Ben Tholcke with his derby winning bass
Island Outfitters
SALTWATER OVERVIEW – Salmon fishing was GOOD when it wasn’t too windy. Halibut fishing was FAIR if you picked the right time to fish the currents.
Subject: FN0110 - Recreational - Salmon - Chinook - Areas 19 and 20: Fishery Management Actions in effect to 23:59 hours Friday, June 17, 2016
Waters: Subareas 19-1 to 19-4 and Subarea 20-5 (those waters near Victoria between Cadboro Pt to Sheringham Pt). Management measure: You may retain two (2) chinook salmon per day. These chinooks may be either wild or hatchery marked between 45 cm and 67 cm; or- hatchery marked greater than 67 cm in length. The minimum size limit in these waters is 45 cm in length. Management actions after June 17 will be announced in a second fishery notice.
Subject: FN0221- RECREATIONAL - Halibut - Management Measures in Effect April 1, 2016 Effective 00:01 hours April 1, 2016 until further notice.
The maximum length for halibut is 133cm. The daily limit for halibut is one (1). The possession limit for halibut is two (2), only one of which may be greater than 83cm in length. Note: This is a change from last year. The annual limit is six (6) halibut per license holder.
For the latest details on recreational fishery openings and closures in your area: A) Call 1-866-431-FISH or 604-666-2828 (24-hour phone line); or B) Visit our web page http://notices.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fns-sap/index-eng.cfm to find applicable fishery notices; or C) Follow our sport fishing Twitter account https://twitter.com/sportfishingbc.
SOOKE – The salmon fishing was GOOD for springs this past week.
BECHER BAY – Salmon fishing was GOOD for anglers in the Bay. Most of the fish were running from 6 to 10 lbs in size and the largest was a 20.5 lb spring caught by Vern Story not too far from the marina. Anglers have been successful with all types of gear. Some halibut up to 50 lbs were also brought back to the marina. There were also quite a lot of halibut brought into Cheanuh Marina from Race Rocks and points east.
PEDDER BAY – Salmon fishing was GOOD this past week. There were hatchery springs in the mid teens at Whirl Bay. Most anglers are fishing close to the bottom, often bouncing the downrigger balls on the bottom, in 120-150 feet of water, while others are getting nice fish at 60 – 90 feet.
HALIBUT – Halibut fishing was FAIR this past week. Best areas were Race Rocks, William Head, 27 Fathom reef and Constance Bank.
VICTORIA – Fishing for salmon was GOOD off Victoria but not too many anglers were out on the water. Constance Bank was good early in the week but the best fishing was closer in on the weekend.
HALIBUT – Halibut fishing was FAIR this past weekend. The best areas have been Constance Bank, Border Bank and the Mud Hole.
OAK BAY – Salmon fishing was SLOW this past week and few people were fishing salmon in this area. The Flats have been holding some smaller size springs fish recently for those trolling close to the bottom. It’s been best in 100-140 depths.
HALIBUT – Halibut fishing was FAIR this past weekend.
SIDNEY- Salmon fishing was VERY GOOD near Sidney. There have been quite a good number of springs between 12-25 lbs being caught. The whole area east of the Inlet has produced nice fish. Springs have been caught by Sidney Spit, Sidney channel, Coal Island, Hamley Point, the Powder Wharf, Saanichton, Moresby Island and in Satellite channel.
FRESHWATER OVERVIEW – Fishing is PICKING UP in most lakes for both trout and bass. Wild rainbows and cutthroats over 50 cm must be released in Cowichan Lake, where the fishing has been good for these large trout. Steelheading has been good in most Island rivers.
The 10th Annual Elk Lake Take A Kid Fishing derby was held on April 9th and was a huge success. There were 253 adults and 82 juniors in the derby. All juniors received prize packages whether they caught a fish or not. The trout competition was very competitive with ties for first and second place and also for the next three prizes. The ties were broken by the first fish entered of that size. Winner of the trout competition was Greg Barkes with a 2 lb rainbow entered at 11 Am. Second place went to Mike Hardy with a 2 lb rainbow entered at 1:17 PM. Third place went to Cory MacDormand for a 1 lb 15 oz rainbow entered at 8:07 AM. Fourth place went to Connor Warford for a 1 lb 15 oz rainbow entered at 8:14 AM. Fifth place went to Roy McNeil for a 1 lb 15 oz rainbow entered at 8:36 AM.
The bass competition was also very close. Ben Tholcke was the winner with a 5 lb 13 oz small mouth bass. Second place went to Andy Grant with a 5 lb 11 oz small mouth bass. Third place went to Jason Cevicklston with a 5 lb 9oz small mouth bass. Fourth place went to Riley Smith with a 5 lb 7 oz small mouth bass. Fifth place went to Mark Lister with a 4 lb 14 oz small mouth bass.
COWICHAN RIVER – The water level has been dropping steadily all week and the water level is 1.01 meters at the lake and 0.92 meters near Duncan today. There has been quite a lot of spawning activity going, both from both steelhead and rainbow trout. There are lots of steelhead in the river and most of the fish being caught now are kelts. We’ve also heard of fly anglers hooking up with steelhead too. Fly fishing at the top end of the river for trout and steelhead has been good.
TROUT – Trout fishing is PICKING UP on most lakes in the South Island area.
The Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC has completed the early spring releases of catchable rainbow trout from the Vancouver Island Trout Hatchery. A total of 29,599 trout have been released to date in 2016 in Vancouver Island lakes. Click here for their stocking reports.
BASS - Bass fishing is PICKING UP. 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.
FISH TIP OF THE WEEK
Weigh your fish right away if you are in a derby and catch a potential prize winning fish. Every year we hear stories of anglers placing second in derbies that they would have won if only they had weighed the fish in before it lost weight.
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