Fishing Report for Week Ending June 29, 2014

 

SALTWATER


OVERVIEW – Salmon fishing was GOOD on the south and west side of the island but SPOTTY on the east side. There have been water clarity problems, probably caused by algae blooms, so if you can find clear water you will find the fish. Halibut fishing was FAIR in most areas.

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SOOKE – Salmon fishing was GOOD this past week. This was again the best area to be fishing, both for size and quantity. Big fish of the week goes to Mike Baxter for a 39½ lb spring weighed in at Sunny Shores Marina. There were quite a few springs in the high 20’s weighed as well as lots in the teens. Anchovies are working well with Blue Green Chrome and Bloody Nose teaser heads being good colors choices. G-Force spoons in Irish Cream and No Bananas have been catching their fair number of fish. The most popular flashers recently have been the Gibbs Madi, The Outfitter and Oki’s Purple Onion.  Halibut anglers are having best success out west towards Jordan River and Sombrio Point.

BECHER BAY– Salmon fishing has been GOOD in East Sooke. Lots of springs have been caught and some big ones at that. Bill Hodgson landed a 35 on the weekend. Bill Campbell landed 34 & 33 lb springs during the week. Chris Allen landed a 33 near Aldridge Point on the weekend. The best salmon fishing was near Aldridge Point around to the Trap Shack. Quite a few fish in the teens and 20’s were reported.  Anglers have been catching salmon between depths of 40 to 90 feet on the downrigger. Most anglers are having their best results fishing anchovies. The most productive teaser heads for anchovies were Blue Green Chrome and Bloody Nose. For flashers the Madi and the Purple Onion have been very good lately. Spoons such as G-Force in the smaller sizes have been working as well.

PEDDER BAY – Salmon fishing was GOOD,  both in the Pedder Bay, close to Church Rock and in Whirl Bay. One day you’d hit a bunch and the next day nothing. The springs are mostly between 6 to 10 lbs in size, but there have been a fair number of teeners and a few in the twenties. Many of the springs are being caught between 60-80 feet on the downrigger. Anchovies were productive with Green Glow, UV Green and Purple Haze teaser heads being good choices in teaser heads. Anglers are still getting some fish while trolling 3.5” spoons. Coho Killers and G-force spoons with both glow and green have been working the best. Squirts are working too with UV colors like the Jellyfish, Purple Haze and Electric Chair the best patterns. The best flashers have been the Silver Betsey, Green/Silver Hot Spot and Purple Haze.

Halibut – Halibut fishing was FAIR on the weekend. Anglers were using extra large herring, salmon bellies and/or octopus for bait. Berkley Gulp and Powerbait soft plastics also work very well. You can also use a large spoon fished off a spreader bar, Mudraker or Lucky Jigs or other large Jigs if you want to stay away from the dogfish.

VICTORIA – Fishing has been SPOTTY off Victoria. At Constance Bank it was slow much of the week, but picked up yesterday. The springs were close to the bottom and were biting most frequently around slack tides. The fish are getting bigger and springs in the teens and twenties are being caught. Closer in, the salmon fishing was also spotty. A few springs up to 25 lbs were caught between the harbour entrance and Clover Point. The fish were out a bit from shore and between 60 to 900 feet on the downrigger.

Most anglers fishing Constance are using artificial lures, usually with Coho Killer (yellowtail or green/glow). G-Force spoons in Outfitters or No Bananas colors. Good choices in plastic baits are the Electric Chair, Purple Haze and the Glo Blow. Gibbs Coho Killer, Kingfisher and Coyote spoons in all colours have been very effective. Closer in, anchovies are the best choice with green, Purple Haze or Bloody Nose popular choices. Good flashers have been the Purple Haze, Clear Jelly UV or Green Jellyfish. Seals continue to be a problem for anglers after salmon at Constance Bank

Halibut – Halibut fishing was FAIR this past week when the currents were moderate. Anglers were using extra large herring, salmon bellies and/or octopus for bait with octopus being the most productive bait this past weekend. Berkley Gulp and Powerbait soft plastics also work very well. You can also use a large spoon fished off a spreader bar, Mudraker or Lucky Jigs or other large Jigs if you want to stay away from the dogfish. 

OAK BAY – Salmon fishing was SPOTTY for those trolling out on the Flats and in the Gap. There were a couple of good days but most boats did not do very well for most of this past week. The seals have been a real problem and it seems that every boat that gets a salmon also loses one to a seal. The fish that are being caught have been in the 8-15lb range. The most popular method for catching springs here is trolling near the bottom in 65 to 130 feet of water with squirts, spoons, or tiny strip. That being said, anglers jigging delta Deep Stingers or Floorwalkers have been catching their fair share of springs. It’s hard to say which method is the better technique right now. The fish that were being caught trolling were caught on Coho Killer spoons, Tom Macks and 3” to 4” G-Force & Gypsy spoons. Good squirts were the Electric Chair, Pickle Green, J-79 and Jellyfish. Good flashers have been the Purple Onion, Green/silver or Green Jellyfish. We now have Tiny Strip in stock for those of you fishing Oak Bay!

 

Another good day in Oak Bay with Kingsley Grant Another good day in Oak Bay with Kingsley Grant


Halibut – Halibut fishing was GOOD this past week. Kingsley Grant reported catching halibut at depths from 160 feet to 310 feet, with the deeper depths producing the larger fish. Berkley Gulp and Powerbait soft plastics also work very well. You can also use a large spoon fished off a spreader bar, Mudraker or Lucky Jigs or other large Jigs if you want to stay away from the dogfish.

