Fishing Report for Week Ending March 4, 2012

Fishing Report for Week Ending March 4, 2012

SALTWATER

OVERVIEW Halibut opened for retention on March 1st and local anglers were targeting the big flatfish rather than salmon. A fly over of our local area on Sunday showed approximately 110 boats fishing, but only 5 of them trolling for salmon! There were quite a few caught, with the largest one weighing 90 lbs. Salmon fishing was SLOW for winter springs, primarily due to windy weather and low angler effort. Seals are still a problem for anglers fishing off ofVictoria. The seals do not appear to be a problem either west or north ofVictoria.

 Effective March 1 until 23:59 hours Friday June 15, 2012, additional recreational fishery restrictions on Chinook salmon will be in effect in Subareas 19-1 to 19-4 and Subarea 20-5 (those waters near Victoria between Cadboro Pt to Sheringham Pt.). During this time period and in this area the daily limit is two (2) chinook salmon per day which may be wild or hatcherymarked between the size limit of 45 cm and 67 cm or hatchery marked only chinook over 67 cm in length.Visit our facebook page to see reports, news and videos by our guides and staff from their most recent trips!

Sooke Salmon fishing was FAIR for winter springs up to 14 lbs this past week. Most of the salmon are smaller fish though. The fish are deep and close to the bottom, from 120 to 160 feet on the downrigger, in 100 to 180 feet of water. Much of the action is coming from the harbor entrance and Secretary Island along the Bluffs to the Trailer Park. The largest salmon that we know of caught this past week was a 14 lb white spring taken near Possession Point. The fish are showing a preference for bait, but some are still hitting other lures. Anchovies have been working best in Bloody Nose and Army Truck teaser heads. Hootchies and squirts are good in Purple Haze, Cloverleaf and Glo Below. The best flasher has been the Silver Betsey and Silver Fever Hot Spot. Cop Car or Green/Silver Coyote spoons have also been good for springs.

Halibut fishing is now open and a couple of hali’s up to 60 lbs were seen at Sunny Shores Marina.

Becher Bay – The fishing was FAIR for winter springs. The hot spot remained the channel between the flagpole and Lamb Island, right inside the bay, not far from Cheanuh Marina. Anglers fishing further away at Whirl Bay and the Bedford Islands did not do nearly as well, especially in the size of fish landed. It’s also been fair from Beechey Head to Iron Mine Bay for fish up to 12lbs.  Fishing close to the bottom is the key to success in all areas. The springs have shone a preference for bait over artificial lures this past week. Anchovies are the most productive bait now. The best teaser heads for anchovies were the Purple Haze and the Bloody Nose. The best flashers have been the Green/Silver Hot Spots and Oki’s. Hootchies and squirts were good in White/Silver, Glo Below and Mint Tulip. Cop Car, Glow/Green or Green/Silver spoons have also been good for springs.

Cheanuh Marina reported seeing some nice halibut this past weekend. They reported that Rob Hagel’s boat had a good day and landed 60 & 30 lb hali’s as well as a 12 lb hatchery spring that hit his halibut gear.

 Pedder Bay – Salmon fishing was SLOWER, with strong winds limiting the number of boats going out fishing, and most of those that went out fished for halibut instead. There were some fish coming fromWhirlBay but a few anglers were getting skunked there too. Early in the week Peter Landsman brought in a 23 lb hatchery spring from Whirl Bay. The springs have shone a preference for bait over artificial lures this past week. Anchovies are the most productive bait now. The best teaser heads for anchovies were the Purple Haze and the Bloody Nose. and the best flashers have been the Silver Betsey and Purple Haze. Hootchies and squirts were good in Glo Below, Mint Tulip and Purple Haze. Coho Killer spoons in Green/White and Green/Silver Coyote spoons have also worked very well for the springs.

 Halibut – – Halibut fishing was FAIR with 8 or 9 halibut coming into the marina on Sunday. Adrian O’Connor did the best boating 90 lb and 45 lb halibut. Extra Large herring, Salmon Bellies and/or Octopus are the most popular baits for halibut. Berkely Gulp and Powerbait soft plastics also work very well. You can also use a large spoon fished off the spreader bar, Mudraker or Lucky Jigs or other large Jigs if you want to stay away from the dogfish.

Victoria Waterfront – Salmon fishing was FAIR out at Constance Bank and along the waterfront this past weekend. However, strong winds prevented most anglers from fishing most of this past week. At the bank anglers were catching fish up to 12 lbs and releasing smaller 3 to 5 lb, but legal, springs, that is if the seals did not get them first. The bank was best for those anglers bottom bouncing in 120’ to 150’ of water. Closer in, anglers were getting fish up to 11 lbs while fishing nearVictoriaHarbor and Clover Point. The springs have shone a preference for bait over artificial lures this past week. Anchovies are the most productive bait now and have been working best in Bloody Nose teaser heads. Coho Killers, Green/Glow and Army Truck spoons are working well for winter springs. Hootchies and squirts are good in Electric Chair, Cloverleaf and Glo Below. Good flashers have been the Green/Glow and Green/Silver Hot Spots.



 

Halibut – – Halibut fishing was FAIR on the weekend with lots of boats fishing Constance Bank. Matt Treadwell weighed in an 80.4 lb halibut to our Ladder Board contest, the first entry of the year. Matt caught his big fish on a piece of Salmon Belly. Extra Large herring, Salmon Bellies and/or Octopus are the most popular baits for halibut. Berkely Gulp and Powerbait soft plastics also work very well. You can also use a large spoon fished off the spreader bar, Mudraker or Lucky Jigs or other large Jigs if you want to stay away from the dogfish.



