At Port Renfrew Marina Chinook fishing slowed right down on the weekend with the exception of the Gagen and Hydes boats that had their limit of 6 springs both days. Everywhere was generally poor fishing. Even East Point got very quiet. Tuesday saw a great improvement, with Chinook in all the regular fishing spots. While anchovies are the bait of choice, spoons are working as well. Coho killers are a popular choice also.
Farther to the west "hole in the wall"to the NitNat gap has been very good, just pick a good weather day.
Nice sized Coho are showing up on the beach, with some hatchery fish pushing 12 pounds. Still to early to target them offshore. It looks like it may bode well for the Coho derby coming up on October 1st and 2nd.
Halibut fishing has had no pressure, we know of only one boat up on the top end of the closure that got some fish. The halibut fishing should improve towards mid September.
Crabbing is still fair with most people getting a couple for the pot.Considering what crabbing is usually like this time of year, this is a bonus.
Notable catches:
- Grant Graver 31
- Barrell Gallant 34 hatchery Sorry for the head chops!!
At Port Renfrew Marina and the area of Port Renfrew are still under the campfire ban. For additional information you can go to www.bcwildfire.ca. Some areas on the island are opening up so it may be that Renfrew will soon also, we will try and keep you updated. For a map showing the areas affected go to http://ow.ly/AIGB303J6nB.
Port Renfrew Marina Labor Day Derby: Coming up this long weekend will be the marinas 19th annual Labor Day derby and things are moving along well. This year the Lake Cowichan Kinsmen will be serving the dinner. The success of a derby depends so much on the help from businesses so the funds can be raised for the cause which in this case is the local salmon hatchery and such a deserving cause it is! We all want to see the salmon stocks kept alive and well for ourselves and future generations. Donations have started coming in and we hope to collect more so keep that in mind if you think you can help, we also can always use help with collecting donations and we are always in need of helpers to set up the tables, sell raffle tickets, etc the day of the derby. If you have a donation or know of a place who would be interested let us know asap. The derby is a super fun event and if you haven't attended it before you should come and see for yourselves what a great time it is, bring a friend to participate. It is a two day event wth many prizes including hidden weight, biggest fish for a woman and a teen under 16 and silent and live auctions and raffles. Tickets are now available at the office and are $60.00 a rod which includes a Port Renfrew Marina t-shirt, a dinner and beverages and a live band on the Sunday. Dinner tickets are available for those who aren't in the derby but would like to participate. The same band will be playing again this year, so get your dancing shoes ready!
At Port Renfrew Marina this year there will be a form to fill out voluntarily for fisheries to help them determine fish stats. This form is optional and should you want to fill it out below is their reason behind the form use. Fisheries will be donating a $70.00 gift certificate for gas at PRM in a draw from the entries they receive.
There is some worry by recreational fishers that treating derby weekends the same as other days of the month is resulting in over‐estimates of the recreational fishery catch. To explore and protect against this potential, the Port Renfrew Marina 19 Annual Labor Day Derby is partnering with DFO to improve recreational catch estimates and management in the west coast portion of Juan de Fuca. The goal of working with DFO is to have our derby catch known exactly and not have it estimated by the creel survey. This will improve overall effort and catch estimates, which will lead to improved management and regulation of our fishery. To achieve our goal of improved catch estimates and be entered in the derby prize draws, you must fill out the catch information on the opposite side of this sheet. Bring this completed form to the derby weigh‐in station. Official weights will be recorded on the form and the form submitted as your derby entry. This information will be added up to document the total catch in the derby so the catch does not need to be estimated by DFO.
Raffle Item: Port Renfrew Marina is raffling an Islander Reel donated by them to raise funds for the local salmon hatchery. It is a MR 2-LA Mooching Reel called ARBOR SLATE. Tickets are $5.00 or 3 for $10.00 and available at the marina. Buy a ticket and support the hatchery so you and generations to come can enjoy the sport of salmon fishing. Value of the reel is $625.00.
Another Raffle Item: Again the Port Renfrew General Store has generously donated another gift basket for raffle for the Labor Day Derby. This basket is full of some amazing items, such as a bottle of Ketel vodka, Gran Reserva Bacardi rum, 1 bottle of quality red wine, & a bottle of salted caramel Baileys, a ceramic LED candle lantern, a box of Purdy's chocolates, cedar salmon wraps, acrylic plates and bowls, 1 pound Salt Spring organic coffee, Stash organic green tea, bamboo reed diffuser, 4 stemless wine glasses and much more, all sitting in a metal beer cooler tub with a built in bottle opener on the side. It can be viewed at Port Renfrew Marina now. Tickets are $2.00 each or 3 for $5.00, what a deal for a basket of approximately a $300.00 value! Must be 19 or older to buy tickets and attendance is not required to win.
And yet another Raffle Item: Port Renfrew Marina is also raffling a Pelican ProGear 95 liter Cooler, generously donated by Joe Serpa. This cooler is extremely tough and so well insulated that it can keep up to 10 days ice retention. With many excellent features it can last for years and is guaranteed for life. Can be seen in the marina office. Value of the cooler is $500.00. Tickets available at the office at $5.00 a ticket or 3 for $10.00. Again all proceeds go to the local San Juan salmon hatchery.
Bud & Rex