Always Remember Your Rockfish Descender

 With fishing this hot you might be in a rush to get on the water, but remember your rockfish descender. Many fishermen I speak to are still unaware that it is mandatory to have a rockfish descending devise ready to go while fishing from a boat in salt water in B.C. Even if trolling for salmon or tuna you must have it ready. They really do save our long lived rockfish and I get a good feeling whenever I can save a fish that otherwise may not make it. Especially if it's a less common species like the pretty little red-banded rockfish in the photo above. I caught him up in the mid-water nowhere near the bottom off Five Finger Island last Friday. I carry two descenders so if I were to loose one I could keep fishing. One is the top-of-the- line Seaqualizer which is very easy to use, and a cheaper one for backup. 

 Fishing was good for the trollers near The Fingers for Springs and Coho. For the Springs use Glow Bananas Split spoons with Jellyfish Sourpuss flashers. And for the Coho our own custom designed Maverick spoons and custom green mirror flashers were working the best. 

~If you see HC in a name or part number it's one of our many Harbour Chandler custom designed items made in collaboration with the best tackle companies on the coast. It will be something we researched to find what is the most effective and/or maybe just really wanted for our own use.~

I also saw a two kayakers come in with a nice 14ish pound spring jigging Delta Half Jigs in Green Herring Aid near Neck Point. And the shore fishermen in the area are also experiencing a lot of success. 

While the Fingers were good, Entrance Island was on fire. Fish the shallows with jigs or parallels the reef on either side, and you should load up. Although things could have changed by now as with the winds I have no Georgia Straight reports recently.

 On the West Coast Renfrew, Bamfield and Tofino are having an incredible year. While it started late it was worth the wait. Big Chinook in the high twenties and above are coming in They were a bit slow to make it up the Alberni Canal, but are there now. With the road situation there is less other fishermen making it even easier to get into big fish without the crowds. Party Girl spoons and Fancie Glancie flashers have been very productive. Bloody Nose and UV Purple Haze teaser heads also account for a lot of fish.

The Rivers are starting to pick up with a huge run of Pinks making there way down the Straights and piling into Rivers such as the Salmon and Campbell. All round this year is shaping up to be a record one for multiple speices of salmon

Tips up!

Steve Vavrik

steve@harbourchandler.ca