On the Flats

For a number of reasons, The Oak Bay Flats can be an odd place to fish. For instance, except for the occasional bump, it is pretty much flat for a couple of miles of under water real estate that spreads the fish out because there are no well defined edges or structure.

The predominant feed is needlefish (on the bottom, although there were herring balls on the surface when I fished last week) and this affects lure and bait size. In lures, slim and short, for example Coho Killers and squirts over hootchies. In bait, small to medium, which has a bearing on presentation because the wire of a wired bait head wants to puncture the skin on insertion in smaller/shorter bait, which damages it, leading to shredding during letting the tackle down and during fishing. You have to check it more frequently because shredded bait won’t catch fish.

It also causes a problem while setting the spiral you prefer – tail following the head in a spiral rather than in a spin diameter that exceeds that of the head’s spiral diameter. The reason is that you set the spiral with the latter third of the bait, and thus the wire. If the wire isn’t inside the fish, you can’t set the bend where it needs to be. Not to mention that it adds something hard to come in contact with the fishes’ mouth, dissuading some not to chomp down for a clean hook set.

And there are problems with the angler’s bait preparation. Usually, I fish a previous day’s bait tray along with a new one. In between I cover the bait with pickling salt and put it in a flat Tupperware container that accommodates the bait’s foam tray. Then I fire it in the freezer.

Salt shrinks the bait some, but also toughens it, making it easier to handle during insertion in the bait head and threading in the wire. It also holds its spiral better than untreated bait. What is lost in shine, is gained in presentation, as well as being able to trust that it will shred less easily with a rocket descent and last longer during fishing, thus less wasted time bringing it up to check and lowering again.

I was well away from the dock with a full, old tray of bait – no new tray – when I discovered that having set it in the sun (something hard to avoid on a boat) on my last trip, and, more importantly, forgotten to put on the salt, found the bait a bit rotten and far too soft.  Thus several were ruined trying to thread the wire, as the skin stripped off too easily. Also a couple’s body cavity came open during fishing, spilling brown intestines, not to mention off-gassing the smell of ho-hum bait.

So I had little confidence in the bait spiralling and not shredding while fishing. This is the Flat’s fault, not mine. I say this because I realized sometime ago that a rationalization is always made in your own favour, and thus blaming it on the Flats made me feel better.

And then there is the problem of fishing pattern. In the past, the Flats were fished as a square, always turning to port, that extended from in front of the Great Chain Islets, say 80- to 130-feet of depth. These days it is far more common for boats to fish on a diagonal sighting on one tack, the south end of Trial Island, and on the other, the south end of Discovery Island.

And it is more common to fish the 110- to 140-foot depths, even though you can catch fish all the way in to the Great Chain Islands, ie, 60 feet deep (and I caught a 20 pounder last year right off the golf course point, in 50 feet of water).

The other odd thing is that the Flats are conflicted water. Both tide and current present themselves at the same time, and you can go one direction and be bucking the current at one moment then running fast with the tide in the next. This affects how long you are going to fish your tack, before turning to go back – you catch far more fish fishing with the tide. It becomes abundantly clear when tide/current are against you that the point where you expect to catch fish takes ages to get to, and thus you can be fishing in less fishy water for a longer period of your finite fishing time.

Then there is rod spread pattern, which, in all seasons, is one rod right on the bottom with the other(s) staged above it, so that you only have to deal with one rod’s downrigger when the ball drags on bottom. Pick the rod most easily seen from the captain’s chair.

Despite all these oddities, the gods did reward me last week. I landed the dinner requisition of a 6-pound hatchery, male, Puget Sound chinook, and had two bites that were not landed, all on bait with a Super Betsy flasher, right on the bottom. I tried other gear, in Coho Killers, the green Splatterback, White Lightning and all silver, as well as one of the Flat’s mainstay plastics, an Irish Mist squirt. No luck.

But I retained my Hunter and Gatherer, male-guy button by bringing home the bacon, er, salmon.

