FISHING REPORTS
from some of the BEST PLACES TO FISH !
25th February, 2012: FISHING REPORT: Port Alberni
Inlet, Barkley Sound, Ucluelet (West Coast), Somas-Stamp River System.
by Doug Lindores of
Slivers Charters
Salmon Sport Fishing
Toll Free Number: 1-
888 214 7206
The
month of March is almost here and many are welcoming the welcome to spring and a
pleasant farewell to the winter storms that often batter the west coast of
Vancouver Island British Columbia. March on the West Coast, Pacific Rim, and the
Port Alberni area also means the first fishing derby of the year and also one of
the biggest festivals on the British Columbia West Coast. The first weekend of
March celebrates the Sproat Loggers salmon fishing derby. This derby is hosted
out of Poett Nook which is located between Sarita Bay and Bamfield. March also
welcomes the Pacific Rim Whale Festival. This festival takes place from March
17th to 25th and celebrates the official kickoff to the beginning of the whale
watching season. The vast waters of Vancouver Islands coastal waters between
Ucluelet and Tofino witness the migration of over twenty thousand Gray Whales as
they make their thirteen thousand kilometre journey from Mexicos Baja Peninsula
to the Bering Sea. This is the twenty-sixth year for this Pacific Rim
celebration and there are over sixty events that people of all ages can enjoy.
Many events are free and some do have a very minimal charge. One of the the
biggest features is the Chowder Chowdown which takes place in the Ucluelet
Community Centre on Sunday March the 18th. Two other spectacular features are
the Sweet Indulgence all you can eat dessert on March the 19th and the Barnacle
Blues Concert which takes place at the spectacular Black Rock Resort on March
22nd. Spring is the beginning of new things and is also the beginning of a
spectacular sport fishing season.
Those people looking forward to
salmon sport fishing this summer in British Columbia will again be pleased to
hear that the fishing opportunities in many of the more ideal locations will
have some fabulous salmon fishing in 2012. Vancouver Islands Pacific Rim area
will boast some some of British Columbia’s best salmon fishing. The summer of
2011 saw record numbers of sockeye return to the Somass River located in Port
Alberni. The migratory flow of Chinook salmon that swam the west coast of
Vancouver Island heading to various watersheds to the south stayed close to the
beach and created a fantastic inshore sport fishing season. Many of these
Chinook came into the vast coastlines, various inlets, and sounds to feed on the
rich resources of bait fish found along the surfline of Barkley Sound and also
the many areas along the extensive coastline of Vancouver Island. Coho Salmon
were also in record numbers and dramatically improved the sport fishing sector
especially from late June through September. Survival of fry and young salmon
due to the La Nina cold water phenomenon has greatly affected the salmon
survival in the North Pacific. This wonderful condition for the salmon will
again be responsible for 20l2 healthy returns in British Columbia and the
Pacific North-West.
Sockeye
returns coming into Barkley Sound and returning to the Somass and Henderson
Rivers are again expected to be very good for the 2012 summer sport fishing
season. The survival of fry in both systems has been exceptional and there will
be some good sized four and five year old Sockeye Salmon returning. One
indicator re next year return is the jack count and return. Sockeye jacks were
in big numbers in 2012 which often relates to the following years return. The
early Sockeye return to the Somass River often begins in late May. Sport fishing
for these number one commercial salmon in the Port Alberni Inlet usually is well
underway by the 15th of June with the peak of the season occurring the second or
third week of July. Henderson River Sockeye which are often bigger than the
Somass River stock begin to show in the middle of July and often swim as far up
the Alberni Inlet to Nahmint Bay before turning back to the mouth of the
Kildonan Inlet and the Henderson River.
As for Coho and Chinook returns
to the area the Somass-Stamp return should be better than average which can be
35,000 to 50,000 Coho pieces. The Robertson Creek run for Coho and Chinook is
looking better than last years return but numbers have not yet been fully
discussed or publicized.
The early Chinook Salmon which
are migrating down the Vancouver Island coastline often appear in April and
actually go through three very different runs know as early summer, mid summer,
and late summer. The Coho from appear in early July and from mid July through
September will keep west coast sport fishermen busy during their daily fishing
excursions.
Look for the 2012 sport fishing
season to be as good and perhaps even more exciting than the last few years in
terms of productivity and size of the different salmon species.
Port Alberni | Barkley Sound
Sport fishing in the Alberni
Inlet is very quiet during the winter. Prawn sport fishing is closed in the
Inlet although it is available in Barkley Sound and has been very good. The
Sockeye salmon season which begins in June will re-awake the Inlet this summer.
Sockeye Salmon fishing in the Port Alberni Inlet is really a family adventure
and can be fun for all from the age of four to ninety-four. Barkley Sound is
fishable year round due to the protective waters on the east and west coastlines
of the Sound. Winter Chinook fishing has been off and on and with the bait
beginning to move in due to the late February and March Herring spawn more
feeder Chinook have been invading the area which has really picked up the
fishing over the last four or five days. Some good fishing has been in Tseshart
and Peacock Channels. Lyle Point and Mayne Bay have had some good days with
Winter Chinook averaging ten to twelve pounds.
