June 27 2016

Bamfield Fishing Report June 27th

Hi All

As we progress into late June, both the weather and the fishing continue to improve here in Bamfield and Barkley Sound.

Off-shore is still the most productive of our fisheries at this time. That said don’t be fooled , there are some very fishey spots safe from the ocean swells in Barkley sound that are producing some great fish!

Sunday June 26 we had a later start to the day and set out to Austin and Cree Islands for a morning fish. High tide was at 5:00 am and we had the gear in the water at close to 6:30 am. We fished an anchovy in a purple haze teaser head behind a purple uv. Farr Better flasher at 65 feet on the downrigger. On the other side we fished a purple Silver Horde 3 inch spoon also 6 feet behind a purple uv. Farr Better flasher at 90 feet. We had a decent hook up right away on the spoon that shook off after a good run then minutes later our anchovy hooked up but also didn’t stick.

As we continued our troll in the slot between the reefs at Austin we passed a boat with a salmon rod bent low to the water. These guys were playing a large hali that took their salmon gear! They were on that fish for a good 30 minutes. Unfortunately we didn’t see if the boated it but they were sure having a ton of fun with it!

We hooked and released 5 small springs in the 5 to 7 lb range, all on the spoon. Shortly after 8:00 am or so the bite turned off. We continued our troll toward the next tide change in hopes of the bite turning on and were not disappointed. Right at 11:00 am both rods bucked and we were into two lovely coho. One of these gorgeous fish was pushing 10 lbs! (a great fish for this time of year). It bodes well for the rest of the summer.

Time constraints did not allow us to fish the rest of the tide change although we did see boats with nets out as we were packing up our gear.

The off-shore report is per usual, as to be expected. Big Bank, South Bank, 12 mile and the Turtle Head have all been productive. Keep your gear deep. UV glow spoons and white hootchies are the ticket off-shore.

Halibut fishing had been very productive. 7 mile humps and the 12 mile humps are all producing some great fish. Don’t forget this year’s over / under new regs. A max size of 133 cms can be tagged but your next hali in your possession must be under 83 cms. We strongly recommend using circle hooks for these amazing creatures as they almost completely eliminate a “gut hooked” fish. Even if you need to cut the line on an oversized fish, a circle hook left in the corner of the mouth will not do a lot of damage to the fish and survival is almost a guarantee.

Our tackle store is up and running an we are stocked with fuel, bait and salt ice. Make sure you drop in to say hi and find out the latest in fishing news, or just come by for a coffee and a chin wag.

Tom and his beautiful and better half Leslie are running the show at the lodge this week. I’ll be up for the summer as of June 30th and Aussie John makes his first appearance July 4th.

Can’t wait to see all of our Harbourside family!

Tom, Aussie John and Coach (aka Jonathan).