Fishing Report for Week Ending July 27, 2014

SALTWATER


OVERVIEW – Salmon fishing was HIT or MISS overall. The best location by far, was Swiftsure Bank near Port Renfrew. Fishing there was TERRIFFIC, but as you traveled east the fishing slowed way down.  Halibut fishing was SLOW in most areas as currents were poor this past weekend for Halibut.

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For the latest updates in DFO regulations go to http://www-ops2.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fns-sap/index-eng.cfm?pg=search_results&lang=en&ID=recreational&Year=2014

PORT RENFREW – Fishing has been TERRIFFIC for springs out at Swiftsure Bank. And the halibut fishing has been pretty darn good too! The top producer was the Madi flasher with a double glow green and white Kingfisher spoon! You won’t get better spring fishing anywhere on the coast than what’s going on here. 

SOOKE – Salmon fishing was HIT or MISS this past week. There would be fish in one area one day, and the next day they would have moved on to another area. If you could locate the fish, you could catch a few. The better spots were Sheringham Point and Otter Point. There was a decent amount of fish in the teens and mid 20’s weighed as well as reports of lots of smaller Coho and sockeye are starting to show up, but only hatchery coho can be retained. Choice of lures has stayed very similar to last week; 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 Super Betsey. Halibut anglers are having best success out west towards Jordan River and Sombrio Point.

The 9th Annual Consultants Invitational Fishing Derby was held this past weekend. It is an invitational event hosted by the civil engineering community of Victoria to raise funds for the Sooke Salmon Enhancement Society. First place in the derby went to Scott Cowan for a 28.6 lb spring. Second place went to Cameron Von Bratt for a 27.2 lb spring. Ron Simington took third with a 26.4 lb spring. The largest bottom fish was a 16.8 lb Lingcod caught by Steve Hutchinson. All told, 58 Chinook salmon, 8 hatchery Coho salmon, 4 Pink salmon, 2 Halibut, 2 Lingcod and 6 Rockfish were weighed in at the derby.

BECHER BAY– Salmon fishing has been FAIR in East Sooke. Springs are being caught, with most fish weighing in the teens and 20’s with 28 lbs being the largest fish of the week. The best salmon fishing was near Beechey Head, Aldridge Point and the Bedfords. Anglers have been catching salmon between depths of 40 to 90 feet on the downrigger. There are coho and sockeye being caught too, but the sockeye aren’t open yet and most of the coho have been wild, unmarked fish. Most anglers are having their best results fishing anchovies. The most productive teaser heads for anchovies were the 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 SPOTTY AT BEST both in the Pedder Bay and in Whirl Bay. The springs are mostly between 8 to 14 lbs in size.  Many of the springs are being caught between 60-80 feet on the downrigger. Anchovies were productive with Chrome Joanne, UV Green and Purple Haze teaser heads being top 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 SLOW on the weekend. Currents were poor over the weekend. If you could find a spot with less dogfish, anglers were reporting success.  Anglers that were fishing 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.  Constance Bank was the best spot this week but the currents were a strong out there and not everyone did well.  Anglers were finding a few decent fish in the 9-15lb range.  The better springs that were getting caught were close to the bottom and biting more frequently on the flood tide. Closer in, the salmon fishing remains SPOTTY AT BEST with the vast majority of boats catching nothing. A few springs into the 20 lbs were caught between Macaulay Point and Clover Point. Al Teng landed a 29.4 lb spring off Macaulay Point and Jana Savage landed a 22 off the Gravel Pit. The fish were out a bit from shore and between 60 to 80 feet on the downrigger. The salmon seem to be passing through and not stopping to feed for a few days. 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 Bon Chovi and Chartreuse Glow.

Al Teng with his29.4 lb chinook Al Teng with his29.4 lb chinook


 

The Royal Canadian Navy Anglers’ Association held their annual spring salmon derby on July 26th. First place went to Wayne Zaccarelli for a 7 lb 2 oz spring caught off Esquimalt.

Halibut – Halibut fishing was SLOW this past week. Angler’s that were going out 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 SLOW for those trolling out on the Flats and in the Gap.  The fish that are being caught have been in the 8-12 lb range. Most the anglers were trolling this past week with a few boats jigging but both reporting slow fishing.   Anglers were using squirts, spoons, or tiny strip. The fish that were being caught trolling were caught on Coho Killer spoons 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.

Halibut – Halibut fishing was SLOW this past week. 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 SLOW off Sidney this past week. The springs seem to be scattered and not in large numbers at any location. We’ve heard of a 12 lb spring from Hambley Point and a 10 lb fish from Sidney Spit. There have also been reports of a few salmon in the Deep cove area. There are sockeye at the Pender Bluffs but they are not open yet. Many anglers have been fishing for springs using anchovies in 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.

Notable Catches – The 9th Annual Consultants Invitational Fishing Derby was held this past weekend. First place in the derby went to Scott Cowan for a 28.6 lb spring. Second place went to Cameron Von Bratt for a 27.2 lb spring. Ron Simington took third with a 26.4 lb spring. The largest bottom fish was a 16.8 lb Lingcod caught by Steve Hutchinson. Al Teng landed a 29.4 lb spring off Macaulay Point and Jana Savage landed a 22 off the Gravel Pit. The Royal Canadian Navy Anglers’ Association held their annual spring salmon derby on July 26th. First place went to Wayne Zaccarelli for a 7 lb 2 oz spring caught off Esquimalt.

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

 

FRESHWATER


OVERVIEW – Fishing is GOOD on most lakes in the South Island area. Remember that ALL wild trout must be released on all streams in region 1. Wild rainbows and cutthroats over 50 cm must be released in Cowichan Lake.

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 GOOD 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.

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


Now is the time to use to heavier leaders (40 to 50 lb Test) as the big mature chinook salmon migrate though local waters. With a lighter leader, your chance of losing a big spring to a weak spot or a nick in the leader is greatly increased. Be sure to check your leader after catching each fish to make sure that it is still in good shape. 

Island Outfitters Leader Boards 2014 


Salmon


1) 30.8 bs -– Lynn Pollard – Macaulay Point – July 13th

2) 30.7 lbs – Lance Foreman – Waterfront – July 10th

3) 30.0 lbs – Jesse McCullough – Otter Point – July 9th

4) 29.4 lbs – Al Teng – Macaulay Point– July 23rd

5) 29.3 lbs – Richard Hanson – Sherringham Point– June 14th

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!