FISHING REPORTS
from some of the BEST PLACES TO FISH !
21st December 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
It
is the Christmas Season and winters first day has now arrived. Port Alberni and
areas out to the West Coast of Vancouver Island have been experiencing some of
winters grip over the past week. Temperatures at freezing or just below have
created snowy type days. Winter often can mean few fishing days due to poor
weather conditions. Only those hearty enough to explore and fish the water in
protected Inlets and Sounds along the shoreline of Vancouver Islands’ vast
coastline get out on the water. This scenario could really be quite different as
many boats have heaters and many of the harbor entrances and inlets on the
Vancouver Island coastline offer protected waters to fish salmon and even some
bottom fish. The majestic waters of Barkley Sound and the lower half of the
Alberni Inlet and geographical areas close to the Ucluelet Harbor are very
fishable throughout the winter season. Ucluelet in fact is one of the areas on
the west coast that offers fishing 12 months of the year where it is very
possible to hook into a 20 pound salmon. Other spots such as the Sooke Harbor
and the Victoria waterfront are areas one can find a gathering of sport boats
out on the water many days of the winter season.
We
are already looking forward to the 2013 summer season. We have been in a La Nina
weather pattern for a few years. The pattern is ideal for salmon survival. It is
the first eight months when the salmon fry head out to areas of the North
Pacific that is crucial. With a La Nina pattern the water is at an ideal
temperature and the rich food sources for salmon are excellent which means
salmon survival will be quite high. With this in mind we are looking forward to
future pre season West Coast Vancouver Island forecasts early in the New Year.
River fishing for Steelhead
during the winter season is very popular on many Vancouver Island streams. The
Somass-Stamp System is one of B.C.’s premier rivers and is world renown for
Steelhead fishing. December through April is the Winter Steelhead fishing season
with the peak often occurring in early to mid February. The season’s peak is
often that time of year when the largest school of Steelhead enters the system.
Don’t let winter be a discouraging time of year to fish as there really is a lot
of opportunity on Vancouver Island which is British Columbia’s premier salmon
sport fishing destination.
Port Alberni Inlet | Barkley Sound
Winter
Chinook trips to Barkley Sound also include prawn fishing. The Alberni Inlet
during the winter months have some feeder Chinook swim up from the surf line and
Barkley Sound. Bells Bay and the Nahmint-Franklin areas have some bait fish move
in which will bring up some of the feeding salmon. A few local sport fishermen
who spend a lot of time on the water are often fortunate enough to be on the
water at the right time to take in some of this local fishing opportunity. The
Inlet in the summer of 2013 should once again be very good for Sockeye Salmon
fishing. Some of the early determinators in early pre season forecasts are
showing returns equivalent to 2011 and 2012. The Sockeye fishery is a lucrative
sport fishery to the Port Alberni community. This has been ongoing for just over
20 years. Sockeye at one time was strictly only a commercial fishery and
continues to be one of the most important fisheries on the Pacific Coast.
Sockeye swim into Barkley Sound from distant waters in the North Pacific
beginning sometime in May of each year. The schools of Sockeye swim through the
sound and up the inlet and enter the Somass River in late May. The early
returning Sockeye swim in the top 30 to 35 feet of water and as the water in the
river warms up they go deeper and begin to school in various inlet locations.
Favorite Alberni Inlet Sockeye sport fishing locations are Nahmint-Franklin, the
narrows, Underwood, Dunsmuir, the slide, and Cous Creek. Sockeye fishing is
perfect for all ages and is very much a family fishing activity as the inlet
waters are pristine and calm and Sockeye although sometimes difficult to land
are reasonably easy to handle with a sport reel and rod.
A few sport fishermen have fished
Barkley Sound for Winter Chinook over the last few weeks. These Chinook are not
migrating salmon and are classified as local salmon that remain in local areas
and feed on the rich resources of bait fish (herring, needlefish, sardines).
Winter Chinook can range from six or seven pounds to just over 20 pounds. The
Winter Chinook season in the Sound usually occurs from January to the beginning
of early May. The first weekend of March is often a peak time and is also the
Sproat Loggers Derby weekend which is hosted out of Poett Nook. One of the
biggest Winter Chinook landed was during the 2010 derby which had a whopping
fish just over 28 pounds as a winner. When fishing for Winter Chinook or feeders
which again are not migrating salmon look for slack tides and also shorten up on
normal leader lengths when using hootchies. Summer Chinook hootchie leader
lengths are often 42 inches in length and in the winter range from 34 to 38
inches behind a flasher. Leader lengths also depend on boat speed while
trolling. When using spoons (Coyotes or Titans) behind a flasher, leader lengths
are often four and a half to five feet in length. When trolling bait behind a
flasher a good rule of thumb is to have five to six feet of leader. The Winter
Chinook that have been recorded to date have ranged from seven to ten pounds
with most landed around the Swale Rock, Vernon Bay and Canoe Pass area. The
salmon are in deeper water, ranging from 100 to 140 feet depending on where the
best fishing is occurring. Hootchies, bait, and coyote spoons in a three and a
half or four inch size are popular. Nasty Boy, green-glow, green nickel, blue
nickel and Cop Car coyote spoons are often a good choice to have in the tackle
box. Green glow flashers and purple haze flashers are often a good choice when
fishing with plastics, spoons, and bait.
