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Just got back from Bamfield late Sat nite. Was there for two weeks. Fished only in the afternoon and late evenings.
First after noon out trolling around Sanford Island in Satellite channel (about a mile and a half from Bamfield). I was trolling 95 feet of water, lines down only 55 feet , because of pinnacles. We trolled for a few hours, no bites so told my wife we better pack it in and come out later. That's when my starboard rod almost snapped out of the boat. The rod acted strangly, it stayed bent down like it was still snapped to the down rigger. I was watching the line and definitely saw a hugh tug downward, so I knew it had tripped. After my wife did much circling with the boat and myself reeling in, the denison came to the surface. At first look, I though it was a large ling cod. As the fish rolled, I could then see it was a Hali! My wife got the net ready to try and scoop it up. I didn't think it was a good idea, but with no harpoon on board, we tried to net it anyway.
Good thing I listnened to "Ted Peck" quite awhile back, at a sportsman show, on how to net big fish. He said " after you net the fish, you pull the net to the boat and haul the net in by the rim and not the handle". My wife and I both had to haul the fish up, because it was thrashing so much. I didn't care about the rod at that time, I just through it aside and worked at getting the fish inboard.
I can tell you one thing I learned, Hali's don't like being out of water on board a boat!
A native friend of mine told me, if you bring a Hali into a boat, always bring it in "white side up, they kick only one way... upwards". With the Hali I had, it didn't make a difference! The fish kicked both back seats up and they were flying around, almost smashed the engine "dog house", slime was everywhere, finally I started stroking the fishes belly (another tip I remembered from my friend), then the fish calmed down.
After getting a rope through the mouth and around the tail and tying the fish in a "U" shape, I weighed it, just over 50 lbs! If I ever get a bigger Hali, it's getting towed to shore.
Fishing was very spotty for salmon until about last Wed. when the wife and I got two, twin 20 pounders, at last light off of Kirby point. Finished off the trip with another 17 pound chinook, but the battle for that Hali will be hard to beat. Heard of two chinooks 38 and 39 pounds caught in the morning off Kirby, just as we left. Big ones are starting to show up.
First after noon out trolling around Sanford Island in Satellite channel (about a mile and a half from Bamfield). I was trolling 95 feet of water, lines down only 55 feet , because of pinnacles. We trolled for a few hours, no bites so told my wife we better pack it in and come out later. That's when my starboard rod almost snapped out of the boat. The rod acted strangly, it stayed bent down like it was still snapped to the down rigger. I was watching the line and definitely saw a hugh tug downward, so I knew it had tripped. After my wife did much circling with the boat and myself reeling in, the denison came to the surface. At first look, I though it was a large ling cod. As the fish rolled, I could then see it was a Hali! My wife got the net ready to try and scoop it up. I didn't think it was a good idea, but with no harpoon on board, we tried to net it anyway.
Good thing I listnened to "Ted Peck" quite awhile back, at a sportsman show, on how to net big fish. He said " after you net the fish, you pull the net to the boat and haul the net in by the rim and not the handle". My wife and I both had to haul the fish up, because it was thrashing so much. I didn't care about the rod at that time, I just through it aside and worked at getting the fish inboard.
I can tell you one thing I learned, Hali's don't like being out of water on board a boat!
A native friend of mine told me, if you bring a Hali into a boat, always bring it in "white side up, they kick only one way... upwards". With the Hali I had, it didn't make a difference! The fish kicked both back seats up and they were flying around, almost smashed the engine "dog house", slime was everywhere, finally I started stroking the fishes belly (another tip I remembered from my friend), then the fish calmed down.
After getting a rope through the mouth and around the tail and tying the fish in a "U" shape, I weighed it, just over 50 lbs! If I ever get a bigger Hali, it's getting towed to shore.
Fishing was very spotty for salmon until about last Wed. when the wife and I got two, twin 20 pounders, at last light off of Kirby point. Finished off the trip with another 17 pound chinook, but the battle for that Hali will be hard to beat. Heard of two chinooks 38 and 39 pounds caught in the morning off Kirby, just as we left. Big ones are starting to show up.
