Southern Vancouver Island Fishing Report

By Island Outfitters - Sep 5, 2006

Salt Water Fishing for September 04

Overview

Salmon fishing was EXCELLENT west of Sooke, PRETTY GOOD in East Sooke, NOT TOO BAD off the waterfront but SLOW everywhere else. Anglers were catching lots of Chinooks in the 20’s, 30’s and low 40’s. Halibut fishing was SLOW this past week due to everyone being out fishing for salmon. If you have any fishing info, notable catches or tips that you would like to share or have included in our fishing report, please email us at info@fishingvictoria.com.

Port Renfrew

Spring salmon fishing has been EXCELLENT with fish up into the forties being caught near East Point, Logan and Camper creeks. A few big spring are also starting to be caught off the mouth of the Nitinat River and in the narrows of the lake as well. There have been LOTS OF COHO on the “chicken ranch” side of the bank but sockeye fishing has SLOWED DOWN off shore. Halibut fishing out at Swiftsure Bank has been GOOD but some days you have to work a little harder for them. Trevor Zboyovsky weighed in a 42.5 lb spring this past week.

Sooke

Salmon fishing remains EXCELLENT for most anglers. In fact, the marina says that the fishing is the best it has been in years. Another strong run of big springs this week, coupled with sockeyes and the odd hatchery coho, once again made Sooke the place to fish. There were quite a few springs over 30 lbs and lots in the 20’s caught all week long. Otter point and westward points produced most of the biggest fish. A few hatchery coho up to 12 lbs have also been caught recently, as have sockeyes in the 5 to 10 lb size range. Anchovy is still the most popular bait by a huge margin. Teaser heads in Gold chrome color combinations or Purple Haze have been working the best. With plastic baits go with Army Truck, Purple Haze, or Green/White color patterns and with spoons use Mongoose, Party Girl or Cop Car. Hot Spot Gold Fever and Betsey Gold flashers are working well in conjunction with your favorite lure.

Becher Bay

Salmon fishing was PRETTY GOOD throughout the week. The marina estimated that 60% to 80% of the boats are bringing back salmon with the amount varying each day. By the weekend, lots of big springs had been caught (with a fair number in the high twenties and thirties) as well as a few sockeyes in the 5 to 10 lb range. The springs were being caught all the way from Beechey Head to The Trap Shack. Devin Sorenson caught a 44.5 lb spring near the Trap shack Reef. Jason Yarmie also did real well landing a 42.5 lb spring from O’Brien Point. Most of the springs are being taken on anchovy fished at depths of 50 to 80 feet. Many of the sockeyes were being taken on small pink hootchies, fished at 50 to 70 foot depths in 550’ of water out in the strait. However, the sockeye fsihg is slowing down. The best teaser head colours have been Gold Chrome, Green/Gold Chrome and Purple Haze. Big Shooter Betsey Gold, Boogie Man and Purple Hot Spot flashers have been the best flashers to use. The Purple Haze has been the best hootchy this past week. Spoons also work and the best ones lately are the 4 inch Coyotes, Titans or Gibbs Gators in Mongoose, Party Girl or Cop Car.

Pedder Bay

Salmon fishing was GOOD throughout the week. Once again, there were springs from the mid teens to the low 40’s being caught as well as some sockeyes. Almost all the springs were coming from Church Rock to the Bedfords, or even further west. Most anglers are catching their fish trolling anchovies in glow or chrome Rhys Davis teaser heads and at 60 to 80 feet on the downrigger. Hootchies have been also been effective recently with Army Truck, and Purple Haze the best colors to use. Some anglers are using red mini squirts and fishing for Sockeyes on the tide lines and in the shipping lanes. If you want to troll spoons, the Party Girl, Mongoose and Lime Twist Coyotes, Gypsies, Titans and Tomics in 4 or 5 inch sizes have been best. Oki Betsey Gold and Red Hot Gold Fever flashers have been good for attracting fish. HALIBUT – Halibut fishing was SLOW this past week. Only one 20 pounder was weighed in. Everyone is out fishing salmon instead of halibut right now. Other smaller ones were also taken. Extra Large Herring or Octopus fished off of a spreader bar and close to the bottom works best to catch the big flatfish.

Victoria Waterfront

Salmon fishing was MUCH BETTER AGAIN along the waterfront. A fresh run of big springs arrived late in the week, just in time for the weekend. Most of the Action came form Esquimalt to Holland Point. The fish are running fairly shallow and the best depths to troll near shore have been from 40 to 70 feet. Unfortunately, there are large numbers of dogfish from Brotchie Light to Clover Point. Constance Bank was also productive, but mostly for smallish feeder springs and not the larger mature Chinooks. Adam Heffelfinger landed a 45 lb spring on Saturday near the breakwater. That’s his largest fish from that area in 17 years of guiding. David Simpson had a good week too, catching 31.4, 31.15, 25 and 22 lb springs. Medium anchovy has been good and the Blue Scale or Mint Pearl were good teaser head colors to use. Betsey Gold and Red Gold Hot Spots flashers have been the most effective. Jellyfish hootchies and squirts fished behind Purple Glow or Purple Haze flashers have been working well too. If you use spoons, use Mongoose, Cop Car or Army Truck color combinations with 4” Coyotes, Gypsies and Titans. HALIBUT – Halibut fishing was SLOW this past week on Constance Bank as everyone is out fishing salmon instead of halibut right now.. Most anglers are fishing Octopus or Herring on a spreader bar, just off the bottom. However, if the dogfish get really bad use Mudraker or Lucky Jigs.

