We at Port Renfrew Marina want to let our customers know that we have the Over 40 Club names and weights posted now. You can go to the site and click on the fishing page, near the top in the middle is the icon for it. Click on that and you will see a list of years. Once you click on 2011 you will find the list. It has been there for some time but we thought we should formally let everyone know in case they weren’t aware of it.

We want to wish all our customers a Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year. We look forward to seeing everyone in the 2012 season.

Bud & Rex

Well, another year has flown by and Port Renfrew Marina is now closed for the 2011 season. It seems like just a few weeks ago we were in full swing and now it is mid Oct and people have moved on to other things than fishing in Renfrew at least.

The Coho were slow to show in Sept but the first day of the Coho derby they were there in the hundreds! Since then the Coho have been around but the weather hindered fishing some for about a week. When the weather calmed down the fishing picked up and most anglers were coming in with a few fish mostly in the 6 to 12 pound range. The last few days of the marina being open were truly beautiful fall days with sunshine, calm seas and no wind, making fishing a real pleasure and for most a sad realization that things were ending as all things do.

We at Port Renfrew Marina want to say thank you to Three Point Properties for making an additional donation to the San Juan Hatchery in the amount of $250.00. It has been a phenomenal year for fundraising and we want to thank everyone who contributed wither by donation or attendance and just supporting them in any way possible. Without you the monies wouldn’t come so thank you for your generosityover the past year. Below is a letter sent to the marina from Maurice Tremblay thanking everyone involved for the monies they have received.

Thank you to all the customers that have settled up their accounts and made accommodations for storage or taken their units home before closing. If you have an account outstanding or wish to do storage please try and settle up this for the season as soon as possible. When calling the 483-1878 number the call will be forwarded to our caretakers Wayne & Gwen Coleman and they can try and help you, otherwise please call us at 250 474-2643.  Thank you.

Please remember: If you are a seasonal customer, it is very important that you make sure you contact us by the beginning of May (the first week) to confirm your spot! This must be done if you want to be assured of getting your spot for the season of 2012.

All of us at Port Renfrew Marinawant to give a huge thank you to Wayne & Gwen for their amazing job of care taking the marina and their never ending willingness to help out and keep our marina clean and beautiful. There are many guides and others, including ourselves that owe them a big thank you for the dinners, breakfasts, snacks and of course the french fries!  We also want to thank Knut for another year of helping run the marina. We all had a great year with fantastic fishing throughout most of the season.

We wish all our customers both old and new a safe and healthy winter and look forward to seeing you all again next year.

Bud & Rex

Port Renfrew Marina held it’s annual Coho “Winner Take All”  Derby this past weekend.  The derby was a huge success with fantastic weather, calm seas and lots of fish.  Coho fishing has been on the quiet side for the month of September but they sure showed up in huge numbers on the Saturday, the first day of the derby! Many fishermen said it was the best Coho fishing they had ever experienced.

Most of the Coho’s, both wild and hatchery were caught off shore near the can bouy in the 6 to 10 pound range with a few in the low to mid teens in the 400 to 650 feet of water and approximately 40 to 60 feet deep. Spoons, hoochies and anchovies were the bait of choice. A few anglers said that the Baitrix worked well for them. Nearly all anglers were catching limit catches including many hatchery fish with the exception of the winning fish which was caught inside the bay and was a wild Coho. The winning Coho weighed in and was verified at 18 pounds 12 ounces caught by Grant Mar on the Hindsight Charter Boat on the first day of the derby. With 426 tickets sold his winnings were $8580.00 and the derby brought in an additional $2145.00 for the San Juan Hatchery. Mr.Grant Mar also very  generously donated $580.00 of his winnings to the hatchery. This brings the years total to the hatchery to $16832.00! Many thanks to all that participated this summer in all efforts to help raise this amazing amount of money for a great cause.

With October arriving we all have to face that the season of 2011 is coming quickly to an end. Please remember that the marina closes on October 16th and come and settle up any out standing accounts, remove your unit and or boat or make arrangements for winter storage.  Also all seasonals need to verify their return for next year as soon as possible and have until the first week of May to confirm their spot. This is critical if you don’t want to lose your spot. The marina is now out of ice and will not be getting anymore before closing but will have fuel until we close. We also have plenty of anchovy.

