Fishing Reports for March 29

By on March 29, 2017

Washington

Marine Area 1 (Ilwaco)

no report this week

Marine Area 2 (Westport)

no report this week

Marine Area 3 (LaPush and Forks)

no report this week

Marine Area 4 (Neah Bay)

no report this week

Marine Area 5

no report this week

Marine Area 6

no report this week

Marine Area 7

Vicki Klein with a nice Blackmouth. This grade of Chinook is what our Winter fishery is built on. This one fell to a Silver Horde 3" spoon behind an 11" flasher.

Vicki Klein with a nice Blackmouth. This grade of Chinook is what our Winter fishery is built on. This one fell to a Silver Horde 3″ spoon behind an 11″ flasher.

We got a surprise opener last Saturday in Marine Area 7. This clipped Chinook fishery will be open until an imaginary quota of encounters is met. This could be a week or a month, no way of knowing. It looks like weather may be a factor this week in keeping catch rates down, but who knows. We seem to be able to burn through encounters when no boats are on the water. This system of in season management and potential shut down is frustrating. They are all hatchery fish, born to die. We should be able to harvest them. We sure as heck paid for them.

Submitted by Kevin Klein, Team Parker Boats NW. The cover of this week’s fishing reports was also contributed by Klein. 

Marine Area 8.1

no report this week

Marine Area 8.2

no report this week

Marine Area 9 (Admirality Inlet)

It has been pretty blustery these days with not much action. There were however 30 hungry seals on Possession this Sunday taking their full share of salmon. How many salmon does a seal eat in a day?

The deep water 180-220 foott line off of Mid-Channel Bank near Port Townsend put out a few “teeners”. 3.5 inch spoons and tailwagger spoons using longer leaders behind the ol’ reliable green/glow flasher proved well.

See you on the water !

Report submitted by Nelson “Spud” Goodsell – Salmon for Soldiers, IGFA Life Member, FISHTALE2.

Marine Area 10

no report this week

Marine Area 11

The Chinook salmon fishing has been a little slow with very light fishing pressure, a few Chinook salmon have been caught between the Slag Pile area to the Owens Beach area in about 120′ to 150′ of water trolling flasher and spoons or artificial squid another area to try would be the shelf or flats area between Pt. Dalco and Pt. Defiance.

For an updated report call (253)591-5325.

Crabbing is now closed until July 1 with no winter crabbing in Area 11. For a more up to date report call 253-591-5325.

Point Defiance Marina has rental boats and motors and launch and overnight moorage facilities with pump out stations and shore power. In addition, we have storage space for boats up to 17 feet as well as kayak storage. For more information call 253-591-5325

Learn Basic Fishing Youth/Adult April 8, 2017 Saturday 10 am to 12 noon Cost $15 (ages 8+).

Point Defiance Marina Basic Trailering Class- Ages 18+ April 15, 2017 Saturday 10 am to 12 noon Cost $20 Point Defiance Marina.

Plan ahead for the ABC Boater’s Education Class on Wednesday Nights from 7-9 pm May 3-31, 2017. This class will provide the requirements for the mandatory WA State Boater’s Card for boats with 15 hp or greater. The class will provide a Boater’s Manual and Navigational Software. Cost is $50. The class is taught by Tacoma Power Squadron

Boat House Tackle Shop open 7 days a week.

Boat lifts open from 6:00 am to 8:00 pm. Tackle Shop hours are 6:30 am to 7:30 pm. For more information call 253-591-5325 Call 253-591-5325 or visit us on Facebook “Point Defiance Marina.”

2017 Point Defiance Marina Boat Auction
Type of Auction: 14 day sealed bid auction (March 18-31, 2017)
Bid Envelopes open April 1, 2017 at 10:00 AM Point Defiance Marina Boathouse
*List of vessels and gear available for auction is strictly confidential until viewing of boats available.

Boat # 1:
Locker #316
14 Foot Emerald Fiberglass Boat WN 2164 MA
20 HP Mariner Outboard Motor
3.5 Tohatsu Outboard
Large Boat Dolly
Gas Cans
3 Crab Pots and Gear
Life Vests
Net and Misc. Fishing Gear
5 Rod and Reel Combinations

Boat #2:
Locker # 219 14 Foot Wooden Boat WN7167SF
Small Boat Dolly
9.5 Johnson Outboard Motor and Gas Can
Salmon Net
Bucket with Rope
Fire Extinguisher
(4) Life Vests
Miscellaneous Fishing Gear
Boat Seat

Call for more information.

