Washington

Marine Area 1 (Ilwaco)

no report this week

Marine Area 2 (Westport)

The opening of Salmon season came without much Fanfare on Saturday May 30th. There were quite a few boat doing A Lot of searching on Saturday morning since the reports from the days prior seemed to have the fish spread out and from the mouth of the Willapa all the way up to the mouth of the Queets river.Thankfully by noon we had located fish and dialed in the pattern. All the Salmon that I know of were caught in 140 feet of water just north of Willapa bay. Fish were being hooked off Downriggers set between 100 and 135 feet. Bait, Hoochies, and Spoons all were catching fish with hardware taking the lead. Our success came on the Silver Horde 4.0 Homeland Security spoon (pictured below) and the 3.5 Cookies and Cream Tailwagger spoon. Combine with a Flasher these guys did the trick. Most fish came in between 8 and 12 pounds. Sara Cruz celebrated her 21st birthday with her family and a nice load of Salmon. Way to go! Cyndi lanier landed her first fish of the season and Larry caught his first ocean Salmon ever.

Our day on Monday brought more success with the Homeland Security colored spoon leading the way but. we did pick up 2 fish on our Diver/ whole Herring combination down about 20 pulls. On this day we combined a Salmon trip with a hunt for Lingcod. The Lingcod cooperated much better than the Salmon and we will able to get a nice limit of them for all. These fish fell victim to large baits and Jigs. Remember this time of year you can not fish for bottomfish in water deeper than 180 feet. There are a few Halibut being caught in the “near shore fishery” most are being picked up while fishing for other bottomfish. Make sure you study the regs for the area where you can retain Halibut.

Between now and June 12 you can retain 2 fin clipped Chinook only. Salmon fishing should continue to improve as we get into summer so you need to make your plans now to come Westport. The last information I received was that the marina was just about full for the summer. Do not just show up down here and pull into a slip because most are already reserved by your fellow anglers. You need to call ahead.

We are looking forward to a Great summer with lots of fishing. As always have Fun, be Safe , and we will see you in Westport.

no report this week

Marine Area 4 (Neah Bay)

Halibut fishing was good, but very few large ones landed – mostly in the 30 lb and under range. Salmon fishing was mostly a “shaker show”, but small salmon that had to be released the most common. Commercial fishermen were fishing far offshore and doing well on large Chinook migrating down the coast.

Submitted by Donald Dybeck, Port Townsend

Marine Area 5 (Sekiu)

no report this week

Marine Area 6

no report this week

Marine Area 7

Well, the last days of Halibut came and went with a big blank from us. We did land on the Prawns however. Portions of Marine Area 7 will stay open for shrimping. Check the regs before you go.

Submitted by Kevin Klein, Fidalgo-San Juan Islands Chapter PSA , CCA Northsound

Marine Area 8.1

no report this week

Marine Area 8.2

no report this week

Marine Area 9

no report this week

Maine Area 10

no report this week

Marine Area 11

Marine Area 12 (Hood Canal)

no report this week

Marine Area 13

no report this week

Freshwater – Lake Chelan

photo courtesy Anton Jones

What’s hot is trolling for Kokanee in the lower basin.  Trolling for Lake Trout is hot on Lake Chelan in the Potholes area of the Barrens.  Also hot is bank and dock fishing in Mill Bay for rainbow and cutthroat trout.

Trolling for suspended Kokanee has gotten much more consistent in the Lower Basin.  Pull Mack’s Lure’s Mini Cha Cha Squidders in Orange or Pink on a short leader behind their Double D Dodgers in 00 to 0000 sizes.  Bait the Mini Cha Cha’s with Pautzke’s Fire Corn in natural, pink or yellow.  We have caught these dwarfed landlocked sockeye twenty to seventy feet deep.  We have been finding these fish from Wapato Point to Pat & Mike’s.

We have had good success trolling the somewhat deeper “Potholes” area in the Barrens for Lake Trout.  The biters were located in 210 to 225 feet of water surrounded by water in the 180’s and the 190’s.  As always, fish within 3 to 5 feet of the bottom and keep your speed around 1.2 mph.  The Mack’s Lure Bead and Blade combo our guide, Jeff Witkowski has developed has been very productive.  Bait this rig with a chunk of Northern Pikeminnow.

