Big Pink Salmon at Nile Creek

[SalaR]

Pink Salmon have been off Nile Creek since the 6th of July and are now arriving in very good numbers...the tides this week have been Ideal for those willing to venture out at 5am til about 8:30am..the low tide has produced some excellent conditions for fly casters..the down side is trying to get these great fighters past the weed beds...
This morning the bite stayed on well into the morning and this usually means that there are plenty of fish about...
Great conditions
C

[delvachio]

Was out the last couple days and the fishing was great, pinks are starting to school up at certain times and areas. One pleasant surprise I had was catching a jack Coho which blew me away cause it seems pretty early!

[11th Warrior]

Stop!!! You're both making me jealous Hopefully I'll be hitting a beach up here tomorrow if the chiropractor can fix my back. I wasn't planning on fishing for pinks until mid Aug but with the folks on the Campbell standing elbow to elbow, I definitely need to get away from that gong show...it's not good for my blood pressure, lol.

Thanks for the pic C. If all goes well I'll be down that way Tues or Wed if you're not too busy

[SalaR]

Yes,fishing has been good...was out again this morning ,unfortunately I had a small Spey Casting Clinic at 5am til 7am ,was able to leave them and hed to the fish...what really inspired me the most was to see so many fly fishers using small Two Handers effectively at Nile Creek...the fish don't like that ,however,getting fruit from everyones hard work is what it is all about. You might ask "why a Switch or Spey rod? ..it's not totally necessary but when the North West winds begin to blow and the fish are holding 100 feet out the answer is obvious to those not catching fish. My typical set-up is a Beulah Surf rod and the matching Elixir Switch line...simply sweet.
DO drop by...the best fly(for me) has been the Purple Handle bar with achartreuse green thread head...although the Pink Handle Bar is a clearly close second as is the Pink Fuzzy. Another good patetrn to use at the Nile Creek area is the Green HAndle Bar with the Fl. Yellow Bead head...but any pink fly put in front of the Salmon will likely insight a strike thios young in the season...later we will have to sharpen our skills and go smaller with a very slow retreive or a dead drop drift!
Tight Lines
C

[11th Warrior]

Sounds good. I'll drop in Wed morning.

[delvachio]

Went on saturday, it was dead! started at around 6:00 and fished till 10:00 and lost 1 in that time. The consensus seemed that with the full moon it may have helped the fish feed through the evening, resulting in some bloated bellies that weren't interested in anybody's flies. Just a theory, anybody else have a guess why? Also are there any pinks in Nanoose bay? And when do they typically start showing up in departure bay?

[11th Warrior]

Went on saturday, it was dead! started at around 6:00 and fished till 10:00 and lost 1 in that time. The consensus seemed that with the full moon it may have helped the fish feed through the evening, resulting in some bloated bellies that weren't interested in anybody's flies. Just a theory, anybody else have a guess why? Also are there any pinks in Nanoose bay? And when do they typically start showing up in departure bay?

If I remember correctly, there was a thread about this last year and pinks don't feed during migration. They bite out of aggression (territorial). Maybe there just weren't any fish there.

[SalaR]

Yes,the full moon does have an impact on any fish regardless of life cycle...there are lots of Pink Salmon at Nile Creek especially holding off the mouth of the creek...the fellows in the Pontoon boat,Kayaks and so on did very well. The higher the sun,warmer the water the less fish bite near the beach...it is a predator thing.
This morning it was good again...in 2 miles of beach there were likely 1 dozen fly fishers and several fishers using water floats...I have to say the fishing is off because of the heat and high sun...when you see a slight chop on the water you will also see the fish come in closer....
The schools of fish are growing everyday..
Nanoose bay doesn't get a run of Pink Salmon...you should see some Pinks in Nanaimo Harbour any day now..watch for regulation changes there....
Oyster Estuary is also not showing too many Pinks yet....it is afterall a bit early...although both Nile Creek and the Campbell /Quinsam fish are early..
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[11th Warrior]

Hitting the Oyster estuary this afternoon and we'll let you know how it goes.

Nice pics C! The smile on that child's face is priceless (and some nice gear for a 5 year old, lol). Since I've never fished the Nile estuary, where can I get beach access? I'm not asking where to fish, just how to get onto the beach...I don't want to be walking through someone's backyard, lol.

[SalaR]

I have to confess...I have a real soft spot for kids that are fishing..as a rule I always will look about to find a youngster so I can give them a fish to play if I have One on...so yes,he was playing that fish on my Beulah Surf rod...
Access to Nile Creek is very good and public...simply arrive at the creek on the old Island Highway(19A) and turn towards the water(100 yards-meters for you younger fly fishers)...it can get busy with beach users . You can also access it via what we call the Powerline road,situated about 200 meters north of NIle Creek itself...this brings you also to the water and great access....
Fish move all about this area ,at time they are to the north of the creek mouth and thenm to the south...watch for Jumpers and seals
C