Fishing Report for February 13

Salt Water Fishing for February 13

Overview
Salmon fishing was GOOD this past week around Southern Vancouver Island. Recreational halibut fishing remains CLOSED in all coastal BC waters. An announcement about the halibut situation is expected soon.

The totally inadequate, biased and unfair allocation system in place for Canada’s Pacific halibut is about to create a short season disaster for local anglers. A new SFI website dedicated to the halibut issue has everything needed to understand and deal with the halibut situation. The web site can be reached at www.sfibc.com.

On February 26th, the Pacific Salmon Foundation Fundraising Dinner and Auction with live and silent auctions as well as raffles will be held at the University of Victoria, Commons Block, at 38700 Finnerty Road in Victoria. Limited seating is available. Tickets are still available at $85 and can be purchased at Island Outfitters. Visit www.psf.ca for more details.

May 14th and 15th are the dates for The 15th Annual Just for the Halibut Derby. First prize is $7,500 cash, 2nd prize is $2,500, and 3rd prize is $1,000 cash. A hidden weight “Bonus” prize is sponsored by SG Power. Tickets are available at Island Outfitters, Pedder Bay Marina or Cheanuh Marina. Call 250-475-4969 for more information.

Sooke
Salmon fishing was GOOD this past week. Anglers were catching winter springs near the Sooke Bluffs and by the trailer park. The majority of the salmon were in the 6 to 10 lb size range with a few larger ones up to 12 lbs also being caught. Most of the fish have been taken close to the bottom in 130 to 160 feet of water. The fish are being caught on all types of gear, although we would give a slight edge to spoons this past week. That said, one combination that has been doing very well is the Purple Haze squirt behind a Purple Onion flasher. Anchovies have been working best in glow or Purple Haze teaser heads. Hootchies and squirts were good in Tiger Prawn, Glow Below and Lemon Meringue. Green/Slow or Black/Glow spoons have also been good for springs.

HALIBUT – Recreational halibut fishing remains CLOSED in all coastal BC waters. An announcement is expected soon.

Becher Bay
Salmon fishing was GOOD this past week. Just like last week, salmon were scattered about in many locations. Talking to the marina, they said that most boats were heading over to Church Rock and the Bedfords. A few fish are still coming from inside the bay, south of Frazer Island, and near the Trap Shack. The springs have been found close to bottom in 120 to 140 feet of water. More fish weighing in the teens have been caught and one 20 lber was weighed in at the marina. Dean Empy had a great double header landing 20 and 12 lb springs near Church Rock. The fish are being caught on all types of gear, but have been showing a slight preference for bait. The best teaser heads for bait were the Bloody Nose and the Purple Haze. The best flashers have been the Purple Onion, Red Glow and Purple Haze. Hootchies and squirts were good in Tiger Prawn, Glow Below and Lemon Meringue. Cop Car or Green/Silver Coyote spoons have also been good for springs. It’s more important to find the fish than to find a magic lure.

Pedder Bay
Salmon fishing was GOOD this past week but once again not too many anglers went out. This is probably because the ramp has been closed as dredging has been taking place at the marina. The dredging should be over by the end of the week. Of those boats that did go out, some caught springs up to 10 lbs. The hot spots were Whirl Bay and near Christopher Point. The fish are deep and depths of 100 to 180 feet are where anglers are finding the fish. The fish are not very selective and are being caught on all types of gear. Anchovy and herring have been very productive baits for springs. Bloody Nose and Purple Haze teaser heads have been the most popular when using bait and the best flashers have been the Purple Onion, Red Glow and Purple Haze. Hootchies and squirts were good in Purple Haze, Electric Chair and Lemon Meringue. Cop Car or Green/Silver Coyote spoons have also been good for springs.

HALIBUT – Recreational halibut fishing remains CLOSED in all coastal BC waters. An announcement is expected soon.

Victoria Waterfront
Salmon fishing was GOOD much of this past week. Anglers fishing at Constance Bank reported catching springs in the 4 to 12 lb size range. Closer in, we heard that springs have been taken all the way from the Esquimalt Anglers ramp to Ross Bay. On Sunday Richard Tessier fished the waterfront by Brotchie Ledge and caught an 8 lb spring, a dogfish and lost one to a seal. All were caught at 140 feet depths while using a purple haze flasher with a UV Purple Haze Coho Killer spoon. Like everywhere else, the fish being caught on all types of gear. That said, we’ve heard that the new 4” Sea Four Watermelon Spoon was been producing quite well for our guides. Anchovies and herring are still top producers this time of year for springs too, especially in the smaller sizes. The best teaser head colors are the Bloody Nose and the Purple Haze. The majority of anglers though are fishing squirts and spoons along the bottom at 120 to 160 feet. Good flashers have been the Green/Glow and Purple Onion. The seals are still causing problems in many locations. Some herring are being caught off the Craigflower Bridge but not in big numbers.

HALIBUT – Recreational halibut fishing remains CLOSED in all coastal BC waters. An announcement is expected soon.

