Oct.16 Port Renfrew Marina Report

Port Renfrew Marina's 2008 season is over and each year seems to go by faster and faster. We closed officially Oct 14th. It was a pretty smooth year other than the terrible bear attack on Blaine Pharis. We managed to get more docks built which were snapped up early in the season and the new area for seasonal boat trailers was filled quickly. For next year we are hoping to expand that area and hopefully make more room for camping and build a small amount of dock space which at that point will max us out for usable dock area. For those of you who met Knut, our new guy in the office, he will be returning next year to help us out again. This year saw some of the best Halibut fishing in recent years with lots of "barndoors" hitting the docks. The largest on caught was 197 pounds caught by Kevin McKenna followed by a 186 caught by John Rogers of Jolly Rogers Fishing Adventures, and many more.

Chinook fishing was very slow after the August rains, ending what proved to be a disappointing season in general especially since this area in Renfrew is known for being predictably hot.

Coho fishing never did pick up although at the beginning the signs seemed promising but unfortunately they never panned out.

The good news is the San Juan Enhancement Society hatchery got their 1 million eggs and report a very strong natural spawn in the system. Lets hope that following years will show signs of that.

Oct.14th was the marina's closing date so please be aware and make sure you have come for your boat and or unit and have settled up your business for the season.  For seasonals please remember that you must contact us before May 1st 2009 to confirm keeping your spot, otherwise it will be assumed you are not returning.

We look forward to seeing all our customers again in the coming year and we wish all of you a safe and happy winter.

Bud & Rex

 

Oct.3 Port Renfrew Marina Report

Port Renfrew Marina held its annual Coho Derby this past Sept.27th and 28th. Fishing was a lot like this past season has shown us and unfortunately was slow. This didn't stop 398 optimistic fisherman to show up and try their luck. Weather conditions were excellent, warm, dry and with calm seas. There were approximately 30 Coho brought in over the two days with most of them in the 12 to 17 pound range. The 20.5 pound winning Coho was caught on Saturday and held up through the final weigh in at 1:00 Sunday. Jason Armstrong won the $7,880.00 prize money.

Coho fishing should improve till closing, Oct.13th as they usually show up in Oct though the weather could become a problem for boating.

One bright note is the Chinook return to the San Juan River system. The hatchery easily got the one million eggs they were hoping for. They also report a very good natural spawn with possibly 5000 fish in the river. Great news!

Please Note: Port Renfrew Marina will be closing for the season on Oct.13th. Please make sure you arrive in time to remove your boat and or unit before that date unless you have made arrangements for storage. Storage must be arranged with management and Noel. Please take note that in the next month we will be revising and posting a new rates page.

New Caretaker: This winter will be Noel and Pat's last year with the marina and they will be moving on with their retirement. The marina is looking for a caretaker to fill in. Please contact us if you happen to know someone who would fit this position, details can be discussed with anyone seriously interested.

Bud & Rex

Sept.22 Port Renfrew Marina Report

Well, what a summer it has been.... now it is officially fall and fishing at Port Renfrew Marina is still the slowest in recent memory. While we had the occasional burst of good fishing, for the most part it has been slower than anyone can recall. Chinooks seem to have disappeared after Labor Day and have not returned. In previous years we would have almost doubled the fish over 4o pounds caught all summer in the first two weeks of Sept. This has not happened.

Coho fishing has been very slow and, though it is still early, as late Sept. and early Oct are prime time. Again there have been days when little showed on the docks and then a day when some nice ones appeared. Some are coming in from the 300 foot to 500 foot depth range. The popular lures are mostly green hootchies and coyote spoons. There are Coho out at the Chicken Ranch at Swiftsure and other spots if you have a boat capable of getting out there and are willing to put in the time. We are all waiting to see if the Coho move in and fishing picks up.

  • Notable catches of Coho:
  • Chris McCrea                                          16
  • John Wells of Hindsight Charters     14, 15, 17
  • apologies to others that caught Coho of a good size and names were missed.

The good news is Halibut fishing continues to be reliable and strong at the Swiftsure Bank. For the most part the fish are on the smaller side but there are obviously still some big ones out there. See photo of Allen Nickel with his 142 pound Halibut.

