2018 Bamfield and Barkley Sound Reports

SOMASS SOCKEYE BULLETIN # 2 – 2018 Date: June 7, 2018
Pre-season forecast:
Somass (Great Central and Sproat) – 350,000 to 500,000 Henderson Lake sockeye outlook < 15,000
Escapement to June 7: Stamp: 100 Sproat: 6252 Total: 6352 Test Fishery: Seine vessel Nita Maria testing June 11th and 12th
First in-season re-forecast: June 28rd
Catch Estimate: ~2101 adults Somass First Nations – ~2000 Maa-nulth First Nations – 0 Area D Gillnet - 0
Area B Seine - 0 Recreational - ~101
Somass Sockeye Stock Assessment Update
NEXT WEEK’S FISHING PLANS:
All Fishing plans are subject to change depending on weekly meetings. First Nations
Tsu-ma-uss (Hupacasath & Tseshaht) - FSC, open for gillnets, hook/line, dip nets in Danny’s Pool (Sproat River) and communal drag seine.
Maa-nulth – 7 days a week hook and line and gillnet. The harvest plan includes the contracting of designated Area D Gillnet vessels displaying Maa-nulth identification flags to harvest sockeye.
Commercial
Area D Gillnet – Tuesday June 12th,14 hour opening from 6 am to 8 pm from the Bamfield harbour to the Pocahontas line.
Area B Seine – No opening for next week, but possible fishery the week of June 20th depending on escapement levels and harvest rates. Boundaries typically from Pocahontas to Polly Point with a “seine free zone” closed area near China Creek.
Recreational
Until further notice, 2 sockeye per day in Area 23 including the tidal portions of the Somass River.
For more information please contact the DFO office in Port Alberni at 250 720-4440
 
Last 4 days have been pretty epic. Saturday was a little rough, which made for some spotty fishing. Still managed to get a few decent fish. Late start with my crew for Sunday, so we missed the morning bite, but Derby licked em up pretty good on the morning tide tubbing his crew out in no time at all. Last 2 days has been on fire. 35 Chinook to the boat, many released, kept a few decent fish to the teens. Nothing over 18 pounds. The interesting thing is of the 35 to the boat, only 3 were wild. Lots of hatchery fish. Will be very interested to see which US hatchery all the fish are from after the data comes back from DFO.

Best spoon was a Coyote in sardine colour at 91 feet. Today I ran some mini-G's because the fish yesterday had very small herring and some needle fish in them. The fish slammed them! Just for kicks I ran an OLR-12R hoochie because Derby noticed a smaller opal squid in one of his fish...they slammed that too. The fish are a little squirrelly with the colder water, so hang on.

All the female fish had small roe, so I guess these guys will be around for a while fattening up unless they are from California rivers like the Sacramento.

Lots of commercial gill netters out fishing today too. They don't appear to be catching much as some of them were already heading back to Port Alberni at 4:00, when the fishery is open until 8:00 p.m....bad sign.
 
Last 4 days have been pretty epic. Saturday was a little rough, which made for some spotty fishing. Still managed to get a few decent fish. Late start with my crew for Sunday, so we missed the morning bite, but Derby licked em up pretty good on the morning tide tubbing his crew out in no time at all. Last 2 days has been on fire. 35 Chinook to the boat, many released, kept a few decent fish to the teens. Nothing over 18 pounds. The interesting thing is of the 35 to the boat, only 3 were wild. Lots of hatchery fish. Will be very interested to see which US hatchery all the fish are from after the data comes back from DFO.

Best spoon was a Coyote in sardine colour at 91 feet. Today I ran some mini-G's because the fish yesterday had very small herring and some needle fish in them. The fish slammed them! Just for kicks I ran an OLR-12R hoochie because Derby noticed a smaller opal squid in one of his fish...they slammed that too. The fish are a little squirrelly with the colder water, so hang on.

All the female fish had small roe, so I guess these guys will be around for a while fattening up unless they are from California rivers like the Sacramento.

Lots of commercial gill netters out fishing today too. They don't appear to be catching much as some of them were already heading back to Port Alberni at 4:00, when the fishery is open until 8:00 p.m....bad sign.

Sounds epic, great report! We begin our season there this Sunday so it is great to hear there is action to be had. What area were you fishing? Just outside Bamfield?
 
There are fish all over the Sound, with the high winds we had on some of the days it was more about picking a spot where you could get out of the wind. Found fish everywhere. I didn't fish outside Bami harbour, but did venture up to Beale which had fish.
 
