Gotta tell ya about this one. I drove up with Nick Amato to the fishing port and resort village of Tofino B.C. on the west side of Vancouver Island. We met BB member Bruce Gray and his brother Steve on Sunday evening. We were guests of top Tofino guide Matt Guiguet (pronounced geegae). He came in with 6 Kings that afternoon, so we were really pumped for 2 days of fishing. Matt fishes offshore in a 23' Grady White Gulfstream. As fishing luck often has it, Monday produced a day long windy wet weather front that apparently scattered the fish &/or put the bite off. We only hooked 2 Kings, landing one. We also caught lings and rock cod to help the day. Tuesday brought a beautiful windless sunny day. Instead of fishing near the inner islands as the previous day, we ran out about 7 miles offshore and fished 25 fathoms, give or take. After a slow start we finally found the birds, baitfish, and the feeding salmon. Matt limited us out with a load of beautiful Kings. This early in the season didn't bring any real big ones - the fish went from the teens to low 20's. The bonus is that we caught 3 nice halibut. I got lucky and got the big 'butt - 43 lbs. Come to think of it, I had the 2 biggest butts and only one was a fish . Just a great day in such a beautiful uncrowded area! ...

I am posting this now from Matt and his wife Marilyn's gorgeous large lodge right on the famous Stamp River. In the morning it's going to be banana pancakes and Stamp fish - unless the banana 'cakes put the hex on it. You fishers owe it to yourself to enjoy the various fishing opportunitites that the Island has to offer! ...

Check out Matt's site - www.goldriversteelheading.com

Steve (RT)

Yup, that place is something else. Check out a few pics at http://www.greenwater.net/Tofino .

Now, would anyone like to help me start a fund to buy Steve several pairs of suspenders and a belt or two? I was trying to get some action shots for STS but they're not big on plumber's butt.

Really, this was a great trip. Matt worked his ass off to get us into those fish. Read more about it in an upcoming STS piece or check it out for yourself as the bigger Kings and huge run of coho start moving in later in the summer.

His boat is moored at Weigh West Resort and everybody there was top notch. Excellent nighttime scenery at the bar too (No, Hey Yall, I'm not talking about RT's crack.)

Bruce

Great area! My dad and brother have been going on fishing trips there for the last ten years. We go a little south of Tofino. Nothing better than jigging salmon off the kelp near the broken islands, or pulling buts off big banks. We are heading there in a week for a week of fishing. I will look forward to the article.

[ 05-30-2001: Message edited by: Mike K ]

RT,You got me pumped up now!We are booked up there in mid Aug.It will be the first time for me, but my partners have been there several times.How available are anchovies at the resorts?Is the 1 mile restriction in effect this year? Our boats are 19' and 24' so we would rather fish in close.Hope you left a few for us!!! Thanks, Bigdog

Well, the article won't be out for awhile.

Bigdog, as for your questions - I really don't know about the anchovie availability because our guide took care of that. But yes, the one-mile restrictions are off this year and they're expecting a big run of Coho Matt says are a blast to go after with streamers on the inside calmer waters. Enjoy.

Bruce

I'll tell you guys what the problem was: Nick is a DEATH sentence on saltwater fishing, or anything that resembles saltwater (ie Buoy 10). For some unknown reason, he just puts fish off the bite when in the salt. In fresh water, he's death on all fishes, but in the salt he'll put a damper on you. Tony and I are going to see if we can't get that mojo off him when we head up to Sekiu later this summer. We have incense to burn, and Tony said he'd bring something along for a ritualistic sacrifice, to see if we can't get Nick's freshwater mojo working in the salt.

Did he warn you about this effect he has??

BigDog,

anchovies are pretty easy to come by, we have never had problems finding it. They can be readily found along with herring at most of the resorts. The smaller anchovy are harder to find, but the medium size is easy to find and works just as well. I don't have my fishing notes in front of me, so I can't give the color codes of the anchovies related to size. Rock salt the baits, as they aren't the freshest.

Mike

[ 05-30-2001: Message edited by: Mike K ]

Big Dog, as with much of the region this summer the Tofino area should be justs plumb thick with silvers! As Bruce says, if you run out of bait (doubtful) they will take trolled spoons and streamer flies right off the surface. ...

Dan ... Nick didn't tell me about his saltwater hex until the morning of the 2nd day. He had come along the first slow day, despite sporting a brand new wrist to upper arm cast on his right arm from breaking his ulna, smaller of the 2 forearm bones, completely thru last Friday; I think from casting jigs way too hard! Not. As our alarm went off for day 2 he groaned in pain from sleeping on his right shoulder all night, feeling the bone move around, and having to listen to me snore much of the night . He then said he also is bad luck on these ocean trips and we would limit if he didn't go, so he chose to sleep in. He turned out prophetic. That's why he wasn't down on the dock for the pics when we got in. Poor dude! Has to cancel a Thurs. fishin' tourney also. ...

Bruce will write the article for Nick, due out in STS mag early next year. I don't know if this hex thing will make the "editor's cut". Ya think Bruce? I see your pics engulfed by the 'PB' didn't make your cut - thanks! I do figure our bruised knuckles via the BC centerpin reels will make the cut. Oouch. ... BTW, we had 3 double headers during the baitball bite - only landing 1 each time. But the last double came with only 1 needed for the boat limit, so the smaller one by about a pound got a lucky reprieve. - Steve

Holy Cow, why weren't we warned of that curse ahead of time? He mentioned something about it during our dry stretch Monday but I thought it was the lumpy seas and painkillers talking. Glad he took one for the team on Tuesday.

RT, I took all the cracktion shots with Nick's slide film for better resolution instead of my digital. We'll see how they turn out

Bruce

Yep, that's how it works. After several actionless hours, and Tony and I wondering how the terrific fishing we had recently could turn so sour, Nick says he always has that effect on saltchuck fishing. I can't understand it either, because he's death on all freshwater fishies. Must be some salt-induced mojo working there.

I'm confident that that mojo will be laid to rest this summer though. There's supposed to be just too damn many fish at Sekiu this year for Nick's mojo to kick in. We'll have that dude slaying silvers THIS time, dammit, or it's crab bait for him

Mmmmmmmm....crab bait. Is it just like mom use to make?

Bruce, you actually think I would consider that excellent nighttime scenery?! Sounds like you may have went a little crazy with the camera, no wonder they won't print the "action" shots

Funny thing about them Montana boys. They're not allowed to wear pants with zippers. The sheep can hear them a mile away :p

I have a buddy that heads up to Vancouver every summer and they slay the fish. Sounds like I need to head up that way!

Hell, if Amato had the same luck on the salt as he does freshwater he'd never get any work done.

As for the nighttime scenery, our bar/restaurant was filthy with cute college girls out there working for the summer. If I were back in my early 20s looking for summertime employment I'd take the lousy exchange rate to gut fish and scrub boats for the summer up there. ~sigh~

Amen!

What, Nick gets work done??

The one mile corridor will be in effect south of Estevan Point as of August 1st, same as last year. Your boats are plenty of size to go offshore to the 5 mile Chinook Salmon and Hali spot. This regulation worked out fine for us there, we had lots of fish and the corridor did not effect or catches all that much. There are Coho opportunities inshore Clayoqout Sound as well. Good Luck!

Thanks for the update/correction BCFISH. Has that been officially announced? According to Fisheries and Oceans it's still TBD.

Anyway, if anyone is headed up and wants to know more, the fisheries office in Tofino is at 250-725-3468.

Bruce