Fishing Reports for June 1
Washington
Marine Area 1 (Ilwaco)
no report this week
Marine Area 2 (Westport)
Westport is continuing to produce good bottom fish. We had some weather move through this weekend but the forecast for this week is good. Crabbing is also good with limits coming to those who toss their pots on the way out in the mornings. A fresh Sea Bass carcass remains my favorite bait for crab.
With a Salmon season ahead for Puget Sound the pressure on the Ocean season should be no more that normal now. Our season begins July 1st and will run until August 21st or until we reach our quota. Whichever comes first. I am especially excited for this summers season for a few reasons but mainly because it has been 5 yrs since 2011. You are probably sayin so what. Well in 2011 more 40 pound Kings were brought in than I have ever seen and I personally had more fish over 30 that year and had a 40 and a 54 in the same day. If history holds true the off spring of those fish would be returning as 5 year olds this year. Big Fish!
We are still enjoying time away with family but will be back in Westport soon. We have been checking out our future new town of Mexico Beach Florida. My buddy Steve Dillard shared some pictures with me of American Red Snapper caught just off shore here. I wanted to share them with you because their season starts next week. These are really nice fish all around 20 pounds.
I will be speaking at PSA Snoking’s June meeting, Thursday June 9th, on Albacore Tuna Fishing. I hope to see you all there. See you in Westport!!! Have fun and be Safe.
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 also contributed by Cyndi Lanier.
The Lingcod and Seabass craziness continues out of Westport this week with limits (2 Lings, 10 Seabass) almost every trip!!! Spring is the best time to harvest your bottomfish do to the shear abundance and quality.
We’ll be fishing on these guys through July as well as salmon starting July 1st and Tuna sometime around then as well. Another highlight is starting June 16th, the deep water lingcod fishing restrictions will lift and we’ll be able to target even more areas.
If you’re in the business of trying this fishery in your own I’d suggest using medium weight spinning setups with a tandem dropper loop and shrimp fly rig. This is our primary rockfish setup. For lingcod you can rig a slightly heavier conventional rod and mooch herring in many of the same areas as you would for rockfish.
Report submitted by Mark Coleman, All River and Saltwater Charters; 425-736-8920. The cover image of this week’s fishing reports was also contributed by Coleman.
no report this week
Marine Area 4 (Neah Bay)
According to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Lingcod fishing is expected to be “Excellent” in Marine Area 4 during June.
Salmon University staff
Marine Area 5 (Sekiu)
According to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Cabezon and Lingcod fishing is expected to be “Excellent” in Marine Area 5 during June.
Salmon University staff
Marine Area 6
According to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Cabezon and Lingcod fishing is expected to be “Excellent” in Marine Area 6 during June.
Salmon University staff
Marine Area 7
We fished area 7 Sunday. Using herring, landed 4 lings two keepers.
Report contributed by Dane and Bailey of Team Rod Dog Arches.
Marine Area 8.1
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) reports “Fair” prospects for cutthroat in Marine Area 8.1 during June.
Salmon University Staff
Marine Area 8.2
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) reports “Fair” prospects for cutthroat in Marine Area 8.2 during June.
Salmon University Staff
Marine Area 9 (Admirality Inlet)
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) reports “Excellent” prospects for ling cod in Marine Area 9 during June.
Marine Area 10
no report this week
Marine Area 11
The salmon fishing is closed until further notice.
Ling Cod fishing is open through 6/15/16 and has picked up recently with Most of the fish coming from The Tacoma Narrows bridge area and The Toliva shoals area; make sure you follow regulation for size (26-36 inches)and depth of water (120 feet or less) .
Sole and Flounder fishing remains good.
Crab fishing opens 7/02/16. Correction: a July 2 opening date for Marine Area 11 crab fishing is not yet confirmed. Check the WDFW website for the most up-to-date information.
For more information call 253-591-5325
Lingcod season is open 5/01/2016 and ends 6/15/2016 for ling cod 26-36 inches. All others must be released. Limited to fish 120 feet of water or less
Boat House Tackle Shop open 7 days a week through May 2016. Boat lifts open at 5am tackle shop open 5:30am tackle shop close 8:30pm boat lifts 8:50 and facility 9:00pm. For more information call 253-591-5325 Call 253-591-5325 or visit us on Facebook “Point Defiance Marina”
Report submitted by 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)
The Scotty pot puller with its strong and quick pulling power makes pulling a well-weighted pot a simple chore.
