456 replies to this topic

[AllseeingEye]

Durrance must be warm. Doesn't that make the fish less tasty?

No these are 1-2-3 year old stocked fish so they're in prime condition. Based on the number of people that showed up swimming by 8am yes I would presume the surface layer of the lake is relatively warm.

 

When the summer heat is on fish head deep(er) so you adjust your fishing sets accordingly; because of that warmer surface layer you're not going to catch much there so I used a light spin cast gear with an egg-spinner weight attached to a small swivel attached in turn to 5 feet of leader with two garlic-scented power-bait imitation eggs just at and above the hook.

 

The weight sinks the set close to the bottom and the leader allows the ``eggs`` to trail behind in this case roughly 5 feet above the lake bed. Trout can be pretty aggressive and I actually tied into this one as I was retrieving the line simply to check for weeds; he took it maybe ten meters from the dock and gave me a nice tussle bringing him in.

 

I normally almost always do the catch and release thing in the wild, i.e. in river ecosystems with wild fish. Durrance like most other Victoria-island lakes is stocked annually so that is less of a concern. I`d have to check the regs again as I can`t recall the limit offhand but it would be pretty high in this case. Whereas depending on the species and the river and the time of year, the limit often is 1 and frequently its `0`......

[AllseeingEye]

Three rainbow trout, not a bad haul for about an hour's effort; again right off the dock at Durrance Lake. Will taste mighty fine stuffed and pan fried for supper....

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[AllseeingEye]

From the book of "well that was something completely different": tied into a big rainbow this morning and while I was tussling with him a huge eagle swooped down and fought me for the fish, tearing it off my set, literally within meters of the dock.

 

While that was happening the resident mink family that lives in the rocks by the dock picked that precise moment to assault our already-caught and filleted fish which were bagged and sitting literally at my feet. So while trying to fend off the eagle - unsuccessfully - 3 little b^^^^^d baby minks were nipping at my ankles trying to get at our catch.

 

Haven't shucked, dived and gyrated that wildly since my night clubbing days, heh. Managed not to get bitten by my furry friends and we saved our fish. Determined little buggers though, completely fearless and obviously well habituated to the presence of humans.

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[Mike K.]

Wowzers. Eagles are known to play those games out on the straits but this is the first I’ve heard of one staking out a small lake.

[Sparky]

Next time duct tape your phone to your rod and present us with a nice pic of that flying fish snatcher. A video would be even better. You might even get a couple of views on Youtube.

[Mike K.]

That paragraph can be so amazingly misconstrued, lol.

[Sparky]

So it looks like Prospect Lake has been stocked with Rainbow Trout a few times this year. Have you tried your luck there ASE?

[AllseeingEye]

Wowzers. Eagles are known to play those games out on the straits but this is the first I’ve heard of one staking out a small lake.

This one is smart enough to perch happily on top of a tree 20 meters from the dock and is content to idly stay there watching the proceedings below. He has no need to look elsewhere for food.

 

In fact we don't worry about him normally: he is extremely well fed and for the most part, since he is presented with a banquet for the taking literally right in front of him 7x24, he ignores us since he can see the entire lake from that vantage point and snatch a snack any time he feels like it.

 

I neglected to mention the pair of otters that showed up as well, fortunately after the other wildlife had vamoosed. Crafty buggers they simply wait for a fish to get hooked, dive down and snatch it off the line. OTOH its nice to see all that wildlife since its indicative of a very healthy ecosystem in spite of the heavy human usage......

[Langford Rat]

We used to fish Langford Lake a lot. One day we were out there bottom fishing with the boat anchored off shore. I got into a nice one but I guess I'd worked him a little too hard bringing him in. He seemed fine when I released him but a few minutes later he popped back to the surface right beside the boat. I caught a glimpse of something in the corner of my eye and ducked just in time. This eagle dropped like a bolt and scooped him up. We looked up in the trees (when there still was trees on the Westhills side) and there were 4 or 5 of them just watching us. All afternoon, whenever we got one on they would do a fly-by. One nice rainbow even got picked off when we were still reeling it in. There was a guy fishing from shore who said he thought the eagle was going for me when it picked up the floater beside the boat. He said it was inches from my head, talons outstretched, when it dropped in.

[AllseeingEye]

You don't realize how durn big eagles are until their in your personal 'space': fortunately I wasn't as close as the 'Rat, but 15-20 meters was plenty close enough. They are big ass major league predators with ridiculous armament. Glad you managed to miss your own real up close and personal close encounter.

 

I've wondered about Langford Lake - I know like all local lakes its stocked with fish, more than Durrance I believe - but I wonder what kind of public access remains with all that development in recent years?

 

Elk/Beaver of course are obvious other lakes but they have a bad millweed problem and are so heavily used it can be anything but a peaceful experience.

[LJ]

 

 

I've wondered about Langford Lake - I know like all local lakes its stocked with fish, more than Durrance I believe - but I wonder what kind of public access remains with all that development in recent years?

 

 

Access is still good - there is a public boat launch on the south side as well as a couple of rafts and wharfs where you can fish from.

[AllseeingEye]

Access is still good - there is a public boat launch on the south side as well as a couple of rafts and wharfs where you can fish from.

