PORT ALBERNI INLET, BARKLEY SOUND, WEST COAST  (UCLUELET)

FISHING REPORT

October 2006

FISHING REPORT    VANCOUVER ISLAND BRITISH COLUMBIA             

PORT ALBERNI INLET, BARCLAY SOUND, UCLUELET (WEST COAST)

                                SOMASS-STAMP RIVER SYSTEM

SLIVERS CHARTERS SALMON SPORT FISHING www.catchsalmon.ca

Written by:

DOUG LINDORES

          IT IS NOW OCTOBER AND THE WEATHER ON THE WATER HAS BEEN SPECTACULAR.  THIS HAS BEEN ONE OF THE MOST MEMORABLE FALLS ON THE WEST COAST OF BRITISH COLUMBIA.  BOATING ON THE PORT ALBERNI INLET, BARCLAY SOUND, AND THE WATERS OFF THE RUGGED WEST COAST HAVE BEEN WONDERFUL.  THE BEST FISHING HAS BEEN THE WATERS OFF THE SURFLINE OF BARCLAY SOUND AND UCLUELET.  GUIDES MIKE, AL, AND BOB HAVE HAD MANY FUN FILLED DAYS WITH AVID SPORT FISHERS WHO ARE STILL LIMITING ON HALIBUT.  THERE ARE STILL MANY COHO AND THE FEEDER SPRING FISHING FOR SALMON 15 TO 20 POUNDS HAS BEEN PHENOMENOL.  THERE IS ALSO SOME VERY GOOD LING COD FISHNG IN VARIOUS AREAS.

PORT ALBERNI INLET AND BARCLAY SOUND

         LAST WEEK GUIDES MEL AND MIKE SPENT TIME IN BARCLAY SOUND AND FOUND  SOME BEAUTIFUL FEEDER SPRINGS OFF OF MEARES AND SWALE.  THE FISH WEIGHED BETWEEN 14 AND 22 POUNDS.  THE FISH WERE WHERE THE BAIT WAS FOUND.  ANCHOVIE, PURPLE HAZE HOOTCHIE AND COP CAR COYOTE SPOONS SEEMED TO WORK BEST.  MOST OF THE FISH WERE FOUND BETWEEN 8O AND 100 FEET.   GREAT COHO FISHING 7 MILES OFF OF BEALE WAS ALSO REPORTED.  BECAUSE OF THE FULL MOON AND THE LARGE SURF IT WAS DIFFICULT TO FISH THE EDWARD KING AND KIRBY AREAS OF THE SOUND. 

          SOCKEYE, CHINOOK AND COHO ARE ALWAYS THE MOST POPULAR TARGETED FISH IN B.C.  PEOPLE DO NOT OFTEN SPEAK OF CHUM FISHING.  CHUM SALMON WEIGH UP TO 20 POUNDS AND ARE DEFINITELY A HARD FIGHTING SALMON.  MANY SPORT FISHERMEN WHO FISH FOR CHUM OFTEN SAY THAT CHUM ARE THE HARDEST FIGHTING SALMON.  VERNON BAY AND PILL POINT IN BARCLAY SOUND AND COUS CREEK, MCTOOSH, AND AREAS AROUND NAHMINT HAVE HAD SOME GREAT CHUM FISHING.  BROWNS BAY IN THE CAMPBELL RIVER AREA IS ALSO A SPECTACULAR CHUM SPORT FISHING AREA.  THE CHUM IN THE BROWNS BAY AREA STAY A BEAUTIFUL CHROME COLOR RIGHT INTO NOVEMBER.  CHUM SALMON ARE VERY OILY BUT WHEN SMOKED COME OUT JUST BEAUTIFUL.  THE FABLED STORY OF A CHUM OR FOR SOME WHO USE THE TERM “DOG SALMON” AS BEING REALLY A RAT FISH FOR A SALMON IS NOT TRUE.   FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE CHUM SALMON FISHERY  E MAIL DOUG AT dlindy@shaw.ca.

UCLUELET

          NO ONE WOULD HAVE IMAGINED THAT THE HALIBUT FISHING WOULD HAVE CONTINUED TO BE AS SPECTACULAR INTO OCTOBER AS IT HAS THIS YEAR.   GUIDE BOB HAD EIGHT 20 TO 25 POUND HALIBUT ONLY 4 MILES OFF SHORE JUST LAST WEEK.  THE GULLY, SOUTHBANK AND BIG BANK HAS HAD SOME FANTASTIC FEEDER SPRING SPORT FISHING.  BIG BANK HAS ALSO HAD SOME UNBELIEVABLE COHO FISHING AS WELL AS HALIBUT FISHING.   THE HALIBUT HAVE BEEN FISHED BEST WHEN JIGGING AND USING SALMON PARTS (HEADS STOMACHS).  GUIDE MIKE HAS BEEN FISHING HALIBUT FIRST THING IN THE MORNING THEN SWITCHING TO SALMON LATER.   THE SALMON HAVE BEEN HITTING HOOTCHIES AND COYOTE SPOONS AND HAVE BEEN VERY FEISTY.   WE THINK THE HALIBUT AND SALMON FISHING WILL REMAIN HOT THROUGH OCTOBER.  CALL DOUG AT SLIVERS CHARTERS  250 724 2502 FOR MORE INFORMATION.

SOMASS-STAMP RIVER SYSTEM

          CHINOOK AND COHO HAVE BEEN RETURNING INTO THE SYSTEM IN GOOD NUMBERS.  ALMOST 30,000 CHINOOK HAVE RETURNED INTO THE SOMASS-STAMP.  COHO WHICH WERE ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO CATCH IN BARCLAY SOUND AND THE INLET ARE AT ABOUT 14,000.  SPORT FISHING IN THE SOMASS-STAMP HAS PICKED UP IN SOME SPOTS.  WOOL IN RED, PINK AND CHARTREUSE HAVE BEEN THE BEST COLORS FOR CHINOOK.  SPINNERS AND SPOONS HAVE BEEN BEST FOR COHO.  THERE ARE A FEW LARGE SCHOOLS OF CHINOOK AND COHO ENTERING THE LOWER RIVER.  AVID FLY FISHERMEN USING GUIDES HAVE BEEN FISHNG THE  LOWER NAHMINT AND OTHER TRIBUTARY STREAMS.  A LOT OF CATCH AND RELEASE HAS BEEN TAKING PLACE.

          SUMMER STEELHEAD WILL PICKUP WHEN THE FALL RAINS ARRIVE.  THE SOMASS-STAMP SHOULD HAVE SOME REMARKABLE SUMMER STEELHEAD FISHING

INTO THE END OF NOVEMBER.

          TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ONE OF OUR BEAUTIFUL FALL DAYS AND VISIT STAMP FALLS OR ROBERTSON CREEK TO WATCH THE MIGRATION AND SPAWNING OF THE SALMON.  STAMP FALLS IS A FANTASTIC VIEWING AREA TO WATCH THE SALMON MAKE THEIR JOURNEY HOME.  THE BACK END OF SPROAT LAKE IN THE TWO RIVERS AREA IS AN AREA TO WATCH THE SOCKEYE SPAWN.  THE CREEKS WILL NEED TO FILL UP WITH MORE WATER BUT WHEN THEY DO THE SMALL CREEKS WILL FILL WITH SOCKEYE AND A REAL EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY BECOMES REAL FOR ALL TO VIEW.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

ON GUIDED FISHING CHARTERS

CONTACT:

DOUG LINDORES

SLIVERS CHARTERS SALMON SPORT FISHING

www.catchsalmon.ca

dlindy@shaw.ca

250 724-2502