Fishing Reports – May 1, 2024
Washington
A reminder for Washington anglers: 2023-2024 licenses expired on March 31, 2024 and anglers will need new licenses for April 1, 2024 through March 31, 2025. You can buy your licenses today by visiting myWDFW.com, going to a license dealer near you, or calling 360-902-2464.
Marine Area 1 (Ilwaco)
No report this week.
Halibut fishing will open here on May 2nd, on a Thursday, Sunday, Tuesday schedule. The halibut quota for MA1 this year is 18,112 lbs.
Salmon fishing will open here seven days a week from June 22nd through September 30th, or until the quota is met.
Marine Area 2 (Westport)
Halibut will open here on May 2nd, on a Thursday, Sunday, Tuesday schedule. The halibut quota for MA2 this year is 67,074 lbs.
Salmon fishing will open here Sundays through Thursdays only, June 30th – July 11th, then open daily beginning July 14th – September 15th, or until the quota is met.
Marine Area 3 (La Push)
Lingcod and rockfish fishing remains good. Halibut opens here tomorrow (May 2nd), we have room for three more fisherman on Friday’s (May 3rd) halibut/lingcod trip, the weather looks great. Call 360-374-2660 if you’d like to book.
Halibut will open here on May 2nd on a Thursday, Friday, Saturday schedule for the first couple of weeks. The halibut combined quota this year for MA3 and MA4 is 132,366 lbs.
Salmon fishing will open here seven days a week from June 22nd — September 15th, or until the quota is met.
Report submitted by Jim Richeson, Top Notch Ocean Charters, 360-374-2660 topnotchoceancharters@gmail.com www.topnotchoceancharters.com
Marine Area 4 (Neah Bay)
No report this week.
Halibut will open here on May 2nd on a Thursday, Friday, Saturday schedule for the first couple of weeks. The halibut combined quota this year for MA3 and MA4 is 132,366 lbs.
Salmon fishing will open here seven days a week from June 22nd — September 15th, or until the quota is met.
Marine Area 5 (Sekiu and Pillar Point)
No report this week.
Halibut is open here and is scheduled to be open through June 30th, seven days per week, one fish per day, six fish annual bag limit. The halibut combined quota this year for MA5 through MA10 is 81,729 lbs.
Lingcod fishing (hook and line) opened here today, with a slot limit between 26″ and 36″, daily limit 1 fish.
Rockfish fishing opens May 1st as well, and is limited to black or blue/deacon rockfish, daily limit three fish west of Slip Point and one fish east of Slip Point.
Summer salmon fishing will open here seven days a week from July 1st — August 15th, or until the quota is met.
Marine Area 6 (East Strait of Juan de Fuca)
Folks have been finding halibut, out of both Port Angeles and Sequim. We’ve had reports of two-fish early mornings and back to the dock by 9:30am. The grade of halibut started off small, 15-20lbs. but they seem to be getting a little bigger, and fish up to 55 lbs. have been reported.
Halibut is open and is scheduled to be open through June 30th, seven days per week, one fish per day, six fish annual bag limit. The halibut combined quota this year for MA5 through MA10 is 81,729 lbs.
Lingcod fishing (hook and line) opened here today, with a slot limit between 26″ and 36″, daily limit 1 fish. Rockfish fishing is closed year-round.
Summer salmon fishing will open here seven days a week from July 1st — August 15th, or until the quota is met.
The Puget Sound Anglers – North Olympic Peninsula Chapter held their annual “Tom Duttrey Kids’ Fishing Day” on Saturday, April 20th. The event was a great success, as usual – with swarms of kids in attendance and lots of fish caught. The PSA stocks the pond with “normal” trout and some “jumbo” trout. We’ve seen a bunch of jumbos caught, including this one by a longtime SU fan…
Marine Area 7 (San Juan Islands)
Lingcod fishing (hook and line) opened here today, with a slot limit between 26″ and 36″, daily limit 1 fish.
With the good weather today, we had reports of limits of nice lingcod, on the usual suspects – leadhead jigs, pipe jigs, lancers, etc.
Halibut opened here on April 4th and will be open through June 30th, seven days per week, one fish per day, six fish annual bag limit. The halibut combined quota this year for MA5 through MA10 is 81,729 lbs.
Rockfish fishing is closed year-round.
