If you were planning a fishing trip??

Okay, it looks like we may try Neah Bay this year. We just picked up our first downrigger today and are going to try and install it in the near future.
I think we are going to try and target silvers in hopes of just getting some fish!! Do we need to get a Canadian fishing license for up in that area?
Also, here is a rather strange question:
If you are on a fishing trip for several days, what do you do with the fish you catch on the first day? Do you just keep storing it in fresh ice??
We are thinking around the second week of August? Does anyone know if the marinas take reservations?

Thanks!!
Julie
 
Jeff and Julie":1tv2bs4h said:
Okay, it looks like we may try Neah Bay this year. We just picked up our first downrigger today and are going to try and install it in the near future.
I think we are going to try and target silvers in hopes of just getting some fish!! Do we need to get a Canadian fishing license for up in that area?
Click to expand...
No - not if you fish on the US side of the border and generally you can find plenty of silvers that time of year. However, the quota for them is somewhat small on the U.S. side and a Canadian license would be good insurance. Although you can get a Canadian license online - the online one doesn't let you fish the best Canadian areas near Neah Bay so go to Canada to get one. Also, if you do fish on the Canadian side and take a fish, you can land it in the U.S. BUT YOU CAN'T FISH IN U.S. waters with a Canadian fish on board. If the U.S. quota is not gone by then (probably won't be), you can catch plenty of silvers just outside of Waddah island and in the tide rips to the west. Silvers are often found there in deep water (sometimes as deep as 600') but the fish are mostly in the upper 30-35' (kings are usually deeper). When the silvers are in thick, almost anything will catch them but favorites are coho killer spoons, a green hootchie behind a green or red flasher and a simple cut plug behind a banana weight. You can often jig up plenty of bait at the docks in the marina so buy a few herring jigs before you get there. Fresh bait behind a 2-4 oz banana weight usually outfishes everything else, is easier to fish than on the down riggers and provides a better fiight than catching a fish with a big flasher on the line.
Jeff and Julie":1tv2bs4h said:
Also, here is a rather strange question:
If you are on a fishing trip for several days, what do you do with the fish you catch on the first day? Do you just keep storing it in fresh ice??
Click to expand...
I have shore power on the boat and bring my vacuum packer. I fillet or have the fish filleted. The indians on the res will fillet for you $1/salmon, $0.50/rockfish - they do a great job and are very fast. After a long day, I just pay them to do it. Their skill probably gives me a bit more meat than if I did it myself and often times the cleaning tables for personal use have long lines. After filleting, I vacuum pack, mark the bag with a permanent marker and either
a) Send the fish home with a guest or
b) Pay to have it frozen on site.

Legally, you are only allowed to have two days limit in possession (frozen or otherwise). You can have both on the boat provided on limit is cooked, smoked or frozen but that's typically not practical on our boats. The Big Salmon resort (the marina at Neah Bay) charges a nominal fee to store fish in the freezer there. If you rent a cabin or motel room, many of those have freezer fridges also. Last year, I did several days at Neah Bay and had a different friend out each day or two. I just sent fish home with them, that worked out OK - but remember the possession limit counts what's in your freezer at home. I realize some don't pay attention to this, I'm just stating the regs....

Jeff and Julie":1tv2bs4h said:
We are thinking around the second week of August? Does anyone know if the marinas take reservations?

Thanks!!
Julie
Click to expand...

The only marina at Neah Bay is Big Salmon Resort and yes they take reservations. It's definitely the nicest marina out that way. I have heard of some having problems with vandalism or theft from their vehicles out there but I have had no problems on many stays. I do have a real beater truck and I don't leave anything of value in the truck. Also, when entering Neah Bay, you will need to stop at the general store and buy the annual makah reservation vehicle permit ($7 last year). It's required to be on the res. and I think vehicles w/o one are more often the targets of vandalism. If you want anything alcoholic to drink, buy it well in advance of getting on the res. Gasoline at the marina was relatively inexpensive last year - about $0.20 more than on land. Bait, tackle, food, soda and many boat repair items are available in town.

There's an OK pizza place a couple of mom and pop restaurant and one semi-decent restaurant. Be sure to take some time to visit the Makah museum and to take a hike on the trail at Cape Flattery. Both are worthwhile.

