By Don Daniels
There are some people who enjoy fishing that do not own a boat.
It’s a good thing we have a few spots at hand where fishing is very good and you don’t need a boat. you just need to be willing to get out and fish the tides and spin cast for salmon.
This week I was on Discovery Pier mid-afternoon and a group of 14 anglers were scattered along the railing. They were spincasting for springs and, yes, salmon are being caught. At the end of August, spring catch reports were in the mid-20s but it has tapered off a bit in September.
One angler was at the cleaning table with a 15 pound spring, washed and cleaned. He mentioned he has to stop fishing because his annual limit has reached 10 springs and if he continued to fish, the remainder of the year he would have to release the fish. All springs must be recorded on the license.
A popular lure that has worked for many anglers is the Point Wilson Dart that can be thrown out and then jigged to cover more depth and get a hit. Buzz Bomb lures can also be used and if you can find the color and get down to the bait, you may be in luck for a nice fish. If you want to experience pier fishing for a few hours, rods can be rented at the concession until mid October.
Twice a week, I am in Sayward and the wharf at Kelsey Bay is always a spot where you can cast out lures for springs. This year the springs were coming in close – more so than the pinks. The fishing can be spotty at times but you never know until you try. Fishing nets are close at hand and there is always someone around to give you a hand if you hook into a salmon. Some of the local campers have had good success fishing off the wharf if they can’t get out in their boat.
The Tyee Club will wrap up the season this weekend and as of Monday, Sept. 9, a total of 13 Tyee have hit the scale. Bob Mains got a 32.5 pounder using a plug late evening and Rich Fryer got a 31.5 pound spring on a plug early morning. His rower was Mike Mackie. Jim Clowes got his 32.5 pounder early morning using a plug and his rower was John Todd. A good view of the boats can be seen this Saturday evening as the final day of angling in the pool wraps up for another year.
I call this the plug that got away. In late August, Jim Sweet and his son and grandson were salmon fishing around the lighthouse and Kenny wanted to use his prized possession, a pink Lucky Louie plug that was given to him. A fish was hooked and the salmon and plug were lost. The plug could be floating in the tide line and if anyone finds it I would certainly make sure he gets it back.
As the weather cools this time of year, the trout fishing is just fine and is improving each day as the hatch changes for bugs and the trout are moving about and surfacing. I recently met a few people visiting Campbell River from Ladysmith and they were walking around Echo Lake not fishing but picking up garbage that was left in the day use area.
With hunting season around the corner, expect road traffic to increase and as the weather cools, many people make the transition from fishing activity to hunting.
I have confirmation from Arija Fisher, at the Campbell River library, and next week, when I have a feature on trout fishing locally, I will announce the dates for the winter session of beginners fly tying at the library here in Campbell River.