Summer Camps Available Sails and Trails Camp for Ages 11-15. Monday-Friday 8 am to 5 pm. Cost $260/wk. Participants spend the week fishing and educational trail hikes at Point Defiance and Sailing and Kayaking at Tacoma Youth Marine Center. Also one day is spend at Foss Seaport Center with hands on marine science. July 10-14, July 17 21, July 24-28, July 31-Aug 4.

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

Freshwater – Lake Chelan

no report this week

Freshwater – Potholes Reservoir

Pictures of a nice rainbow caught by Linda Pollack and released back into a walk in lake below O'sulivan Dam

Pictures of a nice rainbow caught by Linda Pollack , released back into a walk in lake below O’Sullivan Dam

With Potholes clear of ice mid week there are just a few boats out fishing. On the weekend there seem to be several bass fishermen out searching for bass in the dunes. Any walleye fishermen are either up in Crab creek or fishing the main channel on the west side of the high dune. We are looking for water temperatures above 50 degrees. Even the lakes below the dam not seeing many fishermen. The lakes we have fished are not seeing other fishermen.

Report submitted by Tom Pollack

British Columbia

Vancouver

Got to love the chrome winter chinook.

Got to love the chrome winter chinook.

April is around the corner and with it brings some good chinook fishing off of the South end of Bowen Island, AKA “The Hump”. The Hump fishery is the first to mark chinook suspended in the water column and off of the bottom. We are targeting chinook in the 10-20lb range around Bowen Island which is about a 25 minute run from our docks. Also April is the last month to do some prawning before the commercial opening in May. We had some great prawn sets over the weekend and crabbing remains productive.

Fishing in the Harbor and Howe Sound have continued to remain productive this past week. The Gulf Islands fished excellent over the weekend which is a great sign of what’s to come. Typically things start to pick up over the next few weeks making for an exciting month of May and June in the Gulf Islands. This is when the 10 hour trips are perfect as we can troll for chinook, do some bottom fishing for ling cod/rock cod and drop the crab traps on the way over.

Jason with a beauty 55lb halibut in the southern Gulf Islands

Jason with a beauty 55lb halibut in the southern Gulf Islands

Most of the winter we have been focusing our efforts on winter springs throughout the Strait of Georgia however the opportunities are endless if you’re willing to put in a bit of time and hard work. We recently put together a custom package for some guests of ours which included 3 days/3 nights in the southern Gulf Islands fishing for chinook and halibut. It was a great trip with lots of memories and fillets to show for it. Give us a call or email us to discuss your options for putting together a custom package for your family and friends not soon to be forgotten.

For more info call Jeff or Jason at Bon Chovy Fishing Charters (604) 763-5460, bonchovy.com, or email: info@bonchovy.com. The cover image of this week’s fishing reports, showing Brittney and Amy with a couple of winter springs, was also contributed by Bon Chovy.

 

Alberni Inlet and Barkley Sound

Pictured is Cameron Mckieken on a tripped booked by his mom Kate with Chinook from 8-17 lbs.

Although it’s been a long winter this year, those willing to brave the cold have been rewarded. Not only is the scenery of Barkley Sound  incredible, especially when covered in frost, but also, fishing has been very good most of February and March. Locals are often getting their limits fairly quickly. The fish are biting on needlefish hutchies and small Coyote and Silver Horde spoons mostly at depths between 80-120 feet. Barkley Sound just outside Ucluelet is known for its ability to hold large amounts of bait and early season fishing is often very good here. This is where we expect most of the fish to be caught during the next month and it has been the case for the last month and a half. We will have a fishing forecast coming out soon for the 2017 summer season. For the past couple months the Chinook numbers have been stronger than usual for this time of year.

Submitted by Sam Vandervalk of Salmon Eye Charters (1-877-777-4344). Salmon Eye is recommended by USA Today, Cruise America and New York Times bestselling author Peter Greenberg in his book The Ultimate Insider’s Guide to the Greatest Experiences Around the World.

Bamfield

Cody landed this Halibut on Sunday. His first Halibut ever.

