2018 Vancouver Island Kayak Fishing Trip

[RavYak]

I recently did a trip out to Vancouver island and figured I would share a few pictures and info as we had a great time out there.

We started the trip out by driving straight out to Nanaimo on day 1. The next day we decided to go hit up the local area where we were able to find a nice spring, a couple smaller wild coho, kelp greenling, little rockfish, little lingcod, a couple dogfish and a sea cucumber.

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[RavYak]

We were fairly happy with the salmon fishing around Nanaimo but we wanted some better bottom fishing so we headed north and and did some exploring.

After trying a couple spots we found one we liked and we were able to catch a nice spring, nice coho, some smaller salmon, some decent rockfish and some nice lingcod. I also caught a sole, little octopus and we saw a humpback whale which was cool.

We tried for halibut one morning but didn't have any luck and when we went to try another halibut spot my car battery died so that will have to wait for next year. Fortunately I use a 35 ah sla battery for my fish finder and I was able to start the car with it even after 3 days of fishing lol.

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[RavYak]

By that point it was nearing the long weekend and one of the reasons we went out on this trip was to attend the kayak fishing tournament at Moutcha Bay so we packed up our gear and headed over to the tournament.

The tournament was packed with just over 100 entrants including around a dozen of us from AB. On day 1 the fishing was a bit tough as a number of the fish hadn't come that far inland yet with the dry warm weather and the tide was high so a bunch of the fish had shot up into the river out of bounds. I decided to go troll a bit and play with some rockfish where I caught my first Bocaccio rockfish.

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After I got tired of rockfish and trolling the tide had went out and some of the fish had come back out of the river. I was able to catch a couple and get on the board but I knew the standings were going to change a bunch on day 2.

Day 2 rolled around and it was low tide first thing and the fishing was lights out for the first couple hours but most of the fish were on the smaller size (18 lbs was biggest at that time) so I knew anyone could still win the tournament with one decent fish.

In the last couple hours of the tournament a shower moved in from over the sound and I think this brought in a group of fish with it since all of a sudden the fish being caught were larger then earlier in the day.

With 45 minutes left in the tournament I dropped my jig for the umpteenth time and bam I had a hit on the way down. When fishing for these staged up fish you unfortunately snag some fish on accident but when you get hit on the way down it is almost always a good bite so I was pretty sure it would be a good hook up. The fish was strong and pulling hard but I got it steered away from the other anglers to avoid tangles and by that time I was fairly certain I had a potential tournament winner on the line as the biggest fish entered was still only 19.6 lbs.

It took me probably 5-10 minutes to finally get the fish into view and sure enough she was hooked in the mouth and I was certain it was the tournament winning fish. I played her out a tad bit more and then got her into the net on the first try just as the hook popped out. I ran her over to the weigh boat with 30 minutes remaining in the tournament then headed into shore. She was 23.4 lbs and good for 1st place which won me the tournament and a new Wilderness Systems Radar 135 kayak!

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We already had the Rav4 loaded up and then some but we figured out a way to get the extra kayak on top and filled up on of our 150L coolers with fish and started the long journey home after a very fun and productive trip!

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[HookedOnKokanee]

I saw these pictures (I think) ... at a poker party with friends ... are you Jan's son ....

doyle

[barbless]

Congrats RavYak :happy0180: That's a beauty and a nice way to finish with little time to spare.

[RavYak]

I saw these pictures (I think) ... at a poker party with friends ... are you Jan's son ....

doyle

Nope must have been someone with similar pictures or sharing the ones I posted on facebook.

Not sure who Jan is but if his son is from AB and was out at the tournament I likely know him.

[dodgeboy1979]

nice pics, congrats on the big win.

[HookedOnKokanee]

Jan did say her son was fishing on the island for salmon and doing a salmon tournament at moutcha bay ... Jan's name is ... Jan Dancause-Kolb ... and you are right I did see your pictures ... both are from alberta ...

[RavYak]

Jan did say her son was fishing on the island for salmon and doing a salmon tournament at moutcha bay ... Jan's name is ... Jan Dancause-Kolb ... and you are right I did see your pictures ... both are from alberta ...

I just looked her up and I know her son Robb. We were hanging out at the Moutcha tournament and he offered to bring my kayak home for me but we figured how to squeeze it on the Rav4.

[58thecat]

Great trip for sure and to win a tourney too:sHa_shakeshout:

[thumper]

Congrats on a great fish, and winning a great derby! Looks like that Rav is packed to the gills too!

[lakerman]

You missed something its time...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EspLVQGg8JI

[RavYak]

You missed something its time...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EspLVQGg8JI

I have been salivating over the new design and there is a decent chance I will be upgrading to it. The outback is already my favourite model and these new changes just elevated it into a league of its own imo.

The best pedal drive system.
Faster hull(saw a video where guy was pedalling over 10 kph).
More stable hull with increased capacity(there is another video of a 250 lb guy pedalling and another 250 lb guy standing in the back).
Great fishing layout(track mounts, pockets, retractable lanyards, tons of internal and external storage).

They aren't cheap(with dollar and new tariffs probably be around 4k) but imo they are the best man powered personal watercraft available for fishing.

[pikergolf]

Nice pic's thanks for sharing!

[Blastoff]

Great, big haul with the fish and even better winning the tourney

[ineptflux]

I like how you went with 2 kayaks and left with 3 - congrats on the win!

[Serengeti Charters]

Unreal! What an accomplishment, must be tiring as hell to troll around in a kayak for em! That’s amazing, congratulations again!

[pikergolf]

I like how you went with 2 kayaks and left with 3 - congrats on the win!

Your link goes nowhere. :)

[burbotman]

Great job! I enjoy your posts, impressive what you do in that Kayak

[ineptflux]

Your link goes nowhere. :)

That's because the Government of Alberta doesn't care about recovering the population any longer, so they removed it among other areas of that plan. :)

[RavYak]

Unreal! What an accomplishment, must be tiring as hell to troll around in a kayak for em! That’s amazing, congratulations again!

The pedal drive makes it possible, I wouldn't even attempt to use a downrigger on a paddle kayak.

Even with the pedal drive trolling with a downrigger tests your legs and determination. I only use a 4 lb ball and have swapped out my steel cable for braided line to reduce drag but you still get a decent amount of drag and significant blowback which takes a bit of practice to fish a certain depth effectively.

A kayak is definitely not the ideal watercraft for salmon fishing since you are usually fishing deep water and at high speeds but with the right setup you can make it happen. A hobie revolution(faster hull shape) and maybe a more streamlined downrigger ball would probably make it a bit easier.

Next time I am hoping to go out earlier in the year when there are more salmon around on the outside and to hook into some halibut. I know the spots to do it now I just need the time and weather to go make it happen.

[Jamie]

Rav... I would love to see you hitting some serious hot spots.
Bella Bella, Haida Gwaii....

I want to see a 40 pounder dragging you around the ocean!
So much fun!

Jamie

[aulrich]

Congratz on the win, with luck I get there again next year.

[mikebossy]

Congrats, you are a consistent champ, way to go!

[southernman]

Nice report and congrats on the win, I've fished Moutcha bay, kayak derby 7-8 years ago, did ok, managed a 28lb spring,
While towing a white plug around the bay, as well as several smaller fish, two nice and fresh,

I used a torpedo,(torpedo diver) to get the depth, able to get down 30-40 feet, but could tow them for 1hr or so, in my hobie revo, before needing a break. hopefully make it back sum day.