CartFishing Report for Week Ending April 15, 2012
Fishing Report for Week Ending April 15, 2012
SALTWATER
OVERVIEW – Halibut fishing was EXCELLENT this past week. Salmon fishing was SLOWER on the weekend, but most anglers were fishing for halibut and not salmon. Seals are still a problem for anglers fishing off ofVictoria.
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Sooke – Salmon fishing was FAIR for slot limit size winter. The fish are still 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 SecretaryIsland along the Bluffs to the trailer Park. Anchovies are catching the most fish and have been working best in Bloody Nose and Army Truck teaser heads. The fish are hitting hootchies as well, especially white ones. Other hootchies and squirts are good in Purple Haze, Cloverleaf and Glo Below. Cop Car or Green/Silver Coyote spoons have also been good for springs. The best flasher has been the Silver Betsey and Silver Fever Hot Spot.
Halibut – – Halibut fishing was GOOD over the weekend. 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.
Becher Bay – The fishing was SLOWER for winter springs. There were several hatchery Chinooks weighing into the mid teens caught, as well as the smaller slot size unclipped salmon. It’s been fair from Beechey Head to Iron Mine Bay when the weather lets you fish there. Fishing close to the bottom is the key to success in all areas. The hot bait this past week was the anchovy. 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 and Army Truck. 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.
Pedder Bay – Salmon fishing was SLOWER. Springs came in from Christopher Point, Whirl Bay and Pedder Bay. Most of the salmon were less than 8 lbs. Anchovies are the most productive bait now. The best teaser heads for anchovies were the Army Truck, Purple Haze and the Bloody Nose. The best flashers have been the Silver Betsey and Army Truck. Hootchies and squirts were good in Glo Below, Mint Tulip and Purple Haze. Kingfisher spoons in Green/White or Black/Glow and Green/Silver Coyote spoons have also worked very well for the salmon.
Halibut – – Halibut fishing was EXCELLENT on the weekend. Halibut up to 60 lbs were brought in, but no “barn doors”. Extra Large herring, mackerel, 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 GOOD out at Constance Bank early in the week. At the bank anglers were catching fish mostly fish within the slot size restriction, but some hatchery fish up to 15 lbs were also caught there. The fish were in all areas of the bank. Closer in, anglers caught a few fish near Victoria Harbor and Albert Head, but the fishing there was not nearly as good as on the bank. That said, on Monday, Wayne Zaccarelli landed a 20 lb 4 oz fin clipped spring on a whole herring near the harbour. The springs have shone a preference for bait over artificial lures these past few past weeks. 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 EXCELLENT on the weekend and Constance Bank was the best spot. A couple of barn doors were caught there. Ken Emms and Marc Watterrs brought in a 145.6 lb hali to take over top spot on the leader board. They also landed a 52.6 lb hali. Gerry Brummand landed a 113.9 lb hali that was hooked on a hootchy while trolling for salmon. 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 FAIR on the Flats for springs up to 12 lbs. Anglers had been catching salmon 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 GOOD this past week. 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. 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 was GOOD nearSidney. Springs as large as 23 lbs were taken over the past week. The Sidney Anglers’ Association held their annual Premier derby on the weekend. First place went to Jim Ralph with a 13.3 lb spring. Second place went to Joyce Menzies with a 12.6 lb spring and third went to Jim Halderson with a 12.5 lb spring. The largest halibut was caught by Charlie Page for a 36.1 lb halibut. The largest fish caught by a junior was a 24.2 lb halibut caught by Kyle Page. Prior to the derby, Korey Sandsmark landed a 23 lb spring atCoalIsland and on Friday, Bob Haney caught 17 lb and 10 lb springs near James Island. Doug Elison landed a 25 lb spring near Saanichton Spit.
The most abundant feed in the area is needlefish and homemade Tiny Strip is also working very well. Other anglers have been catching springs using anchovies in Bloody Nose, Purple Haze and UV Green teaser heads. Squirts have been out producing hootchies and the hot patterns for springs are the J-79, Glow Below and Electric Chair. Mongoose Coyote spoons have also been working well.