Ucluelet (West Coast)
Ucluelet
is a great sport fishing destination for 12 month of the year. Of course this
area is also known for winter storm watching, making days from November through
April where one cannot get out on the water for safety reasons. There are many
areas close to the Ucluelet Harbor that sport fishermen and charters boats can
get out to for Winter Chinook fishing, pawning and crabbing. The lighthouse,
Mara Rock, and Great Bear have been reliable areas over the years and on those
days that one can fish we have had some favorable reports to date for some nice
feeders from eight to twelve pounds. The area has plenty of needlefish. Guides
have been using needlefish hootchies in green and blue. Like other areas along
the coast the feeders are actively feeding and are not migrating. The salmon are
in deeper water and besides hitting the needlefish hootchie they will hit
anchovies behind flashers. Some hootchies worth having in the tackle box are an
army truck, tiger prawn, Purple Haze, green glows, and a green spatterback. In
the early to late spring we offer our adventurous seafood safari. This is a
majestic trip and at the end of the day a seafood dinner of salmon, crab,
prawns, and rock fish with some great B.C. wine is a fine ending to a delightful
day on the open Pacific. The migratory flow this summer in early season
predictions looks very good. Like the last few years some of the best fishing
will be from early June to the middle of August.
Stamp River
The
2012 season for Summer and Fall Steelhead was very good. The Winter Steelhead
are now entering the system with most in the Lower River and a few mixed with
the big numbers of Fall Steelhead which are still in the Upper River. Those
walking the river have not had an easy time hooking into fish. The water is
still a bit high but the clarity until recently has been very good. The best
fishing has been aboard jet boats in terms of action and success. The weekends
have been the busiest times on the Stamp. Weekdays have been fairly quiet.
The Stamp River is located close
to Port Alberni on Vancouver Island. The Stamp is a river that has one of the
most consistent salmon and steelhead fisheries in the Province of British
Columbia. In the fall Chinook and Coho returns on average range from forty to
fifty thousand. Sockeye, Coho, and Steelhead have similar life cycle. All three
species spend at least one year in fresh water before heading somewhere out into
the northerly portions of the Pacific Ocean for two to four years. The summer of
2011 and 2012 had strong Sockeye returns with over eight hundred and fifty
thousand returning each year. Coho returns were just over forty thousand. The
Summer-Fall Steelhead returns were very good. There continues to be good numbers
of Fall Steelhead in the Upper River. With these factors in mind the Winter
Steelhead return should be quite strong. This fishery can often last right to
the end of April on the Stamp River.
The Stamp River can be divided
into three sections. The lower river is below (the bucket) the girl guide
rapids. This is the area after the 15th of September to the 30th of April that
fisher people can use bait. Above the bucket only plastics or imitations and
imitation egg patterns can be used. The midsection of the river is from the
bucket to Stamp Falls. The Upper River is just above Stamp Falls. Beginning on
January 1st the area from the mouth of the Ash River to the dam or the Great
Central Lake outlet will be closed. The closure is to protect the Summer run
Steelhead that are spawning.
It is most important that Those
fishing Steelhead on the Stamp retain only hatchery fish and that there is a
maximum of two hatchery Steelhead per day.
Guests fishing the lower river
have had some success on the early Winter Steelhead. Those fisher people still
fishing in areas termed the upper and some areas of the mid river are also still
having some successful outings.. The use of bait below “the bucket” has had some
great results. The use of roe and roe bags has been great. In the Upper Stamp
areas spin-n-glows and corkies in pinks and red have been good. Some individuals
have been using trout beads with success. When the river becomes high and the
water much darker a switch to Pink Worms is best as they produce some better
visibility. We are really expecting the steelhead fishing for winters to be
rather spectacular in terms of returns. As mentioned, great returns of summer
salmon (sockeye) often mean that steelhead returns in the fall and winter will
also be quite good. The Winter Steelhead run often runs from now right to the
end of April. Fishing the Stamp for Winter Steelhead can be a fantastic
adventure and is in a very safe environment when fishing with guides who have
many years of experience on the Stamp River----British Columbia’s premier
Steelhead river.
For more information
Contact:
Doug Lindores
Slivers Charters Salmon Sport Fishing
www.catchsalmon-ca.com
www.catchsalmon.ca
www.prepcamp-ca.com
[email protected]
+1 250 724 2502 (h)
+1 250 731 7389 ©
Toll Free Number: 1-
888 214 7206