Fishing Reports – May 22, 2024
Washington
Marine Area 1 (Ilwaco)
No report this week.
Halibut fishing opened 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)
No report this week.
Halibut opened 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)
Rockpile lingcod have been hot, halibut is slower than normal this season and smaller fish, but I expect to see better fish and bigger fish in June – at least that is what happened for us last year. Weather has been mostly a bit rough from NW winds and swells for a most of May.
Halibut opened 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)
Halibut, lingcod, and rockfish fishing has been good. The nearshore rockfish and lingcod trips have been seeing limits being brought in on each trip. Black sea bass to 4 lbs plus and lingcod to 35″ are being caught. There have been a number of canary rockfish being caught. The halibut are mostly chickens, with a few up to about 45lbs. The strong winds this past week were challenging.
Halibut opened 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)
Halibut has been kinda slow with the winds, but some people are catching fish, especially those that are anchoring.
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 on May 1st, with a slot limit between 26″ and 36″, daily limit 1 fish.
Rockfish fishing opened on 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)
Halibut fishing has slowed down a bit, due in part to windy weather. A few 100 lb. halibut have been caught in Sequim and we had a report that a 150 lb. fish was lost as well. Shrimping opened here this past week, and folks that shrimped on Thursday / Friday did well, and folks that shrimped Saturday had to deal with some nasty wind, so some did well and some did not.
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 on May 1st, 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.
Marine Area 7 (San Juan Islands)
Lingcod fishing continues to be good, with most folks limiting, using 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.
Lingcod fishing (hook and line) opened here on May 1st, with a slot limit between 26″ and 36″, daily limit 1 fish. 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 on May 1st, 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)
We continue to get reports of limits of nice lingcod around Possession Bar – not very picky about what they would eat, but lots of folks fishing lancers, etc. and some folks fishing live bait of various kinds.
The Tulalip Terminal Area fishery opens on May 24th, with a daily limit of (2) fish, and a minimum size on Chinook of 22″. Details can be found in our article here.
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 on May 1st, with a slot limit between 26″ and 36″, daily limit 1 fish. Rockfish fishing is closed year-round.
Marine Area 9 (Admiralty Inlet)
We continue to get reports of limits of nice lingcod around Possession Bar – not very picky about what they would eat, but lots of folks fishing lancers, etc. and some folks fishing live bait of various kinds.
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 on May 1st, 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 on May 1st, 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)
The WDFW has announced that salmon fishing will open here on June 5th through June 30th, 2024. Details can be found in our article here.
Lingcod fishing (hook and line) opened here on May 1st, 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 on May 1st, 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.
Bamfield, Barkley Sound, & Port Alberni
May and June offer some of the year’s most productive fishing opportunities in this area. It is a time when prime fishing spots in Barkley Sound and the Alberni Inlet are not as busy as July and August. Barkley Sound and the Alberni Inlet provide natural beauty, scenic rugged coastlines, and pristine water which is breath-taking. By mid-June the Alberni Inlet historically has terrific returns of Sockeye salmon while Barkley Sound beginning in May provides fantastic Chinook fishing. Later in June some early Coho begin to show in the Sound as the migration of Chinook and Coho salmon continues along the West Coast of Vancouver Island as these early summer run salmon make their way to the big watersheds to the south.
The 2024 Sockeye season currently has a pre-season forecast prediction of 350,000 to 600,000 Sockeye returning to the Somass River system. One indicator from 2023 returns was the high Jack return. The 2024 return number could be higher. The Sockeye Season historically opens as of May 1st in Tidal waters with limits of two per day. This will often mean sport fisher persons “May” have opportunity some time in late June to retain four Sockeye per day. Checking with the DFO gives anglers insight concerning regulations for this fun sport fishery.
Barkley Sound and the area just outside the Ucluelet Harbor Mouth have had some excellent Chinook fishing during early May. There have been some excellent fishing days especially along the surf line. Sail Rock, Cree Island and Austin, and The Red Can which is close to Ucluelet have been terrific fishing locations. Fishing up towards Wya Point and along Little Beach have provided some good fishing opportunities. These areas have had lots bait fish in the form of needle fish and herring. Needle fish hootchies in blue, green and silver are working as are White hootchies and cuttlefish. Later in the month of May and into June the Bamfield Wall, Swale Rock, Edward King, Kirby, Meares and Cree Island are wonderful and productive salmon fishing areas.
Glen from Idaho/Oregon on a beautiful May day landed this chinook salmon using a white cuttlefish in front of Ucluelet B.C.
When fishing for Sockeye the best opportunity occurs when these salmon school in big numbers. This will normally occur when the water hits eighteen degrees Celsius or sixty-five Farenheit. The Sockeye in June will often be in forty to sixty feet of water. Lots of color (flashers) in the water and using mp pinks and reds or pink/blue, and pink/black combinations lead to success. Some anglers over the past few years have used only a black hook with a leader of fourteen to eighteen inches. Those using black hooks have landed good numbers of Sockeye salmon. Sockeye fishing is a fantastic sport fishery for all ages and wonderful experience.
