Download the mobile app!

Hooking Up Anglers Since 2011.

Check out our new Android or iOS app for Fishing Status.

The long awaited return of our mobie app is back on Apple App Store and Google Play

Predators Pen - Saltwater fishing Report - December 14th, 2014

 | By Dave Korsch on 12/15/2014 12:00:00 AM | Views (1968)
Hello Fellow Anglers   
 
I will take this opportunity to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and best wishes in the New Year.  Lets hope that 2015 will be as productive a year as it was in 2014.

For those of you thinking of getting out in the near future for our winter Chinook fishery, it is now in full swing in Howe Sound.  The last 2 or 3 days have been quite productive for associates who managed to get out on the water once the weather finally settled down late last week.  This bodes well for the upcoming weeks and months as we progress through the peak months for our winter fishery.  I did get out today (the 14th) on a buddy's boat, but it was having engine troubles and we were not able to troll slow enough to fish effectively, so basically we just had a nice day on the water in the sunshine and aired out his boat a bit.  However, we did watch a boat beside us box a couple fish, and there was another lost and an undersize released in the first hour or so that we were there.

Typically I deploy prawn traps throughout the winter fishery, but on January 1st, the whole of Howe Sound is getting closed to recreational prawn fishing until the end of March for the prawn spawning season.  This is the first time in recent years that I can recall the whole of Howe Sound getting closed, but it should help the stocks as a whole.  Area 29 will remain open, so there will be some days when we travel up the South side of Bowen and we could deploy the traps there for the day.  I just wont leave them out overnight like I do in my usual spot, so catches will likely not be too great.

As for the upcoming 2015 fishing season, it should at least be decent and possibly an excellent year.  The winter fishery is shaping up to be one of the best ones in recent years (at least the early results), and a good winter fishery typically translates into a good local spring fishery off Bowen.  I expect the Thrasher Rock and Gabriola fishery to be very good as usual during May and June (with potentially good fishing off Porlier in late April), and this upcoming summer I am looking at doing longer trips up to Lasqueti and Sangster Ils. during late June and July if/when the Gabriola fishery slows down.  The last couple of summers have provided excellent Chinook and Coho fishing up this way, there are a few Halibut getting caught each year like off Gabriola, Ling Cod are also open up there as well, and we can even buy live herring for bait in Secret Cove (last place on the coast that has it).  It is a bit farther run than Gabriola, but not too bad and it could work very well for overnight trips.

By early August we will have the runs of Howe Sound Pinks available for light tackle casting (fun for the kids....and adults.....), and we SHOULD ALSO HAVE ANOTHER GOOD SOCKEYE RUN THIS YEAR.  I have not seen an official forecast that says this yet, but 2011 (this year's brood year) provided an excellent Sockeye fishery for us off the Fraser, so I see no reason why we won't have another good run again in 2015.  Early in the 2011 run, we didn't have too many Pinks around, and the Sockeye fishing was quite good.  By mid-August the numbers of Pinks began to increase and we just had to locate Sockeye schools  that were away from the Pink schools, but looking back in my log book, this seemed quite easy as Sockeye catches remained strong through the first week of September.

The Capilano Chinook run was also much better in 2014 than it had been over the past few years, and we can only hope that this trend is continuing.  Average size was up significantly in 2014 from the previous 2 or 3 years and there were almost none of the Jacks that were so common before.  Let's hope that this is due to a better breeding program and that the trend continues.  I'd like to see a return to the years when 30+ pound fish were common, and every year there was one or two over 50 lbs (like during 1999 to about 2005). 

Again, this is a reminder that you will need to purchase your Saltwater fishing license “on-line” from the Department of fisheries website.  They have not printed out the license books that they had for sale at marinas and sporting good stores like they have in the past. The following is a link to the DFO website where you can purchase your license.  Remember to get a salmon stamp as well as the basic license as the stamps are not available at the marina either.  http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/licence-permis/index-eng.html

As always, feel free to pass this information along to any associates whom may appreciate the report.  I have a Twitter account, and will be posting pictures and results of my fishing trips from out on the water as they occur.  If you are interested in "following", my "name" is "salmonfishdave (http://twitter.com/salmonfishdave). 
 
If you have any questions, or wish to book a charter, e-mail me at (davek@dccnet.com), or call me at (604) 329 - 8642. 
 
Note:  If you see this report posted on my website and you didn't receive it directly like you use to, please send me an e-mail and I will put you back on the list.  If you wish to be removed from this e-mail list, please let me know and I will do so.
 
Tight Lines,

Catch Information

Species:
Chinook Salmon
Chinook Salmon

Coho Salmon
Coho Salmon

Halibut
Halibut

Lingcod
Lingcod

Sockeye Salmon
Sockeye Salmon

Depth:140 feet (42.67 meters or 23.33 fathoms)
Line Size:25 lbs (11 kg)
Reel:Shimano moocher GT4000 Plus
Rod:Shimano Technium Moocher
Captain:David Korsch
Vessel:Mako 233

This Fishing Report was submitted on 12/15/2014 12:00:00 AM by Dave Korsch and last updated on 12/15/2014 1:26:48 AM.


Location

Vancouver, British Columbia Canada

View Full Fishing Map

GPS Files

Download GPS files of fishing spots for this area.

Including GPX (Universal GPS Format), KML (Google Earth), and XLS (Excel) files.

Download GPS Files

GPS Coordinates

Degree, Decimal Minutes:
Login to view coordinates.
Decimal Degrees:
Login to view coordinates.
Degree, Minutes, Seconds:
Login to view coordinates.

Let us custom design a SD Card of fishing spots for your GPS unit!

Custom SD Card of FIshing Spots
Buy Now!

Featured

Predator Charters
Predator Charters
Based out of Horseshoe Bay, West Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada - Predator Charter’s skipper - Dave’s 25+ years experience in fishing charters p

Upgrade to Pro

 

Gives You Access To:

Catch More Fish Download GPS Files Create Custom Maps Fishing Predictions Featured Listings

 Download GPS files of fishing spots.
 Create Custom Maps of fishing spots.
 Fishing predictions w/ future date & location.
 Featured Listings for your fishing business.

$7 month or $49 year