Bud & Rex

With September winding down it appears the mid October weather has arrived at Port Renfrew Marina! Rain, heavy at times, as well as some large swells signals Coho time.

The best fishing is still offshore. The 400 to 600 foot areas down 45 to 100 feet are producing fish. Coho, usually found in small schools, at first,  nothing, then a triple header! Bait and white glow hoochies were the lures of choice.

Inside the whistle bouy your best bet would probably be right off the river mouth at a lower tide. Yellow/green zingers, small plugs and Baitrix trolled very fast and very shallow will get some fish.

Reminder:   Check the weather forecasts before heading out. Note a 23 foot southwest swell is to arrive on Tuesday, September 27 th so stay safe at home that day

Notable Catches:

• Double load Dale      31.5                    

 

News:  Port Renfrew Marina’s annual Coho Derby is this coming weekend, Oct.1st and 2nd. The Coho are starting to show up so here’s hoping the derby is an exciting one! The entry fee is $25.00 with $5.00 going to the hatchery.  The times are dawn to 6:00 on Oct.1st and dawn to 1:00 on Sunday Oct.2nd.

Marina Closing:  Port Renfrew Marina will be closing on Oct.16th. Please make sure you have removed your unit and boat or you will be charged for winter storage. If storage is what you prefer please speak to someone in the office and we will set it up for you. Winter storage is $25.00 a month. If you require power for your trailer it is $32.50 a month. If you aren’t using power we recommend you use a product to absorb moisture to prevent mildew and getting a musty smell in your trailer. The moisture levels in Port Renfrew are very high. We have our caretakers there through the winter months to keep an eye on things  and to maintain security. You can leave keys with them so they can check on units for any possible damage or leaks.

Bud & Rex

Chinook fishing seems to be pretty much slowing down for 2011. It turned out to be one of the best years ever in the number of fish caught and the best since 2007  for fish over forty pounds. As you can see from our notable catches that there are a few springs over 30 pounds around, the majority caught further off shore.

Everyone is waiting for the big Coho to arrive. They are showing more and more every day, the bulk of the run will continue to build into October where there should be lots around.

The Coho right nowseem to be in the 300 to 500 foot depth with hoochies and spoons on short leaders working well. Don’t forget the San Juan river mouth. If the fish are jumping, low tide casting on fast shallow trolling can work well.

Notable Catches:

• Bob McCullough        38               
• Joel Grodardines       36
• unknown                       35
• Joe Fortune                 33
• Ty Van Wieren        31.5

          News:      Port Renfrew Marina will be having it’s annual Coho “Winner Take All”  derby on Oct.1st and 2nd. The entry fee is $25.00, five of which goes to the local San Juan hatchery and the rest to the winning pot. The winner gets the pot of money and it’s all cash! This derby is a fun, easy one with little stress as it is simply the biggest fish weighed in and each year everyone seems to have a great time. We are all hoping for a good turnout for the Coho and good weather would be a bonus. 

Port Renfrew Marina will be closing this year on Oct.16th. Please make sure you have made arrangements for taking your units and personal items out of the marina by then or arranged for winter storage. Any boats in storage will need to be removed unless signed in for winter storage also. Please speak to someone in the office about your preference.

Bud & Rex

As of this report for Port Renfrew Marina Chinook fishing has slowed down some.  We still expect a run of big white springs to arrive in the first two weeks of September. Right now you can find as many pinks as you want, witha few Coho, Sockeye and springs with the areas of Camper, Logan and Walbran being the hot spots.

It is too early for the serious numbers of San Juan Coho, they will show up closer to the end of the month and when they do they can be twenty plus  pounds!

The early halibut closure on September 5th is in our opinion ridiculous as we have seen one of the best hali seasons ever. The early closure is certainly going to impact the economics of the town of Port Renfrew negatively. All of the fishing guides out here are affected deeply with their bookings for fishing dropping off with the closure.

