FISHING REPORTS
from some of the BEST PLACES TO FISH !
9th February, 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
The
days are becoming longer and brighter and we are now on the upside for what is
expected to be a fascinating 2010 summer saltwater fishing season on the west
coast and central area of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. This is not saying
that the only time to fish for salmon is during the summer and fall. This area
offers 12 months of salt water salmon fishing. Beautiful Barkley Sound has
waters that are protected during west coast storms which shut down any surf line
or offshore fishing opportunities. This is not to say that there are not still
some great November, December and January days on the Pacific Ocean with
opportunities to land a feeder Chinook salmon up to twenty pounds. February
offers some warmer afternoon temperatures on the West Coast and also arouses
many avid ocean anglers that the summer is fast approaching and summer plans
should be made.
Pre Season forecasts for the
summer of 2010 are very encouraging with predictions that the fishing in June,
July and early August on the West Coast and areas of Barkley Sound will be even
better than in 2009. Oregon fish and wildlife has announced that the early
spring run of Chinook set to return to the Columbia River and its immediate
tributaries could be as high as 470,000. This means that these fish will begin
to appear around Barkley Sound and the Ucluelet area in May and should peak
sometime in June. Most of these fish swim relatively close to the nutrient rich
waters of Vancouver Island’s outer coastline and feed hard for long periods of
the day as they near the end of their life cycle. By mid June the mid-summer
migratory flow of Chinook and the first Coho begin to show and also feed on
herring, needlefish, squid, and pacific sardines. Chinook pre season forecast
returns according to a Seattle Times report are close to 700,000 pieces. These
salmon will peak sometime from mid July into early August. Anglers fishing for
the earlier fish should have plenty of anchovy and various Rhys colors of Rhys
Davis anchovy Teaser Heads. Needlefish hootchies and needlefish style spoons are
also a must.
There are many indicators in
relation to pre season forecasts. One indicator is the return of premature
salmon to their home rivers, creeks and streams. These premature salmon known as
Jacks are predominately males. The Jack return to the Columbia in 2009 was
80,000 to 100,000 pieces. This return was the highest on record since 1938. With
other factors including better than normal ocean conditions and high ocean
survival the Salmon Fishing in 2010 along Vancouver Island’s West Coast and in
the pristine waters of scenic Barkley Sound
should be absolutely phenomenal in the summer of 2010.
Port Alberni Inlet / Barkley Sound
The
Port Alberni Inlet is relatively quiet during the winter for any type of salmon
fishing. Often in late January and into February bait fish will come in big
numbers to the Franklin-Nahmint area which often brings up feeder Chinook
feeding on the rich bait resources. There have been a few good reports of winter
Chinook being landed in the area and also around China Creek where there have
been some huge bait balls. The summer fishing in the Inlet should be wonderful.
We are looking forward to a very good Sockeye salmon sport fishing season.
Numbers last year were by no means a record in terms of returns but the dismal
250,000 in pre-season forecasts in 2009 multiplied to well over 500,000 which
paved the way for one of the best sockeye seasons in the Inlet since 2006. The
2010 season will not see record returns but Sockeye returning to the Somass
system should be very similar to last summer. Chinook and Coho returns to
Robertson Creek which show in the Port Alberni Inlet by mid August have not had
any preliminary forecasts but information should be made available relatively
soon. The Inlet is also a great area for sport prawning. At the moment this is
closed and is due to re-open at the beginning of April.
Winter Chinook fishing in Barkley
Sound has been very good for those venturing down the Inlet on some of the many
spectacular winter days that we have had. The Canoe Pass, Swale Rock area has
produced some nice feeder Chinook from seven to thirteen pounds and great
reports have been received out of the Bamfield Harbor all the way down to Sarita
Bay. Winter Chinook can always be found where there is bait and all of the areas
mentioned have had some good sized bait balls. The Winter Chinook are found in
deeper water often up to 130 feet and can often be in the high teens and low
twenties. Anchovy, green coyote spoons and often blue-green hootchies work very
well for feeders.