Bank anglers and small boat guys have been doing pretty good around Mill Bay for Rainbow and Cutthroat Trout.  From the bank and docks try Pautzke’s Firebait in American Wildfire on a 30’ slip sinker.  In a row boat one of Mack’s Lures Double D Dodger with a wedding ring baited with a piece of work should work fine.

photo courtesy Anton Jones

Your fishing tip of the week is another “oldie but goodie”.  When you tie those knots, wet them before you pull them tight.  Then test them hard before fishing them.  Having a knot pull out on a big fish can be disheartening.

The kid’s tip of the week is to let them struggle… appropriately.  They will learn more if they do more.  They will have more confidence, the more they do.  For example tying a knot incorrectly, being show how to do it correctly then retying will teach them more than just tying the knot while they watch.  When the fish is too difficult for them to fight, risk losing the fish by encouraging the kid to keep on with the fight.  If they can’t, try just doing a few cranks while demonstrating rod angle, reeling speed and hand placement when you take the rod from them.  Then give it back to the kid to finish the fight.  You are trying to get a fishing partner for life, not just catch one fish.

The safety tip of the week is to really keep “your head on a swivel” as we get more and more inexperienced boaters out there.  I know my blind spot is not checking over my shoulder often enough before veering off my line of travel.  There are some fast pleasure boats out there now.  Stay alert, America need more lerts.  Sorry, I heard Paul Harvey use that once and tickles me no end.

For more info call Anton & Sandra Jones of Darrell & Dad’s Family Guide Service; darrellanddads.com; antonj@aol.com or call (509)687-0709 or toll free at (866)360-1523

Freshwater – Potholes Reservoir

After a 2 week trip to Nebraska and South Dakota we are finally home. We took our time both ways driving about 300 miles a day and seeing the sights. We drove first to Sidney Nebraska to hook up with our daughter Ann and her husband JJ and then we all went to South Dakota for 4 days. After returning to their home we then started our way home on a northerly route to see Old Faithful. Just as we entered the park a snow storm started so we saw Old Faithful and that was about all we saw in the park.

Upon arriving home at the Potholes, the first thing we saw is that Potholes and all the lakes below have come up since we left. The main lake has been very good up in the shallows back in the dunes. The dunes that you see in the summer are not visible with the level of the water. In talking to Mike Messeberg, owner of Mardons he fishing the evening before, and quit counting after 50 plus largemouth were caught and released. Most any plastic or crank bait was working.

Walleye are still biting well. My neighbor fished up in Crab Creek and had heard crank baits were working. Not so for him and his partner. They trolled worm harnesses and kept 10 walleye this past Monday while releasing several including one fat female that measured 27″.

The lakes below the dam are also quite high but are turning out fish. The water is high enough that rocks normally above water are now covered with water, so unless you for sure know the location of these rocks keep your speed down to a crawl. Shore fishing is still good for trout but it is the season for ticks so check for them as soon as you can after leaving the lake. Also the mosquitoes are out and very hungry so be prepared.

Fishing is good and the sun is out so do not forget your sun screen!

Tom Pollack – retired

British Columbia

Vancouver

no report this week

Vancouver Island (Saltwater)

Alberni Inlet

There has been great catches by many sport fishermen camping at the China Creek site and local sport fishermen from the Alberni area. With the good weather and high afternoon temperatures the Sockeye Migration is already slowing down as the water temperature in the river and the Alberni Inlet are currently very warm. This scenario will develop a very good Sport Sockeye season in the inlet a little earlier than normal.

For more information and/or reservations, call Doug Lindores at Slivers Charters Salmon Sport Fishing (250) 723-2435; (250)724-2502; cell (250)731-7389 or 1-877-214-7206 www.catchsalmon.ca or www.catchsalmon-ca.com; dlindy@shaw.ca

Bamfield

Salmon fishing around Barkley Sound hasn’t been on fire but there are some nice Chinooks being taken. Kirby Point, Edward King, Swale Rock all gave up some nice fish this weekend. On the outer edges Sail Rock or Great Bear area did ok. Fishing Anchovy 80 – 110 ft. worked well at Kirby. At Swale Rock Chinook were found as deep as 160 ft. Also a few Coho are starting to show on the inside as well.\

The offshore Banks have been steady, but again not red hot. Lots of Coho are starting to show up as well as a few nice Chinook.

