It is already mid July and it seems like June had just arrived and has come and gone so quickly. The Salmon fishing as expected has been very exceptional in the Port Alberni Inlet and offshore-inshore Ucluelet. The Sockeye coming into the Port Alberni Inlet have been upgraded to 850,000 fish with an escapement goal of 411,000 into the Somass River and then into two lakes, Great Central and Sproat. The original forecast had been for 600,000 but for these fish the ocean conditions over the past three years has been perfect for ocean survival rate and this has more than likely accounted for a much higher return. To date the escapement of Sockeye has been 230,298 with Great Central Lake receiving 93,630 swimming through the fish way. Sproat Lake has had a return of 136,659 swimming through the counters. The past week has been terrific for escapement returns with daily returns into Central Lake from 2,200 to 7,700 and Sproat Lake 2,300 as a low and a whopping high day of 13,000 pieces.
With escapement returns and fish catchable numbers by the commercial, first nations, and sport fishery to this date the 2010 Somass Sockeye run is probably at fifty to fifty-five percent complete. The run size could very easily be upgraded this week once again. Sockeye sport fishing should continue right into August.
The Chinook fishing out on Vancouver Island’s West Coast has been dynamite. Ocean conditions have also helped the sport fishery on the coast which is experiencing one of the best sport Chinook fishing years ever. The Barkley Sound surf line areas have been off and on. There is a vast amount of bait fish offshore which the Chinook are gorging themselves on. This has limited the numbers of salmon that normally would come into the sound to feed on the rich resources of bait fish found along the edges of the surf line.
Port Alberni Inlet
The Sockeye Sport fishery in the Port Alberni Inlet has been for the second year in a row phenomenal. Guests with Slivers Charters Salmon Sport Fishing and those who are fishing in their own craft from all areas of Canada and the United states have all had opportunity to limit on the number one commercial salmon. Everyone fishing the Port Alberni area has taken home limits of these tasty salmon to share with family and friends. Sockeye sport fishing in the inlet has been great from Lone Tree Point out to Bilton Point which is located at the far end of the Inlet. The weather over the last week has been extremely warm and the salmon are schooling in bigger numbers and are also swimming in deeper water. The Nahmint-Franklin area has had the best fishing during the early part of the last week with the salmon in 40 to 65 feet of water. The last day or two with the Inlet waters warming some of the fish have moved down to as low as 90 and 100 feet. Sockeye are attracted to color behind the boat and there is no doubt that those fishing with dummy flashers 8 to 10 feet behind their vessel and with four rods with flashers and choice of lure have been having the best success rate. The best lures seem to be (choice of each guide or sport fisher person) the mp15 which is a bubblegum color, the mp 2 and 16. Guide Dougs’ favorite is the blue and pink and the black and pink Angelos’ which unfortunately are no longer being made. The commercial glow 182-183 and also the pink and blue head mp hootchie are working very well also. For those that enjoy not using any type of lure the straight black hook (one) or hooks (two) are also working behind 22 to 28 inches of leader. Sockeye fishing is a fun activity for the whole family. Kids from four to nineteen have a great time and of course adults of all ages do also. Guests world wide visiting the beautiful Alberni Valley have taken part in this spectacular sport fishery and have all had a wonderful opportunity landing a salmon.
Barkley Sound
The Barkley Sound fishing has been off and on. The migratory flow of salmon swimming down the west coast of Vancouver Island has been one of the best years ever. The Chinook have been coming in big numbers and are feeding heavily on bait fish out on the various banks. Some Chinook have moved into various surf line locations. Meares, Austin Island, Pinnacle Rock, and Edward King have had some good fishing days over the past few days. Guides Doug and John of Slivers Charters had some good fishing on Friday and Saturday of this past week between Effingham Island (Meares) and Cree Island. Chinook from the low teens to twenty-eight pounds were picked up using spoons and bait in 70 to 125 feet of water. Four inch coyote spoons in silver-glow and green and blue-nickel were working very well as was anchovy in the army truck glow teaser head and also the green Rhys Davis Teaser Head. We are expecting some great Chinook and Coho fishing in the Sound from mid July into mid September.