Port Renfrew Marina had it’s 14th annual Labor Day Derby this past weekend and although the fishing could be extremely slow at times the weather was absolutely perfect with sunshine, no fog and calm seas. This made fishing more enjoyable even if  there were less fish caught. Considering that fishing was on the quiet side spirits were very upbeat with everyone really enjoying themselves. We had a fantastic turnout with 256 entrants. We are happy and proud to say that all the people there came through,  helping to raise money for the San Juan hatchery. With raffles, silent auctions, live auctions and cash donations we raised $11,275.50 by including the donation bank kept in the marina office for a total of $832.00 that brings that total to $12,107.50 and another $2000.00 from the Davey Derby held back in July, bringing the total money raised to $14,107.50! A huge thanks to all the individuals and businesses, both local and from Nanaimo, Duncan, Lake Cowichan, Victoria, Colwood, Glen Lake and Langford that made generous donations without which this derby would not be the same!  A special thanks goes out to Rona of Langford for a very generous donation of Bosch tools equalling a value of over $2000.00! This alone raised $3040.00! Also West Marine for their generous sponsorship of $500.00 worth of goods and Three Point Properties for a 2 night stay in one of their cottages worth $375.00 and many more that would take far to long to list. Many people helped clean up during the day and evening but a special thank you goes out to 8 year old Melana Saab who helped clean up the longhouse  from the dance the following morning when everyone else was sleeping in and taking things easy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

• In first place:   Nathan Theriau                           35.3
• Second place:   Bill Cooper                                   33.10
• Third place:      Ryan Chamberlain                     32.3
• Woman’s biggest fish:  Amanda McKenzie      20. 8

Notable Catches:

• Dan Massey                       34
• Ray Hawthorne                35
• Lindsay Gagen                  32
• Mel Prouse                         35
• Mike Smith                         48
• Brian Dice                           32
• Len Huot                            48
• Sigrid Perkins                   42

News: The next and last derby coming up will be the Port Renfrew Coho Derby on Oct.1st and 2nd. This entry will be $25.00 a rod with $5.00 of every entry going to the hatchery. This a simple and relaxing derby with one winner who takes the pot, all cash. This year the marina will be closing on Oct.16th. Please make sure to come and collect your boat if it is in storage before that date if you do not intend to leave it there for the winter. This years fee for winter storage for boats or units is $25.00 a month. You must register with us if you want to leave it there.

Bud and Rex

While the numbers of Chinook salmon being caught has slowed a bit in the last few days, the sizes of fish have increased. The pattern of catches especially of the large white springs, is just like 2007 which was our best season ever for big fish. The majority of them coming in the first two weeks of September. As of this report most of the action is coming from Logan and Walbran. Pinks abound everywhere.

The “chicken ranch”at Swiftsure bank is still on fire for spring salmon with many 30 pounders coming from the 150to 200 foot depths on the downrigger. Sockeye has been increased to 4 a day but getting them can be a challenge fighting through the pinks.

Halibut catches from the anchor are  great with barn doors hitting the scale most days. Crabbing is still going strong!

Remember August is known for the fog and this year is no exception. Use caution boating as the fog can be thick at times.

Notable catches:

• Chris Paul                             32
• Shaun Gurney                    41
• Trevor of No Bananas Charters     30   and more
• Glen Wilson                         33   35         
• Greg Scalamogna              38     
• Brian Dice                             41
• Lockey Taker                      32
• Ian Batty                               39
• Grant Graver                       30
• Darryl Kyba  Len Huot    41

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

News:     Port Renfrew Marina’s Labor Day derby is this coming weekend Sept. 3rd and 4th. Tickets are $55.00 a rod and will be available at the office a day or so before the derby begins. Please try to support this derby by donation or attendance to help us raise funds for the local hatchery.

Our Coho Derby will be on Oct.1st and 2nd this year. This derby is “Winner Take All” Tickets are $25.00 a rod with $5.00 of each entry going to the hatchery. This derby will be a win-fall for one lucky fisherman.

This year Port Renfrew Marina will be closing on October 16th. Please be aware of this date for things such aspicking up boats in storage or making arrangements for storing of units.