Barkley Sound

The Sockeye sport fishery in the Alberni Inlet has been open since the first of May.   Limits are four per person per day. That number should remain the same throughout the season. Sockeye usually school in the Inlet when the water of the Somass River and the Inlet warms to 18 degrees Celsius. When there are big numbers of Sockeye entering the system the schools will hold in the inlet for the salmon ahead to push into the river. The river water and the water of the Inlet is warming considerably. With very little snow in the nearby hills the water has already warmed to over eighteen degrees celsius. The Sockeye that are currently in the system have migrated from Barkley Sound and into the Inlet and are swimming in fairly deep water. Those sport fishermen out fishing for Sockeye have had good success in the China Creek area. The slide and up to Ardens have been relatively good. The warm weather conditions have developed a fairly decent Sockeye salmon sport fishery over the past week. It is often safe to say that June 15^th is the time to start fishing Sockeye but that rule of thumb is different this year. Some individual sport fisher persons have already had opportunity to land limits of Sockeye. Sport guides and individual fishermen will find good numbers of Sockeye Salmon at hotspots such as Cous Creek, Dusmuir Point, the China Creek Wall, the slide, and the narrows. Sockeye are attracted to color and having six or even eight flashers hooked to the deep line is not unusual. The most popular lures for Sockeye are the mp 2 and 16 also the bubblegum colored mp 15 hootchies. Leader lengths are best at 22 to 27 inches behind a green or red glow hotspot flasher.

Chinook salmon landed using anchovy in a green haze teaser head in Barkley
Sound

The Salmon fishing in Barkley Sound especially out at surf line locations has been also relatively consistent over the past few weeks. Many areas have had big bait balls which will bring those migratory Chinook swimming close to the beach into the Sound to feed on the very rich resources of bait fish. Over the past week Austin Island has had some decent sport fishing as has Vernon Bay. The key to land a few nice Chinook is perseverance. Bamfield areas such as Kirby in the morning and Edward King later in the day and also the Wall have reported some nice fish being landed by guides and sport anglers. The best results have been fishing from 80 to 130 feet depending on location but it is important that you are fishing where there is bait. It seems that choice of lure really does not seem to matter as many sport fishermen have been using a variety of spoons, plastic, and bait. The best spoons have been the four inch green and blue nickel coyote spoon behind a green glow hotspot flasher. The four inch Irish Cream spoon, cookies and cream and silver glow have been working behind a chartreuse hot spot flasher. The 155 needlefish hootchie has also been very good. Anchovy in a green UV teaser head, army truck and also in chartreuse have been hot at various times. Many of the salmon have been in the low to mid teens with a few at twenty pounds. We are expecting the fish to get bigger with the arrival of the mid-summer run which will get underway in the latter half of June. This run of migrating salmon should have a good number of four and five year olds. Barkly Sound should be a hotbed for fishing this summer especially in surf line locations.

For more information and/or reservations, call Doug Lindores at Slivers Charters Salmon Sport Fishing (250) 723-2435; (250)724-2502; cell (250)731-7389 or 1-877-214-7206 www.catchsalmon.ca or www.catchsalmon-ca.com; dlindy@shaw.ca

Becher Bay

no report this week

Oak Bay

Salmon fishing was GOOD during this past week. There was a mixture of both wild and hatchery fish in the area. The fish were hitting 3”-4” spoons as most of the needlefish in the area were small. Anglers did best using squirts, spoons, or tiny strip or anything that imitated a needlefish. The Trap Shack has been the best color G-Force spoon and Gold Nugget and Green Splatterback have been the best Coho Killer spoons. Good squirts were the Purple Haze, J-79 and white. The best flasher has been the Gibbs Lemon Lime.

Halibut – Halibut fishing was GOOD this past week out in Haro Strait and off Discovery Island. Mark Grant reports that halibut have moved over into Haro Strait following the big herring and can be found from 165 feet down to 350 feet. Find the balls of bait on the finder then fish there for the halibut. Look for G (gravel) or S (Sand) on your charts for the best results. Kingsley reported landing a 53 lb halibut while his partner Mike Fekette landed a 43 lbs halibut. Anglers 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.

