Gear Guide: Essential Tackle and Lures For BC Waters

Cast a wider net with our comprehensive Gear Guide! From the rugged shores of Vancouver Island to the depths of the Strait of Georgia, BC waters teem with a diverse array of species. Whether you’re chasing salmon, halibut, or the elusive lingcod, the right gear can make all the difference. We even have fresh water must have’s. In this guide, we’ll equip you with the knowledge to select the essential tackle and lures to conquer the challenges of these dynamic fisheries. Get ready to land your trophy catch! Gear appears in alphabetical order. Some must have products received the coveted Gear of the Year Award—pick them up, drop a line, and you’ll see why.

BERKLEY® FIRELINE 10 LB

Using an 8-strand fused Dyneema fibre, this line is approximately five times tougher than conventional four-carrier braids. Their process makes the line rounder and smoother than many others on the market. We could immediately tell when cinching knots—it didn’t feel as abrasive as braid, which sometimes feels like it will cut your hand. It also feels stiffer than traditional braid, which means less line bow and a straighter topwater line on those windy days.

BERKLEY® TRILENE BIG GAME 60 LB MONOFILAMENT

This season we’ve gotten very aggressive with the whipping action on our hoochies by tying them up with heavier a line. Tying is a little tougher, but the knot strength is worth it. It’s extra tough and abrasion-resistant, and it has stretch (approximately 25%), which we believe is helpful on our short leaders. A little stretch can be useful when fighting a fish, especially large salmon and the occasional ling and halibut that seem to love our large hoochies. That stretch on a wee 32″ leader can save the hookup on a massive headshake. Mono does have more memory, so the give is retying the hoochie after an epic battle.

BUZZ BOMB ZZINGER IN GREEN HOLO

This must-have 2½-oz lure is a great weight for mooching and casting. The Zzinger line of lures is all about the action on the free fall. If you feel the slightest bump of a fish checking it out, pull for a hookset. Jigging for salmon is a gas, especially for the kids, as it keeps their hands and minds focused on the gear. Just one word of warning: If you jig this on the bottom, you might be in for other kinds of surprises—like bottom fish.

DISCO TACKLEWORKS PLUGS

If you are in the market for handmade craftsmanship, look no further than these lovingly handmade plugs from Campbell River’s Damien Dawson. This summer we received the Medium Hot Head and the Gold Dust, and we loved them so much, we were almost afraid to use them. These are more than just plugs—they are art, and there’s more to these plugs than meets the eye. They are hand-turned on the lathe from salvaged/reclaimed red (or yellow) cedar and are durable, yet very light with a brass rigging tube. Inside the rigging tube is a replaceable plastic liner that you can order direct. It’s smartly designed to allow the plug to move freely without impeding action. Layered with sealant, paint, clear coat, and resin, each lure is made to perfection by hand. Their exclusive design “ranges from but not restricted to: multiple rigging options, easily replaceable terminal tackle, nearly non-existent action dampening, minimal inertia or leverage during the fight, no leader abrasion when rigged correctly, and a more subtle presentation to the fish.” Whether you fish these or display them on your mantel, you’ll find having one of these lures is like having a piece of Vancouver Island and its angling passion.

GAMAKATSU BIG RIVER BAIT (OPEN EYE) HOOKS

You’ll have to pinch the barbs, but they are a great go-to hook for salmon trolling spoons. The 3/0 is also perfect for minimal damage to fish you must release. It’s also perfect for river fishing spinners. The holding power of its unique siwash band is unmistakable and locks fish in when hooked. It has a nickel, silver-black finish to help with corrosion resistance. Started in 1955, Gamakatsu is the leading fish hook manufacturer in Japan—worldwide, for that matter—so it’s fair to say they know a thing or two about hooks.

GIBBS SKINNY G GOLD NUGGET HERRING AID

Get the best of both worlds with this salmon lure. Whether we were fishing the east or west part of the island, this lure is a must-have for anyone targeting salmon. We all know that the Herring Aid pattern has become a staple here and that the Skinny G is a workhorse. But since a gold colour fishes much better than silver in slightly cloudy, dirty, “tea-stained” water, this lure worked especially well for us in algae bloom water on sunny days.