Shrimping on Saturday was cursed by high winds and rain. Fortunately on Monday, the last day of shrimping in Area 12, water was flat, the sun was out and the shrimping was good. Boats with proper equipment and good shrimp bait limited within a couple of hours.
Tom Nelson, Salmon University; the cover of this week’s fishing reports features an image of Skip Brown with a pot of 120 shrimp.
Marine Area 13
Salmon fishing is closed indefinitely in Marine Area 13. According to the WDFW, Marine Areas 11, 12 and 13 will remain closed to halibut fishing “to protect threatened and endangered rockfish species. ”
Salmon University staff
Freshwater – Lake Chelan
Mr. Doperalski with another quality Omak Lake Cutt
What’s hot is trolling for Lake Trout on Chelan early in the morning at Colyar Ledge. Also hot is trolling the face of Manson Bay for Lake Chelan Lakers. Finally, Omak Lake is hot for Lahontan cutthroat while Wapato Lake has been producing quality planter Rainbows.
When the wind lets you fish the early morning bite at Colyar Ledge, it is very good. The best depths seem to be between 220 and 270 feet. Evenings are best in Manson Bay in depths of 140 to 270 feet deep. 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. He uses a bead combo to give the rig about a 4” long profile. Bait this rig with a chunk of Northern Pikeminnow. T4 Purple Glow Flatfish and Silver Horde Kingfisher Lite spoons have also been productive.
Omak should still remain quite good for Lahontan Cutthroat. However, it can get hotter than… well, really hot down in there when we get 100+ in Chelan.
The “UW” Riegers with their haul of Chelan Lakers
Also, Wapato Lake has still been kicking out nice limits of rainbows.
Finally, Roses Lake has become an early summer mecca for Channel Catfish. One of 16.9 pounds was recently caught.
Your fishing tip of the week is to remember scent. I use Pautzke’s Krill Juice on everything as a cover scent. You don’t want those fish to shy away as they charge your lure.
The kid’s tip of the week is to keep the fishing foray’s short this time of the year. A couple of hours is plenty. With the first big hot spell of the summer rolling in you don’t want to make it a survival test out there. Work the hours of low light and cooler temperatures. Mid-days this time of the year are good for swimming and staying cool inside.
Your safety tip of the week is to keep a sharp look out for floating debris. The lake has filled those last few inches floating some really big logs. You don’t want to hit them!
The Wiatts with their Macks
As we finish the Memorial Day weekend, I want to remember my friends, Terry Gilden who died in the 1983 Beirut embassy bombing and Randy Shughart who died in the 1993 Mogadishu incident made famous by the movie, Blackhawk Down. Both were members of Delta when they died. I had the privilege to serve with them in the Rangers when we were young. I get to do the things I love doing and spend time with my grandkids because of their sacrifice.
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
With the three day holiday the Potholes area was filled with campers. The State Park and Mardons was totally filled with campers. Every possible camp site around Potholes was occupied. The boat ramps were filled to the point that none of my contacts went fishing. The same thing was true about the lakes surrounding Potholes. We did have a wind storm Sunday and dust along with smoke from the fire by George. Windy enough that very few boaters ventured out Sunday. Naturally the last day of the three day weekend the wind was calm.
The coming weekend will be hot with Saturday forecast in the mid 90s and Sunday possibly over 100. I am sure glad that we have a home air conditioned along with our automobiles. The lake has not started to drop but it does usually start to drop after June 1st.
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 SLOW for anglers at the Trap Shack, Beechey Head, and Aldridge Point. Most of the chinooks were running from 10 to 15 lbs in size but there were a few hatchery springs up to 15 lbs. There were some good sized unclipped springs caught and released too. Most anglers are now switching over to using bait. Anchovies in glow teaser heads have been very effective. Spoons, such as the G-Force and Skinny G, in Cop Car, Bon Chovy or Irish Cream colours were also effective. For flashers, the Madi, Lemon Lime and Purple Onion have been good. Only a few halibut up were brought into the marina.
