June is a wonderful month for not only fantastic weather and long days but the salmon sport fishing in the Alberni Inlet and Barkley Sound becomes a haven for anglers keen on Sockeye fishing in the Inlet and Chinook-Coho fishing in Barkley Sound and areas around the Ucluelet Islands. The Sockeye sport season opened on May 1st with a possession limit currently at four Sockeye per day. The DFO forecast return of Somass River Sockeye ranges from a conservative 600.000 to just over 700,000 salmon.
Sockeye sport fishing should be well underway by mid-June. Warm weather in April created early snow melt. The Alberni Inlet and Somass River should warm up to just over sixteen degrees Celsius which will help the Sockeye to "school" in good numbers which creates excellent sport angling opportunities. The Sockeye are generally in thirty-five to sixty feet of water. Using dummy flashers and four rods that are staggered at different depths is a wise trolling method. Pink-blue, black-blue mini plankton lures or black hooks with sixteen to twenty-four inches of leader behind a flasher is ideal. Four rods with lures should be staggered fifteen to sixteen feet apart and relatively tight to the boat. The dummy flashers cand be close to both cannon balls and help create color close to ones sport fishing boat which attracts the Sockeye Salmon. Sockeye sport fishing is a wonderful family fishing activity. Great ages are five or six to ninety years of age.
Barkley Sound is an area of breath-taking scenery and rugged coast lines. Salmon fishing during the spring has been consistent with plenty of Chinook salmon landed in the eight to twenty pound range. Anglers will generally target transient Chinook swimming down Vancouver Island's West Coast. In June the salmon are migrating to the big southerly watersheds and come into Barkley Sound to feed before continuing their lengthy journey. Coho salmon from six to eight pounds are often in the mix and are found in surf line areas. June fishing is historically the best around Meares Bluff, Austin, Cree, Edward King, Sail Rock, Great Bear, Bamfield Wall and Swale Rock. The salmon feed heavily on squid that begin to show in the many bays and outer edges of the Sound. As well there are large quantities of immature herring. The OAL12R Octopus hootchie and the cuttlefish SAL12R are excellent lure choices. Needle fish hootchies, the Silver Horde Herring Aid and the Skinny G Herring Aid are also terrific lure choices.
June should be banner month. Boat traffic especially in Barkley Sound is often minimal before the summer onslaught of sport boats from all over Western North America. With an abundance of Sockeye in the Alberni Inlet and good number of transient salmon headed south the June Sport Fishing should be world class.
Lingcod, Halibut and Prawn fishing are normally well underway in June. Halibut in June can still be tight to the surf line but generally are found in the sandy banks at three and five miles offshore. Lingcod and other wonderful rock fish are close to the rocky pinnacles found in Barkley Sound. Prawning is fabulous in many areas of the Sound. It is important to check all rules and regulation of each fishing area before targeting these fish.
Tight lines and Have a Wonderful June,
Doug
Slivers Charters Salmon Sport Fishing
250 731 7389
1 888 214 7206
dlindy@shaw.ca
www.cathsalmon-ca.com
