2017 fish squeezing and sundry images
2017 fish squeezing and sundry images
So July turned into a smoke show. After issuing a few evacuation alerts and orders, and to appease the less than calm wife, we took heed of our own evac alert, loaded the truck with the usual plus our keepsakes and other valuables and ran from the flames and smoke for our annual escape to Vancouver Island.
Visited family in Victoria, spent a few days camping by Lk Cowichan, then taking in the Salish sea life of Hornby with the mother-in-law. Got my fill of fanny bay oysters (not really) but decided it was time to leave the ladies with their Gran, and head to Nootka Sound. Met up with my father, sister and her brood in Cumberland and headed to the west side of the island.
First day out we spend daylight testing the waters for the spring run, but after an hour or so our guide said f-it and out to the big water we went. Got our limit of ling cod and rock fish trolling the bottom amid a rough sea with the swell from the NW and a stiff SouthWesterly. Luckily only experienced liquid sunshine outside the sound, but the evening back at camp was a wet one.
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Day two saw a return of clear and calm so we ran straight out to the banks and got our halibut. Jigging brought up 125cm and 122cm (about 55lbs each) which effectively paid for the trip. After catching another day's limit of rockfish, and hooking an octopus with arms as long as mine, we called it a day as we kept hooking into yelloweye that we couldn't return.
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Day three we played our luck with the springs. They were running slow and strikes were scattered as per the reports the past few days, but after a full day and the skill of our guide, we brought in 5 of 8 fish. Coho unfortunately had not yet made an appearance in the sound. Nephew was stoked on his spring, and I assisted my niece reel in her first salmon. Between that and fishing for mackerel and sable off the dock, she is hooked on summer fish camp.
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Limits for the bottom fish have been reduced, and the salmon were a bit smaller on average than in previous years, but still managed to take home about 80lbs of steak and fillet. An added bonus was a strong NE wind was blowing all the smoke to the coast, leaving the air at home clear (for the next few days at least). Local fires have been subdued for now, but the ready bag is still packed. Guide said his bookings are light the end of Aug...