A Perfect Day of Fishing
February 05, 2022 Nanaimo 1 photo

Trip Summary

I'm terrible at taking pictures. I'm a little better when it comes to fishing. Yesterday, I had the pleasure of celebrating my birthday on the waters of one of the most beautiful places on earth..., the Pacific North West. The weather was mild and sunny, the seas calm, the company life giving and the fishing fantastic. Out of the four fish landed, three where kept, all beautiful winter Chinook in that 10-12lb range. Even if only 1 fish had come aboard that day, I still would have considered it to be a perfect day of fishing. Listening to the water lap lazily against the side of the boat, breathing in the fresh ocean air, gazing out at snow capped mountains, enjoying the company of a good friend, really, we are so privileged to be able to live in this country, take in its beauty and fish for these magnificent fish. Looking to enjoy a day of life? Book a winter fishing charter or scenic tour with us. As we say at Reel Time, "Experience the Wonder, Invest in its Future!"
Andrew Turkstra
Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada
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Reel Time Fishing Charters offers a range of affordable trip options, a captain with more than 2 decades of experience on the water, a stable fishing platform, convenient moorage, and secure parking. Captain Turk’s friendly personality, extensive kn...

Other reports from this charter

May is the Month for Lingcod
May is the Month for Lingcod
May 1, 2025
May is the Month for Lingcod They may be scary looking, but they sure are tasty. In fact, if I had to choose between halibut or lingcod, I’d pick lingcod any day of the week. Problem is, I have always found them to be a little tricky to catch. So, when I do fish for them, I check tides and tide tables religiously. Once fishing, I work ledges and drop-offs keeping my bait as close to the bottom as possible. The preferred method by many is jigging for lingcod. I like trolling for them using 4 to 8 oz swimbaits. It’s a lot of work and you must be on your toes since you are constantly bringing gear up and/or dropping it back down. But it can be a very effective way of hooking these “bucket heads” as they are sometimes called. On opening day this year, my group of two and I were greeted by a beautiful sunny morning. Knowing I just missed the tide change on an ebb tide, I choose to fish the northwest side of Gabriola. Trolling two of my favorite 4 oz swimbaits, I watched my depth as I began to work an edge. Once alongside of Gabriola Island near the old Cannery, we finally started having some action. Unfortunately, our customers where Quillback, Cooper Rock Fish, and a very nice Yellow Eye and an undersized Lingcod. We still hadn’t found our prize fish. With about an hour left in the trip, I was bringing up the gear as the depth changed from 160 to 90 feet when I noticed a slight bounce on the portside rod. I grabbed the rod yanking the line off the clip. I quickly handed the rod over to my guest and asked, “feel any better this time?” “Oh yes” was the reply. Five minutes later, we had our first nice lingcod aboard. Oh yeah! If you enjoy eating white meat from the ocean, Lingcod is the way to go. And, with salmon closed until the beginning of June, it is all we’ll be fishing for. As I tell my guests, May is the month for Lingcod.
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