FISHING REPORTS
from some of the BEST PLACES TO FISH !
26th January, 2010: 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
It’s
again a New Year and everyone is beginning to think about the many sport fishing
opportunities that await them in 2011. 2010 was a memorable year on the scenic
West Coast of Vancouver Island. Chinook fishing for migratory salmon headed to
distant southern watersheds began in April and continued through the spring and
summer. Salmon returning to local streams and rivers arrived in August and
continued in good numbers until September. In the Alberni Inlet Sockeye returns
forecast to be approximately 600,000 grew to well over 1.2 million. The 2011
sport fishing season which begins in the late spring and continues into the
summer and early fall months looks to be very similar if not better than last
year. This year should be rather remarkable. The Sockeye season in the Alberni
Inlet will again be unbelievable for all that take time and opportunity to fish
the Alberni Inlets quiet and pristine waters.
Vancouver Island is a destination
on both coastlines of all five salmon species (Chinook, Coho, Sockeye, Pink, and
Chum). This gives all avid sport fishermen an opportunity to sport fish a choice
of salmon he/she might enjoy to target.
Of
course these species do arrive at certain times of the summer or fall and each
species also peak at specific times. This often means that fisher persons can
fish the inlets, sounds and offshore waters for Chinook and Coho and also
Sockeye and have opportunity to fish river mouths and various Vancouver Island
beaches for Pinks and Coho.
Winter fishing for Winter
Steelhead in the Stamp River has been steady and winter (feeder) Chinook fishing
in Barkley Sound and around the quiet hamlet of Bamfield and also the Ucluelet
Harbor has been off and on with some reasonable fishing opportunities on those
days that the winter season offers. The Stamp River had excellent returns in
terms of the summer run of Steelhead and to date returns of winter Steelhead
have been good with the peak of the current season expected in February. There
have been some good sized hatchery Steelhead in the mid teens with a few
reaching almost twenty pounds.
Port Alberni | Barkley Sound
At
times during the winter months a few schools of Winter Chinook will make their
way up into the inlet and feed on bait fish in the Bells Bay and Nahmint-Franklin
areas. This happens periodically but most years the Alberni Inlet has the best
sport fishing from mid June to mid September. The Somass River Sockeye begin to
return to the river in May and usually begin to school around the 10th or so of
June. When the Sockeye school in big numbers, the action for the number one
tasting salmon, really heats up and is a lot of fun for all fisher persons young
and old. Sockeye fishing most years can continue into the first ten days of
August. It is then that the first few Chinook salmon appear in the Inlet.
Chinook fishing is followed by Coho with the peak of the Chinook season often
occurring around the Labor Day Weekend when the Port Alberni three day fishing
derby takes place. The Port Alberni Inlet is a wonderful and very easy area to
fish. Many people worry about rough water but the Inlet waters for the most part
are calm and pristine. The best fishing is in the morning hours and the last two
hours before dark. Sockeye salmon do seem to bite at any time of the day which
makes this sport fishery a very popular opportunity for everyone.
For those individuals that enjoy
prawn sport fishing the season in the Alberni Inlet closed on December 31st and
will not reopen until April. Please check all DFO regulations.
Barkley Sound waters are very
much like the Port Alberni Inlet. The Sound is protected on both the east and
west coastlines.
Summer fishing in the Sound
especially on the surf line most years occurs from late May to early August and
is expected to be this year very good due to the migratory movement of salmon
along the west coast. Good numbers of Chinook, Coho and Pink Salmon will be
moving to watersheds to the South. The migratory flow of Chinook should
predominately be 4 year olds. The vast amounts of rich resources of bait fish in
the Barkley Sound area during the summer months often bring the salmon into feed
and rest before they continue their journey. Some world class fishing usually
occurs at Meares, Cree, Edward King, Beale and as far in as Kirby Point and
Swale Rock. We are really excited about the great sport salmon fishing
opportunity we should have this summer in both the Sound and the Port Alberni
Inlet.
Ucluelet
It
is fairly difficult to go to far offshore during the winter months. There have
however been some reasonably nice days on the water where the swell and water
lump has been low. The best winter Chinook fishing is often fairly close to the
Ucluelet Harbor. This year has been no different. Beg Island, Mara Rock and Big
Bear have had some reasonably good results. Needle fish, white hootchies, and
various green hootchies, anchovy, and nasty boy, cop car, green glow, and silver
glow coyote spoons have been the best bets to attract the feeder Chinook. In
February the feeder Chinook fishing really picks up and gets much better as the
herring spawn gets close and these bait fish move toward the beach. In the early
spring we will feature our Seafood Safari. This is a great trip on the open
Pacific where guests can be treated to some excellent winter Chinook fishing,
bottom fishing, prawn and crab fishing. There might even be opportunity to find
some oysters along some of the magnificent beaches of the west coast. The end of
the day often has guests preparing a wonderful gourmet seafood dinner at a local
resort or bed and breakfast. There are spots that the preparation of the days
catch will be prepared for our guests.
Summer sport salmon fishing out
of Ucluelet looks again very promising. Year after year Ucluelet has some of
British Columbia’s best and most wonderful fishing opportunities. The outlook
for Chinook and Coho migrations look similar if not better than 2009 and 2010.
We expect late May into mid August to have some of the best salmon fishing. For
those that enjoy Pink Salmon fishing the odd year is back and returns of Pinks
to various rivers along the west coast should be very good.
Stamp River
The
Stamp to date has provided some very good winter Steelhead fishing. The fishing
in one simple word has been “consistent”. The fish are beginning to spread out
and can be found in the upper and lower river. The best fishing with guides
aboard jet boats is still in the Lower River below the bucket. Guided trips on
average have been hooking into six to ten fish per guest group each day. The mix
of hatchery Steelhead compared to wild have been almost 50-50 on a percentage
basis. For those on foot the most popular area is the falls pool which over the
past few weeks has been very congested with sport anglers, especially on weekend
days. The Sproat has also had some great fishing days as of late. Those
individuals on guided and non-guided trips fishing with a float and below “the
bucket” have had good success using natural bait in roe, roe bags, and shrimp.
Spin’n’glows, corkies, rubber eggs and various jigs have also been working. One
sport angler fishing close to the confluence was using a pink jig which like
pink worms, for the most part, works best in the Upper River, had an
unbelievably successful day during the past week by hooking into five or six
Steelhead. The Winter Steelhead to date have been of good size. There have been
some good sized fish in the mid teens to almost twenty pounds. The River as of
right now is medium-high and moving quickly and for clarity is clearing up. We
are expecting the February and March Stamp River winter Steelhead fishing to be
very good right through until the end of March.
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
