Click for the latest Sport Fishing Creel Reports

Salmon Update:

The pressure on the salmon has been minimal at most over the last week. Strong winds were forecasted, some days they showed up and some they didn't. For the few that were able to sneak out, Coho and Chinook have been hanging just south of the CR Buoy between 180'-220' of water.

Tuna Update:

Conditions have kept most boats in the port however we did see a good weather window last Wednesday. The North winds have been pushing the warmer water out however several tuna were introduced to the Ilwaco fleet in 57 degree water around the 46.05 x 125.05 line. Ilwaco has a very unique advantage over many ports; live bait! Don't skimp in this category…. When the fish aren't schooled up super thick, broadcasting live bait will draw additional attention and increase your catch rate.

The OTC is coming to Ilwaco: Ilwaco is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated stops for this Charity tournament. As of Monday, 78 teams are signed up to race West at the shotgun start and hopefully the weather will not play a factor in this hunt. I am so excited to fish this event and defend our 2nd Place finish from last year. For additional information, please visit www.oregontunaclassic.org

Anthony Warren, 28' Albin "MadMoney" in Ilwaco
CCA Member & PSA Sno-King Member

Westport (Marine 2):

July 28, 2010

I Fished Westport on Saturday 7-24-10 and Sunday7-25-10 we had a three man crew on Saturday and a four man crew on Sunday. On Saturday the bar was calm but the outside was windy and choppy all day but very fishable. We also had very thick fog at times On Sunday it was just the opposite. The bar was very rough and the outside was nice and calm but we still had thick fog at times. We caught our limits of lingcod and rock fish both days and also hooked some very nice salmon in the little time we spent fishing for them. We also hooked a large sea lion while fighting a nice king but we were unable to land him.

I would also like to thank the Grays Harbor Coast Guard and the crew of life boat 47216 for all the great work they do Thanks guys!

Submitted by Todd Girtz, South King County PSA

We went to Westport fishing on Wednesday 7/21. Water was pretty calm and almost no wind. My fishing buddy Ron and I caught 12 fish total: 30, 22, 18, 12 lbs were keepers. We were trolling in 175ft of water, 45 ft down. Spoons and hootchie's were both working.

Submitted by Chris Mossman

La Push (Marine Area 3 & Forks):

July 28, 2010

No report this week

Neah Bay (Marine Area 4):

July 28, 2010

No report this week

Sekiu (Marine Area 5):

July 28, 2010

I'm chartering out of Van Ripers (360-963-2334) these days and the fishing at Sekiu has definitely picked up since last week. The early morning and late bite has been pretty good! But you can catch fish all day long if you want to put in the time. In the morning, I've been keeping my gear in the upper part of the water column, somewhere between 15 and 45 feet for the first couple of hours. When I see the sun, (or it gets very light) I take my gear down somewhere around 80 to 120 feet. Sunday I set my downrigger wire at 45 feet in 230 feet of water and did very well. What to use, well that surely depends on who you talk too. There are many schools of thought here, most importantly, try to "match the hatch" as they say. There are candle fish and more herring are showing up as of late. Most of these bait fish are around 4 -5 inches long, so stay with something close to that length. Flashers, Hootchies, Spoons, Bucktails, Herring (cut-plug or whole) with flashers are all working. To increase your success, be sure you that all of your terminal tackle is working correctly. When using a flasher, be sure it is making a "roll" or "loop" in the water, if it's not, adjust your leader length, speed up or slow down and try again. Use scent too. When using hootchies, keep your leader length short and use at least 40 lb test line, I like to use 60 lb. When using herring, be sure it spins, whether it's a slow roll or fast, be sure it's a tight spin/roll, herring helmets can help in this area. Coho Killers in white lighting, army truck, cookies and cream, cop car and spatter back green glow are all working quite well too. There are some coho showing up now, it will just get better each day now. As always, give me call or email me if I can be of assistance.

As a side note, the Coast Guard has been there every day performing safety checks, be sure you have all of the proper safety gear with you when out on the water

For more info call Kyle Wagoner at Kyle's Outdoor Adventure Guide Service @ 425-577-8484 Email me @ kylew@kcwservices.com, www.kcwservices.com

No report this week

No report this week

Marine Area 8.1:

July 28, 2010

Closed to salmon fishing

Opens on August 1 for Salmon Coho

For more info call Gary Krein at All-Star Fishing Charters,
800-214-1595 or 425-252-4188 Email gary@allstarfishing.com

Marine Area 8.2:

July 28, 2010

Closed to salmon fishing
Opens on August 1 for Salmon Coho

No reports from the Tulalip Bubble.
General Marine Area 8.2 opens for Coho on August 1

For more info call Gary Krein at All-Star Fishing Charters,
800-214-1595 or 425-252-4188 Email gary@allstarfishing.com

Marine Area 9:

July 28, 2010

Opened for Salmon July 16
Hatchery King Salmon Fishing thru August 31

Possession Bar continues to be the area to fish. Early morning bite is 50 to 60 feet down with Tomic Plugs and then going deeper as the daylight comes on. Top producing lures have been Tomic plugs Mother of Pearl when fished in the bait schools. Evening bite has been in the last two hours of daylight.

