Sockeye Salmon Sport Fishing is “FANTASTIC”
July 2023 should provide excellent opportunities for many sport fishing anglers. The runs of migrating mature Chinook combined with decent schools of Coho travelling the Vancouver Island West Coast surf line to the large southerly watersheds should give endless opportunities to sport fishing enthusiasts fishing Barkley Sound and areas close to Ucluelet. “Sockeye Sport Fishing” in the Alberni Inlet has been more than “TERRIFIC”. Sockeye fishing is a great opportunity for everyone and is a very comfortable angling opportunity for people of all ages. The run size returning to the Somass River system is still estimated at six hundred thousand. Escapement of Sockeye through the Stamp and Sproat Counters have been very good to date. The current regulations for sport retention are four Sockeye salmon per person daily with a two-day possession limit of eight. The best fishing areas to date have been from Cous Creek, Coulson Mill, Lone Tree, and Underwood which is just south of China Creek Marina. The Sockeye are currently in thirty-five to fifty feet of water. The mp blue and pink, black and pink and black hooks with very short leaders have been working very well. We are expecting sport fishing for Sockeye Salmon to continue right through July.
Current sport fishing regulations provided by the DFO will allow sport fishing for Chinook salmon within one nautical mile of the coastline until the fifteenth of July. After this date anglers will be permitted to fish offshore waters for Chinook salmon. Pacific Rim areas are often a feeding station to these transient salmon. The islands close to the Ucluelet Harbor mouth and up the coastline to Wya Point and Florencia and the many areas of Barkley Sound often hold vast quantities of bait fish in herring, anchovy, squid and needlefish. To date Sail Rock, Great Bear, Florencia Island, and Black Rock which are all close to Ucluelet have had provided some very good Sport Fishing. Barkley Sound locations such as Cree Island, Meares, Kirby, Bamfield Wall, and Swale Rock have been spotty. There have been some wonderful fishing days. The Barkley Sound sport fishing should improve as the transient fish make their way down the west coast and come into the Sound to rest and feed. The July fishing will dramatically improve two-fold in late July when the West Coast Vancouver Island salmon begin returning to their natal streams and rivers.
Historically the most common gear and consistent salmon producer when fishing Barkley Sound has been trolling with anchovy behind a variety of colored flashers. However, that trend has changed over the past couple of years with fish hitting various Herring Aid spoons as well as other Skinny G’s, Coho Killer spoons, and a variety of octopus, cuttlefish, and needle fish hootchies. Anchovy teaser head colors that work well are Green Haze, Glow Army Truck, Herring Aid, and Cop Car. Flashers in blue, green glow, chartreuse, and even red with at least a six-foot leader are best. Spoons behind a flasher can vary from forty-two inches to five feet. Hootchie leader lengths behind a flasher are thirty-eight to forty-two inches. Favorite hootchies are the AORL 12, J-79, Jack Smith, and Purple Haze. The salmon have been feeding on small immature herring and needle fish around Meares, Austin and Cree Island. Smaller Spoons have been working very well. In areas around Beale, Whittlestone, and Florencia Island there have been mature squid. Octopus hootchies and cuttle fish in a variety of white and glow colors have been working very well.
Halibut fishing in July is in full swing. Many sport-fisher people will either drift, jig or anchor. Halibut will often prefer salmon bellies as well as large herring or octopus. If jigging try a Gibbs Hali Hawg tipped with salmon belly. Lingcod fishing is also relatively good. How ever it is important that a good descending device is on board as any yellow-eye rockfish are to be released.
The 2023 saltwater season Sockeye sport angling in the Alberni Inlet to date has been fantastic. The fish are in the top thirty-five to fifty feet of water and are hitting black-pink, blue-pink, bubble gum mp hootchies and black hooks. Leader lengths can vary from sixteen to twenty-four inches. Trolling with two dummy flashers on either side of the boat and spaced ten feet apart is a great idea as the Sockeye are attracted by color. This is a fun fishery for everyone of all ages.
Tight lines and Good fishing
Doug Lindores
Slivers Charters Salmon Sport Fishing
1 888 214 7206
250 731 7389 (mobile)