Final notes:

1.      The South Vancouver Island Anglers Coalition is having a Sooke Town Hall Meeting, Tuesday July 12^th, 7:00 p.m., at the Sooke Community Hall, 2037 Shields Road, in Sooke. These are the people bringing us the net-pen chinook for orcas and a few for us, so please support them. Everyone welcome, and a free event.

2.      The Island Anglers Tip of the Week is a good one this week: “Avoid the crowds. When you see lots of boats fishing in a small area, it doesn’t necessarily mean there are lots of fish there, just lots of anglers. And the more anglers, the more gear in the water competing for what fish that may be there. Usually, you’re better off to fish away from the crowd with less competition for those fish that are willing to bite.”

These are good points and I would add that it is best to decide on your fishing plan before getting out on the water, so that you are fishing where you want to be. By actively deciding ahead of time, including your reasons why, makes you a better fisher in the long run.

Q and As - November

Tackle: If you are looking for winter spring tackle, here is some that works well in the Victoria area. Flashers: the Gibbs Lemon Lime, Madi and Purple Onion; from O’ki the Betsy/Super Betsy series that produces an electric current in saltwater to attract salmon. Bait: medium anchovy, and in needlefish areas, small anchovy or Tiny Strip from Rhys Davis. Teaserheads: Purple Haze, Bloody Nose, Blood and Bones, Pearl or 602, glow green. Spoons: G-Force No Bananas, Cop Car, Glow/Green, Irish Cream, Coho Killers in Spatterback, and all silver. Hootchies: Army Truck, Purple Haze, Glo Below. Squirts: Pistachio, Purple Haze, Glow white, Pickle green, J-79, Jellyfish, Electric Chair, Mint Tulip, Irish Mist, Jellyfish. Try to pick up tackle with glow and UV properties.

Instructions for Wire-rigging a Teaserhead: The most popular post on my fishing blog is the instructions for wire-rigging a teaserhead: http://onfishingdcreid.blogspot.ca/2014/02/wire-rigging-teaserhead-feb-23-2014.html. There are two images of rigged ones at the bottom that show how they look finished – of use if the explanation in words leaves you wanting an image. You will note many of the teaserheads in the tackle section above. Rig up 25, for a whole year.

Base layer product: Every now and then I pick up a product that far exceeds my expectations. In a base layer product, try the Columbia, Omniheat, full, arm-length shirts. They have a mirror like finish on the inside, and fit snug to the body. I have found them terrific for warmth, passing through sweat, and since poly-ester has been thoroughly updated it seldom collects body odour as it did in the past. I walked six miles in all my fishing gear last week, and neither was cold – though it was 0 degrees at the start and my fingertips were some frozen – nor got sweaty later in the day.

Fly Fishing Gear and Books: Bill Langford, long time Haig-Brown Fly Fishing Association member is getting out of fishing. Attached are two lists of his stuff, interesting to read, and some good bargains. Email address not yet nailed down. Ask me for it, if you want it.

Watershed Watch Weekly Newsletter: You can get on the email list for this weekly newsletter. It covers salmon issues in Canada, the USA and other international links: Watershed Watch Salmon Society.

Sport Fishing Institute: On November 27^th, the Sport Fishing Institute will hold its Annual Industry Policy Conference at the Pacific Gateway Hotel in Richmond.  This event has become a key forum where elected officials, public servants and those in the sport fishing industry meet, share their perspectives on the issues facing the recreational fishery and receive updates on preliminary expectations for the forthcoming season. See: http://www.sportfishing.bc.ca/events/bigsplash.htm.

South Vancouver Island Anglers Coalition: This is a group that all of us should join as the purpose is to support saltwater sport fishing in our area. Membership is $40 per year. The site is: http://anglerscoalition.com/. The newsletter from this group – connected to the SFAB process – is really worth reading and you can send them an email (on their site) to be put on the list. The Oct 26, 2015 issue of the Newsletter is attached.