SIDNEY- Salmon fishing was SPOTTY off Sidney this past week. We’ve heard that most springs, and the bigger fish, were near Moresby Island, and that they weren’t always cooperating. However, Derek Kitchen caught a 27 lb spring on June 28th off Moresby Island The ones coming out of the channel and near Hambley Point were smaller in size.  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 Purple Haze, Glow Below and Electric Chair. Coho Killer spoons have also been working well, especially in double glow and 50/50 colors.

Derek Kitchen with his big spring Derek Kitchen with his big spring


Notable Catches – Big fish of the week goes to Mike Baxter for a 39½ lb spring weighed in at Sunny Shores Marina. Bill Hodgson landed a 35 on the weekend. Bill Campbell landed 34 & 33 lb springs during the week. Chris Allen landed a 33 near Aldridge Point on the weekend. Kitchen caught a 27 lb spring on June 28th off Moresby Island.

Please send photos (in jpeg format) and descriptions of your notable catch to our email info@fishingvictoria.com

 

FRESHWATER


OVERVIEW – Fishing is FAIR to GOOD on most lakes in the South Island area. Remember that ALL wild trout must be released on all streams in region 1.

COWICHAN RIVER – Trout fishing remains very similar to last week’s report, Water levels on the river are low. The trout fishing in the mid and upper river is good to excellent. There are rainbows as well as resident brown and cutthroat trout that are active in the top end right now. Bead head nymphs are the top producer there and our favorites are the Prince Nymphs, Gold Ribbed Hare’s Ears and Pheasant tails. There are lots of insect hatches during the day now and the dry fly fishing can be excellent if you match the hatch.

TROUT – Trout fishing was FAIR on most lakes in the South Island area this past week. The total Island trout release this spring is 57,305 Fraser Valley strain rainbow trout.

Bank anglers are catching trout on Powerbait, Gulp Eggs, or worms while fishing from shore and right on the bottom. Yellow and Bubblegum have been good colours recently for Powerbait. Fly anglers are fishing Pumpkinheads, Wooly Buggers, Leeches and Micro Leech patterns on full sink fly lines. Trollers have been doing well with a variety of lures. 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, Black with Silver Flake or Rainbow Pattern. Smaller Rapalas in Rainbow Trout or Brown Trout patterns also work well; the jointed Rapalas have also been great for larger fish. Larger Willow Leaf Lake trolls with a size 6 hook tipped with a small 1-2″ piece of worm always produce fish. The biggest trout usually come from Langford Lake and Elk Lake. Wild rainbows and cutthroats over 50 cm must be released in Cowichan Lake.

BASS - Bass fishing is GOOD. At this time of year the bass are shallow in the mornings and evenings.. There have been good reports of early morning fishing with spinner baits in Chartreuse, White and Black.  During the day, soft plastics rigged Carolina style work well and crank baits can work well too. Crank baits have been effective too when fished with a fast retrieve. Soft plastics rigged “Carolina Style “is also a good choice when fishing drop offs and docks, most productive in 4” Yum bait colors Smoke or Pumpkinseed. Surface lures have been producing well in the evenings and mornings. 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.

CARP – Carp fishing is GOOD at Elk Lake. Corn and carp Boilies have been the best bait recently.

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

FISH TIP OF THE WEEK


 

After you catch a fish, always, always, always, check your leader for tooth marks or scratches.  It’s amazing how often you seem to hook and lose that big monster of a fish to a broken leader. It probably wouldn’t have happened if you had noticed the small scratches left on the leader during a previous battle with a fish.

 

Island Outfitters Leader Board 2014


Salmon 


1) 29.3 lbs – Richard Hanson – Sherringham Point– June 14th

2) 27 lbs 10 oz – Richard Hanson – Sidney – June 13th

3) 25.0 lbs – Barry Eaglestone – Whirl Bay – March 23rd

 

 

 

Halibut


 


1) 70.9 lbs – Adam West – Zero Rock – May 10th

2) 67.7 lbs – Tom Schmidbauer – Rock Pile – May 11th

3) 66.6 lbs – Harvey Francis – Rock Pile – Herring – April 23rd

4) 65.7 lbs – Allen Lacharity – Oak Bay - Herring– May 10th

5) 65.7 lbs – Brock Heppell – Oak Bay – May 10th

 

Trout


 

1) 4 lbs 12 oz – Jeremy Thomassen– Elk Lake – April 12th

2) 4 lbs 10 oz – John Redlick – Duncan area – March 25th

3) 4 lbs 6 oz – Robert Waldner – Langford Lake - May 12th

4) 2 lbs15 oz - Duncan Watts – Langford Lake- Powerbait – January 25th

5) 2 lbs 14 oz – Ian Knowles – Lookout Lake – Leech fly – January 29th

Carp


1)   William Oliver – 75 carp weighed in, total 345.4 lbs

2)   Dan Morris – 38 carp weighed in, total 227 lbs 10 oz

3)   Blair Cox - 7 carp weighed in, total 102 lbs.

4)   Brandon Boudewyn - 3 carp weighed in, total 33.9 lbs

5)   Kory Haanen - 3 carp weighed in, total 35.4 lbs 5

2014 DERBIES and EVENTS


Island Outfitters starts and ends the year with the free for fun and prizes Salmon, Trout, Carp and Halibut Leader Boards. 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! To enter, just bring in your catch to be weighed at our store.

See our event pages for details on upcoming events and like us on facebook!