Oak Bay
Salmon fishing had been GOOD on the Flats with more anglers were fishing there this past week. Anglers were catching winter springs up to 11 lbs while fishing close to the bottom where needlefish are the major food source. The fish have been between 5 to 12 lbs and are active feeders. The best bet is trolling right on bottom in 100 to 150 feet of water with squirts, Baitrix tiny strip, small anchovy or Coho Killer spoons. Good squirts were the Electric Chair, Cricket and Purple Haze. With spoons, 3½” or 4” Gypsy, Titans, Coyotes and Coho Killers in Cop Car or Silver/Green colors also catch a lot of fish in Oak Bay. Glow in the dark flashers would be the best choice for springs now.

HALIBUT – Recreational halibut fishing remains CLOSED in all coastal BC waters. An announcement is expected soon.

Sidney
Salmon fishing was GOOD this past week. Salmon are holding at most locations near Sidney and in Saanich Inlet by Pat Bay. Many of the fish are from 8 to 20 lbs in size but we also heard that there were more small ones than in the past couple of weeks. The best depths have been from 90 feet to 120 feet. Fishing right on the bottom is your best bet. Spoons have been good with 3.5” or 4” Green and Glow colors producing best. The best soft plastic lures to use for springs now are the J-79, Mint Tulip and Purple Haze Squirts. Anchovies and Strip are also working.

Notable Catches
Dean Empy had a great double header landing 20 and 12 lb springs near Church Rock this past week. On Sunday Richard Tessier fished the Victoria waterfront by Brotchie Ledge and caught an 8 lb spring, a dogfish and lost one to a seal. If you have any fishing info, notable catches, digital photos (please send as attachments) or tips that you would like to share or have included in our fishing report, please email us at info@fishingvictoria.com

Fresh Water Fishing for February 13

Overview
Trout fishing has been FAIR on the local lakes and bass fishing is SLOW. Steelhead fishing has been GOOD on Island Rivers. If you have any fishing info, notable catches, digital photos (please send as attachments) or tips that you would like to share or have included in our fishing report, please email us at info@fishingvictoria.com.

Saturday, April 9th, is the date for the 5th Annual Elk Lake Take a Kid Fishing Derby. Tickets are Adults - $25, Children under 16 - $10. First place prizes of $1,000 for the largest tout and the largest bass. This derby has live release weigh boats and weigh-station located strategically on the lake. For more info contact us at 350-475-4969.

Winter is a time when steelhead excite anglers on the lower Island. Here is Mark Wright with a nice Cowichan winter run steelehead that was caught and released

Cowichan River
Recent rain has the Cowichan River water level rising to 1.5 meters at the lake and just over 1.5 meters near Duncan. The water level is still on the increase and with more rain predicted for this week the level should get higher. It’s also quite colored. There are lots of steelhead in the river and anglers had been reporting hooking good numbers of fish during lower water levels. Quite a few of the fish are fin clipped and can be retained. There are trees across the river in many spots and drifting can be dangerous if you’re not careful. The Washout Pool has a big tree across it and you’ll have to drag your boat around it to get down the river. There are trees in the river below that as well so use caution when drifting the river. Good lures to fish are Spin ‘n Glo’s, Corkies, Gooey Bobs and the always reliable Pink Worm.

Local Lakes
Trout fishing is FAIR on most lakes in the south island area. Fly anglers are hitting fish while trolling black leeches and Wooly Buggers or black & red or purple micro leeches and general searching patterns such as the Carey Special. Anglers fishing Powerbait or worms from shore have also been doing well. Fluorescent Pink and Chartreuse Powerbait Eggs have been the hottest bait recently. Trollers have been doing very well with the Rhys Davis Baitrix Trout lures and UV Mini Strip Teasers for larger fish. They have also been doing well trolling Apex Trout Killers with the police car one of the best and the black with silver glitter spots taking second place. Flatfish and/or Kwikfish have also been effective in sizes 7 and smaller in Frog, Yellow with Red Spots or Blue/Silver. Smaller Rapalas in Rainbow Trout or Brown Trout patterns also work well. Lastly, Willow Leaf Lake trolls with a worm-tipped GIBBS Wedding Band will almost always catch some fish. By the way, all wild rainbows and cutthroats over 50 cm must be released in Cowichan Lake.

Russ Kronstrom sent us this picture of a nice trout caught last week.



Bass Fishing
Bass fishing was SLOW this past week. Slower presentations such as soft plastics are working as the water cools. Your best bet is fishing tube jigs and drop-shot plastic worms and sculpin imitations. Langford Lake, Shawnigan Lake, Prospect Lake and Elk and Beaver Lakes are the best local bass lakes. St. Mary’s Lake on Salt Spring Island is also a great lake for bass fishing. As winter approaches, look for the fish to move into deeper water and suspend. They might become less active and take a little more “coaxing” to bite.

Notable Catches
If you have any fishing info, notable catches, digital photos (please send as attachments) or tips that you would like to share or have included in our fishing report, please email us at info@fishingvictoria.com.

Fishing Tip for February 13

Tip of the Week
Steelheading is really tough on your hooks. Constant bouncing off of rocks quickly dulls your hook’s point, making it harder to set the hook when you get one of those rare strikes. You should check your hook for sharpness after every few casts and use a good file or hone to maintain a sharp point.

Leader Board as of February 13

Halibut

We are now waiting for the season to open and the first “barn doors” of to be weighed in at the store.

Salmon

We are now waiting for the first big springs of the year to be weighed in at the store. Maybe you will be bringing in the biggest one this year!