Fishing Reports for September 11
Washington
Marine Area 1 (Ilwaco)
no report this week
Marine Area 2 (Westport)
no report this week
Marine Area 4 (Neah Bay)
no report this week
Marine Area 5
Marine Area 6
Marine Area 7
Marine Area 8.1
no report this week
Marine Area 8.2
Marine Area 9 (Admirality Inlet)
SALMON FOR SOLDIERS ! We are gearing up for this Saturdays big event at the Port of Everett. The Day of Honor will include 120 volunteer fishing boats taking out close to 400 Veterans. We follow that up with a Thank You BBQ Celebration for 900 friends and family members. Check out The Salmon for Soldiers.com website and visit us on Facebook
Volunteer boat Captains work closely with each other to insure all boats get on the fish. This past weekend our “go-to” was the Ace Hi Green Spatter Back tied 30 inches behind a Green/Glow flasher at 85 to 100 feet.
See you on the water!
Report submitted Nelson “Spud” Goodsell – Salmon for Soldiers, IGFA Life Member, FISHTALE2.
Marine Area 10
no report this week
Marine Area 11
The salmon fishing has improved in several locations first near Southworth Ferry landing to Dolphin Pt. at north end of Vashon Island, Girl Scout Camp area at southern end of Vashon Island, Rodondo area, Clay Banks and Pt Evens. Mostly trolling, with Plugs the best producers for Chinook.
There is also good numbers of Coho and some Pinks in the area with flasher and artificial squid being most productive.
For those who prefer to mooch or Jig the best locations have been the Clay Banks, Pt. Dalco and Pt. Evens.
Report submitted by Point Defiance Marina. For more information contact: Gene Anderson, Boathouse Marina Technician, 253.591.5325 genea@tacomaparks.com www.pointdefiancemarina.com.
Marine Area 12
no report this week
Freshwater – Grays Harbor Rivers
no report this week
British Columbia
Bamfield
no report this week
Barkley Sound, Port Alberni, and Ucluelet
no report this week
Becher Bay
Salmon fishing had been SLOW in East Sooke. The best spot to catch a spring has been between Aldridge Point and Beechey Head. The springs have been as heavy as 27 lbs but most of them are in the teens. A few springs have also come in from the Bedfords. Some hatchery coho are coming in and Beechey head is where most anglers hooked up on Coho. Very few pink salmon were caught this past week. Anchovies are the most productive bait for springs and good colours for teaser heads were Glow Chart, Mint Pearl and Bloody Nose. Good spoons for chinooks have been Skinny G’s, Coho Killers and Coyotes with green in the colour mix. Needlefish hootchies in White, Glow/Green and Purple Haze are the top choices in plastic baits. The GIBBS Highliner Guide Series Outfitters, the Bon Chovy, and Gold Fever Hot Spot flashers had been working well. Other anglers that we know of fishing here were out for halibut and lingcod.
Oak Bay
Chinook fishing was SLOW in Oak Bay. Most of the action has been close to shore and in the shallower waters. Gonzales Point has produced some springs. Wee G’s and AP Tackleworks Sandlance spoons have been the spoons of choice for trollers. Squirts will also work with Jelly fish and Electric Chairs good bets. Jiggers had been having great success near Brodie Rock using Deep Stingers and Point Wilson Darts. Halibut fishing was GOOD in this area.
Pedder Bay
Pedder Bay Marina reported salmon fishing has been SLOW in the area. Church Rock to the Bedford Islands has produced most of the chinooks this past week. The springs have been to 27 lbs in size. Coho fishing has been picking up and it is definitely worth going out for them. Most of the hatchery coho have been in the 4 – lb size range. However, only about 1 in 4 are fin clipped. Anchovies and herring were the best baits for salmon this past week. Good choices for teaser head colors were Glow Chart, UV Green and Bloody Nose. Spoons have also been very effective with Skinny G’s, Wee G’s and AP Tackleworks spoons catching fish. The smaller 3” spoons have been working the best. Green and glow or green and gold have been the best color combinations. Hootchies and squirts were working with Pink, Purple Haze or UV Green good color choices. Flashers that are popular include the Guide Series Madi, Bon Chovy Green/Silver Hot Spots. Halibut fishing was GOOD during the slower currents this past week.
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 this past week. Port Sidney Marina held their annual salmon derby this past Saturday. There were 99 rods fishing and 22 fish were weighed in. The winning fish was an 18.7 lb spring from Coal island. Second place went to an 18.5 lb spring from Saanichton Spit and third place went to an 18 lb spring caught near Sidney Spit. The largest fish caught by a lady angler was a 12.6 lb spring caught by Laura Harris. Jiggers are continuing to catch small springs near the Powder Wharf on the ebb tide and Sidney Spit on the flood tide. The jigging lures working the best were the Deep Stingers and Gibbs minnows in 3 oz, blue nickel, chrome and green nickel. Suggested spoons are Coho Killers, Gibbs Skinny G and Wee G spoons and AP Tackleworks Sandlance spoons. Suggested colours are Cop Car and Trap Shack. Anchovies and Tiny Strip were also good in Glow or UV Purple teaser heads.