Update on the Bear incident: We are pleased to report that after seeing and speaking with Blaine Pharis that he is on the mend and doing quite well all things considered. We are happy to say that he got first class care from the start with David Pope who is an advanced life support paramedic and his mother, Cindy Pope both of whom were right there to step up and care for him. In the hospital he was cared for in the burn and wound unit and got top notch care with a plastic surgeon there for consult. At last report we have heard he is doing well and recovering from his injuries. Happily, he isn't letting this stop him from continuing his fishing adventures.

Important Dates: Port Renfrew Marina's Coho Derby is this coming weekend, Sept.27th and 28th. The cost of entry is $20.00 a rod and it is "Winner Take All" Last years winnings was $9,800.00. A reminder also that Port Renfrew Marina will be closing on Oct. 12th this year. Please be sure to settle up all business and take home your unit and boat unless otherwise arranged.  Also for all our seasonal people please be sure to remember that May 1st is the deadline for confirming your spot for the 2009 year. It is very important that you contact us with this information so you don't lose your priority.

Caretaker's position: Port Renfrew Marina will be losing our long standing caretakers Noel & Pat Atkin over the last 12 years. They are planning to move on in the late spring to be closer to family and spend more time truly retired. Port Renfrew Marina will be looking for a replacement caretaker and if you know of anyone that may be interested please have them contact us. Details of what the position requires can be discussed then.

Bud & Rex

Sept.11 Port Renfrew Marina Report

Port Renfrew Marina as many of you may know has been in the news lately regarding the bear mauling that happened on Sept.9 around 5:00 that evening. We would like to take this opportunity to express our deepest thanks to everyone that helped us with this terrible event. A very personal thank you to the  brave people who helped with trying to get the bear off the man: Bruce Miller, Jared Gagen, Bud, the fellow's friend Steve, Art Unruh and Ed Stirling. Also a very special thank you to David Pope who is an advanced life support paramedic (so very lucky he had all his equipment with him) and his mother Cindy Pope who is a nurse who came to the man's rescue to care for his wounds. In the 22 years that the marina has been in business and the 12 years of our ownership there has never been an incident like this and we pray there never will be again. At last report the man is in the hospital and stable, which is a relief, all things considered. What a great feeling to know that we live in a place that when a fellow human being is in extreme distress that there are others that will come to his rescue regardless of the risk of death or injury. Without this help the man would have almost surely died. To the fellow that was so badly injured we all wish him a very speedy recovery. To everyone there that day that helped a VERY BIG thank you!! Fishing at Port Renfrew Marina in the past week has been very slow. There are still a few springs around and a few Coho showing up. Hopefully in the following week we will see an improvement and have more Coho's showing in real numbers. The seas have been very calm with beautiful weather for the most part but with some fog.

Notable catches of Springs:

  • Thelma Mattson             34
  • Hugh Hamar                  32.5
  • Dale Exley                      36
  • Dave Maitson                 36
  • Blair Houdayer                32
  • Clayton Wright               31
  • Trevor No Banana's        33

Halibut fishing is still good at the Swiftsure Bank. The fish are on the smaller side but are the best for eating.

Important Dates: Port Renfrew Marina's Coho "Winner Take all" Derby will be held this Sept.27th & 28th. The cost is $20.00 a rod and the rules are dawn to 6:00 p.m. on Sat. the 27th and dawn to 1:00 on Sun the 28th. All fish are expected to be caught within the legal fishing areas. The fisheries rules for Coho are: Two wild Coho can be kept if caught inside the whistle buoy. Hatchery Coho can be retained in or outside the bay. Up to four Coho in total may be kept. For more information, see these links:

Port Renfrew Marina will be closing on Oct.12th 2008. Please make arrangements for taking your unit and boat home unless previously arranged for storage. 

