FISHING REPORTS
from some of the BEST PLACES TO FISH !
The
wonderful month of June is close and the saltwater fishing season is quickly
upon us. The weather has been spectacular and the salmon fishing in much of this
area has been very good for the last two weeks. It is quite evident as everyday,
more and more vehicles are traveling the local roads and highways towing 15-30
foot long sport fishing boats. Many sport fishermen are launching out of Port
Alberni’s Clutesi Haven Marina and are heading down to scenic Barkley Sound to
fish popular surf line areas while others are taking the scenic drive to
Ucluelet which is located on Vancouver Islands rugged but very spectacular West
Coast. Many individuals without boats are also heading to Port Alberni and the
Coast and are taking advantage of using one of the many Sport Fishing Charter
and Guiding businesses that are available. Two avid fishermen just recently on a
3 day trip stated “by the time a boat is purchased and then paying out the
summer moorage, winter storage, boat insurance, gas, and outfitting of the boat
they could go on three or four fishing trips a year for the next fifteen years”.
While
spending time in the area, fishermen not only spend hours fishing but also
taking opportunity to hike, kayak, sightsee, beach comb, whale watch, and just
relax in one of the most spectacular areas of the world. The area from Port
Alberni out to Bamfield and to Ucluelet has rugged mountainous terrain to
wonderful rainforest groves. These areas are waiting to be explored. There is
always time at the end of any fishing day to explore the amazing adventure
opportunities in the Alberni Valley and Pacific Rim.
The forecast along the West
Coast, Barkley Sound, and the Port Alberni Inlet are extremely good. The various
outer banks off the West Coast plus inshore, surfline, and Barkley Sound areas
have already experienced good salmon fishing due to the high number of migratory
salmon returning to various rivers to the south. Chinook Salmon have been
popular in the 15 to 20 pound range with a few up to 25 pounds. The early summer
Coho will come into the mix. Limits are currently at four salmon per day per
person (2 Chinook, 2 Coho) and 1 halibut and 3 Ling Cod.
Port Alberni Inlet / Barkley Sound
The
salmon fishing in Barkley Sound has really improved over the past 10 days. Guide
Jon had a great trip with guests from Saskatchewan. Late Saturday and Sunday
morning the fishing really picked up for Chinook. On Sunday using anchovy in an
ultraviolet Rhys Davis Teaser Head guests played up to 12 salmon inside of an
hour. The Saskatchewan crew ended up with six phenomenal Chinook up to 20
pounds. Other hot spots in the Sound have been Swale Rock, Meares, and
Whittlestone. Standby hootchies in white and green as well as anchovy in the
ultra green or chartreuse color made by Rhys Davis have worked very well. We are
expecting the summer Coho to come into the picture fairly soon. The Coho numbers
going to the Columbia alone are forecast to be approximately 1.6 million. The
Early summer run which begins sometime at the beginning of June are usually 60%
of the forecast run. June and July should be spectacular. Of course the
returning salmon coming into the sound and also returning to the Port Alberni
Inlet will show up at the beginning of August. Mixed in with these will be 14 to
17 million pinks returning to the Fraser. There is also a run size of up to 12
million sockeye. Late Coho by August are putting on a pound a week and we hope
that many of these will swim the beach and stay in tight.
The Port Alberni Inlet will open
to Sockeye fishing on June 15th. The Somass River has had good numbers returning
to date. There is a lot of excitement in the area as many avid fishermen are
getting ready to fish the tastiest salmon of all. The last sockeye fishery in
the inlet was the summer of 06. Sockeye Salmon like a lot of color behind the
boat. Many local anglers will run up to 6 flashers behind the boat. Fishermen
should be prepared to run pink or red mini plankton hootchies with 22 to 27
inches of leader behind a green or red flasher. The sockeye will school in the
inlet once the river warms up to 18 degrees Celsius. Some of the best sockeye
fishing in the early part of the seson has been in Cous Creek and Underwood
Cove. Usually mid June sees some great fishing in the harbor and the Nahmint-Franklin
area.
We
are expecting this fishing season to be one of the best. We are planning to
fish Barkley Sound most of the time. We often make day trips although there are
some guests that prefer to stay in some of the beautiful lodges located in areas
of Barkley Sound and Bamfield. This is not to say that the Port Alberni Inlet
will not be a hot spot to fish. The salmon fishing for Chinook and Coho really
gets going by mid August and continues into late September. In Port Alberni we
have a wonderful accommodation-fishing package. The beautiful Cedar Wood Lodge
provides an ideal spot for fishermen to relax after a day on the boat. The
Lodge provides elegant accommodations, luxurious spa tubs, exquisite gardens, a
BBQ available for your use, and a delicious breakfast or fisherman’s brunch to
take on the boat with you. Check out their website at:
www.cedarwood.bc.ca
Vancouver West Coast (Ucluelet)
The
Ucluelet or Pacific Rim salmon fishing as usual has had some great sport
fishing. The Commercial Fleet has also done very well on the troll on the outer
banks. South Bank fishing for guides Wayne and Al has been fabulous. Limits of
Chinook have been quite easy on many occasions. However this is not to say that
on some days guides have to work very hard and move around to find the salmon.
Anchovy in a glow army truck Rhys Davis Teaser Head and a Purple Haze Teaser
Head have been working. A green or red hot spot flasher and an Old Betsy have
been working well with the anchovy. A blue colored hootchie, the Kermit and
blue-nickel four and five inch coyote spoons are also currently working well.
The salmon have been in 80 to 120 feet of water. When the outer bank fishing has
slowed on certain days or the weather has been difficult and unfavorable, many
inshore areas have been producing some beautiful Chinook up to 25 pounds. Areas
such as Mara Rock, Great Bear, or the red can which are all very close to the
Ucluelet Harbor and Portland Point which is to the west of the Harbor are some
of the more favorable areas to fish. Guide Mike has been using a green glo and
silver glo coyote spoon and has had a lot of success. He has also trolled up a
few very nice halibut using salmon bellies around Great Bear and Sail Rock. The
biggest halibut for guests this year is 45 pounds. The Ucluelet inshore and
offshore fishing this summer will be remarkable. Migratory returns to the south
have never been predicted to be as high as they are since 1982. Look for more
information in future reports.
If you are keen to fish one of B.C.s top river
organize your trip now.
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