One subject is increasing the chinook in our area for… killer whales, and other reasons, like, say, sport fishing. The SVIAC has now stick-handled the Sooke system toward those ends with 500,000 chinook going into net pens in Sooke Basin in 2016, with 100,000 of them marked and with coded wire tags to identify caught fish. DFO is on-side and the fish will come from the Nitinat Hatchery as those fish are part of the same gene pool, due to historical releases in the Sooke River for the enhancement society.

When the SVIAC comes asking for a donation, please consider doing so as it is the best outcome for local anglers in a long time, and deserves our support.

Halibut Season: Halibut season will continue in our area until Dec 31. In-season data had erroneously indicated that the season should have closed on Sept 21, and been 10,000 pounds over our total allowable catch. However, it turned out that west coast Haida Gwaii was double counted. Careful eyes representing sport interests noticed this discrepancy, and thus why we are still fishing in the Victoria area. We owe the reps our thanks.

Steve Vella: My girlfriend suggested I take her fishing. I have fished Muir Creek mouth but not up-river. What is the access like? I am looking to take her hiking and throwing a spinner for coho to pass the time

A: First things first: keep your hands on this girlfriend. She likes fishing and that is a good recommendation for any significant other – should be on her CV!

On Muir: go up the right bank from the bridge, and soon you will have to cross over, where there is a pool just above, opposite a small cliff. The issue is how high the tide is. The rest of the access above there is a bushwhack. 

The simpler thing to do would be a walk up the Sooke River, which has an easy, maintained trail. It is fly only though, with probably a few chum remaining.

Alternatively, if you want to go out to Harris Creek, try below the bridge for coho. Alternatively, the clear-cut section some clicks above on your left, gives access to a good pool which would have coho, too. It is above the canyon. And, since the Harris is open to gear fishing, you can toss spinners in both places.

Q and As December – It’s a Wrap for 2014

The Hatch: This on-line fly fishing magazine is available at no charge. Ask to be put on the email list. See: http://www.hatchmag.com/.

SFAB Concept Paper: Your SFAB board has put out a document, with request for comments to

Gerry Kristianson, or other board member, both editorial and substantive.

The paper identifies specific outcomes to address the following seven goals:

Since January 2010 when it was first formally articulated, the Board has steadily pursued the vision of “a sustainable and vibrant recreational fishery in British Columbia, providing broad social and economic benefits through diverse opportunities that recognize and respect other users of the resource.”

The framing of this vision was assembled around the following seven strategic goals, all of which were developed in collaboration with Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the British Columbia Ministry of the Environment, and after consultations with First Nations, other fisheries sectors, and environmental groups:

1.      Achieve healthy and productive marine and freshwater ecosystems that support recreational fisheries.

2.      Realize the full social and economic benefit of the recreational fishery.

3.      Maintain and enhance a consultative framework which provides for a supportive relationship between governments and the recreational fishing community, and encourages a healthy and respectful dialogue with other users through inclusive and meaningful processes.

4.      Ensure that the management of the recreational fishery is based on the best available information while taking into account local and traditional knowledge.

5.      Provide sustainable fishing opportunities which consider the needs of and foster the potential of the recreational fishery.

6.      Establish a framework for sharing responsibility for activities which benefit the recreational fishery.

7.      Promote understanding of the recreational fishery and recreational fisheries management practices.

Please provide Gerry K with your comments. I suggested two financing points. If the SFAB is to become a not-for-profit society, the preamble and purposes should be written in a way that allows for the society to be designated a ‘charity’ by the Canadian Revenue Agency, and thus to be able to raise funds with donation tax receipts going to donors. Further, to retain that helpful designation, political comments have to be kept out of the discussion.

Second, as there are 300,000 saltwater anglers in BC, a stamp, like the chinook stamp on our licences (or charged to anglers to affiliate with the society), would raise, for every $10 charged, $3 million and multiples of $3 million with additional $10 increments. Such funding would provide a seriously positive outcome for helping our fisheries.

