CartFishing Report Week Ending June 4th
Fishing Report for week ending June 4, 2012
Saltwater
Overview-Salmon fishing out onconstancebank remains good. Best on the high tides that have been in the afternoon this past week. Not much in the way of halibut being caught locally. This is because of the large tides that we have been seeing. Port Renfrew being the better place to target fish up to 100lbs.
Visit our facebook page to see reports, news and videos by our guides and staff from their most recent trips!
Sooke-
Salmon fishing this past week has been fair between Beechy Head andSecretaryIsland. Sherringham Point produced fish as well. Fish have been in the 60-90 foot depth range and are getting caught on anchovies with chartreuse, and bloody nose teaser heads, hootchies and the coho killer spoons in oreo cookie, white, and gold nugget being best. The purple onion and chartreuse glow flashers have been producing well. Sizes are averaging between 8-16lbs, with an 18lb hatchery landed on Saturday.
Halibut fishing remains good off of race rocks for fish between 20 and 60lbs. Octopus, Herring, salmon bellies and Mackerel are the best baits to use when targeting these fish.
Pedder Bay-
Salmon fishing nearPedderBay has been slow most boats have been heading towardsBeecherBay and west and finding fish. Sean fromPedderBay had a fish on off Sherringham that he fought for a long time before losing it beside the boat. He figured it to be somewhere around 30lbs. Some nice wild fish have been showing up as well, these are of course being released quickly because of the closure.
Halibut fishing has been tough because of the large tides. Most boats are not targeting them until the tides get better. Although some anglers have been trying in the short time frames between tides and ending up with the odd fish to 60lbs. These fish have been caught on extra large herring, octopus and salmon bellies.
Victoria Area-
Salmon Fishing has been slow off ofOakBay and the breakwater. With that being said Wayne Zaccarelli was fishing Thursday morning off ofVictoria harbour when he caught and released a 30lb Wild chinook on an anchovie/flasher combo. Before that he had a 66-1/2cm on a coyote spoon that weighed 9lb 12 ounces. Other boats have been heading out to Constance bank and having success fishing off the bottom in 70-150 feet of water trolling a little quicker than normal. Coho killer spoons have been the ticket in all colors behind purple onion, purple haze, chartreuse glow flashers. Hatchery salmon have been ranging in size from 5-12lbs with a few larger in the 15lb range. Some nice wild fish to 20lbs have been released as well.
Halibut Fishing has been a little quiet this past week. Tides have not been in our favour. The week before was solid with fish up to 60lbs getting caught out on Constance Bank andOakBay. Salmon bellies, extra large herring, and octopus were working good for these tasty fish. Hopefully the tides will be in our favour this upcoming week.
Sidney area has picked up a little over last week for salmon. Good spots to try are aroundSidneyIsland,CoalIsland, andHamleyIsland. Coho killers and purple haze, electric chair, and uv squirts have been best. Flashers to use are purple haze, purple onion, pink haze and glow chartreuse. Keep your gear near the bottom as these fish are feeding on needlefish.
Notable Catches
Wayne Zaccarelli released a wild 30lb spring off of VictoriaHarbourthis past Thursday. Bill Wright caught a 100lb Halibut on his 70th Birthday as well as a 25lb spring in Port Renfrew.
Freshwater
Overview-
Trout fishing remains strong on all the local lakes. Trolling seems to be working the best as trout are all over the water column. Bass fishing remains good but remember that bass are still on there nests and protecting there eggs and fry, release them as quickly as possible. Bass open for retention after June 15th.
Cowichan River-
The river level atDuncanis .571. The weir is now closed and the water level will continue to drop. Bug hatches seem to be happening around the warmer parts of the day. Caddis, stoneflies and mayflies seem to be the most common insects hatching. Stimulators, buck bugs, caddis and mayfly imitations seem to be the best dry flies to be using. If you don’t see much surface activity try fishing nymphs. Prince nymphs, gold ribbed hares ears, zug bugs, stone fly nymphs and pheasant tails are your best bets. In the deeper pools try large streamers or clousers for browns, cutthroat and rainbows. Remember it is fly fishing only between the trestle atGreendaleroad and the 70.2 mile trestle. All wild trout must be released on all streams in region 1 as well.
