Fishing Reports for November 11
Washington
Marine Area 1 (Ilwaco)
no report this week
Marine Area 2 (Westport)
We are holding our last PSA Ocean Anglers meeting the year this Saturday night at the museum in Westport at 6:00pm. All are welcome to attend. There are big issues ahead of us this winter as we look to 2016 and it is important for you to be productively involved in some way or another. Either by attendance or financially helping.
Have fun, be safe, and come see Westport in the Winter time!!
Report by Kevin Lanier, owner of KC Sportfishing Charters 425-328-8558, President PSA Ocean Anglers, VP PSA State Board. Photos by Cyndi Lanier, Owner of Dockside Art,Gifts,and Tackle Westport Wa. 425-328-8559. The cover image of this week’s fishing reports was provided by Cydni Lanier.
no report this week
Marine Area 4 (Neah Bay)
no report this week
Marine Area 5 (Sekiu)
no report this week
Marine Area 6
no report this week
Marine Area 7
no report this week
Marine Area 8.1
COLD, WINDY, and WET! Time to bundle up and head out into Area 8 for some Blackmouth bonking! Not a hot bite in the least but the Area up North is putting out some fat fish. The bait is everywhere and that is where these resident kings like to hang out. The Captian Midnite crew put this fatty in the KatchKooler while banging the bottom in 120 feet of water off Whidbey Island !Be safe and we will see you on the water !Report submitted by Nelson “Spud” Goodsell – Salmon for Soldiers, IGFA Life Member, FISHTALE2
Marine Area 8.2
see report for Marine Area 8.1
Marine Area 9 (Admirality Inlet)
no report this week
Marine Area 10
Puget Sound squid fishing is just getting underway and should continue through the winter months. If you don’t mind a lot of standing and waiting for schools of squid to pass near shore, you may be rewarded with a bounty of what locals call “market squid”.
I’ve spent few evenings (and afternoons) hopping around from Ballard’s “A – Dock”, Seacrest Pier and even in front of the Big Wheel on the Seattle waterfront. While I’m willing to put in a couple of hours, others will spend half a day targeting our local cephalopods. When it’s slow… It’s slow! Like any type of fishing, timing can be everything. A school of squid can pass by at any given moment where everyone is hooked up.
All you’ll need is a valid fishing or shellfish license, a spinning rod, a couple of squid jigs and a 5 quart bucket (the legal limit). Optional items include a head lamp or LED light for night squidding.
Remember, the more you catch – the more you have to clean. While many folks flour and fry squid into calamari, I find a quick sauté in a little oil, garlic, cilantro and a splash of citrus to be tastier.
Submitted by Brad Hole, Kayak Fishing Washington, 206-313-5567–kayakfishingwashington.com
Marine Area 11
Area 11 salmon fishing is a little slow right now with a few Coho still being caught along the Gig Harbor and Dash Pt. shoreline close to the shore with light tackle. A few Chum are starting to show on the Gig Harbor Area. Several Blackmouth just short of 22 inch minimum have been caught and released. A few weeks ago blackmouth up to 11 pounds were being caught but the weather this week has not helped fishing with rain and winds.
Squid fishing has really picked up with lots of squid being caught off of Les Davis, Dash Point and Pt. Defiance Pier. The best times are high tides and of course high tide just before dark, but people fish them throughout the day.
Point Defiance fishing pier is closed when the tackle shop closes at 6:30 pm.
Crabbing has been fair some limits but mostly 2 to 3 legal crabs after soaking pots for a few hours, most popular spots are Quarter Master Harbor, Commencement Bay and the Dash Pt. area. For an up to date report call 253-591-5325
Fall Fishing Class at Point Defiance Marina—Learn fundamentals of fishing to include equipment, tackle, rigging, know tying, casting and fall fisheries in the area. Saturday, November 14, 2015 Cost $10. For ages 15 and up.
Squid Fishing Class at Point Defiance Marina –Learn the regulations, and how to jig squid, care for, prepare, and cook. For ages 8+. Saturday December 5, 2015 from 4-6 pm / Sign up online at MetroParksTacoma.org/GO or 253-591-5325.
Pier Peer in Tacoma –See and touch creatures brought up from local divers. Participate in plankton and sea life netting to view the variety we have in Puget Sound as you learn about these amazing creatures from Tacoma Nature Center and Point Defiance Marina educators. Saturday, November 14, 2015 from 7:30-9 pm Cost $8 For ages 8+. Every youth needs an adult chaperone. Complementary Hot Chocolate and Coffee.
Sign up online at MetroParksTacoma.org/pier-peer or 253-591-5325.
Marine Area 12 (Hood Canal)
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) predicts “Excellent” prospects for Chum, and “Fair” prospects for Coho during November in Marine Area 12.
Marine Area 13
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) predicts “Excellent” prospects for Chum, and “Fair” prospects for Coho during November in Marine Area 13.
Freshwater – Lake Sammamish
Submitted by Brad Hole, Kayak Fishing Washington, 206-313-5567–kayakfishingwashington.com. The cover image of this week’s fishing reports was also submitted by Brad.