Sooke
Salmon fishing was SLOW. Still, some big springs are being caught. We did hear of a 33 lb spring, and another just smaller 30+ caught. On Saturday, Devan Demarchi brought in a 29 lb 6 oz spring. He caught the big fish on anchovy in a Bloody Nose Teaser at 45 feet. Dean is now #3 on our leaderboard. Secretary Island, Possession Point and Otter Point were the most productive locations this past week. Most of the springs are still in the teens. A few hatchery Coho are being caught and their numbers are expected to increase in the coming weeks. Anglers are catching few pink salmon out in the strait. Anchovies and herring were the best baits for all salmon this past week. Good choices for teaser head colors are Chartreuse, Purple Haze and Bloody Nose. Spoons such as Skinny G’s, Wee G’s, Coho Killers and 4″ Coyote spoons have been good for springs. AP Tackleworks spoons have also been good in Lemon /Lime. Mini hootchies in pink for pinks or White, Glow/Green and Purple Haze for springs are the top choices in plastic baits. Popular flashers have been the Lemon Lime, The Bon Chovy, the Madi and the Super Betsey.
Vancouver
Fishing in Vancouver in August was about as good as it gets for Chinook Salmon. Excellent numbers chinook bound for the Thompson River have been entering the Fraser river for the last 4 to 5 weeks. This has provided anglers with some excellent fishing from Vancouver Harbour all the way to Sandheads. There has been the odd slow day in the mix, but not many! Numbers have simmered quite a bit this week, but still remain decent. We should get 2 to 3 more weeks of good fishing off the Fraser River before we shift our focus to the returning chinook off West Vancouver. September is the month where the biggest fish of the year are in local waters.
Pink salmon numbers have been strong as well, but seem to be tapering off now. Lot’s of good fishing to get excited about in the coming weeks. We have even had some early winter chinook back to the dock over the last couple weeks, so good news on that front as it bodes well for our November fishery!
Have a look at this graph below. It gives an idea of the excellent numbers of chinook that returned to the Fraser River in August. The vast majority of these fish are bound for the Thompson River and it’s tributaries. This run has been a very bright spot in the last 20 years and has been doing quite well. The sockeye run to the Fraser River is very poor this year. Recreational anglers are extremely efficient and effective at running gear that specifically targets chinook salmon, leaving the staging sockeye to migrate in to the Fraser River unharmed, unlike the in river gill nets that have been targeting chinook in recent weeks.
We have spent the majority of our time fishing areas like the North Arm Jetty, Bell Buoy, Iona, T 10 and Sandheads over the last month. On days with big tides, tide changes have been key. On the mellower tide days, the bite has been a little more spread out. Most of the chinook we have been getting have been quite shallow with 35 to 70 feet being the standard depths. Hootchies have been an excellent option this year. We have had incredible success on a Gibbs Delta T 10 Flasher with a glow hootchie. This has arguably been our most consistent producer over the last month. Anchovies are always productive as well and if the fishing slows down, a nicely rolled anchovy needs to be down there. With the murky waters off the Fraser River, guide series flashers like the STS, T 10, Madi, Lemon Lime and Bon Chovy are excellent bets. The UV blades really kick off the light down there and are very effective!
Give us a call to get out on the water! September is typically a very good month for fishing in Vancouver!
Double trouble!
For more info call Jeff or Jason at Bon Chovy Fishing Charters (604) 763-5460, bonchovy.com email: info@bonchovy.com. The cover image of this week’s report was contributed by Bon Chovy.
Victoria
Salmon fishing was SLOW this past week off the waterfront. The exception would have been Saturday morning when a bunch of springs moved through the waterfront. Some nice springs were being caught, but many anglers are getting skunked. The springs are mostly in the teens and very few are over 20 lbs. Dakota Sutton, age 13, caught her first fish, a 22-pound spring off the breakwater on anchovy Sunday morning. Not many pink salmon are being caught along the waterfront. The most productive spots have been off Macauley Point and the breakwater. Anchovies and herring have taken are the bait of choice. Good choices for teaser head colors are Chartreuse, UV Green and Bloody Nose. Spoons had been working very well with Skinny G’s and Coho Killers in Irish Cream, Outfitters and the AP Tackleworks 3” Lemon/lime or Neon Army Truck spoons good choices.
Submitted by Tom Vaida, Island Outfitters, 3319 Douglas Street, Victoria, BC (250) 475-4969 info@fishingvictoria.com; www.fishingvictoria.com.
Lakes and Rivers
Fishing was FAIR for trout and EXCELLENT for bass
Submitted by Tom Vaida, Island Outfitters, 3319 Douglas Street, Victoria, BC (250) 475-4969 info@fishingvictoria.com; www.fishingvictoria.com.
Vancouver
no report this week
Oregon
Tillamook Bay
no report this week
Willamette River
no report this week
Great Lakes
no report this week