Good to know thanks LJ I think we'll give it a whirl; I do hope that like Durrance the 'dock' at LL is for fishing only.

 

Fishing licenses pay for a slough of things aside from fish habitat preservation, including the construction fishing-only docks at places like Durrance and Elk/Beaver lakes. Many people especially younger kids are unaware of that. We've kicked kids off the Durrance dock who figured it was their personal tanning platform. Not so. It is designed and built - and paid for - by people who use the resource for fishing. 

[Langford Rat]

Langford Lake is a real gem. You're almost guaranteed to get into lots of fish. There's plenty of 1 and 2 lb rainbows and a decent smallmouth population. There's more than a few "Walters" in there, too. They pull 5 pounders on a regular basis and I heard someone got an 8 lb bow two or three years ago. If you're heading down Jacklin Rd from Goldstream Ave, hang a right onto the Langford Parkway. Go down past the stadium, to the second round about and stay right, onto Westshore Parkway. About a klick further, on your right is Landing Lane. There's a nice little spot off that road ...with a boat launch, a crapper and a fishing wharf. Usually have good luck dragging around a wooly bugger, or a fly or the old wedding band/worm combo. The fly guys in the tubes always seem to be lucky. If you're gonna fish from the wharf, you'll need to bring a camp chair (they have rod holders on the railings)....oh, and a decent selection of Power Bait. They seem to be looking for a different colour everytime I go.

[AllseeingEye]

Langford Lake is a real gem. You're almost guaranteed to get into lots of fish. There's plenty of 1 and 2 lb rainbows and a decent smallmouth population. There's more than a few "Walters" in there, too. They pull 5 pounders on a regular basis and I heard someone got an 8 lb bow two or three years ago. If you're heading down Jacklin Rd from Goldstream Ave, hang a right onto the Langford Parkway. Go down past the stadium, to the second round about and stay right, onto Westshore Parkway. About a klick further, on your right is Landing Lane. There's a nice little spot off that road ...with a boat launch, a crapper and a fishing wharf. Usually have good luck dragging around a wooly bugger, or a fly or the old wedding band/worm combo. The fly guys in the tubes always seem to be lucky. If you're gonna fish from the wharf, you'll need to bring a camp chair (they have rod holders on the railings)....oh, and a decent selection of Power Bait. They seem to be looking for a different colour everytime I go.

Good info thanks 'Rat; we don't usually drag out the tubes and fly gear for the local lakes, we generally use that gear for more remote fishing in the interior or north end island lakes and rivers. But I'll definitely take my spin cast setup and powerbait which works very well at Durrance and give it a shot at LL. Sounds like bigger fish there for sure; the average rainbow in Durrance seems to be 1.5-2 pounds......

Edited by AllseeingEye, 19 August 2019 - 10:24 PM.

[Victoria Watcher]

killed by his own bountiful harvest.


https://www.timescol...nlet-1.23936392


Witnesses responded immediately and tried to free the fisherman from the net, but their efforts were complicated by the weight of the net’s catch.

[AllseeingEye]

Ugh....nasty way to go. Another reminder that commercial fishing is a dangerous occupation. According to a Newsweek article I read earlier this year in the US it ranked Number Two after logging......

[Victoria Watcher]

ya logging is always up there for sure.

[Maximus]

Hi everyone. I came to Victoria to work for a long period. I like fishing. But I do not know this region. I wanna go fishing salmon. Maybe someone knows the places where is good fish.
Also I have several questions:
advise places for fishing
where can I buy a license for fishing
where can I buy fishing rod

[Mattjvd]

Hi everyone. I came to Victoria to work for a long period. I like fishing. But I do not know this region. I wanna go fishing salmon. Maybe someone knows the places where is good fish.
Also I have several questions:
advise places for fishing
where can I buy a license for fishing
where can I buy fishing rod

Island Outfitters on Douglas street and Trotac on the corner of Jutland and Gorge road are my go to fishing shops. Local places with all ranges of gear and knowledgable staff. (Island outfitters for sure sells licenses, I've never bought one at trotac before, but they might. You can also get the license on-line at Fisheries and Oceans' website and print it off at home.

Typically, you'll want to go west for Salmon, to Sooke and Port Renfrew. I hear some people try off Sidney, but I've never done it myself.

Edited by Mattjvd, 23 February 2020 - 02:10 PM.

[AllseeingEye]

Island Outfitters unfortunately just experienced a fire that razed the business so they may be down for the count for a while. Otherwise typically my go-to place for equipment and accessories. That said if you fly fish Robinson's is an excellent outlet located right downtown. I-O is on Douglas near Cloverdale. Oddly enough - depending what you need and on your experience level - Canadian Tire of all places is priced competitively and you can certainly find a decent and broad assortment of fishing-related equipment.

 

As suggested above for the license(s) you can either go online or the primary retailers also sell them directly in house.

 

First things first though: what kind of fishing is your preference - salt or fresh water? Gear only, or do you fly fish as well? Need to know that information before I suggest any places to toss in the lines.

 

You also need to consider the time of year particularly with respect to salmon. "May-December" is typically the optimal time for catching most species of salmon on the BC coast although as it happens NOW is time for the holy grail of salmon, i.e. the steel-head. They are also the most difficult fish to gain access to in terms of the river ecosystems where they appear in any numbers.