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 SPOTTY this past week but some fish were being caught each day. The Flats have been holding some springs up to 20 lbs but most are from 6 to 8 pounds. The salmon have been feeding heavily on needle fish on the Flats. It’s been best in 90-130 depths and jigging is working just as well as trolling. The main bite period has been at the end of the ebb and the start of the flood. Good trolling lures have been Green Splatterback Coho Killers, Skinny G spoons and APT Needlefish spoons. Drift anglers have been getting fish on Needlefish Darts.
Submitted by Tom Vaida, Island Outfitters, 3319 Douglas Street, Victoria, BC (250) 475-4969 info@fishingvictoria.com; www.fishingvictoria.com
Pedder Bay
Mike Leung with a nice Lingcod
Salmon fishing was SLOWER this past week. There were some springs in the 7-9 lb size range and a smattering of hatchery springs into the mid teens. Pedder Bay held the most baitfish and salmon. It was slower off Whirl Bay. Many anglers are still fishing close to the bottom, often bouncing the downrigger balls on the bottom, in 120-150 feet of water, while others are getting their fish at 50 – 90 feet along the kelp beds and rocky shore line. The tide change for ebb to flood has been the best time to catch fish. Most of the salmon have been feeding on small squid, so white hootchies, Milky Way, jellyfish squirts and small spoons, such as the G-Force, Coyote and Gypsy, in the glow colours were very effective. Flashers that remain popular include Glow green, Lemon-Lime and Madi.
The best story of the week came from Pedder Bay Marina. A couple from Indiana came in to rent a boat and gear to try salmon fishing for the first time, even though they had never been out on the saltwater before. After lengthy instructions from staff, they headed out with one downrigger and the rented tackle to try their luck. The staff on the dock was surprised when they returned only one hour later with four hatchery springs weighing between 10 to 13 lbs!
Halibut fishing was FAIR this past weekend. Best areas were Race Rocks, William Head, 27 Fathom reef and Constance Bank. Anglers that were fishing were using extra large herring, salmon bellies and/or octopus for bait. Berkley Gulp and Powerbait soft plastics also work very well. You can also use Mudraker, Lucky 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 SPOTTY this past week. The best spot around Sidney was Coal Island where fish into the teens were caught. The Powder Wharf and Saanichton Spit were not as good as in the previous weeks. Most trollers were fishing with tiny strip or anchovies in Bloody Nose and UV Green teaser heads. Others are using Coho Killer, Gibbs Needle G and AP Tackle needlefish spoons and they are catching fish as well. Anglers jigging have also been catching a lot of springs and are using Needlefish Darts and Deep Stingers. The Powder Wharf and Shag Rocks area has been good for jigging salmon.
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 for springs this past weekend. Most of the salmon are still less than 10 lbs in size but there are some better hatchery fish up to 16 lbs around. There are some oversize, unclipped springs in the area as well. Anchovies have been the top, especially with Cop Car, Bloody Nose and Purple Haze teaser heads. The 3”-4” Kingfisher, Gypsy and G-Force spoons are also top choices for Sooke anglers. Good colors have been Irish Cream and Bon Chovy. Hootchies in Cop Car, Purple haze and White have been effective in the past month. The most popular flashers recently have been ones with Moon Jelly patterns such as the Madi and the Lemon Lime.
The Sooke Halibut Derby, part of the Sooke Saltwater Series, was held at the Prestige hotel in Sooke. The 2 day even had a total of 47 halibut weighed in, ten of which were donated by participants to the Sooke food Bank. The 70.1 lb winning fish was weighed in on day two by Mike Koff, pushing Sean Hutchinson’s 65.82 lb halibut from day one into second place. Here are the top ten halibut. 1st Mike Koff, 2nd Sean Hutchinson 65.82, 3rd Ed Hutchinson 55.92, 4th Matt Robinson 51.08, 5th Mike Thompson 47.34, 6th Bill Zaalberg 45.74, 7th Kevin McKenna 43.94, 8th Peter Weldon 43.1, 9th Neil Mallory 41.44 and 10th Al Zaalberg 39.96.