Also, when the water's nice, go around the corner past and a bit south of Tatoosh and search the rises for schools of black rock cod. Limit of 10/day/person and some of the best eating fish around. I will be out there in the last week of July/first week of August and will probably make a few 1-3 day trips out there in early July.
 
Great post Roger! I might try to come out and fish with you again this year ;) Sounds like you are going out earlier this year. Hoping for more kings?

I was up at Deception Pass last weekend Ling fishing on Satuday with the GameFishin.Com crew. We went 2 for 3. Lost a nice one about 20 feet from the boat. I can't wait to get back out to Neah and Sekiu! Man I love it out there!
 
Thanks Ken. We have from 7-20 thru 8-11 to fish so we will see a lot
of the NE of Vancover Is. from Campbell River north. Has one been to Telegraph Cove?????????????. Also Jeff if you are going to be around up
there let me know where and we can hook up.
:smiled john schuler :smiled
 
Roger,
Thanks so much for such an informative post. I really appreciate you giving us the reg info for catch limits!! I like the idea of having someone help us clean the fish. We have no clue what to do with a rock fish!!
WhalerGoFar - I like your idea!! :thup
John,
It looks like we are going to try Neah Bay this year and the Campbell River area next year. We would really like to check out Desolation Sound also. You will have to let us know how the fishing was when you get back!!

Jeff and Julie
 
John Shuler: We went to Telegraph Cove last July. The king fishing was phenomenal. You can fish out of Telegraph or Alert Bay and it is a short run over to the northeast to the best fishing at an area called "the wall". It is a vertical rock face that the locals fish, you get so close your downrigger will almost touch but the fish seem to hang along the wall. You can also get married there ( I tried that as well). I saw a lot of boats at alert bay go out in the morning and limit and then were back out in the afternoon for more. Seemed a little agressive for my tastes. It is also right across from Robson Bight, the Orca reserve. We saw lots of orca and whales the whole week we were there. Better like rain though.
 
As far as the posession limit goes, this is what it says on this year's pamphlet for marine area's

Marine Area's 1-6 Anglers aboard a boat may only possess one daily limit of fish or shelffish in fresh form.

Salmon- Two daily limits of fresh salmon. An additional 40 pounds of salmon may be possessed in a frozen or processed form.

I usually try to process my catch too right away too. Vacuum seal it then on ice it goes or you can pay to have it frozen at the res. So you can actually have more than two daily limit's on your way back home as long as it's been proccessed or frozen. Which is nice if you stay for more than two days.

I'm planning on heading up on the weekend of July 15-16th for my first Neah trip this year and then will probably spend most weekends there for a month or so. When is everyone else planning on being there?

Sark
 
Sark,

Thanks for correcting me - I forgot about the 40lbs frozen - that's key if you're not catching kings (in which case a limit of two could equal 40lbs).

That's per person with a license so if you hit that limit, you're doin' good enough to merit quitting. I have seen people out there bring RV's with big freezers and fill them with more than their limits though. Not my way of doing things....
 
I agree with not filling an RV. But I usually take my limit. And you're also right that two good kings could be 40 lbs, but the 40 lbs is on top of two daily limits in fresh form so that would be 4 kings. Which would take 4 days per person to land if you're following the rules, which I do. Man , I'm getting excited for salmon season. Neah bay here I come!! :smilep I get my boat back from it's 20 hour service this week and I am hoping to get out in the sound for some tune up fishing, not much going on, but It's good to get the lines wet. And my buddies caught a 20+ pounder last weekend. Said it was chock full of live candlefish.

Sark
 
If you're going to make the trip to Vancouver Island for salmon, I'd do as others have suggested. Either stick to the West Coast of the Island (Port Renfrew, Bamfield, Port Alberni, Tofino) or go past Campbell River to Port Hardy, if you want quieter water. The east side of the Island below Campbell River is hard and spotty fishing these days, and the rockfish closure zones (no fishing at all) seem to be everywhere. Check out the Dept. of Fisheries web site for closure areas. "DFO.gc.ca" ???? Sorry, cant remember exact web address.
 
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