Notable Catches – Wayne Zaccarelli landed a 20 lb 4 oz fin clipped spring on a whole herring near theVictoria harbour. Ken Emms and Marc Watterrs brought in aa 145.6 lb hali to take over top spot on the leader board. They also landed a 52.6 lb hali. Gerry Brummand landed a 113.9 lb hali that was hooked on a hootchie while trolling for salmon. On Monday; Wayne Zaccarelli landed a 20 lb 4 oz fin clipped spring on a whole herring near the harbour The Sidney Anglers’ Association held their annual Premier derby on the weekend. First place went to Jim Ralph with a 13.3 lb spring. Second place went to Joyce Menzies with a 12.6 lb spring and third went to Jim Halderson with a 12.5 lb spring. The largest halibut was caught by Charlie Page for a 36.1 lb halibut. The largest fish caught by a junior was a 24.2 lb halibut caught by Kyle Page. Prior to the derby, Korey Sandsmark landed a 23 lb spring at Coal Island and on Friday, Bob Haney caught 17 lb and 10 lb springs nearJamesIsland. Doug Elison landed a 25 lb spring near Saanichton Spit.
Please send photos and descriptions of your notable catch to our email info@fishingvictoria.com
FRESHWATER
OVERVIEW – Fishing is PICKING UP on the local lakes for both trout and bass. Most lakes are in spring turnover or have just finished and the water is still a little on the cold side. Steelhead fishing is waning in the rivers and mostly kelts are being caught.
The 5th Annual Elk Lake Take a Kid Fishing Derby was held on Saturday and there was a great turnout. There were 260 adult tickets and 107 junior tickets sold for the derby. The fishing was a little slow with the lake water temperature still low. All told, 42 trout and 18 bass were weighed during the derby. The winners of the trout and bass categories each won $1,000 for their catch. Here are the top entries in each category.
TROUT
1) Jason St. Jean – 4.1 lb rainbow trout
2) Dave Reside – 3.9 lb rainbow trout
3) Chase Robertson – 3.3 lb rainbow trout
4) Randy Hicks – 2.11 lb rainbow trout
5) Ryan Arsenych – 2.6 lb rainbow trout
6) Glen Cholika – 2.6 lb rainbow trout
BASS
1) Shilo Matte – 8.3 lb largemouth bass
2) Shawn Smith – 6.0 lb largemouth bass
3) Ki T Kim – 5.11 lb largemouth bass
4) Jason Douglas – 5.1 largemouth bass
5) Willi Brech – 4.12 lb bass
6) Randy Hewes – 4.5 lb bass
First place for the largest trout caught by a junior was a tie between Brendan Creelman and Rilie Mace, each of whom caught a 2.1 lb rainbow trout.
Cowichan River – The water level on the Cowichan River is still high, the weir on the lake is open, and the water level is near 1.3 meter. Water clarity has been excellent and there are fewer steelhead (mostly kelts) in the river. There is a log across the river aboveSkutzFalls. Both gear and fly anglers have been catching fish. 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 steelhead on flies, most anglers chose to use floats and gear. The trout fishing at the top end is still slow, as the water is high and cold and not many insects are hatching now.
Local Lakes – Trout fishing is PICKING UP on most lakes in the South Island area. Spring stocking of the local lakes has started. More catchable rainbow trout were released into the local lakes in the first week of April. On April 2nd Elk Lake received another 2,185 catchable rainbow trout, Durrance Lake 1,000 catchable rainbow trout and Thetis Lake 700 catchable rainbow trout. On April 3rd, Langford lake received another 1,100 catchable rainbow trout and Glen, Kemp, Matheson and Spectacle Lakes each received 500 catchable rainbow trout. On April 4th, Shawnigan Lake received another 1,632 catchable rainbow trout. So far this spring, 47,673 catchable rainbow trout have been released into Vancouver Island Lakes.
Many anglers are catching trout on both Powerbait, Gulp! eggs, or worms, especially while fishing from the shore. 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. 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 PICKING UP. The bass are still in the prespawn stage and not very active. Slow presentations with soft plastics work best, and look for the fish suspended in deeper water. 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.
Notable Catches – Jason St. Jean won the trout category with a 4.1 lb rainbow trout, Shilo Matte won the bass category with an 8.3 lb largemouth bass and first place for the largest trout caught by a junior was a tie between Brendan Creelman and Rilie Mace, each of whom caught a 2.1 lb rainbow trout.
Please send photos and descriptions of your notable catch to our email info@fishingvictoria.com
FISH TIP OF THE WEEK
When fishing for trout with Power Bait, always make sure the hook is completely covered by the bait. You don’t want the trout to feel any metal when they gently mouth the bait. And don’t use too heavy a weight as to alarm the fish when it picks up the bait.
Island Outfitters Leader Board – 2012
Halibut
1) 145.6 lbs – Ken Emms – OakBay– Herring - April 15th
2) 115.4 lbs – Andrew Stawicki – OakBay– Herring - March 17th
3) 113.9 lbs – Gerry Brummand – Constance Bank –Hootchy– April 14th
4) 104.0 lbs – Scott Craven – OakBay–Salmon belly– March 16th
5) 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 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.