2021 Recap Report:
Bottom-fishing was consistent early in the season and provided some very good days in April and May! Jigging inshore areas with “Zzinger” style jigs, or lead-head swimbaits – targeting rocky pinnacles or ledges – saw good catches of species like Black, Vermillion, Tiger, and China Rockfish, as well as Lingcod. By June we were seeing Halibut caught trolling, jigging, or at anchor in both bigger numbers and greater size, with good fishing found not too far offshore. A traditional spreader-bar setup baited with either herring or salmon belly did the trick, and some nice fish were taken with larger lead-head swimbait jigs as well.

Very early on we saw Chinook salmon showing up, with some nice local “Feeder” fish reaching double-digit weights found in the protected waters of Barkley Sound, as well as around Great Bear Rock, the Harbour Mouth, and the Red Can.  Trolling smaller profile spoons like the Silver Horde – imitating juvenile Herring or smaller Needlefish – was the go-to setup for most of the early season, with the majority of fish being found close to the bottom.

Fishing was solid in July and August, and we started to see larger migratory Chinook, Coho and consistent Halibut offshore at Big Bank and the Southwest Corner, as well as a strong showing of smaller local Chinook salmon inshore. Trolling offshore for salmon and halibut was most successful using squid patterned hootchies close to the bottom – with both larger Chinook and Halibut feeding aggressively “right in the mud” – although spoons and hootchies were productive in the 50’ to 90’ range when fished around the slack tides. Coho were found in large numbers offshore feeding on krill right at the surface, as well as large Herring right down to the bottom – these aggressive fish were abundant enough to outcompete other species for presented gear, and finding hatchery fish to retain in the mix was often just a matter of time.

In the heat of August and into September we saw a very good run of local Chinook salmon coming through the inshore areas, with Wya Point proving to be a top producer for big Springs – as expected. Smaller spoons were still a key component to successful trips, with anchovies fished in a teaser-head and Needlefish patterned hootchies also getting their fair share of action. Trolling inshore was most effective in the 30’ to 50’ range, and given the amount of bait in the area it was essential to have your presentation just right to entice a strike.

The 2021 Season was filled with excitement and sheer joy, with an excellent mix of weather and fish abundance to create memories to last a lifetime – and a few full freezers!

Report & pics submitted by James Costello, Salmon Eye Charters, 1-877-777-4344; www.salmoneye.net