For more info, call Gary Krein at All-Star Fishing Charters, 800-214-1595 or 425-252-4188 Email gary@allstarfishing.com ; www.allstarfishing.com

All-Star Fishing Charters - Delivering Quality fishing on Puget Sound

Mother Nature continued with her fickle ways this weekend by again, predicting 20+ knot North winds on the coast. That was enough for me to scratch the trip to the coast and hang out with my good friend Nelson on the Fishtale 2 and chase some Hatchery Chinook around the Puget Sound.

We left the 12th Street Marina at 4:20 and were greeted with an amazing sunrise. Our first stop was going to be the green can at Possession.

Apparently we weren't the only ones fishing on Saturday! We released a nice Native Chinook at first light and around 7AM decided there was too much competition in the area so we headed west to Pilot Point. We trolled up to Pt. No Pt. and were greeted by another swarm of boats. No fish. Continued all the way up through Skunk Bay and didn't see any bait to speak of or any nets flying. We then ran to Scatchet Head and found some great concentration of bait. It didn't take long for us to get hooked up, another Native. Dang it!!! We released a few Rock Fish then Nelson's rod popped off the downrigger and line started peeling out…. "Nice fish!" Nelson yelled out in excitement.

Here's Nelson getting ready to fish the Bisbee by demonstrating the proper fishing technique.

Here's our Hatchery 'football' in the net with an Ace High Fly hanging out of its mouth.

These fish sure fight hard!

Match the hatch with an Ace High Fly

Normally, this is where my reports come to an end; however I felt compelled to bring this one full circle. Cooking is a passion of mine and there is nothing I love more than creating some dish with seafood that was caught by us, ensuring the utmost quality. I stopped by my local farmers market and picked up some great produce to go along with the salmon. Fresh Chinook salmon, you don't have to do much to this to make it great. I keep the seasoning simple: rub it with good olive oil, kosher salt and cracked black pepper. I slow cooked it on my Weber grill using Alder chips for a delicate smoky flavor. The finished product:

Grilled Chinook salmon served on a bed of spring greens with grilled zucchini, roasted red peppers and corn, avocado and shallots.

Bon appétit!

Anthony Warren, 28' Albin "MadMoney" in Ilwaco, CCA Member & PSA Sno-King Member

Here is a brief report of some nice fish coming out of Mid Channel Bank.

Brothers Doug and Brian Flajole on board the Phil MaCooler did just that, they filled their cooler! Fishing the deeper water of Mid-Channel bank, these 22lb, 25lb, 28lb and 36lb Hatchery Chinook could not resist the Silver Horde Cotton Candy Coho Killer and the Ace High Fly. Way to go guys!!!

Anthony Warren, 28' Albin "MadMoney" in Ilwaco, CCA Member & PSA Sno-King Member

Seattle area (Marine Area 10):

July 28, 2010

This weeks report had a good increase of landings at Shilshole, Armini and Kingston. Most all these fish came from Area 9 that continues to turn out good numbers. The inner Elliott Bay fishery remains slow with the tribal test fishery in Elliott Bay with 5 nets resulting in under 10 fish caught. The Elliott Bay derby fish came from area 9. Ken Phillips, one of my customers won 2nd with his fish being taken at Point No Point. Also the lock counts of Chinooks is off 30% of the 14 year average. The Sockeye counts keep on coming with the total at 149,000 but way short of what is needed for a fishery.

Finally, this Tuesday the ground breaking of the start of the Sockeye hatchery on the Cedar River took place and water could be flowing at the facility next year.

The next salmon derby to include area 10 and 11 will be the South King County PSA event August 7th. There will be weigh in stations at Armini, Des Moines marina and Point Defience Boathouse. I will be working the weigh in station at Tacoma. Tickets are available at several locations to include Sportco and Outdoor Emporium.

For more information, call Tom Pollack, Sportco in Fife, 253-922-2222

Open for catch and keep Coho Salmon on July 1
Opens for Chinook (Kings) on July 16

Still a few Coho at Jefferson Head and some Kings along President Point to Kingston. Coho are being caught on dodger and Squid and the Kings have been mostly on King Fisher spoons behind hot spots.

For more info call Gary Krein at All-Star Fishing Charters; (800)214-1595 or (425)252-4188 gary@allstarfishing.com; www.allstarfishing.com

Marine Area 10 - With a great start, fishing in this area has been a little hit or miss over the past week. The evening tides did produce some good fishing in the central sound.

Marine Area 9 - Good action fishing the deep bait 130-200' on the bottom. Plugs and big spoons produce best for me in this situation.

The Humphrey group

The Katlow group

Steve Kobeski and friend.

Matt McCulloch , www.tyeecharters.net , (206) 799-2530

 Marine Area 11:

July 28, 2010

No report this week.

Submitted by Captain Bill Devers, www.pugetsoundsalmoncharters.com; e-mail salmoncharters@comcast.net

Hood Canal (Marine Area 12):

July 28, 2010

No report this week

Marine Area 13:

July 28, 2010

No report this week

Submitted by Captain Bill Devers, www.pugetsoundsalmoncharters.com; e-mail salmoncharters@comcast.net

Lake Chelan:

July 28, 2010

What's hot is trolling for Sockeye Salmon off the mouth of the Columbia River. Chinook numbers are still building with some fish being caught both below Wells Dam and off the mouth of the Okanogan. Also hot is trolling the indeterminate flat below the Bar for Lakers in the mid-morning on Lake Chelan. Wapato Lake has produced some suspended rainbows as its retention season wears down.