Local Lakes-
Elk Lake is the best place to catch larger trout. Troll leech patterns on a fly rod and full sink line. With the warmer water try trolling the drop offs on the north side of the lake around the 60 foot hole. Gang trolls, flat fish, Rapalas, behind the boat or off of downriggers have been the ticket lately. Langford has been good too.FullerLakenear Chemainus has been producing some nice fish as well. A 9.3 lb Largemouth Bass was caught in Elk this past weekend. As the lakes aroundVictoriatend to warm up and fishing starts to slow down try exploring some of the higher elevation mountain lakes. Fly fishing for Carp is gaining popularity as well. These fish are usually targeted with 8 weight rods and dragonfly nymphs or wolly buggers. Look for these fish in the shallows on sunny days and cast ahead of them so that your fly sinks down by the time they get to it, slowly twitch it on your retrieve. When you hook one of these large fish hold on, they can tear lots of line of your reel in a hurry. Carp are very spooky so a quiet, stealthy approach is necessary.
Notable Catches
If you have any pictures you would like to enter in our upcoming July photo contest. Please send them to info@fishingvictoria.com Contestants pictures will be added to our facebook page and the picture with the most “likes” at the end of the month will win an Island Outfitters T-Shirt and Hoody as well as a $100 dollar gift card. Please include your name, fish species, and phone number with your email.
Fishing tip of the week
When dry fly fishing for trout, check your fly line and inspect it for cracks and abrasions. These cracks can cause your fly line to sink reducing the effectiveness of your dry fly. If you notice major flaws in your line it is time to be replaced or if not too major, they can be fixed by adding fly line conditioner.
Saltwater
Overview-Salmon fishing out onconstancebank remains good. Best on the high tides that have been in the afternoon this past week. Not much in the way of halibut being caught locally. This is because of the large tides that we have been seeing. Port Renfrew being the better place to target fish up to 100lbs.
Visit our facebook page to see reports, news and videos by our guides and staff from their most recent trips!
Sooke-
Salmon fishing this past week has been fair between Beechy Head andSecretaryIsland. Sherringham Point produced fish as well. Fish have been in the 60-90 foot depth range and are getting caught on anchovies with chartreuse, and bloody nose teaser heads, hootchies and the coho killer spoons in oreo cookie, white, and gold nugget being best. The purple onion and chartreuse glow flashers have been producing well. Sizes are averaging between 8-16lbs, with an 18lb hatchery landed on Saturday.
Halibut fishing remains good off of race rocks for fish between 20 and 60lbs. Octopus, Herring, salmon bellies and Mackerel are the best baits to use when targeting these fish.
Pedder Bay-
Salmon fishing nearPedderBay has been slow most boats have been heading towardsBeecherBay and west and finding fish. Sean fromPedderBay had a fish on off Sherringham that he fought for a long time before losing it beside the boat. He figured it to be somewhere around 30lbs. Some nice wild fish have been showing up as well, these are of course being released quickly because of the closure.
Halibut fishing has been tough because of the large tides. Most boats are not targeting them until the tides get better. Although some anglers have been trying in the short time frames between tides and ending up with the odd fish to 60lbs. These fish have been caught on extra large herring, octopus and salmon bellies.
Victoria Area-
Salmon Fishing has been slow off ofOakBay and the breakwater. With that being said Wayne Zaccarelli was fishing Thursday morning off ofVictoria harbour when he caught and released a 30lb Wild chinook on an anchovie/flasher combo. Before that he had a 66-1/2cm on a coyote spoon that weighed 9lb 12 ounces. Other boats have been heading out to Constance bank and having success fishing off the bottom in 70-150 feet of water trolling a little quicker than normal. Coho killer spoons have been the ticket in all colors behind purple onion, purple haze, chartreuse glow flashers. Hatchery salmon have been ranging in size from 5-12lbs with a few larger in the 15lb range. Some nice wild fish to 20lbs have been released as well.