The
Swale Rock and Vernon Bay area has been hit and miss as has Pill Point and
Diplock to this date. There have been some winter Chinook along the Bamfield
Wall and inside the Bamfield Harbor mouth. In most of the selected Barkley Sound
sport fishing areas the fish are in one hundred to one hundred and thrity-five
feet of water. The Sproat Lake Loggers Derby is closing in and is only a couple
of weeks away. This Derby was started years ago by actual loggers from what was
known as Sproat Lake Division. In the inaugural year forty-one individuals
participated in the small derby at the beginning of March. Last year almost five
hundred fishermen participated. This years’ derby takes place on March 3rd and
4th with derby headquarters at Poett Nook. Cost per fisherman is $15 with ticket
sales at Gone Fishing and Port Boat House which are both located in Port
Alberni. Last year there were some good sized fish landed with the winning fish
over twenty pounds but not close to the 2010 winning fish which came in at 29.4
pounds. There were several other recorded fish in the over twenty pound range.
If you are planning on fishing the Derby or just coming fishing for Winter
Chinook angling remember to fish deep and if using hootchies slightly lengthen
up on your leader length. Summer lengths are ofter forty-two inches if behind a
hotspot flasher. During the late winter and early spring forty-four to forty-six
inches is not a bad length Coyote spoons in three and a half or four inch are
also good. Three and a half inch seems to work better with smaller bait
especially at this time of year. Cop Car, Army Truck, Nasty boy, Green glow and
Blue or Green Nickel are great choices. It is never a bad idea to also have bait
(anchovy) on board ones sport fishing boat. Usually the feeders are where there
is bait. So it is important to find the bait balls. The fishing in Barkley Sound
through March, April, and May should really pick up as the feeder Chinook move
in with the herring spawn and the early summer run of Chinook make their way to
southern watersheds and come into the Sound to rest and feed on the bait fish.
By late June and into the month of July the Sound should fill up with the summer
run of Chinook and Coho which hopefully will once again be in very big numbers.
Ucluelet
Those
daring to fish the waters of Ucluelet during the late winter have had some
success relatively close to the Ucluelet Harbor. The winter of 2011-12 has been
quite good with many fine sunny warm afternoons which have made it pleasant for
those that fish year round out of Ucluelet and Tofino. The Alley, Mara Rock,
Sail Rock, and Great Bear have all been very good with some nice feeders amongst
all of the bait fish. Great Bear has been the best spot. One guide boat on a
beautiful west coast day last week slammed into three fifteen pound Chinook
which all hit an army truck glow hootchie. As mentioned there are some very nice
days on the open Pacific during the winter months. Ucluelet does have a great
location as boats can go up Peacock Channel and fish in the quiet and protected
waters of Mayne Bay, Lyle Point, or Swale Rock. All of these locations over the
years have had some great fishing in January, February and March. The Prawn
sport fishing has been excellent up Peacock Channel and right into various areas
of Barkley Sound. We are expecting some great feeder Chinook fishing right
through April and even the first half of May. The early summer run of salmon
headed to watersheds to the south should begin to show by mid April which should
be the beginning of another fabulous summer of fishing.
Remember the west coast has
plenty of activities during the early spring. The Pacific Rim Whale Festival
begins March 17 and continues until March 25th in Ucluelet and Tofino. This is
the time of year that twenty thousand gray whales make their migratory swim
along the coast of Vancouver Island towards northern waters. Both communities
have hundreds of activities that are family oriented.
The Ucluelet Ladder Fishing Derby
will also take place this summer. The Derby begins in May and runs until early
September. Cost per day to enter the derby is $10 and $50 for the full season.
Prizes are given each month. Tickets for this summer long event are now on sale
in Ucluelet. Visit the Ucluelet Chamber of Commerce for more information.
More details will follow in
future reports.
Somass - Stamp River
Steelhead
fishing pressure has declined since early January. Of course weekends are still
relatively busy with the best fishing out of the guide boats on the river. There
are plenty of fish in the whole system with good numbers around the falls and
below in the Lower River. The Stamp River fishing has been very consistent all
winter. The Lower River from the bucket down using roe and roe bags has been the
best. The middle stretch of the river from the bucket to the falls has also
produced some good days of fishing using pink worms, small gooey bobs,
especially when the water has been low or at least at normal levels. Spin glos
in pink, red and peach colors have also been working well. The upper river will
begin to produce much better as we get into March and April. Those on foot or
walking the banks have been doing the best from Moneys Pool to below the Ash
confluence. In the Upper River those avid fishermen on the banks who have
entered when the water is low from the fishermans trail and walking down to
Stamp Falls Park have done well on a trout bead and red wool. Pink Worms have
also been working well. The lower river below the bucket has still been a
favorite spot for many guides. Roe and roe bags has been a guide favorite in the
lower river. With the fishing pressure relatively low there is a lot of area for
eager sport and guide fishermen to roam. The current water conditions of the
Stamp are good with the water from medium to just above medium in terms of water
height. The water color is almost perfect as it has a slight green tinge. With
cooler weather the fish are not as active but with the current warmer afternoons
as of late there has been some great afternoon action.
For more information
Contact:
Doug Lindores
Slivers Charters Salmon Sport Fishing
www.catchsalmon-ca.com
www.catchsalmon.ca
dlindy@shaw.ca
+1 250 724 2502 (h)
+1 250 731 7389 ©
Toll Free Number: 1-
888 214 7206