Fish for sockeye with Mack's Lures mini squid rigs behind big chrome dodgers or simply bait a tandem red hook set up with Pautzke cured shrimp chunks off the mouth of the Okanogan River. Strap on your patience for the Brewster launch ramp. For the Chinook try sardine wrapped T55 Flatfish in Clown or Michael Jackson.

Fish for Lakers on Chelan with T-4 Flatfish in Purple Glow or those UV / glow Kingfisher lite spoons off the downriggers. The big deal on Chelan this week was a little F7 purple glow flatfish off the outrigger rod.

Your fishing tip of the week is to remember the keys to success in fishing are location and presentation. There were a lot of people trolling in blank water out of Brewster this week. The location difference between catching fish and a slow boat ride is very subtle. A good sonar unit and some experience is helpful here.

The kid's tip of the week is to remember to not burn them out. I got a chance to take my eight-year old granddaughter out fishing this week (at her request, no less). I usually think in terms of 4 hours or more if I am going to the trouble of launching the boat, going to and from the fishing area and retrieving the boat. After pounding out 6 little fish in about an hour and fifteen minutes, she was done. Rather than grinding out more fish, I just pulled the gear and ran to the beach so she could swim and play. We grabbed a snack, retrieved the boat and were back home in less than 3 hours. She had a grand time and wants to go again, and, she is asking when she can start to deckhand. Not overdoing it was the key.

The safety tips of the week are the heart of summer litany. First, watch out for floating debris. There are a lot of prop eaters out there. Second, if you're going to run uplake pay attention to the weather report for afternoon wind. In the straits it can turn a pleasant jaunt into a situation where the Gilligan's Island theme song is playing in your head. "And the weather started getting rough, the tiny ship was tossed." Golly, I'm dating myself! Ugh…

Pictured above on 7/23/10, the Zimmermans of Tumwater, WA with writer Rob Phillips of Yakima with their sockeye limits.

Pictured above on 7/23/10, Rob Oberto of Bothell, WA and Russ Santoro of Medway, MA with their mornings catch of Lake Chelan Lake Trout.

For more info call Anton & Sandra Jones of Darrell & Dad's Family Guide Service; darrellanddads.com; antonj@aol.com or call (509)687-0709 or toll free at (866)360-1523

July 22st, 2010
Had an evening to spend with family so we went out swimming and fishing on Lake Chelan. Trolled uplake over Mack Bar and saw lots of fish but no biters. Marked the fish on the GPS and let the Auto troll do its thing. Took us right back over those big fish and first hook up both rods went off. Lost 1 and Boated a nice 6lb Laketrout. Then on the turn banged a nice 5lb. Chinook.

Hit the auto pilot again and took us over these big fish again. This time an unbelievable hit on the right side Rod. I don't think I ever had a lake trout smoke it so hard. Instantly this fish peeled over a 100ft of line off so I knew it was a monster and even for a moment I was thinking this might be "Walter". The fight from this bad Boy lasted for 30 minutes. When I finally netted this fish it sounded like a Pack of Coyotes going off with my ladies on the boat. It ended up weighing 21lbs. 5 oz. My intention tonight was to catch 3 or 4 lake trout for the smoker. Success is always nice!!!

Pictured above is my youngest daughter Mariah.

July 23rd
Today started with the wind just ripping out of the Narrows. Wasn't sure I was going to be successful but when finally made it to Mack Bar the wind had slowed enough to fish. Trolled the Ace Hi-Fly with Pikeminnow Fillets and Purple t-4 Flatfish today. The fish bite was real good all morning long. Kept my presentation 1 to 3 ft off the bottom to find the biters. Ended the day with 12 nice laketrout.

Tight lines to all and Be careful of all the drift that is out there.

Pictured above, Andre Edgekowski and Father Bob with their Lake Chelan catch

July 24th
Today was a lot tougher fishing than Yesterday. Trolled over a lot of fish, but they were light striking everything I passed by them. Wasn't that the fish were not hungry, I think that it had to do with the pressure change that went on over night. Targeted depths today between 120 and 160ft to find the few that we boated. Kept my trolling speed between 1.2 and 1.5 mph

Pictured above, Greg Smith, Noah Phillips and boys

July 25th
Started again today going to the BAR! Mack Bar on Lake Chelan that is, but without a nibble in 4 passes over the shallow hump. I decided to move into the Lower trench and pull the Ace Hi-Fly in Green spatterback flavor to bang 7 nice lake trout in 2 hours. Really had my doubts that maybe this was going to be my "Day in the Barrel" but ended up being a real good trip. "If at first you don't Succeed Keep on Sucking until you do Succeed".. I just love that saying.

Pictured above, Brenda & Mike Heinz and their 2 Girls with their Lake Chelan catch.

Lake Chelan Adventures, Joe Heinlen - 509-393-9665 www.lakechelanadventures.com

Late July on Potholes Reservoir is a fine time for some quality water sport activities. Our surface water temperatures are hovering around 80 degrees. With our water level dropping daily due to heavy irrigation demand, fishing only will improve. Boaters are reporting good walleye catches on both Spinners tipped with a night crawler, trolling Rapala Shad Raps, Baby Hot Lips and DC 13's. Bass fishing has been great. Smallmouth bass are most available along the face of O'Sullivan Dam, near Goose Island and in the Lind Coulee arm of Potholes Reservoir. As our water level drops largemouth bass become easier to find in the sand dunes as primary channels become easier to locate and fish are condensed with a shrinking reservoir. Don't forget when boating in the sand dunes on Potholes Reservoir always use extreme caution. When possible use a GPS to make your safe route in and out of the sand dunes.

