Fishing Report for Week Ending January 14, 2018

SALTWATER 


OVERVIEW – The Chinook fishing was GOOD around the south Island. Most of the fish have been from 4 to 10  lbs in size but there have been some larger ones caught.

For the latest details on recreational fishery openings and closures in your area:

  1. A) Call 1-866-431-FISH or 604-666-2828 (24-hour phone line);

  2. B) Visit our web page http://notices.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fns-sap/index-eng.cfmto find applicable fishery notices; or

  3. C) Follow our sport fishing Twitter account https://twitter.com/sportfishingbc


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

SOOKE– The salmon fishing has been GOOD over the last two weeks. Most of the fish were from 6 to 10 lbs in size with the occasional larger one.  The best locations to fish for winter springs have been from Secretary Island westward to Muir Creek. Most of the salmon are close to the bottom in 100 – 140 feet of water. The most productive lure combo has been a white hootchy fished behind a Red/Gold flasher. Hootchies in White, Glow/Green and Purple Haze are the top choices in plastic baits. Spoons such as Skinny G’s, Coho Killers and 3.5″ G Force spoons have been good. Anchovies are still the most popular choice for those fishing bait. Good choices for teaser head colors are Army Truck, Bloody Nose and Purple Haze.  For flashers, Red/Gold Hot Spots, the Delta Guide Series UV Moon Jelly, Madi and the Lemon Lime Chartreuse are popular.

BECHER BAY– Salmon fishing GOOD for springs this past week.  Anglers have been having good success both in Whirl Bay and in Becher Bay. The area between Frazer Island and Cheanuh Marina has started to produce good fish up to 12 lbs. A few anglers have also had some success in Iron Mine Bay as well. Most anglers are fishing close to the bottom in 120 to 160 depths. The majority of anglers are using spoons with Coho Killers, Gibbs Skinny G’s in green/glow and green/silver colors the favorites. The GIBBS Highliner Guide Series Outfitters, Madi, Lemon Lime and Green/Glow Hot Spot flashers have been working well. Hootchies in White, Glow/Green and Purple Haze are the top choices in plastic baits.

PEDDER BAY– Pedder Bay Marina reports GOOD fishing in both Pedder Bay near the Green Can and in Whirl Bay.  Most of the fish have been caught close to the bottom in 120 - 160 feet of water. The salmon have been from 5 to 10 lbs in size with the occasional larger fish.  Spoons have been producing the best and the Skinny G’s, AP Tackleworks and Coho Killers are the top choices. Green with either silver or glow has been the color choice in spoons. Hootchies and squirts with a green and glow, or UV white have been popular color choices for plastic baits. Flashers that are popular include the Guide Series Madi, Outfitters and Lemon Lime.

VICTORIA – Fishing for salmon was GOOD off the waterfront recently. Constance Bank has been the best spot to fish for numbers of fish. Trolling just off the bottom in 85 to 140 feet of water has been the way to catch salmon there. Closer in, salmon were caught from Clover Point to the Gravel Pit. However, the seals have been a real problem around Clover Point and the Flagpole. The seals have been taking most of the larger fish hooked, frustrating anglers. In those locations the best depths to fish were 90-140 feet. Spoons have been successful in getting hook ups with Irish Cream Skinny G’s, Green/Glow AP Tackleworks Anchovy 4” spoons and Green/Glow Coyote spoons popular choices.

The Trotac WTF fishing derby was held on Sunday, January 14th with Esquimalt Anglers providing the weigh in location. There were 40 chinooks weighed in, with 28 being hatchery marked fish. The derby was very successful and raised over $16,000 which will go to fish conservation efforts in our area. The winning fish was a 13.75 lb hatchery chinook caught by Rhett Peterson and came with a prize award of $3,000. Second place, and $2,000, went to Brian Brewster for a 13.65 lb unmarked chinook. Third place and $1,000 went to Matt Davidson who caught a 13.45 lb hatchery chinook. The winning fish, as well as most entries, came from the Victoria waterfront.

OAK BAY– Salmon fishing was FAIR in Oak Bay this past week. There were a few salmon coming in from the Gap and from the Flats. The salmon are feeding on needle fish and have been close to the bottom where the feed is located. Most of the anglers have been either bottom bouncing or jigging close to the bottom. Best bets for Oak Bay lures are needlefish spoon and squirts.

