22nd December, 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

This happy fisherman is relaxed and very happy about his fall steelhead that he landed in the upper Stamp River using a corkie. Summer and Fall Steelhead fishing was very good this past fall. We are now fishing for Winter Steelhead in the Stamp River.

It is the Christmas Season and winters first day arrives on December 21st. Winter often can mean few fishing days, due to poor weather conditions, and only those hearty enough to explore and fish the water along the shoreline of Vancouver Islands’ vast coast for Winter Chinook get out on the ocean. This scenario really needs not to be true 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. 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 March 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 fishing destination.

Port Alberni | Barkley Sound

Great Steelhead picked up on the Stamp River in November. Winter Steelhead are coming into the system daily. This guest had a great day with guide Bladon and hooked into 9 fish in one day.

Great Steelhead picked up on the Stamp River in November. Winter Steelhead are coming into the system daily. This guest had a great day with guide Bladon and hooked into 9 fish in one day.

The Port Alberni Inlet has been busy with sport boats out on the water fishing for prawns. The areas around China Creek and Cous Creek are very favorable to sportys as there are areas with water from 250 to 300 feet that are very popular to drop prawn traps. The season does close on the 31st of December and will not reopen until April. Areas of Barkley Sound will be open during the winter months. Winter Chinook trips to the sound 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 2011 should once again be very good for Sockeye Salmon fishing. The early season forecast looks very similar if not better than the 2010 summer. 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 but 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.

Chrome Winter Steelhead. Stamp River is getting very busy. Often easier to fish in a drift or jet boat than trying to walk te river. Becomes even more difficult when water is high and fast.

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 April. 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. The 2010 derby 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 five to six feet of leader. The Winter Chinook that have been recorded to date have ranged from seven to ten pounds and were landed around the Swale Rock area. The salmon are in deeper water, ranging from 100 to 140 feet depending on where the 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.

Tom of Portland Oregon shows of this beautiful salmon he caught close to the Barkley Sound surf line This fish was caught on a cop car coyote spoon. Guide for Tom was Doug of Slivers Charters Salmon Sport Fishing. We are expecting some sensational salmon fishing along the west coast surf line of Vancouver Island in the summer of 2011

Ucluelet is a great destination for 12 month of the year salmon fishing opportunity. 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, prawning 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.

Ashley is happy about her 25 pound Chinook landed out in the Port Alberni Inlet in the summer of 2010. Ashleys guide Was Robert of Slivers Charters who was using a 0 15 hootchie to have this Chinook landed. Fishing predictions for the 2011 season are looking very good for sockeye and good for the Chinook fishery which begins in mid August.

This has been one of the best seasons for summer and fall Steelhead. The winters are now entering the system with a few in the Upper River already and some coming into the lower river daily. Those walking the river have not had an easy time hooking into fish. The water is still a bit high but the clarity over the past few days has been very good. The best fishing has been aboard jet boats in terms of action and success. The past couple of weekends have been very busy on the Stamp. Guests fishing the lower have had success as well as those still fishing in areas termed the upper and in a couple of mid-river areas. 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-glos 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. Good 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 in April. Fishing the Stamp for Winter Steelhead can be a fantastic adventure but most often 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.