Oak Bay

Salmon fishing was SPOTTY most of this past week. A few springs up to 31 lbs have been caught, but not a lot of fish. Harry Buckle got a nice 31 lb spring on a squirt near Trial Island. Look for the fish at in 60 to 80 foot depths near the tide lines by Trial Island. The salmon have been hitting anchovies but there are lots of dogfish so bring a lot of bait or use squirts or spoons. The Flats and the Gap have been quiet most of the week. The best hootchies have been the Purple Haze and small pink ones for the occasional sockeye. The best spoons have been green and silver 4” Coyotes, Titans or Gypsys. Green/silver or Purple Glow Hot Spot flashers have been good. HALIBUT - Halibut fishing was SLOW this past week. Extra Large Herring or Octopus fished off of a spreader bar and close to the bottom is the best bet to catch the big flatfish. However, some anglers use Mudraker or Lucky Jig with good success too.

Sidney

Salmon fishing has NOT BEEN VERY GOOD this past week, Anglers trolling for Sockeyes off of the Pender bluffs this past week only got a few. Anglers trolling for springs were finding it even slower. Anchovy, Tiny Strip, Krippled K and Coyote spoons have been good when there were more springs around. The best spot now is off the Pender Island Bluffs. However, not one fish was seen at the Sidney boat ramp this past weekend.

Notable Catches

Here are some of the notable catches that we know of from this past week. Trevor Zboyovsky weighed in a 42.5 lb spring this past week from East Point in Port Renfrew. Devin Sorenson caught a 44.5 lb spring near the Trap shack Reef. Jason Yarmie also did real well landing a 42.5 lb spring from O’Brien Point. Adam Heffelfinger landed a 45 lb spring on Saturday near the breakwater. That’s his largest fish from that area in 17 years of guiding. David Simpson had a good week too; catching 31.4, 30.15, 25 and 22 lb springs. Harry Buckle got a nice 31 lb spring on a squirt near Trial Island. If you have any fishing info, notable catches or tips that you would like to share or have included in our fishing report, please email us at info@fishingvictoria.com.

Fresh Water Fishing for September 04

Overview

Nothing new on the freshwater scene, bass fishing is GOOD and trout fishing is FAIR to GOOD. The warm weather is forcing the trout a little deeper in the lakes. If you have any fishing info or notable catches that you would like to share or have included in our fishing report, please email us at info@fishingvictoria.com.

Cowichan River

Fishing is SLOW as they‘ve stopped releasing as much water from the weir and the water levels have dropped to just over 0.29 meters. The float tubers are drifting the river in large numbers. The best fishing has been in the morning and evenings or at night. Good flies include Prince Nymphs, Gold Ribbed Hare’s Ear Nymphs, Pheasant Nymphs or stonefly nymphs. Wooly buggers also work well, especially on the Brown Trout.

Local Lakes

Trout fishing is GOOD in most lakes. The trout are being caught around the thermocline or near the bottom throughout the day. Elk, Spectacle and Shawnigan Lakes are fishing the best. Anglers fishing Green Glitter Powerbait from the fishing pier on the west side of the lake have been pulling in some too. One tip that has been working well is to fish a larger hook, size 6 or 8, on your power bait set up and put on 3 eggs to give the fish a little bigger target to see. On most lakes, fly anglers can stay with the old reliables (Black Leeches, Green Wooly Buggers) and expect good action. Chironomids have been good (there have been some big hatches lately) and Pheasant Tail, Halfback and Gold Ribbed Hare’s Ear nymphs also work well. For trolling try Red/Pearl Dick Nite or Needlefish, Flatfish or Wee Tads in orange, frog or rainbow patterns, red & white, or yellow with red spots. Willow Leaf Lake trolls with Wedding Bands and/or worms will almost always work.

Bass Fishing

Bass fishing is FAIR TO GOOD. Evenings and mornings have been good for top water action. All the local bass lakes (Elk Lake, Beaver Lake, Langford Lake, Shawnigan Lake, Prospect Lake, Thetis Lake, Quennell Lake and St. Marys Lake) are producing decent catches of bass now. Use almost any bass lure, (tube jigs, lizards, jigs with pork rind, plastic worms, stick baits, plugs or crankbaits) and fish the shoreline or near structure in shallower spots at dawn or in the late evening.

Notable Catches

If you have any fishing info, notable catches or tips that you would like to share or have included in our fishing report, please email us at info@fishingvictoria.com.

Fishing Tip for September 04

Tip of the Week

Be alert and courteous to the boats around you! When boats are fishing close together and one boat hooks a big spring, well that fish is going to make a big run (usually straight back). You should always move away from the boat that’s fighting a fish or get your gear up and away from the fish. You’ll appreciate it when you’ve hooked that slab and other boats keep out of your way.

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