Bud & Rex

The fantastic Chinook fishing continues on! Port Renfrew Marina is definitely seeing the best season of angling success that even long time fishermen can remember. With the exception of the odd one or two day lulls, most every day the docks are full of smiling faces.

 Ten to twenty Chinook hookups a day are common with the usual hotspots all giving up fish. There are fish showing out in the 90′ to 110 foot depths of water though trolling depths can still be as shallow as 25 foot on the downriggers.

While anchovy is the major bait of choice, whole herring with no flashers and coyote spoons are also working.  Port Renfrew Marina has a solid supply of anchovy and herring.

The “chicken ranch” is still pumping out springs in large numbers though the August fog is a daily concern.  Halibut fishing has switched back to an anchor-up method with some awesome catches hitting the scale. Sockeye is still open but you do need to patiently weed through the pinks to get some. If you are wanting pinks you can limit on them in no time, to avoid them devouring your bait try spoons or Baitrix as an alternative.

Crabbing is still going strong! Usually by now it’s over but this year is outstanding, just make the most of it while it’s still great!

Be aware that Owen Point is now closed.

 

 

 

 

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Notable Catches:

• Larry Defrane     37
• Peter McCuaig    30
• Don Colgrave & John Cove   43
• Mark Pavisic        30  32
• Doug Cunningham     35
• Island Outfitters        93 halibut
• Desi Hatchard of  http://www.viciousfishcharters.com   40
• Dale Coombs   31
• Mike Smith       40
• Rick Capebreton     31
• Tyler Arnold   30  28  24  18

Although the marina pay phone is working we are having some issues with certain calling areas, if you get an error 13 please let us know. For anyone who is not familiar with the marina we should remind people that we are a cash business only, we do have an ATM for convenience. Please try to come prepared for this. We also sell boat gas, car gas and diesel and we try very hard to keep our prices fair. We sell bait, ice and tackle.

IMPORTANT NEWS:  Coming up very soon is the annual Port Renfrew Marina Labor Day Derby. This year it is on Sept.3rd and 4th with the awards ceremony, dinner and dance on the Sunday. There is also a “bull head” derby for kids 12 and under on Sunday at 9:00 am.Tickets are $55.00 a rod and include a t-shirt, dinner, beverages and the live band. Monies raised go to the local San Juan hatchery. Any individual or business who feels they support this with a donation please contact us by phone or come by the office. All donations are recognized at the derby and greatly appreciated. We encourage all our participants to patronize these businesses that help out.

Port Renfrew Marina is also having their annual “Winner Take All”  Coho Derby on the first weekend in Oct. The dates are Oct.1st and 2nd. This derby is a two day event with a $25.00 entry for each rod. $5.00 goes to the hatchery and the rest goes in the winning pot. The winning amount varies with how many people enter but pots have ranged anywhere from $5600.00 to almost $14000.00! All cash!

Bud & Rex

Port Renfrew Marina is seeing exceptional Chinook fishing. While the last weekend saw slower than normal catches they came back on hard on Monday.

Most fisherman are hitting Logan and Walbran for their days adventure. Some days the springs are right on the kelp beds, other days they are being  caught in the 100 to 120 foot depth of water. With little pressure Owen Point could be a great place to try till it’s closure on Aug. 15th.

Halibut catches have f inally started to slow a bit at the “chicken ranch.” They should pick up again when the guides start trying new locations. Hatchery Coho can be found at Swiftsure Bank , limits are 2 per license.

Amazingly crabbing is still coming on. It has slowed some but there are still many out there. Very unusual for Aug.

IMPORTANT NEWS:  Sockeye opens tonight at 12:01 am tonight with 2 sockeye per day.

Notable catches:

• Scott Baslee   (16 years)  32
• Bob Biggs     32   33
• Paul Ricard      30
• Marek Syrzycki     30    32
• Merv Pywell        38
• Desi Hatchard of www.viciousfishcharters.com   32   32  30  30   38 40
• Ken Cutting     33
• Dan Buckmar  36
• Scott Baker   43 
• Robin Gibson   30
• Trevor Zboyovsky www.nobananasca    33  34  26   26  21

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

News:  Port Renfrew Marina will be holding it’s 14th annual Labor Day Derby on Sept 3rd and 4th.Please encourage your friends and yourself to enter this derby to help raise funds for the San Juan hatchery. Please help if you can with a donation for prizes to help make this derby memorable for all. Tickets will be available at the office a few days before the derby. They are $55.00 this year and include a t-shirt, dinner, beverages and a live band. There is also a bullhead derby for any children who want to participate on Sunday at 9:00 am.

