your thoughts on salmon this season

[scottyboy]

well all in all everytime i went out i did great or just ok . funny thing i didn`t get out much this year only mid august early sept just targeting springs. how about you guys ???what you think is happening . myself i`m thinking fish are running later and people just give up fishing springs 2 early , what you guys think???

 

[walleyes]

Over all we did pretty good this year.. was up in kitimat in Mid June did average for springs,, and again in Sooke for mid Aug and did really well.. put in eccess of 20 springs in boat in a week ( not all kept ) lots in the 15 - 30 pound range and who could complain about the socks...
Had family up around McNeil and Cambell and they did well... so I think we either got lucky or it was not a bad year....

 

[5-Salt Fever]

Had a pretty good spring Chinook season in the rivers this year picking up limits just about every outing. All on eggs either back bouncing or under bobber.

Early salt season was weak for me. Even a june trip to Bamfield for the Columbians 25-30mile off shore was rough. My failure to produce in the salt early is due in large part to the exceptionally windy conditions most of the early and mid portion of the season. Hard to get out when wind is blowing 20knots. As well very little bait in close due to very cold water temps down my way.

Late August coho fishing was fantastic around the Columbia River. Typically, September salt chinook fishingi pretty darn good but nearly dead with no signs of it heating up anytime soon this year. They will likely all be 2-3weeks late and quickly move into the rivers at first good rains in October.

I carded nearly twenty giant coho this year but have yet to nail a summer or fall chinook. Hoping for a good October and November egg and bobber river chinook season - fingers crossed.

 

[scott craven]

Other than a 2-3 week window in Sooke this summer, it's been
poor to average IMO.

 

[Degree of Freedom]

I don't have much to compare it to. Since moving away from the Island in the late 90s I haven't done any salmon fishing. Moved back last year, bought a boat this year and got out for 7 days of fishing. Only fished Alberni and Qualicum, was into >30 springs, 2 coho.. landed 14. Thought it was a pretty exciting 7 days.
The vast majority of the fishing I did growing up was the ECVI coho. Disappointing that after leaving the province for 6 years there's no sign of improvement to that fishery. Would've liked to enjoy that fishery with my kids the way I enjoyed it with my Dad.

 

[Tailspin]

This Summer season for the Sooke area was definitly spotty. First two weeks of June showed some posotive results for a great Summer, with many decent fish in the low and mid twenties hitting the tables from most boats. Then that run dissapeared and all consitent action went flat again until the second week of July and as Craven said the first week of August until the end. Even August was not consistent, one day great and spotty the next. Good thing for the Sockeye run we had.
One thing i am noticing is the lack of incidental Coho catches while targeting Springs. There used to be days where you could not run chovie because of the Coho?

The big alarm is Where are the San Juan Coho??? Something is right Buggered up...

 

[1stLite]

This season has been a big disapointment for chinooks.The worst year since 2001.I hope its not heading the way it went in the mid 90's till 2001.[V]

 

[scottyboy]

keep your posts commin , as i agree with everyone , fishin this year hasn`t bin great , only for a few weeks . tight lines scottyboy

 

[c.askin]

overall i would say not that great i echo the thought were are the coho a few yrs back you could catch coho in july this year none[xx(][xx(]

 

[TheRock]

C.S were you fishing Sooke? Are you sport or commercial? Trolling your gear at 250ft-300ft ? what size canon balls do you use?

 

[battaglino]

I fished a week in Winter harbor and a week in bamifield. The fishing in Winter harbor the first weekend on August was lights out. We had non stop action for springers 4 to 7 miles off shore. It was the best I have seen in years. Bamifiled was good but we had to run out 20 plus miles and we did not set the size of fish that we have been use to in past years. We had trouble keeping the coho off the line 20 miles out and we where fishing at 180 feet. We did nothing inside the barkley sound this year. We use to pick up coho inside from June until Oct did not see that this year and from all your posts it does not sound like anyone else did.

 

[Brokenrod]

I agree with CS had agreat season nothing over 40# but lots of limits of 18-36lb.most all fish off shore. There seems to be a trend over the last several years from nooktka north,maybe in the south too my experience is from nootka north. In the past most fish were in close, on herring or needle fish, in the kelp, against the rocks etc,on structure. With the large numbers of pillchard off shore recently the picture has changed dramaticly. The fish(for the most part) seem to be holding off shore feeding till the last min then in they go.I have changed the way I fish to adapt to deep water trolling. I prefere to fish structure but the deep water does produce.
Brokenrod

 

[sheephnter]

Fisshed two weeks ( 1 Late JUne and 1 Late July) in Charlottes- were it was BELOW average on springs- no matter what anyone tells you- when the largest fish in the ;lodge is 28 lbs for a week of 50 fisherman TWICE- that ain't much boys! Water temps were 52-54

Fished our annual run to Rivers inlet - 1st week August- and it was DESOLATE! no fish and even the locals got the word early and stayed on outside- one or two fish caught a day in whole area- and NO size- water temps at 54-55

water temps crazy!!! fishing lousy!!! and trust me- it wasn't the "way" we were fishing- it was downright terrible fishing- but when you go to the shows this years- all the lodges will tell you they had a "Good year"

yeah right!

 

[KoneZone]

Lower Columbia was a travesty a scham or a mockery, maybe a Traveschamockery. I always wanted to say that. It's really sad I had to say it in regards to Salmon runs though.[B)] There were fish in the syatem but they had Lock Jaw and wouldn't bite good until they were up near Longview, WA. 50 Miles upstream from the Salt. They had a great few weeks there maybe more. The Southern Oregon coast is starting to fire up though. It sure has been a weird year. The Puget Sound has been slow from what I have been hearing. I hope next year is better.

 

[tomictime]

Fished 4 days at Tofino 1st week of July, lots of springs one day, gone the next.
Espy in-shore and the hiway was awesome 1st week of August, 40# the first day, buddy boat got a 51 far offshore.
Just about ZIP here in the sound tho...
do we have to wait all winter?????