Thanks for reports guys. Sounds awesome.Catching first ferry this morning and bringing boat over for summer. Will report
 
SaltyAlice successfully migrated from her winter stomping grounds of Bowen and Thrasher to Alberni and Barkley Sound, and day 1 did not disappoint! For Father’s Day my hope was to take the kids out and have my wife catch her first salmon. The photo says it all. Happy Father’s Day to all you dads!

PS Pill Point, green hoochie
 

Attachments

  • 383AD6AC-2CD1-4B5B-9B55-A1BE2B79A0CE.jpeg
    383AD6AC-2CD1-4B5B-9B55-A1BE2B79A0CE.jpeg
    401.2 KB · Views: 218
SOMASS SOCKEYE BULLETIN # 3 – 2018 Date: June 14, 2018
Somass Sockeye Stock Assessment Update Pre-season forecast: Somass (Great Central and Sproat) – 350,000 to 500,000 Henderson Lake sockeye outlook < 15,000 Escapement to June 14: Stamp: 594 Sproat: 16,093 Total: 16,687 Test Fishery: Seine vessel Nita Maria tested June 11th and 12th. Estimate 8,000-10,000 inside 10-mile Point and 13,000-15,000 outside. First in-season re-forecast: June 28th Catch Estimate: 8,990 Somass First Nations – 4,200 Maa-nulth First Nations – 864 Area D Gillnet – 3,222 Area B Seine – 0 Recreational – 217
NEXT WEEK’S FISHING PLANS:
All Fishing plans are subject to change depending on weekly meetings.
First Nations
Tsu-ma-uss - FSC
Hupacasath First Nation – Communal Gillnet – Fri, June 15 to Sun, June 17. Dip nets in Danny’s Pool (Sproat River).
Tseshaht First Nation – Communal Gillnet/drag seine – Fri, June 15 to Sun, June 17, 05:00h to 12:00h daily at Papermill Dam Pool.
Hupacasath First Nation and Tseshat First Nation –
Gillnets – Sun, June 17 12:00h (noon) to Tues, June 19 12:00h (noon) from Papermill Dam Pool to Ten Mile Pt.
Gillnets – Tues, June 19 12:00h (noon) to Wed, June 20 12:00h (noon) in Alberni Inlet outside the Clocktower to Ten Mile Pt.
Hook and Line – 7 days/week – Area 23, with a nighttime closure in effect at the Somass River (Papermill Dam Pool closure in effect).
Discussions between DFO and Somass First Nations about potential Economic Opportunity fisheries are on-going.
Maa-nulth – 7 days a week – Hook and Line, and Gillnet. The harvest plan includes the contracting of designated Area D Gillnet vessels displaying Maa-nulth identification flags to harvest sockeye.
Commercial
Area D Gillnet – Tuesday June 19th, 14 hour opening from 06:00h to 20:00h from the Bamfield harbour to the Pocahontas line.
Area B Seine – No opening for next week, but possible fishery the week of June 24th depending on escapement levels and harvest rates. Boundaries typically from
SOMASS SOCKEYE BULLETIN # 3 – 2018 Date: June 14, 2018
Pocahontas to Polly Point with a “seine free zone” closed area near China Creek.
Recreational
Until further notice, 2 sockeye per day in Area 23 including the tidal portions of the
Somass River (Papermill Dam Pool closure in effect).
For more information please contact the DFO office in Port Alberni at 250 720-4440
 
I haven't talked to anyone in a coupel days.. im up there for the weekend starting Friday afternoon.... Swale is always a good starting spot.. outer edge spots.. Mirrow bluff ?
 
Got back last night from a weekend in bamfield with some buddy s.
Best fishing weve had in June for a few years.
First evening Kirby. We boatedt one and lost one.
Next morning Beale where we got 3 springs. Afternoon troll was spent down Fleming and then back up there wall where we couldn't get a fish. Next morning we hit Whittlestone planning to troll to Beale but instantly got a nice fish. Then spent the next 2.5hrs with non stop spring action. Got our limit of 6 and we're back at the cabin. We'd heard there was a good mix of coho at Cree so tried there but only could hook up springs again. Safely released. Tried swale last morning but couldn't get the coho. Again more springs. Boats in grappler for summer so should be up allot. Will report.
Thnx to searun. That sardine coyote killed it.
Also got fish with chovies and other spoons. Couldn't get anything on the hootchies but a few springs had squidd in stomach. Capt. Mo
 
Those Coyote Sardine spoons have been rock solid for me Started being the go to spoon over in Nanoose and worked just as well over here in Barkley. I got some to test last year and they were often able to stay head to head with bait which I thought I would never be able to say. They tweaked the spoon over the winter and reintroduced it this year. I’m sure there are other spoons that are working really great for guys Glad to hear your trip was epic. See you on the water.
 
Back
Top