Vancouver Island Fishing Report Archives

Stimulus Package on the Way...

With the commonly varied spring conditions of Sun, Cloud, Wind, Rain and even Snow in the last 12 days, spring-time on the West side of Vancouver Island can be considered predictably unpredictable.

As Mother Nature shakes off the remnants of winter and ushers in spring with a mix of conditions that only a true Westcoaster can get used to, both rain gear and sunglasses are close at hand.

For Salt and Freshwater anglers in Tofino and Ucluelet, these varied conditions, and the local fish species they pursue are all part of the mix for early season angling in our beautiful and wild Pacific Rim region.

Chinook salmon numbers and healthy sizes have provided us with a great taste of the season at hand, leaving us yearning for the great fishing forecasted for the months ahead. Recently we have been fishing a variety of inshore spots near Tofino, as well as the popular offshore tacks between Tofino and Ucluelet along the 150 ft contour. Baitfish stocks consist mostly of Needlefish and “Firecracker” Herring, so the gear of choice has been trolling 3-4 inch spoons or small anchovies behind a Glow/Purple flasher down deep. Bright, Scrappy and Tasty feeder Chinook up to the high 20 lb range have had our rods pumping, and guests smiling. Halibut have not exactly been plentiful yet in these same areas, but enough to provide a great mix for the day of fishing the offshore waters. Our best Halibut action has been 3-6 miles offshore with spreader bars and baits like the standby White Power Grub or Whole Herring. Fresh Octopus would be the ticket right now as well, for those that have access to this prime Halibut bait. The Tofino and Ucluelet areas often see the season’s largest average size of Halibut during the next two months, normally within 6 miles of the coastline. Later in the season, the Halibut fishing action migrates a little further out for consistent action on “Chicken” Halibut in the 12-25lb range.

Steelhead and Trout fishing on the local freshwater streams and lakes has been slower to turn on with the cool weather that has prevailed. Springtime indicators that have common timing to local freshwater species are also a little delayed. We are eager to see more Skunk Cabbage and Fiddlehead Ferns sprouting in the River valleys, as the Steelhead and Trout will soon follow. This timing is also juxtaposed with the downstream migration of young salmon fry heading out to sea to begin the largest and most challenging part of their life cycle. Presently, the cooler ocean temperature conditions are the most favourable aspect of a colder spring season, as this is optimal for the base food source of copepods, relating to better overall survival of these precious young Salmon.

Overall, it is a pretty simple compromise to add another layer of clothing during a cooler spring, while Mother Nature delivers her own version of Stimulus that will not only provide good fishing opportunities now, but for returning Salmon in future years.

Go Fishing.......Go Canucks!

In between the crazy spring weather patterns that are not all that uncommon for this time of the year (aside from the April Fools day snow!!) in Tofino, we have enjoyed some great trips out on the Saltwater.

Chinook Salmon have been the main focus, with fair numbers of these bright fish around, with astonishing sizes and seemingly endless battles. When able to sneek offshore between weather systems, which become far more reliable over the next while, we have enjoyed good fishing for both Chinook and Halibut in the same areas. Fortunatley these main early season spots are not too far from the protected shoreline. We have also enjoyed some very good Crab fishing this spring, which is always in totally protected water.

Local Rivers and streams should see the start of the spring Steelhead run over the next few weeks, especially as the weather warms and the snow runoff encourages these amazing native fish to return and spawn quickly, often entering and exiting their natal streams while silver bright. The 100% catch and release Steelhead and Trout fishing can be reliable until early summer.

Three days ago, our crew found a great mixture of bright Sunshine and even brighter early season Chinook, just prior to the wind and rain system that has now just let up. The short term forecast looks good as well as the fishing, so give us a call to arrange your private charter in the Tofino area.

As the Sports fishing columnist for Tofinotime magazine, we provided them with the short article below for their April issue. There are a lot of positive and exciting Salmon fishing opportunities ahead for the 2009 season, with Chinook, Coho and Pink salmon in the forefront. We'll be updating again shortly with details and a picture or two of recent Chinook salmon fishing near Tofino, where Clayoquot Ventures staff Blake and Megan found some beautiful big bright early season Chinook Salmon.

Coho and Pink Salmon - Mother Nature’s Stimulus Package

here is no disputing that Chinook Salmon, specifically TYEE Chinook over 30 lbs have been a focal point of many sports fishermen’s’ dreams. With Chinook being the largest and most powerful on average, nature’s “King” of all Salmon often holds the spotlight in comparison to its’ four Pacific cousins; Chum, Sockeye, Coho and Pink. Where the other four species may not dominate in size and brute strength, they do help make up for the Chinooks salmon’s shortcomings in sheer numbers for their run size returning to natal streams.

For the 2009 Sports Fishing season in the Tofino and Ucluelet areas, Coho and Pink are two sub-species of Salmon that will undoubtedly help not only local sports fishing and sustenance opportunities, but the river ecosystems of their origin. With much discussion about ocean survival conditions and habitat being key factors in salmon survival, combining the two factors can have a very positive effect. Though the Tofino region doesn’t experience local salmon returns in the millions, or even the hundreds of thousands to our small to medium sized rivers of Clayoquot, the strength in numbers of salmon returning to spawn is obviously vital for many that benefit, including the riparian ecosystems.

Less discussed, but equally important is the decaying salmon carcasses and subsequent fertilization of stream bed areas in the way of enriched nitrogen to the ecosystem. Research has indicated that trees and shrubs near spawning streams derive approximately 24% of their foliar nitrogen from spawning salmon. With the aid of this nutrient subsidy, growth rates are significantly increased in spawning streams. Riparian forests affect the quality of in-stream habitat through shading, sediment and nutrient filtration, this fertilization process serves not only to enhance riparian production, but may also improve spawning and rearing habitat for subsequent salmon generations and maintain the long-term productivity of rivers along the Pacific coast. It really is a simple equation, strong runs of salmon equals a healthier Rainforest ecosystem.

Local Coho Salmon numbers are anticipated to experience a fair increase again in 2009, following a pretty solid return last season with remarkably large fish on average. The biggest news comes from south of the border, where the Columbia River Coho salmon forecasted return has been upgraded to 1.3 Million, which rivals peak numbers from the early 90’s. The strength of Columbia River Coho run is a very strong component in supporting Tofino and Ucluelet area sport fishing opportunities, most specifically the inshore action for Fly and light tackle anglers. Very strong numbers of Coho grilse were present along the West Coast of Vancouver Island late last season, which is a great indicator for future stocks, as well as the state of the ocean off the west coast of the island.

The Tofino Area Rivers and streams historically hosted large runs of Pink salmon, but we do benefit from transient Fraser River Pink salmon that are forecasted to arrive approximately 2 million fish over the historic average, with likely numbers in around 14 million salmon. This season will be a prime opportunity to help expose someone new to recreational fishing in the saltwater, as well as benefit from Mother Nature’s version of stimulus to support angling opportunities and the health of rivers and their tributaries along the coast. Visit us at www.tofinofishing.com for updated fishing info and guided Tofino area fishing excursions.

We hope to hear from you in 2009 and get you out on the water.

Sign up for our

Email Newsletter

Email Marketing you can trust

Tofino, Vancouver Island,
British Columbia Canada

Sport Fishing Charters and Accommodations

Full service Fly & Tackle outfitter for Tofino and Ucluelet.