Pictured above, young Joey Nania of Silverlake Washington recently fished the Northwest Bass Tournament on Potholes Reservoir hosted by MarDon Resort.

Levi Meseberg with a nice bass. (released)

Pictured above, Tristan, Aaron and Alex Ladwig caught these walleye trolling in Crab Creek.

Submitted by Mike Meseberg, MarDon Resort on Potholes Reservoir 509.346.2651 www.mardonresort.com

Ucluelet, BC:

July 28, 2010

The prime time to fish here is all summer - well not quite, but since we fish three areas there is usually somewhere to catch salmon and halibut. Most recommended times are:

o December to May for the feeder Chinooks and some halibut starting to show in Ucluelet around mid May
o May - July for Halibut in Ucluelet and large numbers of Chinook(King) salmon.(they run all summer) .
o July 15 - September 10 in Ucluelet for large Kings
o July, August and September for Coho in Ucluelet

Ucluelet has been one of the hottest places to come home with large amounts of fish and we expect this year to be good in spite of the closures south of the border. The best time to come usually is late June, July and August and early September. Late September and October can still see good action as well for feeding Chinook and Coho. Many people are concerned about catching fish, so one thing to note about Ucluelet is that it is not like some other areas that have really slow times and really good times. We have a large area to choose from and there are so many fish travelling past, that you almost always have a good shot of a good days fishing, whether coming in May, June, July, August or September.

Right now....

General Report

The BIG Chinook (Kings) are continuing to provide excitement in Ucluelet and we are seeing many mornings with lots of action for BIG fish!

Pictured above on July 18th, Murray Penner with a 38 lb Chinook

The Charlotte O'Clair group

Pictured above, Jeff & Dorris Locke on July 27th

Pictured above, David Kang group on July 21, 2010

The Chinook are biting on just about anything, however most guides are using large Tomic plugs. Purple and blue seem to be very good colors. Tomic spoons are also working well and any Pilchard colors or white or pearl are working well. The large Chinook are often in bunches and you can hit them one after the other when you are on the right spot. The early morning seems to provide the fastest action, so make sure you get out there first thing. South Bank has been the most consistent and most people are fishing there the last week.

The halibut have been in a few different spots and we have been finding a few places closer in which has been nice. Big Bank is doing the best and you should be able to get your limit quickly there. Trolling is the easiest there right now and there are some nice average size halibut showing up there. Ucluelet Fisherman's Salmon Derby August 14-16 Till next time!

For more info, call Sam Vandervalk, 877-777-4344 Salmon Eye Fishing Charters www.salmoneye.net

Fishing has been fantastic. There are Salmon and Halibut all over the banks. Some of the spots fish better than others and it changes from day to day, but there are fish everywhere. Most of our offshore effort this week was the South Bank or Big Bank. In shore fishing has been good with fish around Kirby Point, Cree, Austin and Mearse Bluff

Pictured above, T.J. Baxter from Kettle Falls, WA with a 35 pound Chinook taken early morning July 26 at Cree Island. Fishing with Anchovy in a glow teaser head at 61 ft.

Pictured above, Larry, Dave and Wayne from BC with a nice mixed bag catch from the South Bank

For more info call Ken Bodaly at Rocky Point Charters, Bamfield, B.C. 250-728-3678 or the boat cell phone 250-735-4224 www.rockypointcharters.ca email rockypointcharters@shaw.ca

The current fishing conditions continue like the weather "HOT". The Sockeye fishing in the Port Alberni Inlet has been unbelievable and has benefited the Port Alberni economy and tourism activity extensively. The current fishing on outside waters out of Ucluelet and the surf line areas of Barkley Sound have seen record numbers of Chinook salmon migrating to southern watersheds. The fishing on most days has been very good especially for three year old Chinook.

The total return of Somass Sockeye to terminal fishing areas in the Port Alberni Inlet has been reforecast to 1.1 million salmon. This is a total of 500,000 Sockeye extended from the original forecast of 600,000. The Adult escapement goal is 449,000 and is currently at 422,000. Great Central Lake has current return through its fish way of 182,000 and Sproat Lake 240,000. The Great Central Lake daily returns have been averaging from a low of 3,000 to a high day of 16,000 salmon, while Sproat returns have lowered averaging a low on one day of 3,000 to a high day of 9,000. The Somass River conditions remain very favorable to the migration of the Sockeye as the flow is moderate and the water temperature in the river is below the 20 degree Celsius mark.

While the Sport fleet in the Port Alberni Inlet will continue fishing at a possession limit of four Sockeye per day a Fin-Fishing Closure came into effect on Saturday July 24th in the tidal river area from Paper Mill Dam to the Mouth of the Somass River.

Port Alberni Inlet
Barkley Sound

Craig and his two friends from the Netherlands show a couple of their Somass River Sockeye caught in the Port Alberni Inlet. The groups guide was Doug of Sliver Charters Salmon Sport Fishing

The Port Alberni Inlet has been alive with migrating Somass Sockeye headed for spawning grounds and sport fishermen from all over the world taking opportunity to land the harvestable surplus. Many boat owners have come to the Port Alberni Valley to fish for the number 1 salmon-----Sockeye while many tourists and visitors from countries in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, the U.S. and many locations of Canada have hired responsible salmon fishing guides to take opportunity to sport fish for the great tasting salmon which is the current highlight at many family barbeques. The Sockeye sport fishery has been one of the best seasons in years and many individuals have taken advantage in participating in one of the best family fishing opportunities available. Children from five years old or younger and adults to age 90 or more can take part in this fishery. The Port Alberni Inlet invites many individuals to very pristine and quiet waters in the morning hours and allows for very easy fishing out of many boat types.