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
Hunter Grant with a wild Chinook weighing about 25 lbs before releasing
Fishing for salmon was SPOTTY off Victoria. The best fishing was out at Constance Bank, but it was hard fishing there due to wind this past weekend. Not many fish were reported to have come from close in along the waterfront. There are some large unclipped Chinook that had to be released in the area. Hunter Grant released an unclipped spring about 25 lbs out at Constance Bank. Anchovies were a good bait to use and Bloody Nose, Mint Pearl and Purple Haze have been the most popular colors for teaser heads. Spoons and squirts were successful in getting hook ups. Good choices in plastic baits are the Jellyfish, Milky Way and White Glow. Coho Killers, AP Needlefish, G Force and Coyote spoons in Green Splatterback, Moon Glow and Gold Nugget have also been good. The Lemon Lime and Madi have been effective flashers lately.
Submitted by Tom Vaida, Island Outfitters, 3319 Douglas Street, Victoria, BC (250) 475-4969 info@fishingvictoria.com; www.fishingvictoria.com
Cowichan River
The water level is very, very low for this time of year. The water level is only 0.185 meters at the lake and 0.21 meters near Duncan today. Fly fishing at the top end of the river for trout has been good and insect hatches are happening daily. The rainbows, cutthroats and resident brown trout are actively feeding on these hatches and migrating salmon fry. Bead head nymphs are the top producer there. Good patterns are Pheasant Tail, Prince, Gold Ribbed Hare’s Ears and Stone fly nymphs. A fry imitation or a Wooly Bugger will also work, especially for the brown trout. When the fish are feeding on the surface, the Goddard Caddis has been a good fly to fish.
Submitted by Tom Vaida, Island Outfitters, 3319 Douglas Street, Victoria, BC (250) 475-4969 info@fishingvictoria.com; www.fishingvictoria.com
Lakes
Seth Papineau holding a nice bass, and Greg Tucker
Trout fishing is GOOD on most lakes in the South Island area. Shore anglers are catching trout on Powerbait, Gulp Eggs, or worms while fishing close to 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 are catching trout 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. Ron flower caught a 3 lb 9 oz rainbow trout at Quamichan Lake on a Black Wedding Band spinner.
All bass fishing is closed to retention until June 15th. Bass fishing is VERY GOOD. Seth Papineau and Greg Tucker reported catching and released over 25 smallmouth bass weighing up to 4 lbs on May 23 at Shawnigan Lake in front of the Easter seals campground, all on 4″ Berkley Power worms.
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
Tillamook Bay
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife reports that spring Chinook are available in decent numbers, and angling is improving. Trolling herring or large bladed spinners are the most productive techniques. Keep your gear near the bottom while trolling slowly.
Great Lakes
Lake Michigan
How – It was mostly a spoon bite for Chinooks with Coho on flies. The pattern hasn’t changed. Coho are filling the box with limits possible. The big Chinooks are also in. Chinook are coming on small or magnum size spoons. Reapers and Vulcans made by Badger Tackle have been working for us. The small silver Vulcan in green or blue has been hot on the downriggers. Run them 50 feet behind the ball 45 feet down to the bottom. Six inch flashers or dodgers with green or blue Howie’s peanut flies also caught fish. Tie your flies 14.5 inches on 6 inch dodgers, 16 inches for 6 inch flashers. All orange dodgers and flashers. I hope this helps. Slide Diver are producing with flies set at 3 no ring 40 feet of line out. Lake Trout action was slow today but we didn’t fish their favorite spots.
Speed – For all fish speed has been very critical with the warmer 51 degree water. I use the Depth Raider to measure speed at the ball. The Chinook are hitting Reaper Magnum Glow spoons at first light and blue or green with silver back all day. The boat speed of 2.2 to 2.4 has been best. The faster speed triggered the Chinook action.
Where – Fish are hanging in close to shore or 125 to 200 feet. We did not get out over 200 feet of water yesterday. Head straight out to 125 or fish inside of 50 feet. Have a great fishing season. Let’s go fishing!
Report submitted by Jim at Blue Max Charters out of Milwaukee. He can be reached at 414-828-1094.
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