Washington

Marine Area 1 (Ilwaco)

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has estimated “Excellent” prospects for Chinook in Marine Area 1 during the month of August.

Marine Area 2 (Westport)

Well the Washington Tuna Classic came and so did the wind and waves. Some of the worst sea conditions I have seen greeted the 60 teams that participated in this year’s event. Eleven-thousand pounds of Albacore were weighed in and 14,000 pounds were donated to Northwest Harvest. All were pretty worn out and beat up but as always a good time was had by all. We all agreed that next year we could do a little better with the weather.

Meanwhile, Chinook fishing continues to be incredible out of Westport with the average sized King pushing 20 pounds. They are still to be found out in 240 to 300 feet of water. Due to the warm surface water you need to have your Downrigger cable down to at least 180 to 230 feet. It is tough to fish that deep but Silver Horde Spoons in Cookies and Cream or Irish cream are kicking butt along with and Gold Star plastic Hoochies in Purple Haze and Green Spatter Back colors are doing awesome. I am using a 36 inch leader on the hoochies and a 60 inch leader on the spoons. Silvers have been much tougher to find. Most have been found inside of 100 feet of water near the north beach. Divers and Bait are best for these. 30 to 50 feet of line off the reel will put you in the right depth.

Marina Area 3 (LaPush and Forks)

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has estimated “Good” prospects for Chinook and Coho in Marine Area 3 during the month of August.

Marine Area 4 (Neah Bay)

Marine Area 5 (Sekiu)

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has estimated “Excellent” prospects for Pinks, and Sockeye in Marine Area 6 during the month of August.

Marine Area 7

Kaden with a nice Marine Area 7 King.

Some more Kings have shown up in the San Juans lately. Between Chinook, Prawn’s and Crab, that makes for a nice hat trick haul for a weekend.

Submitted by Kevin Klein, Fidalgo-SanJuan Islands Chapter PSA, CCA Northsound. The cover image of this week’s fishing reports was also submitted by Kevin. 

Marine Area 8.1

no report this week

Marine Area 8.2

no report this week

Marine Area 9 (Admirality Inlet)

Hunter took his dad Matt out and loaded up with a boatload of Humpies out of Everett. Great job Matt!

“It’s a PINK ATTACK !” Now is the time to jump in the boat and head out to enjoy some Pink Salmon action from Muckelteo to Bush Point. The action has been pretty constant from early morning throughout the day with the slippery fighters gathering from 40 to 70 feet. The Pink Mini-Squids tied 18 inches behind a white dodger have worked best for most trolling at under 1.9mph. When you find the action, stay on the action by trolling back over the spot in a fiqure 8 fashion. Remember, fight these fish out with a loose drag as their mouths are softer than a king. Make sure to bleed the fish right away and get them in an ice slurry (ice with salt and water) to keep them as fresh and cold as possible. See you on the water !

Pink Squid with a 6″ dodger cannot be beat when trolling slow.

Report submitted by Nelson “Spud” Goodsell (IGFA Lifetime Member; President, Salmon for Soldiers 2015; FISHTALE 2)

Marine Area 10

Marine Area 11

This past Saturday, Northwest Kayak Anglers organized the Humpy Kayak Classic benefiting the local Heroes on the Water NW Chapter (group that takes injured war veterans and their families out on the water for a day of fishing).  The event was held at Dash Point Park with 74 registered kayak fishermen.  Fishing was tough. If you were fortunate to get in front of one of few schools of fish passing through then you may have caught a fish.  Only 14 fish were weighed in at 2pm.  Adrian Giminez took home top honors catching his bag limit of 4 pink salmon which he received an $1800 Jackson Kraken fishing kayak.  Other great prizes were presented to the other winners.  A great day on the water for a great cause.

Submitted by Brad Hole, Kayak Fishing Washington, 206-313-5567 –kayakfishingwashington.com

The salmon fishing for Chinook was on the slow side and spotty over the last few days with salmon being taken along the Gig Harbor shoreline, Girl Scout to Pt. Dalco area, Clay Banks. Slag and the mouth of the Puyallup River and they have been running about 8lbs. to 22lbs. Pinks are really starting to show in good numbers the last couple of days and should increase in numbers for the next couple of weeks Quarter Master Harbor area, Puyallup River mouth, Commencement Bay, Browns Pt. and Dash Pt. should all hold fish.

Pictured is an 18.58 pound chinook caught at the PSA Gig Harbor Chapter Derby on August 8, 2015.