Bud & Rex

Sept.4 Port Renfrew Marina Labor Day Derby Weekend

Port Renfrew Marina saw late August fishing to be as poor as the weather. There had been hopes the pick up would last but low pressures and lots of rain coupled to make Chinook fishing one of the slowest in recent years. There were some great catches topped off by Dave Mills with a 56 pounder to win a place in Island Outfitters "King Fisherman Contest." Congrats Dave! Catches of Notable Springs:

  • Adrian Woods                     32
  • Mike Dugan                        32
  • Dan Peters                          39
  • Sandy Kent                         32
  • Liam Veigh                         38
  • Grant Graver                       31.5
  • Craig Martin                       35
  • Amber Murray                    33.5
  • Rex Coburn                        36
  • Wilf Hoban                         34.5
  • Shane Kapralik                   34 37
  • Kirk Combs                        36
  • Kit Tsoi                              42
  • Daniel Massy  13 years      32
  • Jess Hydes                         31.5
  • Noel Atkin                         36
  • Trevor of No BananasCharters   31
  • Jared of No Bananas Charters  33 34 36 38
  • Brian Willmon                    40.5
  • Dave Mills                   56

Coho's have been showing up in the bay with hatchery fish hitting the 17 pound mark. This could be the beginning of a good season.

Halibut is holding in there. Typically they diminish around this time. Stay on channel 06 to hear where they are. Most fisherman are still finding their limits.

Port Renfrew Marina's Labor Day Derby winners:

  • First Place:                             Ron Jakimchuk 35.2
  • Second Place:                         Terry Van Weiren 33.10
  • Third Place:                            Milt Combs 33.8  (sorry no picture of fish available)
  • Ladies Biggest Fish:                Stephanie Aikenhead 28.8 giving her the right to wear the shirt titled "The best Hooker in Port Renfrew" passed on by Frieda Fielding
  • Girls under 16 Biggest Fish:    Bailey Wright 23.13

Port Renfrew Marina held it's 11th Annual Labor Day Derby this past weekend and it was another big success. Weather leading up to the weekend had many of us worried but it cleared up nicely and seas settled. Fishing was slower than past years but there was a lot of optimism and the overall feeling was of everyone enjoying themselves. This year the marina sold 272 tickets so the turn out was a huge success. We had astounding amount of wonderful donations and we give thanks to all who donated. None of which any of this could really happen without their generosity. A special thanks out to:

  • Rona of Colwood
  • M & M Marine
  • Island Outfitters
  • Redl
  • Trudy Ammann
  • Judy Eilertson
  • Sue Coleman
  • Kelly Wagner of Gizmos

Private Donations were given by:

  • Ron Jakimchuk giving $500.00 of his winnings to the Salmon Enhancement Society for our local fish hatchery
  • Mr. & Mrs. Wayne Schiffner of Ferndale, Wash who are seasonals of the marina $150.00
  • A donation of $1000.00 from the Davey Derby held in July with Audie Williams' amazing work
  • A combined contribution from some of the charter guides of $100.00 each
  • Shawn & Steph Aikenhead of Quarter Tide Charters
  • Bruce Miller of Miller Time Charters'
  • Mark Perkins of Ace of Kings Charters
  • John Rogers of Jolly Roger Fishing Adventures
  • John Wells of Hindsight Charters

 Port Renfrew Marina raised monies for the local fish hatchery with 4 separate raffles $3680.00 and 3 auctions $725.00 and 3 silent auctions $175.00. Bringing in a total of $4580.00.

The Bullhead Derby for children under 12 was also a lot of fun and excitement for the kids. The winners with the most bullheads were:

  • Boys:  A tie with Tristan Claxton and Nick Ree
  • Girls:  Makayla Styba

The Labor Day Derbywas a huge success even with a power failure that evening just as the announcing was to start. So with generators going the derby went on with many prizes being given and a great dinner thanks to Andrew Hoffman of San Juan Bistro and after, a live band called Able and Willing where many danced until late.

Upcoming event:Port Renfrew Marina will be having it's Coho Derby on Sept.27th and 28th. The entry fee is $20.00 for a chance to be the Winner Take All.Last years winner was Mark Kloss with winnings of $9,800.00 with a catch of a Coho weighing 14.9 pounds.

Marina Closing Date:Port Renfrew Marina will be shutting down on Oct.12th 2008. Please remember to get your unit and boat out on time or make arrangements about storage. Also all seasonals must contact us regarding keeping their site for the upcoming year before May.1st 2009.

Bud and Rex