Port Renfrew Fishing Video: Devonian Fishing Charters

December 1st, 2010

A salmon and halibut fishing day last summer with Devonian Fishing Charters, out of Port Renfrew BC, on Vancouver Island’s south-west coast. Captain John Lum guided us into sockeye, coho, and chinook salmon in the morning. In the afternoon, we headed out to Swiftsure Bank for halibut fishing and more salmon. A super fun day of Vancouver Island fishing!

Enjoy…

Short version: 4 minutes

Long version: 8 minutes

Sport Fishing Advisory Meeting

November 18th, 2010

Port Renfrew fishing is pretty much closed down for winter!

A meeting is coming up on November 24th for the Sport Fishing Advisory Board.  These are the people who represents sports anglers when DFO decides on regulations and conservation efforts.  In other words they are your voice to the government!  If you want to have a say in how recreational fishing is regulated off Vancouver Island, then please try to attend.  Please see the information below.

MEETING NOTICE:

Our South Coast Sport Fishing Advisory Board post-season meeting is coming up in early December. In order to provide guidance to your local representatives who will be attending that Nanaimo meeting, we need to hold our own local Victoria-area SFAB Committee meeting in advance. For that reason I have confirmed the West Shore Ball Room at the Four Points Sheraton Victoria Gateway Hotel in Langford for the Victoria SFAB local Committee meeting on Wednesday 24th November 2010 at 7:30PM.

A meeting agenda and directions map to the hotel will be circulated in the near future. Please add this important meeting date to your calendars and plan to attend. Please also advise all your angling friends that they are welcome to attend as well (room seating capacity takes 150 easily). This will be an important meeting as again discussion will focus on how Early Timed Fraser Chinook will affect our local fisheries next spring and the difficulties associated with the 2011 sport Halibut season.

I look forward to seeing you there,

Chris Bos
Local Victoria-area Committee Chair
Sport Fishing Advisory Board
(250) 652-4141
C.Bos@shaw.ca

Coho fishing video

October 18th, 2010

A day coho fishing with Jolly Rogers Fishing Charters in Port Renfrew in early October.   A fun day, largest coho 17 pounds, a mix of hatchery and wild salmon.

Port Renfrew’s fishing is winding down for the season. The Port Renfrew Marina is closed for winter, though the boat ramp at Butch’s by the Pacheedaht Reserve is still useable.  However, the salmon fishing is still quite good, with nice size coho being caught from the San Juan River out to the Can Buoy in the harbour mouth.

There’s still halibut out there too, though it’s reported to be hit and miss, some days good, some slow (like usual!).

The weather has generally been pretty nice too, not too windy, no fog, and some sunshine.  A fun time of year to fish, if you can get your boat out there and can dodge the storms.

Port Renfrew Fishing Report, Oct 6

October 8th, 2010

The coho fishing has been very good in Port Renfrew this week, with reports of lots of 14-18 pound coho, and up to 20 or more fish played in a day for boats.  One fellow caught a 24 pound coho in 10 feet of water right at the San Juan river entrance, in an 8 foot rowboat — that’s fun fishing!

Jolly Rogers Fishing Charters had a good day right out front of the bell buoy, with steady action in the am, catching 7 coho from 7-17 pounds. Most of the hits were in 450ft depth, shallow (35-40), and on bait. More hatcheries than wild, which is unusual lately.

Marty with a 17 pound coho

Port Renfrew Marina‘s coho derby was a big success, with 400 entrants, $8000 winner take all prize, and $2000 to salmon enhancement.  Brent Eliason won it all with a21 pound 1 ounce beauty.  The Marina reports baitrix has been the hot lure, with hoochies, bait and spoons on short leaders also producing.  The Marina is closing for the season Oct. 11.

Halibut fishing for recreational anglers is closing on Oct. 18th as well.  Seems things are winding down for another year!   Though not really yet, because the coho fishing is excellent and halibut too….so if you have a chance to get out there for the last few days of the season, it will be probably be worth your while.

Have fun out there!

Jolly Rogers coho fishing adventure

Coho Update

September 26th, 2010

Kelly from Last Chance Fishing Adventures reports “Coho is ON FIRE. I did two trips today, we had 12 in the boat for 10 AM for the morning crew, and tubbed out again for the afternoon crew. Lots of fish in the bay in the strait and wherever, Batrix and Jellyfish Hoochie was the ticket behind green. Go get ‘em, many in the high teens! Out again tomorrow. Plenty of hatchies or lots of wilds in the bay.”

Port Renfrew Marina reports most boats coming back today with limit catches.

Here today, gone tomorrow?  Who knows…..get out there and have some fun while they are here!

September 23 Port Renfrew Fishing Report

September 24th, 2010

Grant from Alberta showing off after a day out with Jolly Rogers

It is now officially Fall, but there’s still decent fishing to be had in Port Renfrew.  The fishing lately has been hot and cold, with some very good days and some slow days.

John from Jolly Rogers Fishing Charters reports: “Salmon fishing continues to be productive for large Cohos up to 20 lbs and quality halibut are still being caught. Springs are mostly gone up the river but we are still getting nice-sized feeder springs into the teens offshore at Swiftsure Bank.”  John reports he’s been having lots of fun targeting the coho with fly fishing gear, to better experience the fight these acrobatic fish can offer.

