Many thanks for the replies both here and on the Victoria/Oak Bay Fishing Reports 2010 forum.

Just to clarify for those who have not seen one it is a very bright shiny single Yellow Dot 3/16 in diameter +/- always between the pectoral fins and the anal vent either side of the center line on the white of the belly.

An old friend who has been fishing Victoria waters for over 60 years confirms that he caught his first Yellow Dot off Oak Bay when he was 13 in 1948 so that definitely points towards a genetic trait as Dark star mentions.

He said he has had more Yellow Dot's over the years than he can remember and only one had 2 dots instead of just the one.

He also said the general consensus back then was that they were Cowichan River fish and that the run always went south and west never north.

I have returned many Yellow Dot hatchery heads but the letter is always the same, no wire found, hopefully this last one will answer the riddle of their origin once and for all.

I cant remember anything other than springs having the dots..... not sure that it meant that they were cow stocks. Ive cut thousands of farmed fish over the years and there were many with the dots...... not too sure they used Cow broods

Not the norm for winter fish around here, in fact Puget sound hatcheries produce
most of our winter springs and i've never seen yellow dots on these fish.

TROLLED UP THIS 40LB HALI LATE THIS AFTERNOON 2 DAYS BEFORE OPENING DOES THAT SUCK OR WHAT!

isn't that the way things go some times eh Miller, would have been a beauty eating fish though! You'll just have to go looking for him on Monday.

Quite a bold move putting the net on a hali, but looks like he didn't trash the net.

YOUR RIGHT MM WHEN HE FELT THAT NET IT WAS NOTHING BUT WHITE WATER BUT I WAS BY MYSELF AND DID NOT WANT TO TAKE A CHANCE ON LOOSING MY FAVORITE LURE THAT WAS STUCK HALF WAY DOWN HIS THROAT SO THERE WASN'T MUCH CHOICE.

haha miller i feel your pain!
I netted a 40 lb hali a few months back, it went berserk! im surprised the net didnt break in both our instances.

Was out on sunday from about 11 till 2:30, only came up with one spring about 9 lbs off the flag pole.
There was tons of crap in the water

FOR EVERYONE WHO HAS BEEN SEALED LATELY INCLUDING ME HERE IS A LITTLE GET BACK COURTESY OF OUR KW FRIENDS!

http://www.kirotv.com/video/22468729/index.html

Salmon have slowed down but Halibut has picked up