Herring Season

Late February and March is herring season on the Coast. Large schools of herring are staging off their spawning beaches along the coast and drawing the salmon in with them. Now is the time for fishermen to harvest herring for all their bait needs for the year. We have packs of herring jigs (AKA Sabiki Jigs) on sale if you need them. I jig them from my boat and always try to catch a spawn on shore simply for the grand spectacle of it. And I harvest their roe from any I catch form my own consumption. Herring roe is an absolute delicacy that I defiantly recommend. If you happen to observe a active spawn please give the Harbour Chandler a call and have them pass it on to me.

The salmon fishing is picking up off Nanaimo, although the majority of fish are still slightly undersized. However most fishermen are getting a keeper or two per trip. The undersized are gorging on herring so they should be bigger soon.

Smaller spoons are out producing larger despite matching the size of the mature herring. Homeland Security spoons and our Custom Black Jack (HC2017-1) spoon have been the most successful in shallower close to shore. And out in deeper waster of Entrance Island Cookies and Cream and Yellow Tail spoons fished along the bottom at the 200ft contour line have been best.

The best flashers have been Watermark White and Chartreus Glow.

Also a reminder that we are having our own Vancouver Boast show sale March 23-27. Sign up on our website for the flyer to see the deals available.

Tips up, Stephen Vavrik