Kelly from Last Chance Fishing Charters adds: “Fishing in Renfrew has been good on the bank for Halibut, with limits coming quickly anywhere along the north side east of the 170FT reef.  Coho have been hit or miss, with the best action coming from chrome teaser heads with anchovies and longer leaders then usual.  Baitrix strip has been working as well.  The trick is to find a school of fish and stay with them, which can be hard with triple headers. The other trick that has worked for me is to stay out of the brown algea water, run in and out untill you get out of it, it’s a definate bite killer.  Fishing was fair last time I was out in the San Juan bay.”

Triple headers you say?  Hmm, that doesn’t sound too bad after all…

There’s a whole bunch of people fishing off the San Juan bridge for salmon.  Downriver, the saltwater rules apply — cannot keep spring salmon, but can keep 4 coho with up to 2 wild.  Upriver, the freshwater rules apply, it is closed for retention, catch and release only.   Remember that intentionally snagging salmon is not allowed and is not sporting!  See the published freshwater fishing regulations and in-season updates for more info.

Have fun out there!

August 30 Port Renfrew fishing report

August 31st, 2010

McGiveron gals with a 34 pound beauty

Late August fishing continues to be excellent, it’s prime time for Port Renfrew.

Kelly from Last Chance Fishing Charters reports that halibut are plentiful on Swiftsure Bank, and also feeder spring salmon at the Chicken Ranch.  Best lures have been white 5″ and pure glow spoons, and some magic hootchies, plus anchovies are working too.  He reports spring salmon in the 2o pound range on the south side of the Bank. He advises to start near the border, and troll with the tide, then run back once you are 3/4 of the way up the closure.

Mike Graves with a 50 pound salmon

Trevor from No Bananas Fishing Charters says much the same, reporting halibut up to 55 pounds at the Bank, plus a nice run of white spring salmon on the Beach — catching lots of salmon in the 30s, plus his SECOND 50 pound plus fish this season.  Some guys have all the luck (and a little know-how doesn’t hurt too).

He sent in a photo of Mike Graves with his 50 pound trophy salmon.  Some avid fishermen spend their whole lives searching for a fish this big, but this happens to be Mike’s first salmon ever landed!  Plus the first salmon he ever played, earlier that morning, was probably a 35 pounder and was taken by a sealion right at the boat.  Talk about beginner’s luck!

The sockeye are still being caught, but are reported to be less frequent than a week ago — anglers have to work to find the schools now.  However, they are reported to be a bit bigger than average now when you find them.

Trevor says “It’s gonna be a sad day when its over this year”….we agree!   Get out to Port Renfrew and get into the fishing while it lasts…

August 24 Port Renfrew Fishing Report

August 23rd, 2010

2 springs, 2 sockeye

Fishing this week is excellent in Port Renfrew!

Swiftsure Bank continues with its usual superb August fishing for spring salmon, coho salmon, and halibut.  Jolly Rogers Fishing Charters caught a 171 pound monster halibut for this week’s leader at the Port Renfrew Marina.

Closer to shore, the sockeye are in thick out in the tidelines (from 450-600 feet depths).  Most people are finding them from 40-90 feet deep, shallow early in the am, then deeper later am, and a slower bite in the afternoon.

The chinook salmon have been hot and cooler on the beach day to day, primarily in the Logan Creek to Walbran area.  The morning flood has had a good bite some days, with many boats catching spring salmon in the 20 pound range, and with some bigger fish in the 30s.

Trevor from No Bananas Fishing Charters reports Sunday that a run of big white chinooks are passing through.  He caught a 55 pounder and saw several others in the 40s caught.  That’s the second 55 pound salmon caught this week in Port Renfrew!   So, all going well, there may be some big fish photos coming soon.

If you’re interested in fishing the west coast of Vancouver Island, now is the time to get out there … your Tyee is out there waiting for you!

August 17th, 2010

On the way home from a day’s fishing Swiftsure Bank, we came across a pod of Dall’s porpoises, and they followed us for a few minutes, surfing our bow wake. Speedy little guys … they had their fun and then went on their way and we continued on. We had a great day, in addition to catching salmon and halibut we saw grey whales, sea lions, and eagles … amazing!

Another report

August 17th, 2010

Sweet Fish!

Dan & Mike Burkmar provided this report, of their fishing trip last weekend in Port Renfrew:

“Fishing was awesome for us, we ended up with 8 springs all between 12 and 34lbs. 3 were over 30lbs and got them all on the same day (Saturday). The place to be was the Walbran. And the high flood tide was the a very big *KEY*! Many fish were caught on it. Gold Flasher (Sooke Special) with a Gold Teaser head 57ft, produced our Tyees. The Betsy (Green and Glow) with a green teaser also worked very well for us at 33 ft. Some of our buddies went out to Swiftsure today (Saturday) and it was slow for springs by the sounds of it, but got a 90 lb halibut!!! The fish seem to be showing up now, hope it only gets better from here!”

Now that’s a great fishing report.  Way to go boys!