Tom from Utah fished with Doug and Mel of slivers Charters Salmon Sport fishing and had some wonderful days on the Alberni Inlet fishing for Sockeye Salmon

The Fishing in the Inlet got under way very close to the middle of June and each day since has been more than fantastic. The Salmon have been in all of the available fishing areas of the Inlet with the China Creek and Franklin-Nahmint areas having the best fishing. Guides from Slivers Charters Salmon Sport Fishing have entertained guests with limits of salmon on a daily basis. The sockeye are currently moving to deeper water as the air temperature increases. Lately the best fishing has been in 70 to 120 feet of water and those that use dummy flashers have perhaps had better and quicker success than those that have not. It does seem that the salmon that are biting are in deeper water. The mp hootchies in black-pink, blue-pink and bubblgum pink continue to work well with 22 to 28 inches of leader. The test fishery boat is out again this week and the run may or may not be upgraded. Sockeye fishing could very well go into the first ten days of August.

Barkley Sound

The Barkley Sound fishing has continued to be on a roller coaster. There has been some good fishing in inside areas like Pill Point and Diplock over the past couple of weeks with some nice Chinook in the mid twenties and lower thirties. These fish have come into these inside areas to feed on bait in the area. Effinghan Island, Austin and Cree Island have been very good on many occasions with some good fishing lasting three or four days at a time and then cooling off and then coming on again as new schools of Chinook swim by on their migration to distant watersheds. Sport fisher persons have to be in the location on the days that the Chinook are coming through.

Irena of Russia shows her big Chinook she caught on the Barkley Sound surf line. This fish was caught on a hootchie and guide was John of Slivers Charters

As of late the fish in the surf line areas have been predominately three year olds and have been coming in at 15 to 20 pounds. Slivers Charters Guides have been fishing the area and have done well on the four inch blue and green nickel coyote spoon, the army truck glow and the tiger prawn hootchie. Bait has been okay but not as prominent as it has been in past years. A purple hot spot flasher with a five to six foot leader using an army truck, chartreuse, purple haze, or UV green Rhys Davis teaser head seem to be currently working the best for those using bait. A couple of anglers during the past week have been fortunate in finding the odd halibut in the Sound. Pill Point over the weekend had one happy group land a 42 pound hali picked up on a small spoon.

Guests from Abbotsford B.C. with guide John fishing off of Meares Bluff landed a 30 pound halibut using a green nickel coyote on the troll. The Coho fishing has been almost nil to date. There have been few reports of any Coho action. August and September should be the usual banner months in Barkley Sound for Chinook and Coho fishing.

This bright Chinook was landed at Meares Bluff located in Barkley Sound. This Chinook hit a blue-nickel coyote spoon. Guide was John of Slivers Charters Salmon Sport fishing

Ucluelet

Fishing Areas out of Ucluelet continue to be very good. Like any other year not every day is banner but on most days there is enough area to move to find moving and feeding salmon. Most guides continue to do well for their guests on a daily basis for halibut and Chinook which again are predominately in the three year old category. This is not to say that there have not been any fish picked up from the mid twenties to low thirty pound category. Those traveling out to fish in Ucluelet should be prepared for some fog as the warm inland temperatures reaching 30 to 35 degrees Celsius often mean foggy cool mornings on Ucluelet waters. The Lighthouse Bank, the outside and inside south and the adipose have all had some great fishing. The Big Bank has been very good and has really been the only area that has reported some Coho although there have been reports of a few landed in inside waters. Some guides are using six and seven inch plugs and tomic spoons in shallower water because of the many pilchards swimming and schooling in the area. Often the bigger fish will come after these lures. Other fishermen are fishing deeper and are using hootchies in the form of the T-Rex and the Tiger Prawn and various white and green colors.

The Ladder Ucluelet fishing derby continues through until the end of August with the final derby taking place during the second weekend of September. Each month has some great cash prizes and the entry is $10 per person. Details are available out in Ucluelet when arriving for fishing.

The late spring and summer salmon fishing in this area has been very good if not phenomenal. Many guests and visitors have gone home very pleased with their catches and have exceeded many individuals expectations. We are expecting the next two months to be the same.

For more info, call Doug Lindores at Slivers Charters Salmon Sport Fishing (250)724-2502, Toll Free 1 (877) 314 6800 or Cell (250) 731 7389 www.catchsalmon.ca or
www.catchsalmon-ca.com; dlindy@shaw.ca

No report this week

Quatsino Sound/Winter Harbour:

July 28, 2010

Fishing has picked up consistently over the course of the last couple of weeks, with most boats limiting on Spring Salmon, and reporting excellent Halibut and Lingcod fishing. Thru late June, and into early July, the spring salmon were smaller than average for our area. We saw abundant schools of fish, and they were biting, but average size was in the 15lb neighborhood vs. the 22-23lb average we are used to for this time of year. We were however seeing very large bodies of needlefish and Pilchard baitfish.

In the last week, the average has jumped considerably, with many boats seeing fish in the high twenties and thirties… with a handful of mid forties brought to the dock as well.