Cody landed this Halibut on Sunday. His first Halibut ever.

Halibut fishing is good all around the Bamfield area. We have been fishing off shore a little ways when the weather has permitted, and inside Barkley Sound as well. We’ve had success pretty much everywhere. Our weather has once again been the big limiting factor for good fishing. Seas to 15 ft., and winds up to 30 knots at times. Baits of choice for me are pretty standard. I always fish herring. Herring is possibly the most consistent Halibut bait there is. If I have been fishing Salmon and have some fresh scraps, they are hard to beat as well. For plastic it’s hard to beat a Berkley Power Grub. I use the 8 inch version, either on its own or tipped with a bit of Octopus or Salmon.

John visited us once again from Washington. He enjoyed great Salmon and Halibut action this week.

John visited us once again from Washington. He enjoyed great Salmon and Halibut action this week.

You can always drop your favorite jig to the bottom as well.

Salmon fishing in the Bamfield area has been good. The areas we fished this week from Vernon Bay, the Wall, Brady’s Beach and the Whistle Buoy all produced lots of action. Some of the spots have lots of small under size Chinook and Coho and other areas have larger fish. The spots with larger fish produced less bites but you weren’t constantly reeling in and releasing small fish. Needle fish hootchies and small spoons are working for me. Of course fishing Anchovy will always work but you might go broke while the bait supplier gets rich!

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

Becher Bay

Salmon fishing was GOOD this past week. Springs are all throughout the area and the largest fish, a 12 lber, was caught near the Trap Shack at 110 feet. Aldridge Point and Church Rock produced springs up to 10 lbs. Most of the anglers are using artificial lures and are trolling close to the bottom. Spoons, especially G-Force and Skinny G spoons, in Bon Chovy or Outfitters’ colours have been very effective. Anglers using bait are catching their share of salmon and are finding anchovies in glow teaser heads have been working best. For flashers, the Betsey, Lemon Lime and Green/Silver Hot Spot 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 FAIR recently. There are small springs up to 10 lbs on the flats but the seals have been a problem here. Many of the local anglers are fishing at Constance and Border Bank, just to escape the seals. All of the anglers have been bottom bouncing or trolling close to the bottom. Good trolling lures have been Coho Killers, Bon Chovi or Outfitters Skinny G spoons or AP Tackleworks needlefish spoons. Sandlance lures and squirts (needle fish) are best in pearl, white & green, or white glow.

Halibut fishing was VERY GOOD with fish taking salmon heads, large herring and octopus in the 250 to 370 foot depths. Be sure to get setup about an hour and a half before the slack to catch the tide swing and to be able to stay on the bottom. Most anglers that were fishing for halibut are using extra large herring, salmon bellies and/or octopus for bait. Also working well was the 8” Powerbait Grubs and Delta Hali Hawgs.

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

Pedder Bay

Pedder Bay Marina reports salmon fishing was GOOD for winter springs up to 14 lbs in size. The largest fish of the weekend, at 14 lbs, was caught near the can at the entrance to the bay. The fishing was similar in Whirl Bay and the largest salmon that we know of from there weighed 10 lbs. Most anglers are using artificial lures and trolling close to the bottom, but anchovies are also producing well. The fish haven’t been too picky about what they will strike Spoons, especially G-Force and Skinny G spoons in Brass/Silver, Bon Chovy or Outfitters’ colours, have been very effective. Hootchies and squirts with a green and glow color combination have been good plastic baits to use, especially with a 30” to 36” leader. Anchovies were still working this past week. Good choices for teaser head colors are UV Green, Chartreuse, Bloody Nose and Purple Haze. Flashers that are popular include the Betsey, Lemon-Lime and Madi.

Halibut fishing was GOOD this past week. There was a line up at the cleaning station as lots of angers wee successful. Most anglers that were fishing for halibut are using extra large herring, salmon bellies and/or octopus for bait. Also working well was the 8” Powerbait Grubs and Delta Hali Hawgs.

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

Sidney

Salmon fishing was FAIR this past week. Most areas produced good fish with Wain Rock, Moses Point, Coal Island, Fairfax, the Sidney Channel and Hamley Point all good spots to try. The Saanich Inlet Salmon spectacular had 150 anglers participating. There were 17 fish weighed in and the winning fish weighed 12 lbs. Anglers using spoons found Coho Killers, Gibbs Needle G and AP Tackleworks spoons the most successful spoons this past year. Anchovies and Tiny Strip were the good producers of fish.

