Fishing Reports – May 29, 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)
Halibut fishing is still slower than normal, but last year things picked up a lot in both size and quantity later, so there is good hope. Lingcod has been easy fishing both offshore and at the Rockpile. Black rockfish has been super good lately, limits in 30 minutes or less.
As far as the halibut quota goes we have lots left for a summer fishery again where we see a lot of bigger fish, not official but I expect a mid August opener and seven days a week.
We did catch a couple nicer halibut on Friday, a 52 and 47 pounder, pic below.
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 halibut are mostly chickens, but we know of at least one caught inshore that was 70lbs. 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.
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 picked up, with some fish up to about 35lbs. caught, mostly off Pillar Point.
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. A few 100 lb. halibut have been caught in Sequim and we had a report that a 150 lb. fish was lost as well.
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 – and not very picky about what they will eat, but lots of folks fishing lancers, etc. and some folks fishing live bait of various kinds.
The Tulalip Terminal Area fishery opened on May 24th, with a daily limit of (2) fish, and a minimum size on Chinook of 22″, with some nice fish being caught there, mostly on downriggers, flashers and spoons.
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 will 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)
Spot prawn fishing will be open here on May 30th and June 15th. Shrimping was productive at the last opener, with reports of limits for folks that made the effort to get out there.
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
June is a fantastic month for Sport fishing in the Alberni Inlet and Barkley Sound. The weather, water conditions, and fishing are usually perfect. In June most anglers in this area are excited about the return of Sockeye salmon to the Somass River system and the migration of Chinook salmon and Coho along the surf line of Barkley Sound and areas close to the Ucluelet Harbor Mouth. The sport fishing along the surf line has been very good. Sport Fishing opportunities in June are incredible. Sockeye returns in 2024 are predicted to be from 400,000 to 600,000 pieces. This return should provide for sport fishing opportunities to be FOUR Sockeye salmon per day. Sockeye fishing is a great opportunity for everyone and is a very comfortable angling opportunity for people of all ages. The best fishing areas for Sockeye in the Alberni Inlet are from Nahmint and Ten Mile Point to Lone Tree. Underwood, the Narrows and Cous Creek will provide for some excellent angling. The best lures are mp hootchies in a bubble gum, pink-blue, or pink-black colors. Short leaders with a single black hook work as well. Putting out six to eight flashers behind the boat is not a bad idea as Sockeye salmon are lured toward color.
Current sport fishing regulations, at the time of this writing, provided by the DFO will allow sport fishing for Chinook salmon within one nautical mile of the coastline until the fifteenth of July. Barkley Sound is a feeding station to transient salmon. Many areas of Barkley Sound hold vast quantities of bait fish in herring, anchovy, squid and needlefish. Barkley Sound locations such as Cree Island, Meares, Kirby, Bamfield Wall, Pill Point, Samatao, and Swale Rock provide for excellent sport fishing. The 2024 salmon fishing will become even better in late July and continue into early September when the West Coast Vancouver Island salmon begin their migration to natal streams and rivers. This year’s return is described as “abundant”.
Common gear and a consistent salmon producer when fishing Barkley Sound in June is trolling with anchovy behind a variety of flasher colors. Anchovy trolled in Chartreuse, army truck, green and purple haze are excellent teaser head choices. This trend has changed over the past couple of years with Chinook also hitting various Herring Aid spoons as well as various Skinny G’s, and Coho Killer spoons. A variety of octopus, cuttlefish, and needle fish hootchies are terrific. White colored hootchies and cuttlefish and pistachio colored cuttlefish have been terrific as of late and usually are a great choice not only in June but through the summer months. In June the fish are in much deeper water than in August. Many anglers will fish areas of Barkley Sound in eighty to one hundred and twenty feet. Hootchie and cuttlefish leader lengths behind a flasher are best at thirty-eight to forty-two inches and spoons from forty-two inches to five feet.
The month of June, and for that matter the summer of 2024 should have some world class salmon sport fishing in the Alberni Inlet and Barkley Sound area.
Report & pics submitted by Doug Lindores, Slivers Charters Salmon Sport Fishing (888) 214-7206 dlindy@shaw.ca; www.catchsalmon-ca.com
Ucluelet
South Vancouver Island overview:
Strong winds this past week kept the number of people fishing to a minimum. Chinook fishing was SLOW to GOOD where open. Lingcod and rockfish fishing was GOOD. Halibut fishing was FAIR this past week. Crabbing was SPOTTY in most areas. Prawning has been FAIR in Saanich Inlet.
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
Salmon fishing was GOOD this past weekend inside the bay within the open area. Some of the clipped springs caught have been sloe to 20 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
Victoria
Halibut fishing was SLOW at Constance Bank and in the Mud Hole. Lingcod and rockfish fishing was GOOD. Crabbing has been SLOWER as commercial crabbers are now working the waterfront..
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 best 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 FAIR 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 GOOD this past week, and anglers were catching hatchery marked fish up to 20lbs. Some of the better spots were Cordova Channel, Saanichton Spit, James Island, and the Powder Wharf. Prawning is a little slower and most boats were not getting limits 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 0.3 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 22nd, Langford Lake received 1,500 trout, Durrance Lake 1,000 trout and Prospect and Glen Lakes received 500 trout averaging 223.664 g in size. On May 21st, Elk and Prospect Lakes each received 2,000 trout averaging 236.2g in size. 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 the 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 spinner baits 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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