Ucluelet/West Coast
The offshore and inshore fishing for salmon and halibut has been very good to date out of Ucluelet. The Chinook have been predominately three year olds and are swimming to watersheds to the south. Three year old Chinook are usually fifteen to twenty pounds and this has been the case for the last two to three weeks with most of the landed salmon by sport anglers averaging eighteen to twenty pounds. There have also been some Chinook landed in the low to mid thirty pound range. A good percentage of the Chinook have been clipped and with such a large amount of three year olds the talk is spreading quickly about next year’s migratory four year old return to the southern watersheds of the Columbia River. Most of the usual hotspots outside the Ucluelet Harbor have been very good. The inner South Bank and outer area plus the south west corner have all been excellent for Chinook and halibut. The Red Can, Longbeach, and the Lighthouse Bank and of course the Big Bank have all had great fishing days. The bait on the various banks has been thick and the Chinook are gorging themselves on needle fish and big pilchards. Many guides and sport anglers are finding spoons from four to six inch in size working very well. The bigger spoons are attracting some of the bigger Chinook. Various plugs plus the brown turd and a couple of hootchies such as the T-Rex and the Clown have all been working well. Guide Wayne found that various green and blue colored needle fish hootchies were working well over the last few days on the South Bank. The Ucluelet Ladder Salmon Derby continues in July and August. The fish off with the top 50 fish will be the second weekend in September. Each month there are prizes of $5,000, $2,000, $1,000 and $500. Tickets per person are $10 and can be obtained in Ucluelet before fishing. The top 50 anglers with the top 50 weighed in fish will be fishing for a top prize of 20 to $25,000.
Port Alberni Salmon Festival
The Port Alberni Salmon festival and Derby takes place during the three days of the Labour Day weekend.
» http://www.pasalmonfest.com/
overview
The West Coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia has much to offer. The West Coast is a beautiful area of the world with its rugged but scenic coastline outlined by snowcapped mountains in the background. Ucluelet and Tofino both found on Vancouver Islands coast are located south of Clayoquot Sound, which is full of beaches, islands and rainforests. The Pacific Rim National Park (Long Beach) is located in the area and has grown into a very popular tourist destination with oceanfront resorts, hotels, motels, lodges, campgrounds, quaint cafes and restaurants and even art galleries. The Pacific Rim National Park is a paradise for surfers and beachcombers. There are large rolling waves and miles of pristine beaches.
Ucluelet is nestled in a small harbor, which is dominated by surf and sandy beaches on the west and rainforests on the east. The area has fantastic walking and hiking trails. The Rainforest Trail, Lighthouse Trail and the sands of Big Beach are areas people can roam for hours. Hi-Tin-Kis Park has spectacular views that people worldwide come to admire.
During the winter Ucluelet and Tofino offer spectacular Storm Watch opportunities. Many of the luxurious resorts, which are scattered along the coastline, offer this as part of their packages from November until early March. March and April often finds visitors watching the migration of Gray Whales, which are passing along the coastline making their way to the Beaufort Sea. The Whale Festival begins this year on the 17th of March is featured by the “Chowder Chow Down.” The festival continues into mid April.
Ucluelet and Tofino provide some of the best salmon and halibut fishing in the world. The coastline between Ucluelet and Tofino is a feeding and spawning destination of some of the West Coast of British Columbia’s largest runs of chinook and coho. The months of May, June July August and September are considered prime time for sport fishing inshore and offshore. The sport fishing industry is provided with vast amounts of coho, chinook, pink salmon and halibut that are migrating outside the doorstep of Ucluelet.. All of the fish follow the thick balls of bait which most often are herring, sardines, needlefish, squid and krill.