GIBBS HIGHLINER #1 A GUIDE SERIES BRAIN FREEZE FLASHER

Whenever you see “Highliner” and “Guide Series,” you can expect a higher quality of flasher because they are developed with local guide feedback. Both ends of this flasher have ball bearing swivels, which is most certainly a great upgrade for frequent use. We started using this flasher early on the west coast of Vancouver Island in Barkley Sound and found no reason to change it through the season. It performed in different water conditions and depths. As far as colour goes, at depth, higher energy light with short wavelengths, such as blue, can penetrate more deeply and maintain its colour. The sun emits blue light alongside UV rays. However, blue light penetrates even deeper into the ocean than UV light. While humans can’t see UV light, many plants and animals reflect it, like plankton, insects, and some fish, including baitfish. Salmon and trout anglers have found terrific success with UV over the past few decades. The “crinkly” Moonjelly Glow side that scatters charged-up glowing light takes over when there is no presence of light. So with blue, UV, and glow, you can fish all depths and get a benefit. This is your versatile all-in-one flasher.

GIBBS DELTA UV GREEN HAZE STRIPE

We are fond of using a flasher on our cannonballs. For times and areas where there are heavier tidal restrictions (like slot limits and wild vs. hatchery) and you are bound to run into more release situations, not running a flasher on your line can cause less stress on the fish. Also, it gives the angler much more sensitivity and control when there’s a fish on. These flashers rotate and generate nominal drag while providing great flash, mimicking bait fish or schooling fish.

HOT SPOT APEX TROUT KILLER #301T 1.5″

Use this for lake fishing on a sunny day—it looks like a leech. Apex developed the “Trout Killer” for smaller trout to 5 lbs, but don’t limit yourself. It’s tied with 12-lb test on the 1.5″ —be sure to put a bead chain on Apex and flatfish lures to prevent line twist. Trolling this at 1.5 to 2 mph, you’ll surprise yourself with how well you’ll do.

LIGHTHOUSE LURES MAX SHAD 6 OZ

 

Drop it or drag it, this swimtail is perfect for targeting lingcod. As soon as you put it in the water, you’ll see exactly why—the realistic fishy action of the tail is amazing. For those who are big fans of jigging up lingcod, lures like this with hooks on the top mean less chance of bottom snags. Pro Tip: Getting soft tail bites? Add a trailer hook and poke it through the tail. Just be sure to not make the line so tight that it impedes the action. Don’t be surprised if a halibut or rockfish attacks this. All sizes work—we always have the 3-oz ones on board for when we want to troll up rockfish. Those black bombers and vermillion can’t seem to ever resist them! Strong and sharp VMC hooks? Yes, please!

L’IL NIB HUMPY SPECIAL 2 OZ

This is a great August lure for casting and jigging islandwide. Keep this one handy, set up on a spinning rod in case you are trolling and see surface fish, like feeding pink salmon or coho. Cast this into the frenzy and get ready for some fun. If you are jigging with it, don’t be surprised if you catch bottom fish, too. L’il Nib—“The Slack Tide Specialist. ” (Thanks, John Noble, for this one.)

NORTHERN KING LURES GLOWING WATERMELON LIGHT ¼ OZ

When you take your first look at this lure, you’ll immediately think trout. However, this lure has been a real performer trolling for salmon this year. Its erratic movement is designed to work at all trolling speeds. We especially like the Canadian-made quality and silver-plated brass. Back in the 80s, Northern King made a lot of waves with Lake Ontario charter captains and in derbies a few years after Pat Distaffen invented them. By 1988, they were in full production at about 150,000 lures a year. In 2016, Thompson-Pallister Bait Co. Ltd., the fourth-generation family-run Canadian business with the same kind of passion, bought the company and, most importantly, the original die sets with which to mold the Northern King spoon. We hear some commercial guys are finding this a secret weapon. Sorry guys, the secret is out!