The crabbing has slowed quite a bit but you can still get some crab you just have to spend more time soaking those pots and experimenting with bait and depths. For more information call 253-591-5325

Basic Fishing Classes Offered at Point Defiance Marina
Monthly classes (TBD) are offered to youth and for adults to prepare you to better take advantage of the fishing at Point Defiance and the local lakes and rivers. Learn knot tying, tackle, rods and reels, rigging techniques,
regulations, and safety.  Call 253-591-5325 to learn more about these classes

South Sound chapter, Puget Sound Anglers – August 15, 2015 – Derby tickets now available online or at Point Defiance Marina for $35.00

Point Defiance Marina Monthly Derby results – Boots Salatino 27 pounds 5 ounces

Point Defiance Marina, For more information contact: Art Tachell, Boathouse Marina Technician, 253.591.5325 art@tacomaparks.com www.pointdefiancemarina.com

Marine Area 12 (Hood Canal)

no report this week

Marine Area 13

no report this week

Freshwater – Potholes Reservoir

We have had a few days of cooler weather here and the smoke has disappeared. The Potholes is continuing to drop making the Blyth launch unusable. Still, the State Park at Mardons and the ramp at the east end of the dam are useable. The dunes are still accessible but you need to know just where you are running so slow down. Largemouth are still on the bite. On the main lake I see a lot of Walleye fishermen off the southeast corner of Goose Island as well off Medicare Beach.

My neighbors are getting on the lake early, just at day break, and coming in with limits of 25 very quality yellow perch off the mouth of Crab Creek and in shallow water, also off the State Park or Perch Point.

Retirement for my wife and I right now 3 to 4 trips to see a doctor in Moses Lake. Also watching and taking care of the 30 cantaloupe and 15 watermelon in our garden. Then, every Wednesday, the lawn has to be mowed as it is watered every night with a sprinkler system. Now canning is taking up a day or more a week. Home made salsa, sauerkraut, now peaches and on and on.

Report submitted by Tom Pollack

British Columbia

Vancouver

Vancouver salmon fishing has gotten pretty exciting as more and more migratory chinook salmon push into local waters.  Waves of chinook salmon have been rolling by local hotspots in varying volume every day.  There are good schools of pinks around, a few coho, and some sockeye too. (sockeye are not open at this point)   Sturgeon fishing has been solid with some big fish hooked and landed over the last 10 days.

Fishing locally has been solid overall.  There has been the odd tough tide, but more often than not, most trips are having good success on Chinook, pinks, and the odd coho.   Now that better numbers of big chinook salmon are in local waters, we have been targeting them more than pinks and coho.  The peak of our summer chinook red chinook run is in the next few weeks…  In late August our fall run of big white chinook starts and continues into October.

When looking for chinook salmon in August we tend to focus our efforts on Vancouver Harbour and the Mouth of the Fraser River.   In the harbour, the Bell Buoy, Mile Markers, and the Point Atkinson are all solid bets.  The Cap Mouth can also be surprisingly good on the right tide as the Fraser bound fish get pushed in on the flood tides quite often.  Off the Fraser River, the North Arm Jetty, T 10 marker, and Sandheads are good bets. As our August fishery is based on migratory fish, being persistent in areas with good structure is important.  You want to be in position once the wave a fish comes by.

The nice thing about fishing in  Vancouver in August and September is the variety of salmon species in local waters..  On a daily basis it is possible to encounter all 5 species of salmon.  As we get later into August, more and more Fraser River bound pink salmon. This year we are expecting around 13 to 17 million pink salmon to return to the Fraser River. There will also be increasing numbers of coho salmon in late August and September.  Have a look at this episode of Sportfishing Adventures that we shot off the Fraser Mouth in mid September 2013..

With the larger chinook in local waters we have been running primarily bait to target them. (anchovies and herring)   Having said that it is surprising how effective a Yamashita Glow Hootchie can be in local waters in August and September.  Our favourite Gibbs Delta Guide Series Flashers have been working for as usual..  The T 10, Green Blade Lemon Lime and STS have been particularly productive for us.  If you are looking for the right fishing tackle for local waters our in house tackle and bait shop is open daily on Granville Island!  Stop by for up to date reports!

Sturgeon fishing in Vancouver has been very good this week.  Some larger fish have been taken and the fishery has been pretty darn exciting recently.  Things should continue to be productive with more and more salmon entering the river in coming months.  Should be lots of food for them!  Our sturgeon trips are only 30 minutes from downtown Vancouver!

For more info call Jeff or Jason at Bon Chovy Fishing Charters (604) 763-5460bonchovy.com email: info@bonchovy.com.

Vancouver Island (Saltwater)

Alberni Inlet and Barkley Sound

These Chinook were landed by couple from Portland Oregon fishing with Doug at  Slivers Charters Salmon Sport Fishing in Barkley Sound just before the August 1st under 77cm rule

The Salmon Fishing in many of the Pacific Rim areas on West Coast Vancouver Island has been very good. The Alberni Inlet has been fabulous for Sockeye Salmon, which are the number 1 commercial salmon, for sport fishermen. The return of Sockeye to the Alberni Inlet is forecast to be at 1.8 million. Escapement for conservation measurements however has been low due to the lack of water in streams and rivers. Chinook and Coho are just beginning to migrate into Alberni Inlet waters and it is apparent that much needed water in the form of rain is of necessity.