The South Vancouver Island Anglers Coalition (SVIAC) Newsletter came out this past week:

1.      With better Fraser chinook numbers, the SVIAC was able to convince DFO that Area 19 and 20 anglers should be able to retain one unmarked chinook of any length as of June 14. The hope is that the same measure will be authorized in 2015.

2.      Alpine Group Juan de Fuca Fishing Tournament last June was completely sold out, $65,000 in prizes was awarded and $19,500 was raised for the South Vancouver Island Chinook Revitalization Initiative.

3.      A meeting with DFO Pacific brass yielded progress on several fronts: Priority access for sport fishers for specific species; Resolution of the Fraser chinook issues; and, Southern Vancouver Island chinook revitalization.

The chinook revitalization has multiple objectives: to bring back the Sooke River to its optimum chinook spawning population through short term enhancement and habitat restoration, for the longer term goal.

With 1 to 5 million chinook smolts and netpens, the southern killer whale population is supported as is fishing in the area. A cost/benefit analysis will be done along with the socio-economic return to the Salish Sea.

4.      The 21.5 million Fraser sockeye return did not materialize in Juan de Fuca as warm temperatures and possibly algal blooms resulted in a 97% Johnstone Strait diversion. Ditto for Fraser Chinook. Inside fishing from Campbell River (22,500 chinook caught) to Nanaimo was terrific.

5.      The Malcolm decision was handed down this year and it reaffirmed that the Minister of DFO has the right to reallocate public fish, in this case, the 3% halibut quota from the commercial sector that had been given to the sport side.

6.      Commercial halibut fisherman, Bob Fraumeni, and owner of Finest At Sea Seafood Producers in Victoria pled guilty to illegally fishing for halibut in the inside waters of Juan de Fuca strait without holding the correct licence. The catch’s value of $14,164 was donated to the Pacific Salmon Foundation.

7.      The International Pacific Halibut Commission meets in January. The total allowable catch for Canada is 5.78 million pounds. Our representatives will be seeking 7.5 and a repeat of 2014’s halibut catch, which resulted in our area being extended to December 31, 2014.

8.      The 2015 Alpine Group Juan de Fuca Fishing Tournament seeks to pay out more than $100,000 in prizes in 2015. Pick up tickets at Island Outfitters, or on the SVIAC site. www.anglerscoalition.com.

Q and As – December

Pacific Salmon Foundation: The PSF’s Salish Sea projects seeks to understand the reasons why Georgia St., Juan de Fuca and Puget Sound salmonid numbers are a fraction of what they used to be even 30 years ago. In contrast, the open ocean shores of Washington, Oregon and California have far higher returns of salmonids. This year, for instance, the chinook return to the USA waters was 2.4 million fish.

The chief Georgia St. chinook run, the Cowichan, has been down to less than 3,000 in recent years (2015 Salmon Outlook not yet received, but 4,500 adults and Jacks returned by Oct 22.). The Cowichan chinook, is the stock most inside water fishers fished in the past.

The Cowichan chinook are a special stock because, unlike other BC stocks in our area, once their estuarial period ends they circle Georgia Strait for more than a year. They move up to Campbell River, cross over and come down the Powell River, Vancouver side then cross the strait again, heading west, before moving out to the open ocean. So they are available as winter feeders for far longer than other stocks.

Inside coho stocks crashed in the 1980s, with the Big Qualicum taking a big hit in ’86 – ’88. They have never come back and one possibility is that Georgia has had higher algal blooms in the intervening years and acidification, a condition coho don’t do well in.

Take a look at the salmonid PDF graphs from the project: http://marinesurvivalproject.com/wp-content/uploads/Decline-of-Marine-Survival-in-the-Salish-Sea1.pdf. Inside salmonids includes steelhead (the Englishman being a prime example of a once flourishing run highly targeted by anglers that went belly up).

Note that the BC coastal streams have higher survival rates. This implies there is something wrong in Salish Sea. Killer whales need chinook too for the winter months when they are the only salmon species available.