These three young ladies had a ton of fun fishing in the Alberni Inlet for sockeye July 3, 2023
The salmon fishing in Barkley Sound is best at this time of year wherever there are vast amounts of bait fish. The Chinook are in deeper water. The salmon will hit anchovy in various teaser head colors. Needle fish, octopus hootchies, cuttlefish and a variety of spoons should always be in one’s tackle selection. Over the past week the best fishing in Sound locations has been along the surf line. Austin Island, Cree Island, Sail Rock, Edward King, and out towards Cape Beale have been relatively good areas.
Pre-Season forecasts are termed abundant for Chinook and Coho returns to West Coast Vancouver Island this summer. Salmon fishing should be world class.
Report & pics submitted by Doug Lindores, Slivers Charters Salmon Sport Fishing (888) 214-7206 dlindy@shaw.ca; www.catchsalmon-ca.com
Ucluelet
We still have some early spots open, so if you are looking to come fishing in May or June give us a shout. We expect good fishing this year, especially early season.
Submitted by Sam Vandervalk, Salmon Eye Charters, Ucluelet, BC, 877-777-4344, fishing@salmoneye.net www.salmoneye.net
South Vancouver Island overview:
Winds this past week kept the number of people fishing to a minimum. Chinook fishing was SPOTTY to GOOD where open. Lingcod and rockfish fishing was GOOD. Halibut fishing was FAIR this past week. Octopus, herring, and herring were the best baits to use. 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 FAIR with this past week, with the best fishing off Muir Creek, Jordan River, and points west. 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 NOT TOO BAD this past weekend inside the bay. Within the open area, most of the clipped springs caught have been up to 10 lbs in size. 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 SLOW this past week. Constance Bank, East Race, and Willliam Head have been some of the better spots. Octopus and Herring have been successful baits when used with a glow hootchy. Lingcod and rockfish fishing was GOOD.
Salmon fishing has been FAIR to GOOD out of Pedder Bay for those anglers heading into area 19. Fishing was best at Constance Bank and Albert Head. Most of the clipped springs have been from 5 to 10 lbs in size but a few from 15-20 lbs have also been caught. 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 inside 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 SLOW at Constance Bank and in the Mud Hole. Lingcod and rockfish fishing was GOOD. Crabbing has been FAIR.
Salmon fishing was SLOW this past week. Most of the clipped springs were 5 to 8 lbs in size. There were some larger unclipped springs around as well. 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.
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 to GOOD in Oak Bay, depending on the day. The Flats were better than the Gap most days, and many of the salmon were clipped and running into the high teens in size. There were many unclipped springs as well caught too. Most anglers have been trolling but jigging can the effective too. The results have been for fish holding close to the bottom. Effective spoons this past week were the 4” Marguerita AP Needlefish, Bon Chovy Skinny G, and Glow Herring Aid Wee Gs. and Coho Killers. Crabbing has been FAIR. Halibut fishing was GOOD and halibut up to 50 lbs were caught south of Discovery Island.
Submitted by Tom Vaida, Island Outfitters, 3319 Douglas Street, Victoria, BC (250) 475-4969, info@fishingvictoria.com www.fishingvictoria.com
Sidney & Vancouver
Chinook fishing was SPOTTY this past week, but some anglers were catching hatchery marked fish up to 12 lbs. Some of the better spots were Saanichton Spit, James Island, Sidney Channel and Hambley Point. Prawning is a little slower and most boats were targeting spot prawns rather than salmon. 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 EXCELLENT.
Cowichan River
Trout fishing above Skutz Falls are having mixed results. The water level has been dropping and is now around 0.4 meters in the top end. Insect activity is increasing with this warmer weather.
Trout
Trout fishing has been EXCELLENT at most local lakes. 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 continues the spring stocking of catchable triploid rainbow trout into Vancouver Island lakes. On May 10th, Elk Lake received 2,000 trout and Ida Anne and Lookout lakes each received another 100 trout averaging 234.362 grams in size. On May 9th Lookout Lake received 100 trout averaging 239.792 grams in size. On May 5th, Lookout Lake received 250 trout averaging 239.792 g 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 EXCELLENT. We are in spawn/post spawn now. Bass are all along the shore and near structure. It’s a good time to fish around docks and shorelines. Soft plastic baits are hot right now, as well as spinnerbaits and glide baits Shawnigan and Quennell have been producing big numbers of bass with some boats catching 20 to 30 fish in an outing.
The Western Fishing League’s next SSC stop is June 9th on Langford Lake
Submitted by Tom Vaida, Island Outfitters, 3319 Douglas Street, Victoria, BC (250) 475-4969, info@fishingvictoria.com www.fishingvictoria.com
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