Fishing Denham, Stuart, Sonora island area

[big rock]

Nootka fisher

Use big bay if you need go through any section of the rapids. Shoal bay is fine if you don't need to go through any rapids also Godwin point currant chart on navionics will give a good idea when the first push of the flood and ebb.

Teal

Not too many places to jig pretty much everyone trolls. The currant can be strong so it would. be hard to keep your jigs down in the zone even jigging for ling cod is only done on slack tide. The area is different from southern straits where there lots of open water so less currants.

 

[SpringFever552]

In Paul Harveys voice
"And now for the rest of the story"

Wanted to go for a cruise,burn some $$$ so loaded the fly rods in the boat and went looking for pinks up around Phillips Arm.
Launched in Cr and went around bottom of Quadra, stopped to bs with my son at green can(they had caught 4springs and 1 pink) then off to run Beazley Passage/Surge Narrows for the 1st time..it was a flooding tide running really well...gotta do that again on a day like yesterday with the kids drone following along..would get some cool video and pics with it I'm sure.

Had to stop and give Denham Bay a quick try with the other 15-20 other boats there... that 1 Grady from Sonora lodge with 3x250hp yamys is a sweet boat

Made 2 quick? (1.5hrs) passes there..
5 mins in on 1st pass C/R a very nice wild coho at 90ft on a white hootchie..and that was it.
Only saw 1 other fish caught and it was released while there..
Pulled the gear and went up as far as Phillips looking for those pinks but saw nothing.

Humpbacks/Porpoises(lots) and the ever present and stinky sealions on Jimmy Judd Is. was the highlight of the day...quick beer at Shoal Bay(didnt stay for pizza night as we had pizza the night before) then run for home...a bit choppy coming down Discovery but all and all a beauty day on the water

 

[tincan]

I'll be fishing around Sonora area next week for a day or two so will try to post a report if I get out. Hopefully still a few fish in the area for us. Any recent reports would be appreciated as it's been a while since I fished the area.

 

[CBsqrd]

I'll be fishing around Sonora area next week for a day or two so will try to post a report if I get out. Hopefully still a few fish in the area for us. Any recent reports would be appreciated as it's been a while since I fished the area.

We were through there at the beginning of August (3rd - 5th and 10th - 11th) on our way to/from Port McNeill / Telegraph Cove and fished a couple days each time. Mostly targeted the north end of Sonora - Thurston Bay on the ebb and Denham Bay to Gomer on the flood for salmon. It seemed pretty slow, but we usually managed to pick up a 1 - 2 each day and were not fishing hard. With the way things are going this year and the fish seeming to be late, I think you might have better luck than we did - I would love heading back up there right now. Beautiful spot to fish - awesome seeing a bright spring 30 ft down in the clear water on the end of your line! Thurston got a bit crowded at times, but since its almost all guide boats its very orderly with everyone taking their place in the queue and giving boats that had fish on room.

The comments we picked up were that people were getting them "deeper" than previous years. Not sure what's normal, but we had most of our luck at 120 - 150 ft using anchovies. Cell reception sucks and the guides chatter on the VHF - channel 63 or 68 I think? If someone came on with hot report usually a bunch of boats would pack up and move.

Bring your jigging rods, some decent ling fishing in the area.