SIDNEY– Salmon fishing was FAIR in the Sidney area. We have heard that there were some keeper springs being caught near Deep Cove, Moresby Island, and Coal Island. The second place fish in the WTF derby came from the Sidney area. There are still many undersized salmon in the area. Anglers using spoons found that Coho Killers, Gibbs Needle G and 3.5″ G Force spoons the most productive this past week. Suggested colours are Trap Shack and Bon Chovy. Anchovies and Tiny Strip were also good producers of fish with teaser heads in Glow or UV Purple.

Notable Catches – The winning fish in the Trotac WTF derby was a 13.75 lb hatchery chinook caught by Rhett Peterson and came with a prize award of $3,000. Second place and $2,000 went to Brian Brewster for a 13.65 lb unmarked chinook. Third place and $1,000 went to Matt Davidson who caught a 13.45 lb hatchery chinook. 

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

 

FRESHWATER


OVERVIEW – Fishing was SLOW in most lakes for trout and bass and SLOW in the rivers for steelhead.

COWICHAN RIVER – The water level in the river has been up and down this past week. The water clarity has also been an issue as the clay bank by Stoltz has collapsed and the water is very dirty downstream of the pool Today, the water level is 1.38 meters and rising near the lake and 1.36 meters near Duncan.  There are steelhead in the river now and we have heard of some being caught in the Riverbottom area, but not too many. Fishing for trout in the fly only area had been FAIR. Now is the time to fish egg patterns for trout. For salmon, jigs and pink worms have been productive.

We now have numbers for our Chinook salmon returns in the Cowichan River. The preliminary estimate of 26,482 fish is a new record and is literally off the charts. On top of this we also had 187,000 chums. Though not a record this does amount to about 2 million pounds of nutrients distributed throughout the system. This is very good news for the entire riparian ecosystem. This is also something all of the many groups working to protect and preserve the Heritage River can be proud of. These numbers were published in the DFO South Coast Salmon Bulletin Escapement Update dated December 22, 2017.

Allan Edgar with his 4 lb 11 oz rainbow.


TROUT – Trout fishing has been SLOW for trout to at the local lakes. Shore anglers are catching trout on Powerbait, Gulp Eggs, and worms while fishing close to the bottom. Allan Edgar landed a 4 lb 11 oz beauty on Friday at Langford Lake while fishing Powerbait. On the previous Thursday, Brock Heppell caught a 1 lb 14 oz rainbow also at Langford Lake and also on Powerbait.  Pink, Chartreuse and Fluorescent Yellow have been good choices recently for Powerbait. Fly anglers are fishing Wooly Buggers, Leeches and Muddler Minnow patterns on full sink fly lines most of the time to get into the lower water levels. There have been some chironomid hatches though. Trollers are catching trout with worms fished behind Gibbs Gang Trolls and on Gibbs Wedding Bands. 2” Tomic Plugs have also been working well for trout.

Brock Heppell with his nice trout


BASS– Bass fishing is SLOW. During the day, soft plastics rigged Carolina style work well and crank baits can work well at times. Soft plastics rigged “Texas Style” are also a good choice when fishing drop offs and deeper structure. The most productive colors in 4” Yum baits are Smoke or Pumpkinseed. Drop shot fishing can also be very effective this time of year. 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 – Allan Edgar landed a 4 lb 11 oz beauty on Friday at Langford Lake while fishing Powerbait. On the Thursday the 4th, Brock Heppell caught a 1 lb 14 oz rainbow at Langford Lake and also on Powerbait.

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.

 

2018 Island Outfitters Leader Boards


Trout

1) 4 lbs 11 oz – Allan Edgar – Langford Lake – Powerbait – January 12th

2) 1 lb 14 oz – Brock Heppell – Langford Lake – Powerbait – January 4th

Halibut

Halibut fishing is closed and we hope to hear when the season will open soon. 

Salmon

We are waiting for the first large salmon to be weighed in at the store.

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 31st win a special prize.

See our event pages for details on upcoming events at http://fishingvictoria.com/events/

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