Submitted by Tom Vaida, Island Outfitters, 3319 Douglas Street, Victoria, BC (250) 475-4969 info@fishingvictoria.com; www.fishingvictoria.com

Pedder Bay

no report this week

Sidney

Salmon fishing was VERY GOOD near Sidney. Coal Island produced some big salmon, up to 30 lbs. It was also very good for chinooks into the mid teens, near Hambley Point and from Sidney Spit to the Red Can in the afternoon and evenings. Moresby Island (which is for sale and can be yours for only $50,000,000) also produced springs up to 16 lbs. Mark Roler reported landing a nice 14.5 lb hatchery chinook while trolling a anchovy behind a chrome flasher at155’ just outside Deep Cove in 204’ water. 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 Purple Haze, J-79 and Electric Chair. Coho Killer spoons have also been working well, especially in double glow and 50/50 colors.

Notable Catches – Mark Roler reported landing a nice 14.5 lb hatchery chinook while trolling a anchovy behind a chrome flasher at155’ just outside Deep Cove in 204’ water. Kingsley reported landing a 53 lb halibut while his partner Mike Fekette landed a 43 lbs halibut.

Submitted by Tom Vaida, Island Outfitters, 3319 Douglas Street, Victoria, BC (250) 475-4969 info@fishingvictoria.com; www.fishingvictoria.com

Sooke

image courtesy Tom Vaida

The fishing for springs was FAIR this past weekend. Some hatchery springs into the teens were taken and there were some very big wild fish that were caught and had to be released east of Sherringham Point. The springs are scattered all the way west and past Sherringham Point and not concentrated in any specific area. The salmon restrictions are not in effect west of Sherringham and we heard of a couple of 40 lb springs caught out that way, but haven’t actually verified that report. Bait is now out producing artificial lures when fishing for the springs. Also, the fish have been at different depths, from the mid water levels to the bottom. Anchovies are working the best and Green and Bloody Nose teaser heads being the best color 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 the Jellyfish UV.

Becher Bay – Salmon fishing was GOOD in East Sooke. Most of the fish were coming from the Bedfords and Whirl Bay again. That said, there were also fish coming from the Trap Shack to Beechey Head and a few in the bay. Most hatchery springs were running from 9 to 15 lbs in size and there were some larger unclipped fish that had to be released. Some of the salmon were caught deep (120 -160 feet) in even deeper water and others were caught from 50-70 feet on the downrigger. Anchovies were the most productive bait and Bloody Nose and Green Glow were the most popular teaser heads. Spoons and plastic baits have also been catching a few fish. Spoons, in 3 or 4 inch size such as G-Force in Trap Shack or Cop Car were effective. Squirts are working too with Pistachio, Purple Haze and white the best patterns. For flashers, the Lemon Lime and the Purple Onion have been good lately.

image courtesy Tom Vaida

Pedder Bay – Chinook salmon fishing was GOOD this past week. Like last week, Whirl Bay and Church Rock were the most consistent spots, although those fishing inside Pedder Bay were also picking up salmon. There were several wild fish over 20 lbs caught in Whirl Bay but most were hatchery fish in the 9 – 13 lb size range. Also, the fish have been at different depths, from the mid water levels to the bottom. Anchovy was the most productive bait for springs with Green, Special Red, Purple Haze and Bloody Nose being top choices in teaser heads. White hootchies have also been good. Coho Killers and G-force spoons with both glow and green have been working as well. Flashers that remain popular include the Madi and the Purple Onion.

Halibut – Halibut fishing was FAIR this past weekend. 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.

Submitted by Tom Vaida, Island Outfitters, 3319 Douglas Street, Victoria, BC (250) 475-4969 info@fishingvictoria.com; www.fishingvictoria.com

Ucuelet

Guide Al of Wild Pacific fished with these two fishermen and landed one at lighthouse Bank and the other at Long Beach. These two salmon hit a needle fish hootchie. We are expecting some great offshore Ucluelet fishing this summer.

It is now the beginning of June and the weather is terrific on the West Coast of Vancouver Island. In fact the weather has been so fantastic one would say that it is incredible.   But there is one problem which is concerning and that is that much of the West Coast is very DRY and many rivers are low in water. The Weather scenario might sound great but for conservation reasons it is not GOOD.  Low river conditions can play havoc with returns of West Coast Vancouver Island. Currently Sockeye Salmon are returning to the Somass River in good numbers. The Somass however is at low historic levels.