Marine Area 8.1 (Deception Pass, Hope Island, Skagit Bay)
No report this week.
Halibut opened here on April 4th and will be open through June 30th, seven days per week, one fish per day, six fish annual bag limit. The halibut combined quota this year for MA5 through MA10 is 81,729 lbs.
Lingcod fishing (hook and line) opened here today, with a slot limit between 26″ and 36″, daily limit 1 fish. Rockfish fishing is closed year-round.
Marine Area 8.2 (Port Susan, Port Gardner)
Lingcod fishing (hook and line) opened here today, with a slot limit between 26″ and 36″, daily limit 1 fish.
We had reports of limits of nice lingcod around Possession Bar – not very picky about what they would eat, but lots of folks fishing lancers, etc.
Halibut opened here on April 4th and will be open through June 30th, seven days per week, one fish per day, six fish annual bag limit. The halibut combined quota this year for MA5 through MA10 is 81,729 lbs.
Lingcod fishing (hook and line) opened here today, with a slot limit between 26″ and 36″, daily limit 1 fish. Rockfish fishing is closed year-round.
Marine Area 9 (Admiralty Inlet)
Lingcod fishing (hook and line) opened here today, with a slot limit between 26″ and 36″, daily limit 1 fish.
We had reports of limits of nice lingcod around Possession Bar – not very picky about what they would eat, but lots of folks fishing lancers, etc.
Halibut opened here on April 4th and will be open through June 30th, seven days per week, one fish per day, six fish annual bag limit. The halibut combined quota this year for MA5 through MA10 is 81,729 lbs.
Lingcod fishing (hook and line) opened here today, with a slot limit between 26″ and 36″, daily limit 1 fish. Rockfish fishing is closed year-round.
Marine Area 10 (Seattle / Bremerton)
No report this week.
Lingcod fishing (hook and line) opened here today, with a slot limit between 26″ and 36″, daily limit 1 fish. Rockfish fishing is closed year-round.
The year-round piers in MA10 remain open to salmon fishing. The Agate Pass Area in Marine Area 10 remains open daily to catch-and-release fly fishing only through March 31.
Halibut opened here on April 4th and will be open through June 30th, seven days per week, one fish per day, six fish annual bag limit. The halibut combined quota this year for MA5 through MA10 is 81,729 lbs.
Marine Area 11 (Tacoma / Vashon Island)
No report this week.
Lingcod fishing (hook and line) opened here today, with a slot limit between 26″ and 36″, daily limit 1 fish. Rockfish fishing is closed year-round.
Marine Area 12 (Hood Canal)
No report this week.
MA12 is currently closed for salmon, lingcod, rockfish, and halibut. Salmon fishing should open July 10th.
Your options for now are limited to other flatfish (flounders, sole, sanddabs), or catch-and-release fishing for trout along the shorelines.
Marine Area 13 (South Puget Sound)
No report this week.
Lingcod fishing (hook and line) opened here today, with a slot limit between 26″ and 36″, daily limit 1 fish.
Salmon fishing is open here year-round. The daily limit is two fish, Chinook (minimum 22″) other species no size limit; release chum, unclipped coho, and unclipped Chinook.
Rockfish fishing is closed year-round.
British Columbia
A reminder for British Columbia anglers: All fishing and hunting licenses expired at the end of March, so be sure to get your new licenses before your next trip outdoors. Often there are changes in the regulations, so take some time to read and review the regulations before going out and accidentally getting into trouble. Saltwater anglers will find new regulations regarding crab and prawn floats and the conditions of license in effect. And be sure to carry BOTH pages of your new saltwater angling license.
Anglers are advised to check http://bcsportfishguide.ca for further fishing closures, regulations, and information for specific areas.
Ucluelet
April can be hit and miss for weather here but fishing on calm weather days is normally good. We had a good herring spawn in Ucluelet during March which is a good sign. We haven’t seen tons of bait yet but have seen some schools of needlefish on the bottom and herring mid water.
Chinook, Halibut and Lingcod fishing have been good. Our first trip we caught 12 in relatively quick order. The last trip out for Chinook salmon we had 4 double hook ups and hit about 17 fishing for about 3 hours. The trip before that we landed 4 but had a few more on.
We have been using 3″ and 4 inch Silver Horde and Gibbs spoons and needlefish hutchies. Green and blue are the go to colors and most Chinook are being caught in the bottom half of the ocean.
