Recently I had another opportunity to visit Barkley Sound on the West Coast Of Vancouver Island ,British Columbia. The purpose was to test some new bait products currently under development. As fate would have it, this  trip coincided with some of the largest tides of the year. These large tides occur twice a year in this area… In January and again in July. This time the changes were in the area of thirteen feet with currents running four to five knots at peak. Normal changes are in the area of five to eight feet.

While certainly fishable, these currents presented some unique challenges to our trolling presentation.  I like to keep my boat speeds between 2.2 to 2.8 mph speed over ground, when targeting Chinook Salmon with a bait rig. SOG must be calculated by GPS, not the speed sensor wheel mounted on back of the boat . The wheel sensor indicates boat speed over water (SOW) which can be totally misleading when trolling against a fast current… keeping in mind that the gear below is also subject to the same forces. Theoretically, a boat could be indicating zero SOG while the gear, facing in to a fast current is working frantically . This however, is not a presentation that is likely to hook you up with a fish. The bait must move over the ground at a desired speed .and the gear must be rigged to accommodate existing currents and speeds.

Usually fish can be taken on either a downcurrent or downwind tack.  A definite preference will soon be apparent for either direction by counting fish in the tub.. Herin lies the challenge. On a long tack, usually parallel to a shoreline, a choice has to be made. Either troll both directions and waste a lot of time on a non-productive leg or pull the gear and run up to the top end of the productive leg and troll  back through the area. As trolling patterns usually run parallel to an adjacent shoreline, crowded areas with a lot of  boat traffic can lead to a bit of a “gong show’ if one varies from the norm so viable options in these circumstances are somewhat limited , unless one enjoys obscene gestures from fellow anglers. That said, there is an option if the traffic is light. Troll Cross-current.

Often, I have found this to be, by far, the most productive method when currents are running moderate to strong.  On the positive side, the gear is trolling effectively in both directions, fishing precisely the same on both outbound tack and the inbound tack (from shoreline). In addition, boat speeds over ground can be easily controlled. On the downside, depending on bottom contours, fishing ninety degrees or so from a shoreline usually results in a much shorter tack as you are likely tracking across the bottom contours, often vacating a fish-holding area on an extended tack to deeper or non-productive water.  On the other hand, if the wind is up it’s a whole new ball game. A stiff wind and an opposing current can really make things interesting, In any event, trolling cross-current  in-shore or offshore is certainly worth a try if the right situation presents itself. The majority of  the fish we caught on this recent trip were taken using this often overlooked method.

July 28/10

‘What our users are saying.’

We are outfitters on Great Slave Lake, NWT.

Last July, we were trolling for lake trout in the East Arm Great Slave. I had one Anchovy Baitrix Special in my tackle box and offered it to a client.

In the course of the next 2 days over 50 Lake Trout ranging from 5 to 20 lbs. were landed using this lure – without any sign of wear or tear on the lure.

Here is a picture of a lake trout caught on the Baitrix Anchovy Special.

Great Success with Baitrrix on Great Slave Lake

Greg Robertson, Bluefish Services, Yellowknife, NT