Freshwater – Potholes Reservoir
The special draw to hunt was a big success again for those who were lucky enough to be chosen. This is a quality hunt. I heard from several who participated that probably the largest buck dressed out at 302-pounds with a monster rack. The ducks and geese are here for a few days, then the fog sets in and they are gone. No large arrivals of northerns have shown up yet, but it could be a couple of weeks out. Field hunting for geese has followed the same pattern. Check out royalhuntclub.org to gain and learn access for good hunting areas. This is a fundraiser to help support Royal City school activities
The Potholes is raising rapidly as the outlet have been closed for 2 weeks and the inlets from Moses are open dumping the water to normal low levels. Good bass fishermen are doing well catching and releasing at times 50 to 60 bass a day. Walleye fishing remains good with blade baits or worm harnesses. One of the advantages in using blade baits is that you can stay on top of the school while in trolling you cover more water but you might be passing by a good school. Mark on you GPS just where you find these school as next time out you would have a place to start.
Report submitted by Tom Pollack.
British Columbia
Vancouver
no report this week
Vancouver Island (Saltwater)
no report this week
Alberni Inlet and Barkley Sound
no report this week
Bamfield
no report this week
Becher Bay
Salmon fishing was VERY SLOW for anglers in East Sooke. You had to work hard to find the coho. The best fishing has been in 550 feet of water and way out in the strait. The best depths to fish have been between 60 – 150 feet on the downrigger. There are some fin clipped coho being caught but most were unclipped fish. There were a few winter springs caught, just not too many and most are too small to keep. G-force spoons were the most productive lure. However, plastic baits have been popular as well. The Glow/Green Stripe hootchy has been effective for springs this past week. Spoons, such as the G-Force and Skinny G, in the Bon Chovy or Irish Cream colours were effective. For flashers, the Lemon Lime 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
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 SLOW this past week. Most of the coho are out in the tide lines past Race Rocks and south of Church Rock but there are not that many of them around anymore. You had to work hard to find a coho. The 400-600 foot depth has produced the best results in the past few weeks. Most coho have been caught between 70 to 90 feet on the downrigger but the fish are sometimes a little deeper and it’s a good idea to have one line down at 120 feet. The coho have mostly been ranging from 3-6 lbs, with a mixture of marked and unmarked fish being caught. There is also a lot of shaker chinook out in the mid strait. Anchovy was the most productive bait when trolling for springs with Glow Green and Bloody Nose being top choices in teaser heads Spoons, such as the G-Force and Skinny G, in the Bon Chovy or Irish Cream colours were effective Flashers that remain popular include Super Betsey, Lemon-Lime and Purple Onion.
Halibut fishing was VERY 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.
Submitted by Tom Vaida, Island Outfitters, 3319 Douglas Street, Victoria, BC (250) 475-4969 info@fishingvictoria.com; www.fishingvictoria.com
Sidney
Salmon fishing was SLOW near Sidney. There as an 11 lb winter spring caught near Coal Island but that’s about it. There are a lot of feeder springs in the Sidney Channel, but they are almost all short of the minimum size for retention. There were a lot of chum salmon jumping in Satellite channel, but they weren’t biting. Most anglers are fishing using anchovies in Bloody Nose and UV Green teaser heads. Coho Killer spoons have also been working well, especially in double glow and Gold Nugget. Prawning has been quite slow in Saanich Inlet.
Submitted by Tom Vaida, Island Outfitters, 3319 Douglas Street, Victoria, BC (250) 475-4969 info@fishingvictoria.com; www.fishingvictoria.com
Sooke
The salmon fishing was SLOW this past week. The coho fishing has really slowed down as most of the coho have headed up the rivers. There are lots of undersize springs off Sooke right now and very few keepers. A few Chums have been caught as well. The 3.5-4” G-Force spoons, as well as hoochies, are the top choices for Sooke anglers. G-Force spoons in Outfitters, Irish Cream and No Bananas and Hoochies in White Glow, Army Truck and Tiger Prawn are the go to colours that have been catching their fair number of fish. The most popular flashers recently have been the Ok’i Betsey, the Gibbs Outfitter and Madi.
Submitted by Tom Vaida, Island Outfitters, 3319 Douglas Street, Victoria, BC (250) 475-4969 info@fishingvictoria.com; www.fishingvictoria.com
Ucuelet
no report this week
Victoria
Fishing for salmon was VERY SLOW along the waterfront but a bit better out at Constance and Border Banks. Anchovies, spoons and squirts were successful in getting hook ups. Chartreuse and Purple Haze have been the most popular colors for teaser heads. Good choices in plastic baits are the Electric Chair, Purple Haze and Glow white. Gibbs Coho Killers, AP Needlefish and Coyote spoons in green, moon glow and silver colours have been very effective. The Purple Onion and Bon Chovy flashers have been very effective recently. The Glow Green Splatter Back Coho Killer has been a very effective for coho.
Halibut fishing was GOOD 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
Lakes
Trout fishing was FAIR on most lakes in the South Island area this past week. The Vancouver Island Fish hatchery is continuing the fall stocking program of catchable rainbow trout. On November 6th, Spectacle Lake received 277 catchable rainbow trout averaging 200 grams. On November 4th, Prospect Lake received 700 catchable rainbow trout, Durrance Lake received 1,900 catchable rainbow trout, Glen Lake received 500 catchable rainbow trout and Elk Lake received 2,000 catchable rainbow trout averaging 231 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.
Submitted by Tom Vaida, Island Outfitters, 3319 Douglas Street, Victoria, BC (250) 475-4969 info@fishingvictoria.com; www.fishingvictoria.com
no report this week
Oregon
Columbia River
no report this week
Tillamook Bay
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife reports that fishing for Chinook is fair to good and that trolling herring or spinners have been the two most popular techniques. Fish are being caught throughout the bay. The bay closed to wild coho retention on October 31.
Great Lakes
Lake Michigan
no report this week