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

Sooke

The salmon fishing has been GOOD for springs. Most of the fish are running from 5 to 12 lbs in size but there were bigger ones around Todd McIntyre caught a 22 lb hatchery spring near Secretary Island on the weekend with fishing in a family and friends derby. All of the other fish in the derby were between 8 and 12 lbs. The best fishing has been in 110 – 150 feet of water. The salmon are holding close to the bottom so you have to troll deep. Most of the anglers are using artificial lures but the largest fish have been caught on herring or anchovies. There are large herring in the area and the bigger fish are keying in on them. The top spoons for Sooke anglers have lots of green, glow or Moon Jelly as the primary color. Good choices for teaser head colors are UV Green, Chartreuse, Bloody Nose and Purple Haze. For flashers, you can’t go wrong with a Super Betsey, Madi or Bon Chovi Flasher. Hootchies in White, Glow/Green and Purple Haze have been effective recently.

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

Victoria

Well what a winter we’ve had here on Vancouver Island. I am writing this on March 5th and looking out at snow covered boats in my front yard. The Obsession Too went in the water a couple weeks ago for its first sea trial of the year with some new modifications. As you can see from the picture of Angie below, there are fish to be caught! We are ramping up for an incredibly busy summer lodge season. I am having fun testing out some of the new rods and fishing gear that suppliers are working to get to the market place. Once again our guests will be able to use the hottest new gear and tackle available.

The salmon fishing has been very consistent for the last month around Victoria. The herring are spawning so big spoons have been working well with no flasher. We ran AP herring spoon in glow moon jelly Sunday morning with decent action on it and trolled near the bottom just off the Victoria breakwater in 60-120 feet of water. This past Thursday it was the no bananas G-Force spoon with a purple glow flasher that had most of our action.

As the summer lodge season gets closer we are excited to get back out on the water and showcase Reel Obsession’s team of professionals to everyone who will be joining us this year. June is our overall best month for halibut and bottom fish, and last season we had some of our best action on Chinook salmon as well. Mike and Cindy Bentz  were with Guide Tallon the last week of June and landed 2 Tyee’s, limited out on there salmon, halibut and had a tub full of bottom fish as well.

We are very pleased to announce that all of our guiding team will be returning to show the rest of the coastal guides how its done. A big shout-out to Wade, Troy and Tallon! Glad to have you guys back. With that said, majority of our lodge staff will be returning apart from hiring a couple more professionals to join the Reel Obsession land-based team. With excitement, we are thrilled to publicise the return of Chef Jason Brimblecombe! Yep, Chef Brimblecombe will be back working his magic in the kitchen for all to enjoy. We are also happy to report that again this year guests will be able to take home 8 salmon (4 can be chinook and 4 coho or pinks), 2 halibut, 6 ling cod and 6 rock fish. As we know and hear from our guests, we typically catch enough fish for you to enjoy until your next great trip with us.

Don’t miss out on some great opportunities for fishing this Spring – call me in March to book your spot in the boat for June or grab one of the few remaining spots for August.

Report submitted by Adrian O’Connor, Reel Obsession Sport Fishing (1-888-855-7335 | adrian@reelobsession.ca). The cover image of this week’s fishing reports was also contributed by Adrian. 

Lakes and Rivers

Fishing was PICKING UP in most lakes for trout and bass as water temperatures are slowly rising. Winter run steelhead are in most rivers on both sides of the Island.  The Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC has started their stocking of spring catchable rainbow trout into Vancouver Island lakes. On March 14th, Shawnigan Lake received 1,750 catchable trout weighing 242.6 grams. On March 10th, Thetis Lake received 1,500 trout and Colwood Lake 250 trout averaging 236.54 grams.  On March 6th, Durrance Lake received 1,000 trout and Glen, Kemp and Matheson Lakes received 500 trout averaging 231.7 grams. On March 2nd, Elk Lake and Prospect Lake were each stocked with 1,750 trout weighing 238.82 grams each.

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

Oregon

Tillamook Bay

no report this week

Willamette River

no report this week

Great Lakes

Lake Michigan

no report this week

Salmon University Staff
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