Halibut are already showing up and though we haven’t fished for them, some boats are catching. If you would like to book an early season trip the weather forecast is good for the next week. We don’t have many spots left in July/August but given how good early season is, you may be good to avoid the crowds and get some great fishing in here. We also have cabins and a place to park your boat trailers if you want to bring your boat up.
Submitted by Sam Vandervalk, Salmon Eye Charters, Ucluelet, BC, 877-777-4344, fishing@salmoneye.net www.salmoneye.net
Bamfield, Barkley Sound, & Port Alberni
No report this week.
South Vancouver Island overview:
Poor weather this past week kept most anglers off the water. Halibut fishing was SLOWER this past week. Octopus, herring, and salmon bellies were the best baits to use. Chinook fishing was FAIR where open. Crabbing was GOOD in many areas. Prawning has been GOOD in Saanich Inlet.
New regulations for chinook fishing and retention starting April 1st are now available at https://notices.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fns-sap/index-eng.cfm?pg=view_notice&DOC_ID=298760&ID=all
NOTABLE CATCHES: Derek Collins caught a 52 lb halibut that now tops the Pedder Bay Marina’s leaderboard.
Sooke
Halibut fishing was GOOD with the best fishing off Jordan River. The area around Muir Creek was somewhat productive this past week. Crabbing has been FAIR in Sooke.
Submitted by Tom Vaida, Island Outfitters, 3319 Douglas Street, Victoria, BC (250) 475-4969, info@fishingvictoria.com www.fishingvictoria.com
Becher Bay
Salmon fishing was FAIR this past week inside the bay north of Fraser Island. Most of the winter springs were on the smaller side, but some larger clipped springs up to 14 lbs have been caught. Small spoons such as Krippled “KC”, Skinny G’s, Wee G’s, and AP Tackleworks have been working well. Popular flashers have been the Betsey, the Bon Chovy, the Madi and Blue/Silver Hot Spots. Crabbing has been SPOTTY inside the bay.
Submitted by Tom Vaida, Island Outfitters, 3319 Douglas Street, Victoria, BC (250) 475-4969, info@fishingvictoria.com www.fishingvictoria.com
Pedder Bay
Halibut fishing was SLOWER. Constance Bank, East Race, and Willliam Head have been some of the better spots. Octopus and Salmon bellies have been successful baits when used with a glow hootchy.
Salmon fishing has been FAIR out of Pedder Bay for those anglers heading into area 19. Fishing was best near Constance Bank and Albert Head. Spoons such as Krippled “KC”, Skinny G’s, Wee G’s, and AP Tackleworks have been working well. Anchovies in the 12 pack or smaller sizes were good baits and popular choices for teaser head colors are Chartreuse, Bloody Nose and Purple Haze. Popular flashers have been the Guide Series Oki ‘s and Glow Hot Spots. Crabbing has been GOOD in the bay.
Submitted by Tom Vaida, Island Outfitters, 3319 Douglas Street, Victoria, BC (250) 475-4969, info@fishingvictoria.com www.fishingvictoria.com
Victoria
Halibut fishing was SLOWER. at Constance Bank and in the Mud Hole. Salmon fishing was FAIR at Constance Bank, where most salmon were caught this past week. Closer to Victoria, most fish were caught from the west side of the waterfront near Albert Head.. Most of the springs were 5 to 7 lbs in size, but larger ones have been caught. Spoons such as Krippled “KC”, Skinny G’s, Wee G’s, small, from and AP Tackleworks have been working very well. Hoochies have been good in glow colour patterns. Anchovies are always effective for springs and popular choices for teaser head colors are Chartreuse, Bloody Nose and Purple Haze. Popular flashers have been the Herring Aid, Madi and Blue/Silver Hot Spots. Crabbing has 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 has been SPOTTY in Oak Bay. The Flats produced the most fish but most were unclipped Most anglers have been trolling but jigging can be effective too. The best chinook fishing has been for fish holding close to the bottom. Effective spoons this past week were the 4” White Hoochy AP Needlefish, Bon Chovy Skinny Gs as well as Glow Herring Aid Wee Gs. and Coho Killers. Crabbing has been FAIR. Halibut fishing was SLOW.