The sport fishing in Barkley Sound has been on and off as salmon come into the area to feed on the rich resources of bait fish as they migrate to the big watersheds to the south. The best salmon fishing for Chinook and Coho has been the Bamfield Wall, Swale Rock and Gilbraltor Island. Offshore salmon fishing out of Ucluelet and Bamfield has been fantastic as South Bank areas and the Big Bank have been recently very good for Chinook in the high teens to mid twenty pound area in terms of weight. Coho salmon at times are in good numbers and are averaging seven to ten pounds. The Sport fishing up to this time has been consistently very good. August and September should continue to have some GREAT sport fishing opportunities especially for those many anglers visiting West Coast Vancouver Island and fishing with Guided trips or in their own sport fishing boats.

Brian from Edmonton had a great three days of fishing with Guide Doug of Slivers Charters Salmon Sport Fishing. Brian landed these two fish on white and green hootchies. The 2015 salmon fishing on West Coast Vancouver Island is relatively good.

The sport fishing in Port Alberni for Sockeye Salmon began in very late May and continues relatively strong right into the first half of August. Numbers of returning sockeye have been absolutely phenomenal. Sockeye are a fun fishery for all fishermen of all ages. The fishing is currently best in the China Creek area. Dunsmuir Point out to McTush has plenty of sockeye that are sitting in deper and cooler water from ninety to one hundred and thirty feet. Anglers are continuing to use mp15 hootchies and also the blue and pink and black and pink hootchies with eighteen to twenty-four inches of leader length. Chinook Salmon are beginning to show in the Inlet. The numbers of returning Chinook is unclear but the strength will be in the three year old class. There have been some early Chinook landed out on the Franklin Wall and also in the narrows and Underwood. The current Rule published by DFO beginning August 1st 2015 is that all Chinook salmon retained in the Alberni Inlet and Barkley Sound must be under 77cm in length. Those anglers that are beginning to target Chinook in the Alberni Inlet will often have the best success using bait in either a green haze or army truck Rhys Davis Teaser Head with a six foot leader behind green or chartreuse hotspot flashers.

Fishing in Barkley Sound has been on and off. There are some West Coast Vancouver Island Chinook and Coho migrating into the area on a daily basis. There are still plenty of migrating fish headed to the big watersheds to the south. The Bamfield Wall up to Whittlestone has had some great Chinook fishing. Swale Rock, Harbor Entrance and Gilbraltor Island at times have all been fantastic. Bait, and hootchies in a variety of green colors have been working very well. Some anglers that like using coyote spoons have done well on silver glow and green and blue nickel. August and the first half of September should see some fantastic fishing opportunities for many sport anglers.

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

Brian with his wife and friends traveled from Washington to fish the big bank for Salmon, Halibut and Rockfish this past week.

Our Salmon season is just rolling along with great fishing on the offshore banks this past week. Lots of Chinook ranging from 15 – 25 pounds on most days with plenty of Coho also. We are catching these fish from very near the surface, and right to the bottom. Trolling a flasher hootchie combo works best and if fishing this on the bottom you will pick up Halibut as well. With the presence of Pink Salmon driving you crazy sometimes, try switching to 6 or 7 inch plugs to avoid catching them.

Inside Barkley Sound fishing has been fantastic some days for both, Chinook and Coho. Favorite spots lately have been from Bamfield – Poett Nook along the shoreline or try Whittlestone Point, Cape Beale or Edward King Island.
Reminder that Chinook over 77cm have to be released at this time on the inside waters.

Halibut fishing on the banks has been very good with limits of 10 – 30 pound Halibut daily. We are taking these trolling a flasher/hootchie combo or jigging a grub tail, salmon belly, or herring as bait.

For more info call Ken Bodaly at Rocky Point Charters, Bamfield, B.C. 250-728-3678 or the boat cell phone 250-735-4224 www.rockypointcharters.ca email rockypointcharters@shaw.ca

Becher Bay

Steve Williams with his 32 lb spring.

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.

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

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 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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

Sooke

Brandon Walker (right) landed a 33 pound spring while fishing with Ben Wright (left).

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.

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

Ucuelet

As usual the banks outside the Ucluelet Harbor and for that matter the Bamfield Harbor have been consistently very good all summer. The Big Bank, the Chair, Turtle head, Adipose and the inside and outside light located on South Bank have been fantastic fishing destinations. The salmon throughout the summer months have been in water from eighty feet right to the bottom. Over the past week South Bank locations have been extremely good with Chinook salmon sitting in water from ninety to one hundred and thirty feet. Anglers using anchovy, hootchies, and five and six inch spoons have all had great success. South Bank areas are all very close to the Ucluelet Harbor and the protected water of Barkley Sound and are fairly easy for those to fish in smaller sport fishing boats.

We are looking forward to some great sport fishing in all areas of West Coast Vancouver Island right through until mid September.

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 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 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.

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

Cowichan River

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

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. 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.

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

Stamp River

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

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

Oregon

Tillamook Bay

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) reports that Spring Chinook fishing closed July 31 for transition  to the fall season August 1. Expect slow fishing until later in August. Trolling herring or large bladed spinners are the two most popular techniques.

Great Lakes

Lake Michigan

no report this week

Salmon University Staff

Salmon University is the top online resource for fishing in the Pacific Northwest. Follow us on Twitter @salmonuniv for the latest news and other updates.