Along with the current fantastic weather conditions the salmon fishing has been consistent close to Ucluelet Harbour and offshore Ucluelet. Ucluelet is a very small community located on the extreme west coast of Vancouver Island British Columbia. The salmon fishing was very good through the May Long Weekend but has slowed down in the last ten days. We are awaiting the next flow of transient salmon headed to the BIG Watersheds to the south. Salmon fishing in various surf line areas of Barkley Sound has also been quite good but has slowed down considerably. The early sockeye salmon has already started their long return from somewhere in the North Pacific to the Somass River in fairly good numbers.

Salmon and halibut fishing on the west coast as mentioned has slowed down over the past ten days. Local sport and guide fishermen are awaiting the next push of salmon.   The increasing sport fishing opportunities as we now move into June is very evident by the large number of vehicles on local roads and highways towing a variety of sport fishing boats. Many fisher persons are either fishing the scenic and pristine waters of the Alberni Inlet and Barkley Sound or are travelling out to the west coast to fish close to Vancouver Island’s rugged coastline or in offshore locations.

The 2015 sport salmon fishing season in Ucluelet, Barkley Sound, and the Port Alberni Inlet is forecast once again to be terrific. In fact this year is predicted to be once again one of the best seasons for sport fishing for those targeting Chinook, Coho and Sockeye salmon.   On the west coast the early summer run of Chinook which are currently migrating down the Vancouver Island coastline and stay fairly close to the beach will soon peak and will be followed by what is forecast to be a very large mid summer Chinook return to southern watersheds. Chinook and Coho numbers returning to the Columbia River and Bonneville dam where numbers of returning salmon have been recorded since 1938 are predicted to be quite high once again.  The Sockeye fishing in the Alberni Inlet should be extremely good. The return to the Somass River is currently assessed at seven hundred thousand to one million. The early run has already been migrating into the Somass River. Don’t miss out on a fabulous 2015 sport salmon fishing year in the Alberni Inlet, Barkley Sound, or inshore offshore Ucluelet-Tofino.

Twenty Pound Chinook landed offshore outside the Ucluelet Harbor.

      Ucluelet is often referred to as Vancouver Island’s premier salmon and halibut sport fishing destination. Like Barkley Sound the waters inshore and offshore from the Ucluelet Harbor offer some world class fishing. The water is very rich in bait fish (sardines and needlefish) which the salmon feed on throughout the spring and summer months. The summer salmon fishing seems to be changing. August and early September were often considered peak times for Chinook and Coho sport fishing. With the high numbers of transient Chinook salmon passing along the west coast of Vancouver Island from April to August it often seems that the peak of the season is in the month of July. This is not to say that Chinook sport fishing does not continue in August and September. Coho which were often referred to as the number one sport salmon along coastal fishing locations in B.C. are a major highlight in late August through September. This thought is something to consider when thinking about and organizing sport salmon fishing this summer. The Ucluelet fishing has been very consistent over the past few weeks with some good fishing out at the inner and outer South Bank. Mara Rock, Great Bear, Sail Rock, Lighthouse Bank, and Long Beach have been excellent choices for sport fishing. The largest salmon have been averaging twelve to eighteen pounds. The largest landed to date by guides and guests hit twenty-six pounds landed at Sail Rock. This Chinook which like many of the other salmon was a hatchery fish and hit a needlefish hootchie. There was a report of a thirty-one pound Chinook at Great Bear. The fish out at the inner and outer South Bank have been close to the bottom between 130 and 160 feet. The best lures to date have been a T-Rex hootchie and an iridescent Turd and also a few different spoons in brass/copper or four and five inch blue and green nickel. Other guides and sport anglers have had great success using needle fish hootchies behind a flasher. The needle fish will hide in the sand and on tide changes will come up to higher levels which creates a very good salmon and halibut bite. If trolling and using anchovy it seems that a green or red glow hotspot flasher with a green or army truck Rhys Davis teaser anchovy head with six feet of leader work well. One important thing to remember is that during the season the food sources often get bigger and when using spoons and plugs the sizes should increase as the bait does.