Halibut Fishing has been a little quiet this past week. Tides have not been in our favour. The week before was solid with fish up to 60lbs getting caught out on Constance Bank andOakBay. Salmon bellies, extra large herring, and octopus were working good for these tasty fish. Hopefully the tides will be in our favour this upcoming week.
Sidney area has picked up a little over last week for salmon. Good spots to try are aroundSidneyIsland,CoalIsland, andHamleyIsland. Coho killers and purple haze, electric chair, and uv squirts have been best. Flashers to use are purple haze, purple onion, pink haze and glow chartreuse. Keep your gear near the bottom as these fish are feeding on needlefish.
Notable Catches
Wayne Zaccarelli released a wild 30lb spring off of VictoriaHarbourthis past Thursday. Bill Wright caught a 100lb Halibut on his 70th Birthday as well as a 25lb spring in Port Renfrew.
Freshwater
Overview-
Trout fishing remains strong on all the local lakes. Trolling seems to be working the best as trout are all over the water column. Bass fishing remains good but remember that bass are still on there nests and protecting there eggs and fry, release them as quickly as possible. Bass open for retention after June 15th.
Cowichan River-
The river level atDuncanis .571. The weir is now closed and the water level will continue to drop. Bug hatches seem to be happening around the warmer parts of the day. Caddis, stoneflies and mayflies seem to be the most common insects hatching. Stimulators, buck bugs, caddis and mayfly imitations seem to be the best dry flies to be using. If you don’t see much surface activity try fishing nymphs. Prince nymphs, gold ribbed hares ears, zug bugs, stone fly nymphs and pheasant tails are your best bets. In the deeper pools try large streamers or clousers for browns, cutthroat and rainbows. Remember it is fly fishing only between the trestle atGreendaleroad and the 70.2 mile trestle. All wild trout must be released on all streams in region 1 as well.
Local Lakes-
Elk Lake is the best place to catch larger trout. Troll leech patterns on a fly rod and full sink line. With the warmer water try trolling the drop offs on the north side of the lake around the 60 foot hole. Gang trolls, flat fish, Rapalas, behind the boat or off of downriggers have been the ticket lately. Langford has been good too.FullerLakenear Chemainus has been producing some nice fish as well. A 9.3 lb Largemouth Bass was caught in Elk this past weekend. As the lakes aroundVictoriatend to warm up and fishing starts to slow down try exploring some of the higher elevation mountain lakes. Fly fishing for Carp is gaining popularity as well. These fish are usually targeted with 8 weight rods and dragonfly nymphs or wolly buggers. Look for these fish in the shallows on sunny days and cast ahead of them so that your fly sinks down by the time they get to it, slowly twitch it on your retrieve. When you hook one of these large fish hold on, they can tear lots of line of your reel in a hurry. Carp are very spooky so a quiet, stealthy approach is necessary.
Notable Catches
If you have any pictures you would like to enter in our upcoming July photo contest. Please send them to info@fishingvictoria.com Contestants pictures will be added to our facebook page and the picture with the most “likes” at the end of the month will win an Island Outfitters T-Shirt and Hoody as well as a $100 dollar gift card. Please include your name, fish species, and phone number with your email.
Fishing tip of the week
When dry fly fishing for trout, check your fly line and inspect it for cracks and abrasions. These cracks can cause your fly line to sink reducing the effectiveness of your dry fly. If you notice major flaws in your line it is time to be replaced or if not too major, they can be fixed by adding fly line conditioner.
Island Outfitters Leader Board – 2012
Halibut
1) 162.3 lbs – Des Hatchard – Port Renfrew – Herring - April 15th
2) 145.6 lbs – Ken Emms – OakBay– Herring - April 15th
3) 144.5.4 lbs – Trevor MacDougall – OakBay– Herring - May 12th
4) 142.6 lbs – Andrew Stawicki – HaroStrait– Octopus - May 13th
5) 120.2 lbs – Jason Birmingham – Discovery Island – Herring - May 12th
Salmon
1) 28.5 lbs – Falon Lancey – Sherringham Point – Anchovy - May 25th