In general, the near shore waters of Cains Island, Kwakutil and Lippy Points have been very productive. The water is very "inky" and very fishy looking. Dark hoochies like Pacific Nets B-52, and Yamashita's " Cop Car Snotty" have been very productive…. as have large Pilchard pattern spoons.

Most of the fish are coming between 135 and 185 ft, in 200-250 feet of water.

Hali and Ling fishing has been VERY productive, and average size has arguably been higher than usual with many fish coming in the 40-60lb range. Glo Tiger Prawn jigs, Blu-Glow Mudrakers, and the standard Large Herring on Spreader bars have been producing very well.

We have yet to see the large body of Coho that we are used to seeing by now, but news out of Haida Gwaii to the north is that the Coho are there in big numbers…. And headed our way! It would seem that the pattern of the last few years, where the Salmon have been three or four weeks early… is normalizing this year. We expect this will bode very well for our July and August fishery.

Bring your own boat and RV, or come charter fishing with us and experience the wild West coast of Vancouver Island at its best.

Caught today - July 13th, in Brooks Bay by Ross McRae and his Outpost Guide Chris Lazu. Weight: 168 lbs. Caught in 225 ft of water on a Gibbs Glow Tiger Prawn Jig.

Greg Vance The Outpost at Winter Harbour www.winterharbour.ca winterharbour@telus.net 250-969-4333

No report this week

Submitted by John Bridal, Sooke Fishing Adventures
www.fishingsooke.ca, 1-250-642-2587

No report this week

Submitted by Richard Taggart, Manager, Pedder Bay RV Resort & Marina - 250-478-1771

Richard and the Crew
Pedder Bay RV Resort and Marina

Vancouver Island Overview

Salmon fishing was SLOW this past week except at Port Renfrew. In most places only one out of eight to ten boats is catching salmon. Halibut fishing was SLOW this past week with the big tides and fast currents.

Sooke, BC:

July 28, 2010

Salmon - Salmon fishing remains SPOTTY for springs. A few springs over 30 lbs were landed his past week, but most fish were in the teens and 20's. A few hatchery coho have been caught, as well as one pink salmon. There have also been a few sockeye caught and released. Silverstreak Boats held a small private derby this past weekend and raised $1,200 dollars for the local hatchery. They weighed in 17 fish with 60 derby tickets sold. The top three winning fish weighted 29.9 lbs, 25.7 lbs and 22.2 lbs. The best areas were Possession Point, Secretary (Donaldson) Island and Sherringham Point. Most anglers fishing for springs are using bait more than hootchies and spoons. Anchovies and 5.5"- 6" herring in Clear, Purple Haze or Green Glow heads were catching fish. The best hootchies or squirts to try are the Army Truck, White and Purple Haze. The best flasher has been the Silver Betsey.

Halibut - Halibut fishing was SLOW this past week with the big tides and fast currents. That said, a few "chickens " were caught. Best bet for halibut has been west of Sherringham Pt. Extra Large herring, Mackerel and Octopus are the most popular baits for halibut. Berkely Gulp and Powerbait soft plastics also work very well. You can also use a large spoon fished off the spreader bar, Mudraker or Lucky Jigs or other large Jigs if you want to stay away from the dogfish.

Becher Bay

Salmon fishing was SLOW this past week. There have been salmon taken in most spots from the Aldridge Point to Secretary Island. Al Zaalburg landed a 38.2 lb spring near the Trap Shack on Sunday while fishing an anchovy in a green teaser head. Most of the fish were caught recently have been between 40 to 120 feet on the downrigger using anchovy or herring as bait. The salmon have been in tight and shallow in the mornings moving to deeper water during the day. The best teaser heads were Purple Haze or Green Glow colored. Some anglers were using hootchies, squirts and/or spoons with some success. The Army Truck, White and Purple Haze are good choices at this time of year when you're trolling plastic and Green/Silver spoons are working when trolling as well. The best flashers have been the Silver Betsey, Purple Haze or Green/Silver.

 Pedder Bay

Salmon -Fishing was SLOW, BUT BETTER than last week when not a single salmon was seen at the marina. During one creel survey on the weekend, 40 boats surveyed reported 9 springs, and one coho. One of the boats had 4 of the salmon and they caught all their fish jigging. Another boat had two springs and they were also caught jigging. Obviously jigging inside the bay and in the Race was the most productive way to fish. Two of the other fish reported were caught at Otter Point. Trollers have been most successful near the Navy Can Buoy using anchovies or small herring fished in Chartreuse, Clear or Purple Haze teaser heads. The best flashers have been Glow in the dark ones and the Purple Haze. If you're using hootchies and squirts for springs, try the Pistachio, Electric Chair or Jellyfish. Spoons usually work very well for springs at this time of year, especially if they have green or blue highlights on silver or are mirror image ones.

HALIBUT - Halibut fishing was SLOW this past week with the big tides and fast currents. Only a couple of "chicken" halibut were taken on the weekend. Halibut were coming from the 27 Fathom Bank and the Race Rocks area. The dogfish weren't as bad on the weekend here as they were at Constance Bank. Salmon bellies, Mackerel, Extra Large herring and/or Octopus are the most popular baits for halibut these days. Berkley Gulp and Powerbait soft plastics also work very well. You can also use a large spoon fished off the spreader bar, Mudraker or Lucky Jigs or other large Jigs if you want to stay away from the dogfish.

