2016 Ucluelet Fishing Reports

Top picture on my reports page is a 31 after being bled and laying in the locker for the day. 5th Tyee of the season. Captain Dave and Captain Ken are landing some beauties out there. Captain Ken on Ucluelet Charters 1 vessel and Captain Dave on Vessel 2 . Great guides that were ex Canadian Princess Captains a great addition to the growing Ucluelet Charters fleet. Biggest of the season so far 39lbs stll waiting to crack 40lbs but it's coming :) Have a few openings after Aug 29th so if your looking for a trip give us a ring. 250-726-3644 or contact us by email.
 
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Hyson has been good but settled down a bit lately but if you put time in there decent fish can be caught :) Try closer in a little east ;) Big Bank is good smaller fish though but who knows changes by the day. We like a high paced catch rate, keep the guests busy and happy. If they want a shot at a Tyee then the game plan changes, location and patience is required that day.
Can you tell me where hyson is please. I know where starfish is and thought I knew all the spots but guess not. Where are all the fish now? Deep for big springs and shallow for coho?
 
Can you tell me where hyson is please. I know where starfish is and thought I knew all the spots but guess not. Where are all the fish now? Deep for big springs and shallow for coho?


Hyson is the proper name for the Starfish bank
 
Well after seeing the forecast for this last week decided to make a last minute dash to the island and check out Ucluelet again. Only trouble was no accommodations. After searching found one room available at Little Beach Resort on Wed and Thursday night so booked and decided to stay at Port Alberni Tuesday night and Friday night.

Day 1
Got out Tuesday and on the water past China Creek on Tuesday around 4 PM. Hooked up with a nice chinook right away on a green and white spoon. Then a few releases that didn't hook up and nothing. Some people came out in the evening and hooked up a few. Found out later guys at the launch said bait was working for them.



Day 2
Wednesday morning drove out to Ucluelet and thought we would check in before going out on the water. When we got there though had to wait till 9 till someone was in the office. Went to pick up a few things and then gave them a call. They said we didn't have a reservation. That Expedia cancelled our reservation. Well that sucks. My wife checks her email and Expedia sent us an email stating the Little Beach Resort Cancelled our reservation. So anyways I don't know what happened, but you may want to stay clear of Little Beach Resort.

My wife started calling all the hotels in the area and finally after about ten one said they had a room for Wednesday and Thursday so we grabbed it or all 5 of us would be stuck sleeping in the boat.

Headed down to Islands West and launched... half way out of the harbor the alarm starts beeping. I check the oil and its full, burp the tank, engine seems fine but at high revs it alarms. So we just slowly go out to the lighthouse and troll around out there. It was an absolutely beautiful day to be on the water! Sun was shining, no fog, barely any wind. Salmon fishing was a little slow for us but we managed the odd one here and there with spoons. Then we switched to bait and did a bit better in the Little Beach Area. Trolling along the beach both rods went off with black rockfish, so we stopped and picked up a bunch of nice rockfish before going back to trolling. Got a couple more Chinook in the evening. Nothing huge though. Started the big engine up and went slowly back home, but noticed it beeped at lower RPM.




Day 3
Woke up early since I thought I may have to drain the fuel filter. Popped the cap off the Merc Optimax and found out I had an OptiFAIL! Looked like the belt had started to shred and lost the bottom ridge already. Looked around the assembly and noted and angle to the alternator. Pushed on it and it moved. Touched the bolts and one pulled right out. It sheared right off. So that was it for my dreams of heading offshore and going in search of fish all over the banks. Oh well still had the 9.9Hp Merc kicker so headed out and right off the bat when i throttled up it started sputting and the oil light was on. I stop and turn it off. Take the head off and check the oil. It's full of oil. I figured it was just because the engine was cold. So I take off again and nothing happens so at 5 mph to the light house area and trolled around there all day. Picked up a few wild coho and a few more chinook all on anchovies. Also stopped by for a few more rockfish since my younger brother enjoys the action from the rockfish. This evening nothing happened for us. No evening bite for us.






Day 4
Head out for our last day of fishing and start early on the beach on Friday. Nothing... and we don't see anyone catching anything. So I just start trolling out... way out and picked up a small chinook. Then look at the map and figure South bank wasn't much further. Weather was awesome so we headed out. Searched around and started marning some bait on the bottom. Nothing was hitting the bait though. So switched to a hoochie right on the bottom and a spoon at 127 feet. Picked up a few wild cohos and then some chinooks. Then I picked up my FIRST HALIBUT even on the green/glow splatter back hoochie on the bottom rigger. That was pretty cool. In the afternoon around 4:30 pm to 6 pm the bite went nuts and our biggest Chinook was 20 pounds, by brothers biggest. The wife lost another big one as well, but probably just a mid teener. We were glad we hit the bank and headed back at 6pm since it was still a little unerving being out there with a 9.9hp. Although I figured I still had the big one as back up if needed at low rpm.




He was pretty excited after getting the 20 pounder my brother ripped off his shirt and did a backflip off my boat into the ocean then hoisted his fish like the Stanley Cup!



Ok now I better get to cleaning the fish!
 
