Christmas Fishing

Seasons greeting loyal readers! The cold snap has passed, the ice is off the downriggers and the salmon are biting. The last week has seen the best winter fishing we've had in years. Tent Island out of Ladysmith is on fire. Fish Irish Cream spoons at 80 ft in 100 ft of water. People are having 20 fish days, the average size was of 8-9 pounds however many high teens and even some over 20 lbs have been caught! This is a great size for December. The forecast for this year is for much larger fish than last year, so perhaps this is the first sign of this. There are also loads of anchovy in the gulf this year for the first time in a long time. This is a wonderful bait fish for the salmon to fatten up on. Closer to Nanaimo we are getting good reports in deeper water of 5 Fingers. Troll 160-200 in 500 ft of water. Irish Flag and Yellow Tail spoons behind Chartres/Glow flasher with plenty of artificial scent. The prawning is awesome this winter. The prawns are big and plentiful in most areas. Winchelsea is the the only area with some poor prawning reports, and one odd ball report of prawns in ridiculously shallow water. Be advised the standard winter closures are in affect, so make sure you check the regulations before you go out. Good luck if you head out. A fat winter spring with jumbo prawn appraiser is the best Christmas dinner I think off. Tips up, Stephen Vavrik