Victoria/Sydney, BC:

July 28, 2010

Victoria Waterfront

Salmon - Salmon fishing was VERY SLOW this past week but a little better than the week before. Constance Bank has been the best spot for feeders up to 12 lbs but it never really was on fire because of the strong currents. Along the waterfront, some decent fish have been caught at Macauley Point, the Breakwater and Clover Point. Many of the fish have been in the twenties, but only about 1 in 10 boats is getting a salmon, low odds for catching a fish. Lance Foreman beat the odds on Sunday when he caught a 31 lb 12 oz red spring near the Breakwater. Jarred Snippa caught his very first salmon at Constance Bank this past week.

Anchovies and herring are top producers this time of year, especially in the smaller sizes. Glow Green and Purple Haze have been the best teaser head colors for springs. Good lures recently have been Green/Silver or Green/Glow Coyote spoons and Electric Chair and Purple Haze hootchies and squirts. Good flashers have been the OK'I Big Shooter Red/Gold or Gold Betsey and Hot Spots in Gold Fever and Green/Gold.

Halibut - Halibut fishing was SLOW this past week with the big tides and fast currents at Constance Bank, Border Bank and the "Mud Hole". Salmon bellies, Mackerel, Extra Large herring and/or Octopus are the most popular baits for halibut these days. Berkley Gulp and Powerbait soft plastics also work very well, and some anglers are saying they are producing better than bait. You can also use a large spoon fished off the spreader bar, Mudraker or Lucky Jigs or other large Jigs if you want to stay away from the dogfish.

 Oak Bay

Salmon -- Salmon fishing was VERY SLOW in the Gap and on the Flats. Very few salmon were reported this past week and many of those caught were less than 5 lbs in size. The best fishing was in the evening for fish up to 12 lbs. The springs were close to the bottom where needlefish and candlefish are the major food. The most successful method for springs was trolling right on bottom in 100 to 150 feet of water with anchovy, Baitrix tiny strip, squirts or 4" spoons. Good squirts were the Electric Chair, Green Galaxy, Jellyfish, Alligator and J-79 squirts. The OK'I Big Shooter Purple Onion flasher has been working very well in combination with the Electric chair squirt. With spoons, 3½" or 4" Gypsy, Titans or Coyotes in Cop Car or Silver/Green colors also catch a lot of fish in Oak Bay.

HALIBUT - Halibut fishing was SLOW this past week with the big tides and fast currents. Salmon bellies, Mackerel, Extra Large herring and/or Octopus are the most popular baits for halibut these days. Berkley Gulp and Powerbait soft plastics also work very well. You can also use a large spoon fished off the spreader bar, Mudraker or Lucky Jigs or other large Jigs if you want to stay away from the dogfish.

Sidney

Salmon fishing was SLOW this past week. We've heard of a 19lb spring caught in Sidney Channel and a few 10 to 12 lb springs from near Fairfax Point. It's been slow everywhere and Sidney anglers are hoping that sockeye will come open this year for retention. Fishing right on the bottom with Anchovies or Tiny Strip is your best bet these days. Spoons have been good as well with 3.5" or 4" Green and Glow colors producing best. The best soft plastic lures to use for springs now are the Glo Below, Electric Chair and Purple Haze Squirts.

Notable Catches -

Terry Valley did well in Port Renfrew catching a 47.4 lb spring near Owen Point on an anchovy. Al Zaalburg landed a 38.2 lb spring near the Trap Shack on Sunday while fishing an anchovy in a green teaser head. Lance Foreman beat the odds on Sunday when he caught a 31 lb 12 oz red spring near the Breakwater.

Pictured above, Jarred Snippa caught his very first salmon at Constance Bank this past week.

Tip of the Week

Take some binoculars fishing! You can use them to see what other successful anglers are using for bait, spot bait ball ups from a distance, or check for changes in the weather conditions by scanning the horizon. Or you can just enjoy the views or nature and make your day fishing more enjoyable.

2010 DERBIES and EVENTS

July 30th - August 1st: 9th Annual Davey Derby "D10". The derby is held in Port Renfrew. Tickets are $45.00 a rod and can be purchased the day of the derby or in advance. For advance ticket purchase contact the derby orchestrator, Audie Williams at Audie@daveyderby.ca Visit the derby website at www.daveyderby.ca

August 22nd: Esquimalt Anglers annual members' salmon derby.

August 29th: The Sidney Anglers' Roundup Derby: Open to paid up members only

Submitted by Tom Vaida Island Outfitters, 3319 Douglas Street, Victoria, BC (250) 475-4969 info@fishingvictoria.com; www.fishingvictoria.com

Port Renfrew

Salmon and halibut fishing has been EXCELLENT out at Swiftsure Bank for 10 to 20 lb springs and halibut. Most of the boats are easily getting limit catches. Closer in along the beach it has been SPOTTY for salmon. Salmon fishing has been the best between Logan Creek and Camper Creek. However, some days you have to put in your time to get strikes. Anchovies and medium herring have been the most productive baits. Right now, Port Renfrew is the place to fish in our region. Terry Valley did well close to shore though, catching a 47.4 lb spring near Owen Point on an anchovy.

Submitted by Tom Vaida Island Outfitters, 3319 Douglas Street, Victoria, BC (250) 475-4969 info@fishingvictoria.com; www.fishingvictoria.com

BRITISH COLUMBIA – FRESH WATER REPORTS

OVERVIEW -Trout fishing is FAIR and bass fishing has been GOOD on the local lakes. Trout fishing is SLOW on the Cowichan River.