The Ucluelet Sport Fishing season gets underway when the wather changes into early spring. The winter often displays battering storms and huge surf, which makes it most difficult and of course dangerous for guides and sport anglers to get out to the fishing grounds. However, during the winter there are some days that one can fish for winter or feeder springs close the Ucluelet Harbor and Barkley sound. The winter season is also a time when individuals have opportunity to fish for Dungeness Crabs, prawns, oysters, clams, and some rock fish. Late February, all of March, and the early part of April often have feeder chinook close to the Ucluelet Harbor and inner surfline of Barkley Sound. Slivers Charters Salmon sport Fishing and other guide services will normally fish Begg Island, Mara Rock, Great Bear, the Red Can, Sail Rock and even South Bank during this time of year. Most of the salmon are feeder springs and can range from 8 to 25 pounds. Most guides and local anglers use a variety of lures. Anchovy is often he best bait choice all year and is rolled behind a Rhys Davis Teaser Head in white, green, purple haze, or pearl. Hootchie choices are often glow whites, purple haze, or various blue green white colors and army truck. Various Coyote and Titan Spoons work well also. This year watermelon has been very good along the whole coast as have silver spoons. During the year there is some bottom or rock fishing. The lingcod season opens April 15th. Halibut fishing most years become more fishable in May and can be combined when fishing for the various salmon species migrating down the coast. During the summer months some guides will troll for Halibut and Salmon at the same time. The Halibut are found at the bottom hiding in the sand and the salmon are found in mid water.
During the summer months Ucluelet provides some of the best salmon and halibut fishing in the world. The area has continuous and very consistent fishing due to the migration of salmon which are headed to their spawning grounds. Whatever summer month one decides to fish there will not be disappointment as there is always fish inshore or offshore.
People often ask “what should I bring if I am coming to Canada’s West Coast to fish and explore. Of course bring a camera to take all kinds of pictures. Binoculars are also a great idea. Bring Rain Gear and rubber boots. Most of the guide boats have extra rain gear on board but this is not provided when hiking in a rainforest or walking the beach on an early drizzly foggy morning. Be prepared for sunshine and warm days especially later in the morning and the afternoons. The West Coast is a place to be totally prepared for all weather. Dress in layers. There is a saying “Its easy to dress down but not up”. If you do not have the correct warm clothing ones day can be miserable to start. It is important to have coolers to take catches home. If flying most airlines now want people to have a correct airline container, which are available on the coast. People can also be prepared to have their catch sent directly to their home as St. Jeans located in Ucluelet will ship directly after our guides have prepared your catch for shipping.
Canada’s West Coast of Vancouver Island is a fantastic area to visit. Those who live in the area take it for granted. This area of the world has a lot to offer and is still undiscovered by many. It is part of super natural B.C. Take some time and come to visit and yes come fishing as this is the place to be in the summer of 2007.
Salmon Returns November 8th, 2006
Port Alberni is fortunate enough to have a very healthy river system and hatchery (Roberson Creek Hatchery). Chinook and Coho return to the Hatchery and Sockeye return naturally to the river and then to Sproat and Great Central Lake. From the lakes the sockeye move out to tributary streams and then spawn.
- Chinook 43,000 return as of October 15th. Numbers may have reached 55 to 60,000 by now as many late fish have arrived.
- Jack chinook 1,000 This number is low and will probably see a low return in three year olds in 2007. Four, Five and Six year olds should be strong in numbers.
- Adult Coho 11,000 Low in return but enough for hatchery program.
- Jack Coho 6,142 Great numbers which should give us a very healthy return of adult coho in 2007. These Adult returns should be back to normal in 2007.
- Adult Sockeye 137,000 return through the counters. Not a strong return as the early prediction was almost 800,000.
![Bladon [R] w/Alan of Edmonton fishing in the Stamp River](photos2009/91016slivers01.jpg)
![Peter [right] & Jim w/Winter Chinook - Poett Nook - Photo:Slivers](photos2009/90311slivers02.jpg)