Submitted by Tom Vaida, Island Outfitters, 3319 Douglas Street, Victoria, BC (250) 475-4969, info@fishingvictoria.com www.fishingvictoria.com
Sidney & Vancouver
Prawning is open in the Inlet and most boats were targeting spot prawns rather than salmon. Limit catches were made by most anglers who left their traps out over night. Chinook fishing was SLOW this past week. Some of the better spots were Fairfax Point, Hamley Point and Sidney Channel. Crabbing has been FAIR.
Submitted by Tom Vaida, Island Outfitters, 3319 Douglas Street, Victoria, BC (250) 475-4969, info@fishingvictoria.com www.fishingvictoria.com
Lakes and Rivers
Trout and bass fishing is GOOD with the warmer water temperatures.
Cowichan River
Trout fishing above the 70.2-mile bridge are having mixed results. Those anglers drifting the river are having much better success than those anglers wading the river. It’s all about access to the better pools close to Lake Cowichan. Recent rain has bumped up the water level in the past few days. Mayfly and Caddis hatches are increasing with this warmer weather.
The Cowichan River from the CNR Trestle at mile 70.2 to Skutz Falls is closed to fishing until 23:59 hours April 30, 2024.
Trout
Trout fishing has been PICKING UP at most local lakes. There has been more activity near the surface but most action is still coming from just off the bottom. The best fishing has been in the Elk, Langford, Prospect and Langford Lakes where the most trout have recently been stocked. Shore anglers use Powerbait, Gulp Eggs, and worms while fishing close to the bottom. Fly anglers are mostly fishing Woolly Buggers, Leeches and Chironomid patterns. Trollers are catching the most trout with worms fished on Gibbs Wedding Bands behind Gang Trolls.
The Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC has started the spring stocking of catchable triploid rainbow trout into Vancouver Island lakes. On April 12th, Elk and Langford Lakes each received 1,500 trout. On April 11th, Elk and {rps[ect Lake each received 1,500 trout averaging 241.77 g in size. On March 20th, Shawnigan Lake received 500 trout averaging 219.387 g in size. On March 19th, Thetis Lake received 1,000 trout and Glen Lake 500 trout averaging 250.697 g in size. On March 15th, Shawnigan Lake received 750 trout, Dougan Lake received 1,00 trout and Colwood Lake received 250 trout averaging 213.428 g in size. On March 11th, Kemp Lake received 750 trout and Matheson Lake 500 trout averaging 222.892 g in size. On March 8h, Shawnigan Lake received 1,000 trout and Ida Anne Lake 250 trout averaging 216.907 in size. Further stockings occurring on March 20th were Prospect Lake and Langford lakes each receiving 1,000 yearling coastal cutthroat trout averaging 74.833g in size.
To find out about fish stockings all over the Island and the province, as well as the different strains being released, click on the link http://www.gofishbc.com/Stocked-Fish.aspx
Bass
Fishing is GOOD. Most lakes have been producing good catches and some 6 lb plus fish are being caught. Bass can be found in the shallows as well as near deep structures. Docks, overhanging trees, and structure can be great spots to locate pre spawn bass. Reaction baits and soft plastics will be your best bet for catching feeding bass.
Submitted by Tom Vaida, Island Outfitters, 3319 Douglas Street, Victoria, BC (250) 475-4969, info@fishingvictoria.com www.fishingvictoria.com
Mexico
Mazatlán
From longtime SU friend Mike S:
“I fished with Starfleet Charters, they arranged the cab to pick me up at my hotel to take me there and bring me back, which was nice because the location of the boat dock was off the beaten path on a river with only a few other boats, so it was not the main marina. We went out and headed west for about 40/45 minutes and started fishing. We had two good bites that started ripping line, but only stuck for 5 to 10 seconds. The captain said those were probably Marlin. There were no other boats around us. Then must’ve gotten word about where the tuna were as he went into high gear and 15 minutes later we were with 8 to 9 other boats and hundreds of dolphin around us. We caught two nice yellowfin tuna within 10 minutes. We fished this area for another 20/30 minutes, then moved on to where there were no boats again. About 90 minutes later a striped marlin bit and stuck and I fought that for about 20 minutes. They didn’t ask if I wanted to keep it or not, and hit it on the head as soon as it got next to the boat and brought it in. We trolled around for another two hours before heading in with no other action. I flew home with a 28 quart cooler filled with tuna and a few big pieces of the marlin.”
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