New Yak fisher in Vancouver, BC...l

I wanted to introduce myself.  I am 45, and have fished a fair amount (for salmon) the last 20 years of my life from a boat.
I recently bought a Hobie Outback and outfitted it with a rod holder.  I bought a Lowrance Hook 5 that I am waiting to arrive, then will install. 

I live in Vancouver and will focus most of my efforts fishing the Bell Buoy area in Vancouver. 
So far I have been out on two trips - logged a total of 9 hours and nothing to show, other than I totally enjoyed the boat and can't wait to hook a fish.  I know it will happen.  I am not using a rigger, just the large deep six so I think I can get to about 50' deep.

If anyone wants to get out and fish the Bell on a weekend, let me know...  It would be great to have someone to head out with.  Or as the season progresses I would like to try to Cap, or maybe even the North Arm of the Fraser.
Lots of great info on the site....thanks for all the tips!

Hi, nice to hear from a fellow British Columbian. I'm just east of you a little ways in the valley. Still haven't picked out my kayak but will shortly. I was interested in fishing the Bell Buoy area but haven't been out there in years and was concerned about the boat traffic. I would feel much better about going out there with another person who is more familiar with it. I'll let you know when I have my boat; the salmon out your way taste a little better than the salmon caught up my way.

Ok cool. I have put in about 11 hours now (no fish) - was out tonight and that was quite the experience.  It was the wrong tide, wrong wind and wrong weather (wrong clothes).  It was fun though because it was fairly warm and i am getting used to the boat.  I would  head out your way too but later in the season when the salmon hit the rivers...I would love to take a ride down the Fraser.
I know next to nothing about kayaking but have to say the outback is a pretty sweet boat and had no problem heading into the wind and current on the way home, not that it was anything major.

Hey guys, I've been at it 3 year or so in Vancouver. First year was really great around ambleside, limits each time. I couldn't believe it. Caught more in 2 days than a month fishing with my buddy in his boat. Last year sucked, I only got fish on my first outing of the year and then skunked 12 times. But I was trying different techniques and targeting different species.

This year is off to a good start, a 14 lbs 78cm chinook off bell buoy! My first chinook and first off bell buoy.

Just have to find a technique that works good for you, and not pretend to be a boat. Kayaks have many advantages, key is to figure out what waters you can work, what techniques, and if it is a productive spot for salmon.

Kayak fishing in the salt for salmon is pretty new in BC. I've only every met one other angler on the water who was catching fish. Seen a few new guys once and a while, but only seen them once. It's taken a lot of time and effort for me to figure this stuff out. Not to mention that I've never had anyone teach me how to fish in a boat either, so a lot to figure out. Made lots and lots of mistakes.

For new anglers, I recommend just fishing around Ambleside when the coho start jumping and jig for them. Amazing experience. I've tried just about every possible launch point from Richmond to Porteau Cove. You can get to really great spots. But I highly recommend just picking one or two spots and learn them well. I'm thinking to focus of Bell Buoy now, it's never very busy and historically it used to be the best spot to fish in Vancouver. Also cause I got skunked at Ambleside the day before and it was dead. Boaters were few and far between, and those that were around didn't find much.

@wishiniwasfishin where are you launching from? I've been doing the dog beach (most western parking lot) at spanish banks.

oh, and after this last experience landing my first chinook from the yak, there is very little interest to every go fishing in a boat again. The adrenaline was so intense. Such a magical experience finding and catching these beauties in the yak. But we'll see. Maybe I'll get skunked another 12 times this year. Anyways, this last outing made it all worth it. Don't get frustrated if you only go out 6-10 times and come up with nothing. Keep trying new techniques, tides, conditions, etc. Experiment. Kayaking sport fishing is really new, there are no rules, so make them up.

Totally correct on the adrenaline rush of landing big fish. The sport is not that new though. Many of us have been at it 15+ years.

Sent from my SPH-L720T using Tapatalk

welcome and great job on the fish.  I agree that trying things different than my 30 years of power boating experience has paid off.  now often times the power boaters follow us up here in AK. 

I will say that the kayak is such an efficient platform, while exciting, I land fish twice as fast and with less excitement than off shore or off powerboats.

no doubt they are fish catching machines though.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

Totally correct on the adrenaline rush of landing big fish. The sport is not that new though. Many of us have been at it 15+ years.

Sent from my SPH-L720T using Tapatalk

 Some of us have been fishing from a kayak for over 40 years. Slowing down a lot lately though. But never finished..........

Totally correct on the adrenaline rush of landing big fish. The sport is not that new though. Many of us have been at it 15+ years.

Sent from my SPH-L720T using Tapatalk

 Some of us have been fishing from a kayak for over 40 years. Slowing down a lot lately though. But never finished..........

Wow you have been at it a long time. If we include canoe I'm still only at 30 years.

Sent from my SPH-L720T using Tapatalk

This is really disappointing. It is extremely rare to ever see a kayak in the salt around Vancouver, BC. Even harder to connect online to share local knowledge.

Are there any moderators here? Why can't members show some restraint from bragging about an outside region in a local thread? It was going so nicely.

This is really disappointing. It is extremely rare to ever see a kayak in the salt around Vancouver, BC. Even harder to connect online to share local knowledge.

Are there any moderators here? Why can't members show some restraint from bragging about an outside region in a local thread? It was going so nicely.

No forum rules broken here.

Here at NWKA, we engage in a very "conversational" style of thread posting.  Very rarely do we moderate "thread jacks".  They often lead to other interesting topics of discussion.  Unless it breaks on of the few rules we have (no personal attacks and no overt commercializing), we roll with it ...

-Allen

Hey, from Nanaimo here and just got my new Jackson Cuda 2015. I still need vhf, suit of some sort and safety gear including a spare paddle before heading into the salt but it's coming soon. All the best in your salt water fun, just stay safe.


Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Tapatalk

I've been on here for a bit. Mostly a fresh water fisher but I am thinking of Ambleside in the next couple of weeks...has anyone been out? Seems like the coho are just starting.

I'll start a thread in the BC fishing subforum on here before we hijack introductory threads.

I've fished Ambleside a couple of times in my Rev11 Hobie, but no luck yet, have fished the river near Fraser Surrey docks and managed a couple of coho and pinks also the Harrison at Kilby,and cruised the Harrison from the lake down to Kilby,but again no luck. I have been meaning to try the bell bouy as well.