Any suggestions to where to fish in ucluelet tommrow got here today for first time im here till friday morning pretty ugly today so just stuck around the pub ..dont know the area well but have the cords to most of the known spots just a general direction pf where to head would be greatly appreciated wouldnt ask if my trip was longer .
 
Wind forecast doesn't look too bad but hopefully the predicted swell height/period improves … Windyty is forecasting it to be 1.3-1.5m at 7s for the next few days. Short period like that is pretty bumpy/sloppy!

Last fish report I heard was that fish are still on the beach/rocks from Flo Bay to the Broken Group but you have to work for them and they're moving day to day. Sounds like a grind is in store! Good luck!

Cheers!

Ukee
 
Ya im ready for the grind , heard some of the guides for some fish at swale is today but looks like a good little trek ... not familar with fay bay is that close to salmon beach my friend has a cabin there said the fishing has been decent for him there .
 
Sorry, Florencia Bay/Wya Point - as far as locals go unless making the bigger trek to Long Beach. Basically can fish the shoreline from Flo Bay/Wya Pt to the Lighthouse, with key spots being (from furthest to closest) Florencia Islet, Wya Pt, Big Beach/Little Beach, Amphitrite lighthouse, the Red Can and the outside of George Fraser Island. Those spots are all on the outside, so will be bumpy with the predicted swell period. Just outside the harbour, the harbour mouth, Beg Island, Chrow Island and the Food Islets should be holding lots of coho by now and if there's bait should still be some springs. If your buddy has been catching near Salmon Beach, it is just further inside (NE) from the Food Islets so likely fish in all those locations.

I'm assuming you know where Mara, Great Bear, Alley and Sail Rock are, though they're all pretty exposed to the forecast SE winds and waves!

Also, sounds like most of the bait around is still those very small juvie rockfish or similar, so small bait, hoochies or spoons may be a good bet!

Cheers!

Ukee
 
Fished big bank rolled piles of different gear at all depths. Lots of small springs and wild coho some hatchery out there too had one Hali but long line released that one unfortunately. Mostly around rats nose for us, flat calm day, super warm and clear out there.

Encourage more people to get out on the west coast in September weather is usually amazing, flat calm and clear plus there's lots of fish around!
 
We'll be out in Ukee on October 1st. Typically are there still any fish around? And will the charter guys still have boats in the water?
I had a lousy year of fishing - filled with boat problems, and want to catch a couple for the freezer. Feel free to pm me.
Thanks!
SS
 
We fish all year right now were into winter feeder Chinook good eating fish, the big ones pretty much have passed through and are entering or in the streams. But good news yes there is action catching salmon, bottom fishing is great as well :) The weather is the hard part been good lately.
 
Never sure whether to post these reports here or on the Bamfield /Barkley Sound Forum. Posted last weeks trip there, so changing things up this week & posting to this forum.............

Took advantage of another good fcst yesterday to drive over to Port Alberni & run out to 10 mile from Clutesi. Repeat to same trip I made last thurs, except I fished a little closer in this week & it will likely be the last trip to the other side this fall (unless we get another fcst like yesterdays & I can't resist). Beautiful day with no fog once I cleared the river at Port & unlimited visibility offshore with no fog banks in sight. Smooth seas offshore with swells close to 2M, but a long period so no issue running or fishing.

Left Clutesi ~07:15. Fished from ~10:00 to 13:30 & was pulling the boat by 16:30 after spending time whale watching on the way in. Didn't see another boat outside & only a handful in the Inlet. A seiner I spoke with at the launch in the AM said they hadn't had much luck during the recent openings & there were only 3-4 seiners working yesterdays opening - which made threading the gauntlet at the river mouth a lot easier than last week.

Fished one line high with a green/white spoon, but only one hit with a long release at 90'

2nd line on the bottom with cut plug using herring I jigged this spring. Great day with 2 Chinook 75 & 80 cm, one small halibut ~75 cm, 75cm Ling & 3 rockfish before I called it a day. 1 Chinook was clipped, so will be interesting to see where it came from when the tag info arrives). All the fish were caught along a 5km line that paralleled the drop off.

On the run in passed 2 groups of Humpbacks & a pod of Orcas moving up the inlet that I stopped to watch for a while.

Doesn't get any better!

(2nd chinook hit just after the pic was taken & I was was getting ready to pull the gear)
DSC08749.jpeg Orca 3.jpeg


View attachment 29771 View attachment 29771 DSC08749.jpeg
 
Ucluelet Chinook Salmon fishing just off the light house end of August. This is a video that goes along with above pictures I posted earlier. Weather was awesome but had a bit of engine trouble. Still had fun catching a bunch of fish. Sometimes the bite turns on during tide changes and during those times trolling lures and anchovies can put you into a bunch of fish not far from the Ucluelet Harbor in August. You really don't need a big boat to get into these fish we found out after all we had was our 9.9 and saw lots of small boats out there.
 
IMG_0094.JPG I made it out to Ukee - Austin Island one last time yesterday, highway was abit icy but the short day on the water was well worth it..... beauti day! Managed one spring ~12lbs.
 
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