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[NormB]

Hello all,

Just got back from Langara, where I was May 31st to June 4th. While I haven't been to Langara at this time of year before, I have been up there many times in July and August. By that standard (July-August, that is), the Spring fishing was quite poor during these five days. The three of us (and the others concur on this position, and they have gone every year since 1987) had to work really hard to get our limit, releasing few fish: it took until mid-day Thursday for the three of us to limit out.

Generally, the Springs caught by folk on the Marabelle ranged from 16 to 33 pounds. I'd say the average was 20 pounds. The largest fish of this trip was a 36 pounder, although a member of the crew snagged a 46 pounder.

Quite by accident, I caught my first Chum ever.

A few tiny Cohos were caught: I suppose they are still feeding mainy on shrimp.

In contrast, the ling cod fishing was astonishing. Using salmon rigs ('cause we eventually caught most of our Springs really deep--not usual at Langara) the three of us must have caught and released fifty.   Halibut were a little scarce, save for minnows.

Norman

[Steelhead King]

Norm, glade you have a great trip at Langara.   To answer your question about spring feeding in deep water. The reason is  the whale showed up last few weeks feeding on the herrings, which forces the salmon go deeper. last week, most of our fish were caught on 15-60 pulls in different spots.  

[NormB]

Saw the whales many times, although they were primarily close in around Andrews Points and vicinity, and we got most of our Springs far away at the Lighthouse, where we never saw a whale. Also, I could see carnivorous whales spooking the Salmon, but those we saw were plankton feeders. I mentioned the deepness issue because with one exception, the nine Springs we caught at Lighthouse were really deep--10-15 feet off the bottom, which is to say 140-210 feet of water.

Hope to be up at your outfit later in the season: it is our usual haunt.    Norman

[gman]

Hey NormB,

Just wondering how you fished so deep at Langara. At Langara Fishing Lodge they do not have downriggers, do they have them on the Marabell? Where you still trolling a cutplug or where you dropping your bait down near the bottom on the slack tide like bottom fishing?

I'll be up at LFL first week of August.

[NormB]

Dear gman,

First of all, I'd better stress that we have never fished so deep for salmon at Langara before, nor had we ever been there so early in the year.  I guess I'm saying that there isn't much authority behind our go deep strategy.  I wouldn't personally try it in August unless the bite was off fishing conventionally.

The Marabelle is all just as per LFL unguided: no downriggers. What we did (and the currents around the Lighthouse are can ve pretty wild) was to establish the direction of the current, go with it, and use the motor episodically (often in reverse) to keep the lines going down at a reasonable angle. Used 8 oz. weights, let out to the bottom and then cranked up about 10-20 turns. Adjusted depth as the water depth did. Worked fine. Side benefit was a lot of lings. Rarely snagged the bottom. However, the Springs way down there fought primarily vertically not horizontally, with few big runs: hence less fun than conventional Langara fishing.

FYI, I'm trying to get to LFL also in August.

Norman