Port Renfrew’s Coho Derby “Winner Take All” will be held this Oct. 1st and 2nd. This derby is a great one for anyone who likes a relaxed atmosphere as only a contender gets weighed in and the biggest Coho wins the prize money. Winnings have varied from $5600.00 to the biggest win of $13880.00! Tickets will be on sale a few days before the derby and are $25.00 five of which goes to the hatchery.

Bud & Rex

Port Renfrew Marina has run out of words for how great the fishing has been for the last few weeks without risking repeating ourselves! Both Swiftsure Bank and the beach has seen the best fishing in 20 plus years!

Chinook can be found from Owen Point to the Walbran Creek with “all day bites” happening almost daily. Anchovies are the bait of choice unless you are a die hard cut plug herring fisherman. Color of anchovy heads vary daily but the Mint Pearl has been very good. Depths are always between 27 feet to 41 feet with a very tight roll. The marina is well stocked with anchovies and herring.

Swiftsure at the “chicken ranch” remains outstanding. Spoons, hootchies and apex’s are all great choices for both chinook and halibut.

Crabbing has slowed some but there is still some showing up each day. Nice to see since usually by now they are few and far between.

Notable Catches:                           

• Jason Batty      32
• Trevor Zboyovsky of nobananas@fishingportrenfrew.ca  40
• Trevor Gregson  34   37
• Jack Cotterill   30  31
• Ian & Rhonda Robinson   51
• Kevin Wright   39  leader now in the beer derby
• Larry & Blair Ericson   34 27 24 23 21 21 all within one hour!
• Jim “steamin seamen”   37
• Eric Eckdahl    44
• We apologize for the others missed as the list went through the wash!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

News: The weekend of July 22 to the 24th was the 11th annual Davey Derby held at Port Renfrew Marina. It was a resounding success with all tickets sold out. It is great to see such community involvement and willingness to support a fundraiser such as the Davey Derby. They were successful in raising an amazing $24,000.00 for an assortment of charities.  First place was won by Chris Miller with a 39.1 spring, second place was Ernie Ferguson with a 37.8. Mary Dice won first in women’s with a 35.7 and Joe Serpa with the largest halibut weighing 92 pounds.

More News: The following road closures will take place on August 7th. The roads are closed in order to accommodate the Subaru Sooke International Triathlon and filming of the event for a television production that will air nationally on TSN. Time your coming and leaving accordingly.

1. Otter Point Road from Grant Road to Rhondenite Road: 7am to 3pm. * Access to Mulligan’s at Grant Rd

2. Otter Point Road (westbound lane) from Young Lake Road to West Coast Road (westerly intersection) + Young Lake Road: 7:00am to 10:30am. * Local residents use Kemp Lake Road for Access 

3. West Coast Road (westbound lane) from Otter Point Road (westerly intersection) to approximately 15km west of Jordan River: 7:00am – 10:30am

4. West Coast Road (eastbound lane) from approximately 15km west of Jordan River to Otter Point Road (westerly intersection) : 7:00am – 12 noon

5. Otter Point Road (eastbound lane) from West Coast Road (westerly intersection) to Rhondenite Road: 7:00am to 12:15pm * Local residents use Kemp Lake Road for Access.

More news: Coming up on Sept 3rd and4th Port Renfrew will be having their 14th annual Labor Day Derby.  Please try to attend and support this derby as all monies raised go to support the San Juan hatchery to keep producing ongoing salmon stocks for you and future fishermen in the years to come. The derby is a two day event, dinner with beverages, live band and you get a t-shirt in the deal. Please remember to bring cash for tickets as we are a cash only business. Anyone who knows of a business or individual who would like to donate to this derby please call or come by the office.

Bud & Rex