The Herring spawn often brings in big number of feeders from offshore. The
herring begin moving toward the beach and into Barkley Sound from the last 10
days of February and into mid-March. The Sproat Lake Loggers Derby is occurring
this year during the weekend of March 6th and 7th which should produce some very
excellent fishing opportunities for those competing in the derby. Our trips to
Barkley Sound also include some great prawn fishing during the winter and early
spring.
Ucluelet
Ucluelet
is located on the extreme west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia.
Known for its summer fishing popularity the summer time population of this
relatively small B.C. west coast town explodes. Ucluelet is not the resort area
that Tofino, which is forty-five minutes away, is. However this tiny west coast
town does provide various wonderful accommodation locations that can be
classified as five-star. Fishing in the winter for feeder Chinook often occurs
very close to the Ucluelet Harbor. The last few weeks has produced some very
good fishing at the mouth of the harbor, the red can, Mara Rock and the
lighthouse. The winter Chinook have been averaging in weight from 10 to 12
pounds. Needlefish hootchies, green and green-glow coyote spoons and anchovy in
chartreuse colored teaser heads have been working well. The fishing should by
recent reports up and down the west coast of Vancouver Island continue to be
good right through the summer. Northern portions of the island are already
reporting that the summers’ migratory fish have already shown. Some of these
fish are averaging 14 to 23 pounds and are destined for the Columbia River.
This spring we will continue to
provide opportunities with our “Seafood Safari”.
This is a great family opportunity on the open Pacific where guests have
opportunity to fish for salmon, bottom fish, prawns, crab and perhaps pick a few
wonderful oysters. Halibut fishing usually begins by the 24th of May when they
make their way from deep water to the shallows.
Somas - Stamp River
The
Stamp River is often considered the best winter and summer Steelhead River in
the province of British Columbia. Winter Steelhead arrive to their natal river
from December through March and often peak in mid-February to the latter half of
the month. One guide has been quoted as saying that “the peak of the season is
the day that the largest school enters the river”.
The Winter Steelhead fishing in
the Stamp this year has been one of the best seasons since 2006-2007. There have
been some days because of poor weather that has made it impossible to fish. In
fact there were five or six days in January that the monsoons created a bit of
havoc and the water was moving too quickly and was way too high. However when
one considers approximately 150 winter Steelhead fishing days during the winter
season there probably will be a few bad days. One could say that that over the
last couple of years there has been better than normal ocean conditions and the
survival rate of the fish in the vast areas of the North Pacific have been very
good. In the fall of 2009 the Stamp had a Coho return of well over 70,000
pieces. Coho and Steelhead share the same life cycle. Returns of winter
Steelhead this winter are comparable to the Coho return with predictions that
the next year or two will be very similar. We are hoping that all of the ocean
survival theories are correct.
The last few days have been
fairly good on the Stamp. Some of the fish we have landed aboard jet boats have
had sea lice which means fresh fish are still entering the system. Often fresh
fish will continue into late February. Both the upper and lower portions of the
Stamp are producing. Some fish have moved through the falls. Bait is still the
ticket in the Lower River below “the bucket”. The Steelhead in the lower have
been taking roe and roe bags. If fishing in the upper portions of the Stamp,
jigs, plugs, worms, and gooey bobs are working well.
If fishing along the banks is
your style then the area below the falls pool has been the best but the activity
on some days is very heavy. Often being aboard a jet boat gets anglers to
various spots and most often the best spots. One can wait in an area for hours
for new fish to swim by if walking the river. If aboard a boat new areas are
quicker to get to during the day. We are expecting to great Steelhead fishing in
the Stamp through March.
For more information
Contact:
Doug Lindores
Slivers Charters Salmon Sport Fishing
www.catchsalmon-ca.com
www.catchsalmon.ca
[email protected]
+1 250 724 2502 (h)
+1 250 731 7389 ©
Toll Free Number: 1-
888 214 7206