The 2014 sport salmon fishing season in Port Alberni and the west coast is shaping up just as has been forecast—-TERRIFIC!!!! There should not be disappointments this summer. Of course there are highs and lows but the high days will definitely out do any lows

For more information and/or reservations, call Doug Lindores at Slivers Charters Salmon Sport Fishing (250) 723-2435; (250)724-2502; cell (250)731-7389 or 1-877-214-7206 www.catchsalmon.ca or www.catchsalmon-ca.com; dlindy@shaw.ca

Victoria

Fishing for winter springs was GOOD off Constance Bank but SPOTTY along the waterfront. Hatchery fish weighing into the high teens were caught at Constance, as well as some bigger unclipped fish that had to be released. The salmon were feeding on needlefish that were schooled on the bank. Needlefish spoons and squirts were very effective in getting hook ups. Anglers have not done as well fishing closer to shore but there were a few fish near Brotchie Ledge and clover Point. Anchovies and Tiny Strip have been working well in glow colors. Good choices in plastic baits are the Cloverleaf, Purple Haze and Glo Below squirts. Gibbs Coho Killer, Kingfisher and Coyote spoons in green and glow 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 FAIR this past weekend. 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.

Submitted by Tom Vaida, Island Outfitters, 3319 Douglas Street, Victoria, BC (250) 475-4969 info@fishingvictoria.com; www.fishingvictoria.com

Vancouver Island (Freshwater)

Cowichan River

Fishing is GOOOD on most lakes as the water temperatures climb. Trout fishing in the Cowichan River is EXCELLENT but the river is very low. Remember that ALL wild trout (steelhead included) must be released on ALL streams in Region 1. Wild rainbows and cutthroats over 50 cm must be released in Cowichan Lake. Only single barb less hooks are allowed for all fishing on island streams and rivers. Bass fishing is now catch and release only until June 15^th.

COWICHAN RIVER – The water level is very low. Today it is 0.34 meters near the lake and 0.32 meters near Duncan. The trout fishing in the mid and upper river is EXCELLENT. The rainbows, cutthroats and resident brown trout are actively feeding on these hatches and migrating salmon fry. During the hatch, match the hatch with dry flies for exciting action. Bead head nymphs are the top producer when a hatch isn’t in progress. Good patterns are Prince Nymphs, Gold Ribbed Hare’s Ears and Wooly Buggers. A fry imitation or a Wooly Bugger will also work, especially for the brown trout.

Submitted by Tom Vaida, Island Outfitters, 3319 Douglas Street, Victoria, BC (250) 475-4969 info@fishingvictoria.com; www.fishingvictoria.com

Lakes

Trout fishing was GOOD on most lakes in the South Island area this past week. The Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC most recent local releases of rainbow trout from the Vancouver Island Trout Hatchery are as follows. On May 25^th, Thetis Lake received 750 and Poirier Lake received 500 catchable rainbow trout with an average weight of 242 grams. On May 11^th, Elk Lake received 5,000 yearling trout with an average weight of 32.53 grams and Langford Lake received 2,500 yearling trout with an average weight of 64.46 grams.

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. The biggest trout this year have come from Langford Lake.

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. Bass fishing is now catch and release only until June 15^th.

Submitted by Tom Vaida, Island Outfitters, 3319 Douglas Street, Victoria, BC (250) 475-4969 info@fishingvictoria.com; www.fishingvictoria.com

Stamp River

The Stamp River is one of B.C.’s healthiest river systems. The salmon fishing this year will open on or about August 26^th with what is forecast to be a better than normal season. This however will be depending on the river and the amount of water in the system. The season begins with river anglers using wool, spinners, and plugs. The bait ban should be lifted on the 15^th of September. For those that enjoy Steelhead fishing there are three runs of Steelhead in the Stamp. Summer and Fall Steelhead and then later in late November the Winter Steelhead begin to show. October and November are perfect months for summer and fall fish. The Steelhead actively feed during the natural spawn of the salmon in the river which is during October and well into November. There is plenty of opportunity to fish the Stamp but all arrangements for trips that are guided should be organized very early in the summer or late spring. Fishing for Sockeye along the banks will begin very quickly….

For more information and/or reservations, call Doug Lindores at Slivers Charters Salmon Sport Fishing (250) 723-2435; (250)724-2502; cell (250)731-7389 or 1-877-214-7206 www.catchsalmon.ca or www.catchsalmon-ca.com; dlindy@shaw.ca

Great Lakes

no report this week

Oregon

Oregon Coast

no report this week

Salmon University Staff

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