Unfortunately, not much to report ... not too many people fishing out of Port Renfrew these days. Coho fishing has remained slow. A few halibut have been brought in lately.

Time to focus your fishing efforts further south, towards Sooke or Victoria. The winter weather is better, with less ocean swell, making for more comfortable and safer fishing. Sooke's winter spring fishing has been quite good, appears to have started early this year.

DFO has closed halibut for the season early, see the notice below. Better get out in the next week and get some for the winter!

Fishery Notice - Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Subject: FN0806-Halibut: Coastwide Closure

Effective 00:01 hours October 31, 2008 until 23:59 hours December 31, 2008,
fishing for halibut recreationally is closed.

This action is necessary due to the recreational fishery for halibut exceeding
the recreational allowable catch. Although the recreational fishery is
generally managed on the basis of a pre-season plan and post season review,
there are instances in the fishery where in-season changes are required. The
department will continue to manage the recreational fishery in general to meet
opportunity and expectations based on pre-season plans. As those plans
improve, the necessity for in-season management actions will decrease. The
department will be reviewing catch figures and fishing patterns in preparation
for consultation on a pre-season management plan for the 2009 halibut fishery.

Good luck out there.

An excerpt from DC Reid's Times-Colonist article today "Where to Fish Around the Island", related to Port Renfrew's San Juan River fishing:

"Deb and Ashby: We'll be fishing in the Victoria area, towing a boat for freshwater and fly fishing freshwater with float tubes. Where should we go?

Answer: The Campbell, Quinsam and Salmon rivers are now filling up with coho. Closer, the Nitinat, opens for fishing and retention Oct. 16, and to my eye had about 12,000 springs in it on Sept. 30, almost double the DFO pre-season estimate. The Stamp has coho higher up. And, on the first huge rain day, the San Juan coho, the largest on average on the island, will move up pronto to the first corner accessed from the 4x4 track just below the Harris Creek Bridge. You have arrived in the golden time of year that river anglers wait for all year long.

Steve Staley says: I am writing to tell you about a once in a lifetime catch.

On Friday, Sept. 19 at about 11 a.m., I got a six-foot white sturgeon on my line. At about noon, I got it on the beach. Now this may sound like just another sturgeon story, and your wondering what makes this note worthy. It's the fact that this one- hour long sturgeon fight happened in the San Juan River, about one to two kilometres upstream from the bridge in Port Renfrew.

Answer: Folks, Staley's picture is definitely a sturgeon and the water is clear, like the San Juan. The fish likely originated from the Columbia River, or, less likely, from the Fraser. It's a long way from home."

****

Below the San Juan River bridge is tidal waters, which means you can retain salmon -- current rules are 4 salmon per day, which can include 4 coho, but only two of which may be wild (has adipose fin). Chinook is CLOSED anywhere inside San Juan Harbour.

Above the bridge it is currently catch and release only.

Map of salmon fishing regulations for Port Renfrew

Good luck out there!

Not much action to report out of Port Renfrew this week. Things seem to be winding down for the season. Still a few coho coming in here and there, but not the banner year everyone was hoping for.

Still decent halibut fishing out at Swiftsure Bank and spots closer to shore...but weather's an issue this time of year, really need to pick your days, because there's some stormy weather.

Port Renfrew Marina reports some good news. The San Juan Hatchery got their 1 million eggs and observed as many as 5,000 fish spawning in the river. That's super, let's hope the trend continues, and the salmon stock stay healthy for generations to come.

Good luck out there!