Fishing Report for Week Ending August 9, 2015

SALTWATER

OVERVIEW – Salmon fishing was GOOD most of this past week. Limit catches of Pink salmon are coming from all areas but it was definitely slower for fishing for the pinks. More chinooks were being caught with most fish weighing in the teens and low twenties. Halibut fishing was GOOD for those targeting this species.

The daily limit for coho is two (2) per day, hatchery marked only from June 1 to December 31, 2015.

 A closure was implemented on all southern island freshwater systems, including the Cowichan River, in early July prohibiting all fishing, including First Nations FSC fishing. Management measures are now being expanded to the adjacent terminal marine areas, elevating the key chinook non-retention areas to salmon non-retention areas. DFO analysis has shown that the implementation of this management measure will reduce the exploitation rate on Cowichan Chinook. The following subareas will close to salmon retention effective 00:01h August 4, 2015 until further notice:Subareas 17-5 to 17-7, 17-9Subareas 18-6 to 18-8Subareas 19-7 to 19-12

DFO notices (For all in-season changes, check DFO website http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca)

Visit our facebook page to see reports, news and videos by our guides and staff from their most recent trips.

SOOKE – The salmon fishing was GOOD this past week. The pink salmon are still here and most Sooke anglers targeting them have reported limit catches, even though there were fewer of them this past week. The springs were more commonly caught than in previous weeks. Some large sprigs were caught but most are weighing between 10-20 lbs. Kevin Maycock landed a 35 lb spring while fishing near Possession Point. Brandon Walker landed a 33 pound spring while fishing with Ben Wright. The bigger springs are being caught in the 35 - 60 ft depths.

Anchovies are the number one choice of bait for Sooke anglers but with the high numbers of pinks being caught recently, many anglers are forced to use artificial baits when they run out of anchovies or herring. Teaser heads that have been performing well with anchovies are Bloody Nose, UV Green, Green Glow and the Purple Haze. G-Force spoons in Irish Cream and No Bananas have been catching their fair number of fish. Coho Killers have been quite effective in catching pinks. A few sockeye have been caught but they are closed for retention. The most popular flashers recently have been the Ok’i Betsey, the Gibbs Outfitter and the Jellyfish UV. 



BECHER BAY– Salmon fishing was GOOD in East Sooke. There are lots of pink salmon but not as many as last week. The pinks are spread throughout the entire area so you don’t have to search very far to find them. The best fishing has been on the flood tide in the tide rips and tide lines. The spring salmon fishing picked up a bit. The best fishing there has been in tight to shore in 100 feet of water and between 40 – 70 feet on the downrigger. The best location for springs was between the Trap Shack and Beechey Head, but a big spring could show up anywhere. Steve Williams, fishing aboard the "Miss Behaven" out of Pedder bay, was fishing the Trap Shack and the crew landed a 32, 22 and 18 springs as well as a limit of smaller fish.  Most springs were running from 15 to 22 lbs in size this past week. Anchovies were the most productive bait for the springs and No Bananas and Halloween Candy were productive teaser heads. However, spoons and plastic baits have been popular due to anglers switching to artificial baits because of the amount of bait needed to weed through all of the pinks! The Glow/Green Stripe hootchy has been effective for springs this past week. Spoons, in 3 or 4 inch size such as G-Force in the Outfitter or Trap Shack colours were effective. For flashers, the Lemon Lime, Betsey and the Purple Onion have been good.

 



PEDDER BAY – Salmon fishing was EXCELLENT this week. Limits of pink salmon, some nice springs, a few hatchery coho and some catch and release sockeye were reported at Pedder Bay Marina. That said, it was slower fishing for the pinks and improved fishing for the springs. Pedder Bay itself was the prime location to catch a nice spring, especially in shallow water between the Deep Hole and the blasting sign near Race Passage. Springs as large as 33 lbs were caught near Church Rock and in the bay, but most springs were in the teens.. All of the pink salmon has kept the rental boat fleet very busy and there are usually waits at peak times. It’s a great place to take the family for lots of action. Anglers jigging bay were also catching springs with the 8 oz and 6 oz Gibbs/Delta Jumbo Anchovy the most productive jigging lure. Anchovy was the most productive bait when trolling for springs with Halloween Candy and Bloody Nose being top choices in teaser heads. G-force spoons with both glow and green have been working as well and are getting more popular due to all of the pinks eating up bait. Flashers that remain popular include the Madi, Betsey, Lemon-Lime and the Purple Onion.

HALIBUT – Halibut fishing was GOOD this past week. Anglers that were fishing were using mackerel, 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 for springs was GOOD at Constance Bank. There were quite a few pink salmon there as well as springs. Springs are being caught both by trolling and jigging at the bank with the jiggers having an easier time of not hooking pinks. The pinks were less frequent this week closer in off the Victoria waterfront. The best spot to find the pinks has been in deeper water, 180 feet or more, and along the tide lines. It’s still spotty for springs off the harbour entrance and the breakwater but some springs have been caught there. Considering the number of boats out fishing, very few springs were caught and most fish caught were weighing in the teens. .Anchovies, spoons and squirts were successful in getting hook ups. Good choices in plastic baits are the Electric Chair, Purple Haze and pink squirts. Gibbs Coho Killer, Sitka needlefish and Coyote spoons in green, moon glow and silver colours have been very effective. The Lemon Lime flasher with the Glow Green Splatter Back Coho Killer has been a very effective combo out on the bank.

 

HALIBUT – Halibut fishing was SLOW this past weekend. Anglers report that the dogfish were less of a problem this past week. Most anglers that were fishing were using mackerel, 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.