Oak Bay Salmon fishing was SLOW on the Flats for winter springs up to 7 lbs with the weather being a factor much of the week. Anglers are catching the fish while trolling in the Gap and on the Flats. 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 are the Cloverleaf, J-79 and Electric Chair. With spoons, 3½” or 4” Gypsy, Titans, and Coyotes in Cop Car or Silver/Green colors and the Gold Star Coho Killer. Glow in the dark flashers would be the best choice for springs now.

Halibut – – Halibut fishing was FAIR on the weekend with about a half dozen halibut caught in nearby waters. No “barn doors” though. Berkely Gulp and Powerbait soft plastics also work very well. You can also use a large spoon fished off the spreader bar, Mudraker or Lucky Jigs or other large Jigs if you want to stay away from the dogfish.

Sidney – Salmon fishing has been FAIR aroundSidney with Fairfax Point the hot spot for springs up to 12 lbs. There have also been some fish around Coal island andMandarteIslands. We’ve also heard that Deep Cove has a bunch of fish there now. It’s been slower in the south end of the Sidney Channel. There had been lots of springs around the minimum size length this winter. Many anglers have been fishing for springs using anchovies in Bloody Nose, Purple Haze and UV Green teaser heads. Squirts have been out producing hootchies recently and the hot patterns for springs now are the J-79, Glow Below and Electric Chair. Mongoose Coyote spoons have also been working well. Homemade Tiny Strip is also working very well.

Notable Catches – Rob Hagel’s boat had a good day and landed 60 & 30 lb halibuts as well as a 12 lb hatchery spring that hit their halibut gear. Adrian O’Connor did the best out ofPedderBay boating 90 lb and 45 lb halibut. Matt Treadwell weighed in an 80.4 lb halibut to our Ladder Board contest, the first entry of the year.

Please send photos and descriptions of your notable catch to our email info@fishingvictoria.com

 

FRESHWATER


 

OVERVIEW – Fishing is SLOW on the local lakes for both trout and bass in this cold, windy weather. Steelhead fishing is going strong in the rivers.

Cowichan River – The water level on theCowichanRiver had been steadily dropping to 1.5 meters at the lake and just above 1.2 meters nearDuncan. However, it has just started in increase again. Water clarity has been good and anglers are getting some nice steelhead in all sections of the river. The Riverbottom and Bible Camp areas have been the most popular areas to fish. Both gear and fly anglers have been consistently catching fish. Some of the fish are quite colored and there are reports of kelts starting to show up. There should be a good run of fresh fish entering the river soon as March is the month with peak abundance of steelhead in the river. For steelhead, good lures to fish are Spin ‘n Glo’s, Corkies, Gooey Bobs and the always reliable Pink Worm. We’ve also had reports of anglers using large Golden Stone Fly nymphs below strike indicators or floats and being very, very successful. Although many anglers are successful catching winter runs on flies, most anglers chose to use floats and gear.

Local LakesTrout fishing is SLOW on most lakes in theSouth Island area, especially since many of the lakes had ice this past week. That said, some “lunkers” have been caought this past week at Dougan andLangfordLakes. Many anglers are catching trout on both Powerbait, Gulp! Eggs, or worms. Fly anglers are mostly using Wooly Buggers or leech patterns. Trollers have been doing OK with a variety of lures but we’ve heard tat the Orange Hot Shot has been good. Chris Jones sent us pictures of 22” and 18” rainbows from fullerLakethat he caught on the Orange Hot Shot. The Rhys Davis Baitrix Trout lures and UV Mini Strip Teasers work well for larger fish too. Other good trolling lures are the 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 5 to 7 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. The biggest trout continue to be caught at Elk Lake with Langford Lake being your next best bet to hook into a real “lunker”.  By the way, all wild rainbows and cutthroats over 50 cm must be released in Cowichan Lake.

Bass Fishing - Bass fishing is SLOW. Slower presentations such as soft plastics work as the water cools. 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. Langford Lake, Shawnigan Lake,Prospect Lake and Elk and BeaverLakes are the best local bass lakes. St. Mary’s Lake onSaltSpringIsland is also a great lake for bass fishing.

Notable Catches - Please send photos and descriptions of your notable catch to our email info@fishingvictoria.com

 FISH TIP OF THE WEEK


 Big jigs are a very effective way to catch halibut as most anglers know. You can improve your jigs by adding Berkeley GULP or Powerbait to your lures.  The large size and scent of this attractants should increase your hookups on the big flatfish.


Island Outfitters Leader Board – 2012 


Halibut


1) 80.4 lbs – Matt Treadwell – Constance Bank –Salmon belly– March 4th 



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!


   2012 DERBIES and EVENTS


Island Outfitters starts and ends the year with the free for fun and prizes Salmon and Halibut Leader Board. Simply weigh your catch in at Island Outfitters and the top five fish in each category on December 31st wins a special prize. Everybody who enters a fish gets a prize! Maybe it will be you bringing in the big one!  Please let us know as early as possible about your up coming events in 2012!

 

See our event pages for upcoming events!


April 6th and 7th:  Island Outfitters 18th Anniversary Sale: Our storewide annual sale with LOTS of great deals and bargains.

April 14th.  The 5th Annual Elk Lake Take a Kid Fishing Derby. Tickets are Adults - $25, Children under 16 - $10. All ticket holders are entered into the draw for a new boat and motor package. 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.

April 28th: The Sidney Salmon Derby. Rod Tickets are only $100.00 each! Banquet Tickets are $22.00 (including HST). Scales close at 4:00pm.- Banquet Dinner at Tulista Park starts after 4:00pm. Prizes to be won! 1st Place; $5,000 2nd Place; $3,000 3rd Place; $2,000:  Plus Draw Prizes and 50/50 Tickets! All proceeds go to Salmon Enhancement Tickets available at Island Outfitters

May 12th and 13th: The 16th 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.