The birds are chirping, the sun is shining, and the spring fishing is underway! Many anglers having been waiting for the spring reset for a few months now. Throughout the calendar year some of these species overlap in season, making it possible to switch species up day to day.
STEELHEAD WATCH
Last winter I strictly pursued Steelhead, wanting to dial them in better then my previous season. All though the numbers of steelhead were fairly low, we still had a very consistent season. The winter chinook season kept many anglers busy as well. Some of my local friends who have lived here for many years can’t remember the last time they had fishing this good. A lot of the time, anglers were limited out in an hour or two. However, the one species everyone has been patiently waiting to be able to target is the halibut.
TIME FOR SOME GREAT EATING!
Arguably one of the best eating fish from the ocean, I prefer them over salmon any day of the week. Regulation closures have had halibut closed for several months throughout the winter. They recently opened a one fish slot sized limit April 1st. The fishing has been amazing since the opening day. Lots of fast limits make it easy to get off the Strait before the wind picks up. The one thing about angling in the Juan De Fuca Straight is you must always watch the wind.
The Juan De Fuca straight is on the south side of the island, and the winds are predominantly out of the west which can create big swells coming from the main ocean. We use the “Windy” app to make sure safety is always in play. This app can be downloaded to your phone and used in and out of service while you’re angling. Many days, storms and winds out of nowhere can appear with calm sunny forecasts. It’s extremely important to monitor the weather as it changes so fast on the island and surrounding waters.
PRIME TIME
There’s no better time to be targeting halibut then spring. Getting out early, anchoring up, dropping the lines down and watching the sunrise on a calm morning is special.
The one nice part about those living near Victoria is the ability to fish areas out of the wind. Before I moved back to Alberta this past year, I did lots of fishing out of Sooke harbour. If the wind is bad from the west I would launch and hide in Pedder Bay. Pedder bay is off the west side of the island and offers good halibut angling that’s not far offshore. Mostly fishing in 200–500 feet of water it can be a workout to reel in a halibut of any size. Most guides have switched to electric reels which is super handy for checking bait, and if the “Dogfish” are around. Dogfish are small sharks that can be in packs like wolves and very hard on bait. Having electric reels can get the dogfish up quickly and the bait back down in a quarter of the time with a traditional reel.
LOTS OF BAIT
The season goes on in the spring more and more dogfish show up with the warming of the water. This means it’s very important to bring a lot of bait. We use herring, octopus, and sometimes even catch them on artificial lures while jigging for bottom fish. I always find the tide change is super important and is the best time to catch them. You can save a lot of bait from dogfish if you have the option of hitting the tide change. Living here for four years now I’ve met a lot of good captains and there’s plenty of options for guided trips all over the island. If you haven’t fished for halibut this is a must do and I can’t believe I waited as long as I have to start fishing for them.
The early morning boat rides, relaxing with the rods in the holder, and watching the sunrise all makes it an incredible trip in its own. You often see orcas, whales, dolphins and other aquatic life while being anchored up and on the boat ride. Landing a fish is a bonus but it’s a great trip with or without just being out there. This is also an incredible time for crabbing, with lots of big crabs. We always leave the crab pots towards the harbour on the way out then pull them on the way back in. Spring is also a great time for prawning, but you have to watch the regulations as it will often change or close accordingly. If you’re on the island in the spring, Halibut is a must do in my mind especially if you have not done it before.
BILLY BASS
In my mind there is no better time to target Large and smallmouth on the island then springtime. We usually start focusing on them from mid March and stay on them tell the end of June. There are many lakes on the island that carry good populations, which makes it awesome.
Quesnel, Prospect, Elk, Shawnigan, and Langford are all lakes I go to throughout the spring. The fishing starts off slow, often having to target reaction bites with Spinnerbaits and swimbaits until the water warms up. The fish remain spread out a little way from the shore until the water gets in the mid 50s Fahrenheit.
REACTION BITES IN COLDER WATER
Nothing really beats a reaction bait method this time of year until the water hits that magic number. Most of these lakes have prime shallow flats to allow you to cast and retrieve your lures while remaining in the prime strike zone. Although the fishing starts before the water warms up some of these reaction bites are explosive. There’s nothing more exciting when you haven’t had a bite in a while then when a bass almost rips the rod out of your hand.
But hold on to your hats once that water stays in the mid 50s, as you often can’t keep the fish off. Many 20-30 fish days are common with multiple giants in the mix. Lots of these lakes carry both Large and Smallmouth that can be caught in the same general areas at the same time.
This is a huge bonus, not having to jump lakes to switch up species. Not only are these small lakes nice and safe for kids, but this is also a very fun way to get them into fishing. For the past few years my brother and I have been teaching his son’s how to fish, and they absolutely love going for bass. There’s no better place than on a small calm lake in my mind.
When the bass are in pre spawn mode, flipping and short casting plastic baits like Senko’s and crawfish imitations is all you need. Most of the time your baits don’t even hit the bottom and your lines flying sideways with an aggressive bass on the end.
