Typical Day Fishing Trip
A typical day
fishing trip would start anywhere from 5:00 to 8:00 A.M. depending on
the tides and the time of the year. If the crabbing has been worth while
previously then we may bait and set the crab traps so that we can
retrieve them on the return of the trip, we then proceed to the fishing
grounds. Usually about an hour away for Halibut and Salmon.
I like to know
what is the priority species of fish that the guest prefers to target
first. Usually the morning is the best time to fish for both Halibut or
Salmon. If there is time or if fishing is good, we may go after the
secondary species. Day trips are based on a 10-hour day. This is
sometimes flexible in both directions.
If we are trolling
for salmon then any one person from the group can be expected to steer
the boat while I am out back setting or checking gear. As running good
gear is as important as keeping the boat on the right tack, my time is
limited to the back deck and it is impossible for me to keep it clean,
this is where the crew comes in to play. There is a deck hose on the
stern and two deck brushes; it takes very little to keep clean if you
get on it right away.
When a fish
strikes you immediately take up the slack on the reel, even if it's
still in the rod holder. Once the slack has been taken out then you can
remove the rod from the holder and fight the fish. I preset all the
drags on the reels, please do not adjust. If there is adjusting to do
then please let me do it as I know the breaking strengths of my gear,
also I know how much pressure can be put on a fish before pulling the
hooks out of the mouth. Do not try and pull on the rod to set the hook,
this has already been done when the fish has released the line out from
the downrigger clip. Setting the hook the second time only makes a
bigger hole around the hook and as we are fishing with barbless hooks,
we do not want a bigger wider hole for the hook to slip out of. I can
only net the fish if the head is coming towards me, we work together as
we get them in the net. Once in the net I will give them a crack with my
"holy Moses" stick, this usually make them settle down. I will then put
the fish into a cooler. Please let me get the hooks out, this can be
very dangerous especially if there is a few kicks left in the fish and
the second hook is loose. I will clean and get your fish on ice when
ever practical to do so. It is important to get the gear down as soon as
possible so please hold off on the pictures until we get the gear set
and get back fishing.
If we are fishing
for halibut, I will get all the gear set up and usually get it started
going down. At this point I will explain how the reels operate and hand
the rod over to you. It is now up to you to get the gear to the bottom
then set to the right height off of the bottom. It is up to you to check
your bait when it is required. Unlike salmon fishing, when you get a
hit, you grab the rod, set your thumb on the spool and give it a good
pull. I usually use the gaff for halibut and it's one quick motion of
gaffing and up and into the box. It is important that you not reel the
halibut in till the tip of the rod. You need only to have the halibut to
the surface when your rod tip is up, this gives us a bit of slack for
the transition from the water into the box. Again, let me get the hooks
out, halibut can flap around quite a bit and sometimes come firing right
out of the box. That second hook could get hooked on you and if the fish
starts to do the "chicken" then you will too.
Payment is usually
made towards the end of the day when the boat is back and tied to the
dock. Money should be transferred only on the boat. This is a rule at
many marinas. The reason for this is that it reduces suspicions of
Sport Caught fish being bought or sold.
Typical Overnight Fishing Trip.
Overnight trips
usually start between 7:00 and 8:00 A.M. of the 1st day. We have a private dock hidden in a bay located at
one of the best fishing grounds on the North Coast. The dock is a great
place to get off the boat, have a stretch and a walk around. Often we
cook fresh crab for on the first night, an excellent feast I must say.
At night we start the fire in the fire pit located on the dock, this is
truly the best. I am a partner with two others in the dock and it is
usually our 3 boats using the facility. There are good laughs, good
times and good friends met at this dock. The regulars of each charter
boat soon become to know the other operator's guests and look forward to
meeting one another year after year. I am sure that with the fishing in
the day and at night the campfire atmosphere , there can not be a better
thing. Also it is nice security knowing the vessel is tied safe and
secure for the night. We also use the dock to process our fish that we
have caught for the day. We have a fish cleaning and filleting table
located on the dock along with a picnic table, crab cooker. wind break and barbecue.
In addition we have added a roof for those rainy days
Fishing time is
pretty much the same as day trips but is much more productive as there
is a 2-4 hour advantage per day that you have by not traveling to and
from the fishing grounds. Another advantage to overnight trips is that
generally we travel a lot farther that what we can with limited time on
day trips. Everyone on the boat is a crewmember of the boat and every
one helps out with duties as they arise. I stress to people that the
most important place for me to be is at the helm as even a 20'
drift off the tack can make the difference to a successful trip.
Again, payment is
usually made towards the end of the last day when the boat is back and
tied to the dock. Money should be transferred only on the boat. This is
a rule at many marinas. The reason for this is that it reduces
suspicions of Sport Caught fish being bought or sold.
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