PEETZ HALI CLACKER

We love our early halibut trips when the season opens—it gives us a chance to get ready for the new season and try out new techniques and gear. While this hali clacker has been around since 2021, we ran two of these noisy little darlings (one on a spreader bar and one with a ball weight), and they outperformed the other two lines running just bait 3:1. This lure sports an 8″ skirt that comes in various colours, including glow. It also has two 2″ blades that make the “clacking” sound as it bobs along the sea floor. An extra swivel was on ours in the eye of the hook—perfect for adding a trailer hook if you so choose. You can use this lure while anchored, drift-jigging, and even for back bouncing. That said, we did lose one of these—not to a fish or the sea floor, but to the guide we were fishing with that day.

RHYS DAVIS ANCHOVY SPECIAL TEASER HEADS

When it comes to rolling bait, “roll them right.” These original teaser heads produce a tight roll that mimics injured baitfish. Pick yourself up a package of anchovies, salt them overnight to firm them up, and secure them in these glowing teaser heads. We add the Rhys Davis Teaser Head Tuning Rods to ours—they keep the bait secure and help the bend of the anchovy hold, keeping the roll consistent and fishing well at different speeds. The greater the bend in the bait, the wider the roll. A 6′ 40-lb mono leader and a couple of hooks is a producing setup.

SEAGUAR BLUE LABEL 30 LB FLUOROCARBON

This is a great go-to for tying spoons and teasers. This Japanese-made line is virtually invisible, as the refraction rate is almost the same as water. With longer leaders often running behind a flasher, less stretch is better for sensitivity and hookset. Blue Label is known for its abrasion resistance, knot strength, and thin diameter. It’s an expensive line, but it’s worth it and known worldwide as tournament- level fishing line.

SUFIX INVISILINE 8 LB FLUOROCARBON

You’ll love it as much as we do. It’s the perfect 3′ to 4′ leader for bass or general freshwater fishing—it’s virtually invisible in water, which equates to more bites regardless of the lure. It ties great knots and holds up to abrasion. This excels as your leader when casting with braided line.

WHITE HOOCHIES

While the most common lure is the Yamashita OA12R 4″ (top), we found incredible success with the larger 5″ KAL12R (bottom) in UV this year. Squid are plentiful in our waters, and salmon absolutely adore them. When a squid dies, the whole body turns white. To a fish (even rockfish, ling, and halibut), they look like easy calories. As with any hoochie, you’ll want a fast-whipping motion—we tie our leaders short, about 32″–34″ on 60-lb test for an aggressive whipping profile. Come coho season, try adding a flashy mylar insert. While the Green Spatterback, Blue Meanie, and (if you can find one) the original Yamashita Brown Turd are terrific, the white hoochie OA12R is a must-have staple on board all year long.

Z-MAN DIEZEL MINNOWZ™ 7″ OPENING NIGHT & PURPLE DEMON

Take your pick! We’ve hooked so many lingcod on both this season, colour didn’t seem to matter. When paired with a 6-oz jig head, this paddle- tail softbait works wonders for dropping to bottom. How elastic these are will absolutely amaze—think Stretch Armstrong. It has a vibrant swimming action and a lifelike profile with scale pattern and dorsal fin detail. The 10X Tough ElaZtech® is non-toxic and contains no PVCs, but the folks at Z-Man caution to not store these with any other kinds of plastic baits or storage boxes, which is why they come with 3 lures in a resealable package.

Z-MAN FINESSE TRD GOBY BRYANT 2.75″ WITH OWNER BLOCKHEAD

Great for bass anglers of any skill level and age to use—the Ned rig is probably the best place to start! Put this little treat on a 1/8-oz jig head with an exposed small hook and chuck it out far away from the boat and let it fall to the bottom. Feed it slack, and they’ll likely bite it on the first drop. Twitch it a couple times when it’s on the bottom and it looks like a minnow eating bass eggs, but you’ll likely feel a bite on the first drop. These work terrific for trout and even walleye. This best-selling stickbait is a go-to for weekend warriors and tournament winners alike. Set it up weedless on the Owner Ultrahead Blockhead 1/8-oz Green Pumpkin and you have a perfect bass setup.

Looking for fishing reels? Check these out.

How about fishing rods? Click here.

Fishing apparel? We’ve got your back!

Accessories and more… yup!

This article appeared in Island Fisherman magazine. Never miss another issue—subscribe today!