Cowichan River - The water level on the Cowichan River is at the summer lows. Fishing is tough and tubers will be out in full force if we ever get a warm, sunny day. Try fishing small nymphs and/or streamer patterns for the Rainbows and Browns. Early in the morning or late in evening would be the best times for trout fishing the river.

Local Lakes

Trout fishing is FAIR on most lakes in the south island area. As the water keeps warming, the fish are going deeper to find cool water. Fly fishing has been really good in Elk Lake recently. Fly anglers are hitting fish while trolling black leeches and Wolly Buggers or black & red or purple micro leeches and general searching patterns such as the Carey Special. Anglers fishing Powerbait or worms from shore have also been doing well. Fluorescent Pink and Chartreuse Powerbait Eggs have been the hottest bait recently. Trollers have been doing very well with the Rhys Davis Baitrix Trout lures and UV Mini Strip Teasers for larger fish. They have also been doing well trolling Apex Trout Killers with the police car one of the best and the black with silver glitter spots taking second place. Flatfish and/or Kwikfish have also been effective in sizes 7 and smaller in Frog, Yellow with Red Spots or Blue/Silver. Smaller Rapalas in Rainbow Trout or Brown Trout patterns also work well. Guy Hebert landed a nice 18" cutthroat from Cowichan Lake on a trolled green flatfish. Lastly, Willow Leaf Lake trolls with a worm-tipped GIBBS Wedding Band will almost always catch some fish. By the way, all wild rainbows and cutthroats over 50 cm must be released in Cowichan Lake.

Bass Fishing

Bass fishing was GOOD this past week. Anglers reported success in most of the local bass lakes. Suspending Rapalas (X-Rap, Husky Jerk) are working with a bit slower retrieve and a lot of twitching action for the bigger fish. Bass are also biting near the drop offs in deeper water, especially on soft plastics. Some anglers are doing well with spinner baits too. Langford Lake, Shawnigan Lake, Prospect Lake and Elk and Beaver Lakes are the best local bass lakes. St. Mary's Lake on Salt Spring Island is also a great lake for bass fishing. 10 year old Kendra Chitty went fishing at the Elk Lake dock and hooked into and reeled in (with very little help) a 5lb Smallmouth bass on a small hook with a worm, 15 feet off the dock and right on the bottom. Scott Langvonauger reported catching smallmouths to 5 lbs in Prospect Lake on Dingers near the rocky drop offs.

Notable Catches

Pictured above, 10 year old Kendra Chitty who went fishing at the Elk Lake dock and hooked into and reeled in (with very little help) a 5lb Smallmouth bass on a small hook with a worm, 15 feet off the dock and right on the bottom.

Scott Langvonauger reported catching smallmouths to 5 lbs in Prospect Lake on Dingers near the rocky drop offs.

Submitted by Tom Vaida, Island Outfitters, 3319 Douglas Street, Victoria, BC (250) 475-4969 info@fishingvictoria.com; www.fishingvictoria.com

Queen Charlotte Islands

July 28, 2010

The Salmon University/Oak Bay Marine Group annual outing took place at Langara Island in the Queen Charlottes,from July 15th to July 18th.The weather didn't cooperate as well as we would have liked, but I guess you can't guarantee weather. All of the anglers were able to fish the east side of Langara every day and as the wind abated could also move to the west side.

Reiner Graumann, from Renton with a nice Chinook. Langara's east side produced some really fat Coho's in the lower teen's along with some very strong chinook.

Humpback Whales were every where and put on quite a show for everyone. The bottom fish angling was outstanding for halibut, ling cod and rock fish.

Reay Buckingham (pictured above) from Vancouver B.C. took top place in the Chinook category with a 30 plus pounder, thus putting him in the Captains Club.

Erwin Wimmer from Seattle, with his fishing partner Reiner Graumann from Renton, pulled in a 74 pound halibut.

Submitted by Tom Nelson, Salmon University

OREGON

 Oregon Coast

July 28, 2010

No report this week

ALASKA

No report this week

John Yeager, Timber Wolf Charters, Wrangell, Alaska - 1-888-993-2750

 Great Lakes

July 28, 2010

Fishing Lake Michigan - Milwaukee

Steady and productive is the best way to describe the Lake Michigan Milwaukee salmon fishing. Chinooks of all sizes with four year old Chinook averaging 15 pounds. Rainbows and Lake Trout are plentiful when fishing with all presentation. Shore anglers are having a rough go of it with cloudy water from recent rain run off. Some recent east wind has not changed the location or depth of fish. Very good action in working 40 to 80 feet of water in White Fish Bay three to seven miles north of Milwaukee's north gap.

With 59 degree surface temperature 2,3,4,5,6 and 8 color lead core are working. Travel northeast out of the North Gap about 3 miles at a 50 degrees compass for the cold water that holds the fish. Look for fish from 10 to 60 down on all presentations. Slide Divers with 70 feet of line out are a steady producer with magnum Reaper Peacock or Fish n Chip spoons. Glow spoons have also been working all day long in the magnum size like the Reaper Fish Fry. Downriggers from 40 to 65 down on long lead spoons are my go to rig with magnum silver or glow spoons. Customers are enjoying great action on Chinook salmon to 20 pounds. A combination of Salmon and Trout in all sizes are active. The boat speed of 2.1 gave the best results.

Submitted by Capt. Jim Hirt (Jim charters out of Milwaukee, WI) 414-828-1094 www.bluemaxcharters.com