OAK BAY – Salmon fishing was SLOW this past week. There were some springs caught but a lot fewer fish that during the previous week. Most salmon caught were when fishing lures right on the bottom (60-110 ft) on the flats. The fish were hitting needlefish spoons as needlefish are the predominant in the area. Anglers also caught fish using G-force spoons in 3” -3.5” in No Bananas and Outfitter colours. Anglers that were jigging reported catching springs a few as well. Coho Killers in Gold Nugget and Green Splatterback have been pretty productive. The best flasher has been the Gibbs Lemon Lime and the Bon Chovy.

HALIBUT – Halibut fishing was GOOD this past weekend out in Haro Strait and off Discovery Island. Anglers that have been fishing are using mackerel, 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.

SIDNEY- Salmon fishing was GOOD near Sidney. The pink salmon have been close to Pender Bluffs and lots of boats are getting limits there. The pinks are also getting larger in size. The springs are also showing up there and they have been hitting hootchies trolled between 50 - 60 feet on the downrigger. The springs have been shallow, at 30 to 50 feet and in shallow water, first thing in the morning. We also heard of one spring caught near Hambley Point. Many anglers are fishing using anchovies in Bloody Nose and UV Green teaser heads. Squirts have been out-producing hootchies and the hot patterns for springs now are Orange/Black/White, Purple Haze and Electric Chair. Coho Killer spoons have also been working well, especially in double glow and Gold Nugget. 

Notable Catches – Kevin Maycock landed a 35 lb spring while fishing near Possession Point. Brandon Walker landed a 33 pound spring while fishing with Ben Wright. Steve Williams, fishing aboard the "Miss Behaven" out of Pedder bay, was fishing the Trap Shack and the crew landed a 32, 22 and 18 springs as well as a limit of smaller fish.

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 as the water temperatures climb. Wild rainbows and cutthroats over 50 cm must be released in Cowichan Lake.

All rivers on Vancouver Island in Region 1 are now closed until further notice with the exception of the Campbell/Quinsam Rivers and the Qualicum River. To see a description and a map of the areas covered by the stream and river angling closures visit: http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/fw/fish/regulations/#anglingclosure

TROUT – Trout fishing was GOOD on most lakes in the South Island area this past week. Bank anglers are catching trout on Powerbait, Gulp Eggs, or worms while fishing from shore and right on the bottom. Orange Garlic and Pink Garlic have been good choices 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 Gibbs Gang Trolls and Gibbs Wedding Bands. Other good trolling lures are the Apex Trout Killers in rainbow, green or black and white patterns. Flatfish and/or Kwikfish have also been effective in sizes 5 to 7 in Frog, Black with Silver Flake or Rainbow Pattern. Chris Findlow caught a 4 lb 5 oz rainbow trout at Elk Lake while fishing green Powerbait Eggs on the highway side of the lake.Chris is now #2 on the Trout Leaderboard.



BASS - Bass fishing is EXCELLENT. At this time of year most of the bass are in the shallows.  During the day, soft plastics rigged Carolina style work well and crank baits can work well too. Soft plastics rigged “Carolina Style “is also a good choice when fishing drop offs and docks. The most productive colors in 4” Yum baits are Smoke or Pumpkinseed. 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 – Chris Findlow caught a 4 lb 5 oz rainbow trout at Elk Lake while fishing green Powerbait Eggs on the highway side of the lake. Chris is now #2 on the Trout Leaderboard.

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

FISH TIP OF THE WEEK 

Check your lines, frequently! When trolling for salmon, you should never leave a line down more than 20 to 30 minutes without checking to see if your bait is still working properly. Quite often a fish will strike it without getting hooked and ruin the bait, or you will get some weed on the bait, or maybe even have a small fish on that you don’t even know about. Only by checking your line can you know if you’re still fishing. 

Island Outfitters Leader Board 2015

Salmon

1) 39.4 lbs – Justin Wilson – Church Rock – Anchovy - July 5^th

2) 38.2 lbs – Jordan Game – Sooke – Anchovy – July 18^th

3) 33.6 lbs – David Chung – Muir Creek – Anchovy - July 16^th

4) 32.5 lbs – Dennis Zarelli – Trap Shack – Anchovy – July 1^st

5) 31.7 lbs – Zack Homer – West of Sheringham – Anchovy - June 19^th

 

Halibut

1) 70.4 lbs – Mike Koff – Oak Bay - Octopus – April 26^th

2) 69.1 lbs – Mike Paltinger – Haro Strait – Herring - April 25^th

3) 67.3 lbs – Rick Lelonde – Oak Bay – April 25^th

4) 65.9 lbs – Marty Pinchin – Mud Hole – March 30^th

5) 65.8 lbs – Adam West – Zero Rock – Mackerel – April 25^th

 

Trout

1) 4 lbs 7 oz – Bryan Barter – Fuller Lake – March 8^th

2) 4 lbs 5 oz– Chris Findlow – Elk Lake – August 7^th

3) 4 lbs 3 oz– Paul Tilley – Langford Lake – January 17^th

4) 4 lbs 2 oz– Doug Burnit – Dougan Lake – May 9^th

5) 3 lbs 13 oz – Mike Reid – Elk Lake – March 8^th

 

2015 DERBIES and EVENTS

Island Outfitters starts and ends the year with the free for fun and prizes Salmon, Trout and Halibut Leader Boards. Simply weigh your catch in at Island Outfitters and the top five fish in each category on December 31^st wins a special prize.