bagged 3 nice Chinook (all released of course), which was not a bad way to spend a week away from the office - 

 

*Apologies for the Yankees cap (they suck) which is why I only ever wear it fishing.....

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Edited by AllseeingEye, 08 September 2018 - 11:02 PM.

[Mike K.]

Nice!

[AllseeingEye]

Off to Whistler on Thursday which we'll use as our base for fishing the Lillooet River system to the north of Pemberton and the Cheakamus River to the south, closer to Squamish.

 

Should be fun and I'm especially looking forward to breaking in a couple of new fly rods and particularly the new Sage reels. The latter cost an arm and a leg but are beautiful pieces of engineering and I'm looking forward to putting them through their paces, preferably with a nice sockeye on the other end of the line. Fortunately both rivers aren't restricted to fly fishing so I'll also hump along my spin cast gear as well. The weather forecast is spectacular for the entire coast so this should be tons of fun.

[Sparky]

 As Mrs ASE is not a member of VV and won't see this.

 

Just an FYI...you don't have to be a member of VV to read posts. All that is required is for a friend of Mrs ASE to tip her off as to your shenanigans and you good buddy are BUSTED!

 

just sayin'

[Bernard]

this post coming up as a new content reminds we of a question I have been meaning to ask, where is a good place to fish for shrimp around here?   

[AllseeingEye]

Dunno...three days, spin cast and fly fishing....think I need more gear.....

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[Mattjvd]

this post coming up as a new content reminds we of a question I have been meaning to ask, where is a good place to fish for shrimp around here?

Most of our Fjords/ inlets that get to over 250 feet of water are good. Even Saanich Inlet works.

Edit: Canned cat food it good bait, (just like that District 9 movie) and spring is usually better than fall or summer.

Edited by Mattjvd, 15 October 2018 - 03:58 PM.

[Bernard]

Most of our Fjords/ inlets that get to over 250 feet of water are good. Even Saanich Inlet works.

Edit: Canned cat food it good bait, (just like that District 9 movie) and spring is usually better than fall or summer.

thanks, it is the depth that matters?

[Mattjvd]

thanks, it is the depth that matters?

Depth definitely does matter. We usually find prawns/shrimp in 250 to 400 feet of water, but occasioally up to 200 feet. I never bothered to research why that is; ie temperature, darnkness, foodsource, pressure (some combination).

Edited by Mattjvd, 15 October 2018 - 04:34 PM.

[AllseeingEye]

/\.....I think it depends in part on what species of shrimp you're looking for; oddly enough - and I will admit this was a long, long time ago - but we used to have good luck at Arbutus Cove of all places, and in (relatively) shallow water. And Matt is 100% correct - spring is *the* time to go looking for shrimp.

[Bingo]

 I have been meaning to ask, where is a good place to fish for shrimp around here?   

 

I used to take my kids down to the marina in the evening and shine a flashlight down the pilings. We used an old bicycle wheel covered in cheesecloth attached to a couple of fathoms of rope.

In the course of an hour you could net 1/2 cup of tiny shrimps. Good fun for the kids, though not enough meat for a sandwich.

[Bernard]

I am without a boat but do fish regularly for crab from the Sidney pier

[UDeMan]

Try the wharf at the end of James Island Road. Good for shrimp and you might be able to get some small spot prawns. It's good this time of year at night time.

Just use a dip net and use cat food, sardines, tuna or fish scraps. If you use Salmon scraps the seals may take your bait.

[LJ]

I am without a boat but do fish regularly for crab from the Sidney pier

First time I ever went shrimping was off the Sidney pier. We borrowed gear, it looked like a bike tire rim with netting around it and a couple of fish heads for bait. We hauled up the net after half an hour or so and it was full of these green ugly looking things. We were throwing them all back into the water when this little kid came over and asked what we were doing. We said we are trying to catch shrimp, and he said " then why are you throwing them all back in the water?"

The only shrimp I had ever seen to that point came out of a can and were pinkish orange. Oops.