From Victoria west to Otter Point, the winter fishery has improved, but that is because the USA has stepped up its production of chinook. Had they not, our fishery may have been reduced to almost nothing.

The PSF points to other adverse conditions:  The Salish Sea ecosystem has changed significantly over the period in which salmon populations have declined. Changes have included increasing water temperatures, increasing acidity, more harmful algae, the loss of forage fish and some marine commercial fishers, changes in marine plants, more seals and porpoises, and the list goes on, including diseases.

If you are so moved, they would like your donation to help reach the $10 Million needed to fund the many projects: https://www.psf.ca/support/donate. Here is a summary of what they are doing: https://www.psf.ca/what-we-do/salish-sea-marine-survival-initiative.

 SVIAC and SFAB Meeting: The South Vancouver Island Angler’s Coalition is hosting a member-focused holiday season get together on Thursday December 11^th, 7 p.m. – 10 p.m. at the Esquimalt Anglers Lounge, 1101 Munro Street, Victoria (upstairs at the foot of Lampson Street by the launching ramp).

The SVIAC has this to say: Come on out and join us.  We see this as a chance for our member anglers to enjoy a small social gathering before the Christmas holidays really set in and to share a few stories about the 2014 fishing season. We’ll also spend a few minutes providing a brief update about tidal fisheries in our area and some insight into what the 2015 season may bring. We do need to seek your input on a couple of fisheries issues, so our SVIAC Victoria area Sport Fishing Advisory Board (SFAB) reps (Thomas Cole and Chris Bos) can act on your behalf at the upcoming South Coast SFAB Committee meeting in Nanaimo.
Door prizes, raffle, refreshments.

Tom Davis: At the Sport Fishing Institute’s winter splash conference our Tom Davis was presented the first ‘Bob Wright Legacy Award’ – details of this award and Tom Davis’s valuable contributions to the sport fishing community can be found at: BWLA 2014. Congrats Tom.

2014 Port Renfrew, Nitinat and Cowichan SFAC meeting minutes, Nov.13: A few selected items of angler interest:

Fishing: Poor with about 1/3 of the normal chinook catch. The season produced a record low crab fishery. This was largely due to the high intensity commercial crab fishery that went on day and night. Also, confusion over coho regs had a negative effect. By the end of September the Coho count was 7,000 for the San Juan with the majority to return in November.

Returns: Very good to the Nitinat, escapement of 35,000 Chinook, and over 4,000 Chinook returning to the San Juan. By the end of September the Coho count was already at 7,000 for the San Juan with the majority yet to return in November. It was noted that the Chinook egg take at the San Juan hatchery was cut back to 250,000 eggs from 1,000,000.  

Cowichan River, by October 22: The preliminary count was 2,400 Chinook adults, 1,100 jacks along with 4,200 Coho and 177,000 Chum.

Cowichan Roundtable discussions: The concerns of the recreational fishery were voiced by Martin Paish and Andreas Berglund at these meeting and Andreas stated it has been very difficult at times. Martin's hard work as our representative paid off with a retention of 1 Coho in the Cowichan River along with a Chum retention. This was not supported by Cowichan tribes but was supported by the department and took place in a very short time.

Groundfish/Shellfish: Brad Beaith, DFO, reported the 140,000 pound underage on Halibut. Consensus by members was if halibut regulations were to change they would like to see a retention of 1 large halibut of any size in the annual limit of 6.

New Transport of Fish Policy: Bob Gallaugher noted the new policy was eroding the sport fishery. Families cannot give their possession limit to another family member to transport and process for them legally. Before this change families could spend a holiday together fishing at a destination. The dad [for example] could take his family members possession of fish home to process with a note containing all the information required and his sons and daughters could carry on to their destinations around the country. Now that is not legal according to enforcement. There was no support for the new policy. A motion passed unanimously for DFO to withdraw the new policy before it destroys the recreational fishery. Better consultation would have helped.