2008-03-13

Port Alberni Inlet and Barkley Sound The Alberni Inlet is very quiet. The first of the sockeye begin their return into the Somass River in April. The main run begins in early June with schooling beginning often by mid June. When the Somass River waters warm up to 18 degrees Celsius the sockeye begin to school in the Inlet, which makes it much easier for the avid sport fisherman to hook into the number one commercial salmon. To date there has not been an announcement by the DFO on Somass Sockeye returns. By early August the first Chinook make their way into the Inlet. These fish usually begin to peak by the last week of August and the Labor Day Weekend when the Port Alberni Salmon Festival and Derby take place. Coho usually arrive in late August and school in various areas of the inlet during the month of September. Early mornings and tide changes are often the best times to fish. Many local fishermen and guides have found that the Chinook will hit various red, pink and white octopus hootchies. Coho hit the smaller mp red and pink hootchies and the usual white, green, and blue colored hootchies. Barkley Sound has had some productive days of winter Chinook fishing. Areas such as Pill Point Samatao Bay, Swale Rock, Vernon Bay, Meares Bluff, and Mayne Bay have all reported some feeder springs. The fishing however can often not be termed hot and a lot of the fish have not been big as most are seven to eight pounds. Some sport fishermen and some guides have had success using different lures. Guide Dan has been fishing Mayne Bay and Meares. Most of his success has been on white hootchies at 85 feet in Mayne Bay and at 115 feet out at Meares. One sport angler spent the past weekend fishing Pill Point, Diplock and finally Meares Bluff. Most of his success was out at Meares, where at 120 feet, using anchovy in a glow teaser head three beautiful ten pound feeders were taken. The Sproat Lake Derby took place on the first weekend of March. The Derby was hosted out of Poett Nook located a few miles from Bamfield. Organizer of this Derby is Port Albernis’ Don DeForrest who has claimed that this was the first year in twenty that fish over twenty pounds were not hooked. The largest fish was caught by a young lady from Vancouver which weighed in at fourteen pounds. This fish was caught in the Sarita Bay area. The second and third place fish were caught by Port Alberni residents. Jason Tilley caught a thirteen plus pound winter Chinook followed by Lance Terepockis’ twelve pound feeder Chinook. Most of the salmon hooked came in on bait. The regular Rhys Davis green and clear teaser heads seemed to be working. White hootchies were also popular. Organizer Don has stated that “the bait which is usually in the area at the time of the Derby just was not there.” “Hopefully the bait shows up and the fishing in March and April will improve.” We are expecting the winter Chinook fishing to improve and will begin feeder spring salmon fishing charters on March 18th. Organized in this fishery will be some prawning.