Coho fishing has moved close to shore, with coho in San Juan harbour and San Juan river. Several boats reported good catches right in the river mouth, spincasting from their boats or shallow trolling. There's fish jumping everywhere, but they aren't feeding, so you have to trick them into biting some other way. Lots of fun, if you can hook into one. With great coho fishing, the Coho derby should be excellent. Mark your calendars, Oct. 3 & 4th.
Sept. 16/09 Port Renfrew Marina Report
It's now mid-September and for Port Renfrew Marina this is typically the time when Chinook salmon fishing drops off but it is somewhat early for the Coho to be in the bay. There have been only a few spring salmon brought in since the last report although Hugh Hamer caught a 40.5 spring at Camper on Sept.14th. Hopefully they are moving into the rivers. The time of year and other factors such as weather and the surprise showing of Humboldt squid have possibly been some of the reasons the fishing has been sporadic. The Humboldt have been a bit of a nuisance since they are eating the salmon but they are surprisingly tasty. It's not fun being sprayed by them though! There seem to be less of them at this time so they may be moving on.
Coho fishing is still excellent offshore in the Swiftsure Bank area. There seems to be acres of them! Some wild have been seen in the 20 pound range but the average is 10 to 12. Many hatchery Coho in the high teens have been brought in giving us expectations that they will be of some size by the time of the Coho derby, Oct. 3 & 4th. Hoochies in glow white and coyote spoons especially the green/white/black and white/green have been working well. Depths vary everyday so listen to VHF channel 6 for the chatter on what is happening.
Halibut fishing is still good offshore but again they seem to be getting caught at different spots everyday. Feeder springs usually 10 pounds and under can be found out there also.
Notable Catches:
- unknown 36
- unknown 35
- Hugh Hamer 40.5
Important Dates:
- Port Renfrew Marina will be having it's Coho Derby on Oct.3 and 4th. This is a 2 day derby with the one biggest fish that is "Winner Take All" The entry fee is $25.00 five of which goes directly to the local San Juan Hatchery. The winnings for the biggest Coho is then dependent on how many entries there are. See previous year's derby results for possible winnings. This derby gets many people entered so show up early if possible for camping and moorage.
- This year Port Refnfrew Marina will be closing on Oct.12th. Please be sure to make arrangements with the office regarding storage if needed or make sure you have removed your unit and boat on or before that date. If you are wanting power for the winter make sure your cord can handle heavy rain and all connections are water tight to prevent a breaker from going. Contrary to rumor we do have a caretaker there for the winter who will be keeping an eye on the ones left for the season. Also we are asking, please be sure to leave your campsite clean, any campsites left with such things as garbage, chairs, buckets, awnings, wood strctures or broken things will be charged $100.00 for cleanup.
Bud & Rex
Sept.9/09 Port Renfrew Marina Report
The 12th annual Port Renfrew Marina Labor Day Derby is now over for another year. Promises and hopes of lots of spring salmon never came to be. After the great summer we had the weather took a turn and we had huge bouts of rain. Low pressure, full moon, lots of rain and the onslaught of Humbolt squid may be some of the reasons for the very low number of fish. With 253 rods registered for the event only 66 fish were weighed in over the day and a half. All things considered the people who did attend had a great time at the dinner and dance that lasted until midnight. Even with less attendance ( down about 40 tickets) the derby raised a record amount of $9414.00 which was given to the San Juan Hatchery. Previous years we have given more in the $5000.00 range so all in all it was a great success. We want to thank all the volunteers who without their help things would never get done and all the businesses and individuals who donated to our derby and made it the success it was!
- Results of Derby:
- 1st. Stan Meredith 34.12
- 2nd. John Lewis 33.0
- 3rd. Kevin Zazula 31.5
- Womens largest salmon Sarah Fraser 25.13
- Juvenile largest salmon Daylen Uhlman 26.4
- Bullhead Derby Winners:
- Boys: Tyler Battie 18
- Tie w/ Girls: Makala Styba 22
- Marlee Wright 22
- Hidden Weight: Day 1- Mark Med 15.4
- Day2 - Val Daigle 13.4
A special thank you goes out to Audie Williams from the Davey Derby with a donation to the hatchery for $2000.00! To Rona for donating the Weber BBQ for a raffle, M&M Marine in collaboration with Port Renfrew Marina for the APS Outboard Engine, the special efforts of Clayton and Diane Wright, Neil Young, Murray Havens, Shawn & Steph Aikenhead and Dan Dupray for all the donations they brought in. To Wayne & Judy Schiffner, Ian and Deb McGregor, Gordon n Gordon, TK Glass, PR Cleaning, Judy's Cookshack and Butler Bros for cash donations. To Kelly Wagner of Gizmo's and Is. Outfitters, Port Renfrew Hotel, Ian White of Is. Outfitters and Trevor Zboyvoski of No Banana's, Big Fish Lodge, PR General Store and San Juan Fish Processing for their very generous donations. To all the others a big thank you also for truly we couldn't do it without you. Also a thank you out to Andrew Hoffman of the San Juan Bistro for the catering and ALL the misc extra's he does for us! With the donation from the Davey Derby and the monies Port Renfrew Marina raised the amount came to a total of $11,614.00!
Coho fishing is now open for retention of 2 wild fish shoreward of the whistle bouy. Possession can be 4 Coho, 2 of which can be wild if caught in the area just mentioned. They should be moving into that area soon.
Notable Catches:
- Glen McCloskey 44
- John Rayjac 40
- Wayne Fowler 38 40
- Dave Mills 37
- Ken Beachum 40
- Dave Tucker 35
- Odd Johansen 32
- Nolan Fisher 36
- Troy Halliday 50
Apologies to anyone not mentioned as it was a very busy week!
Important dates: Port Renfrew Marina will be having it's Coho Derby coming up on Oct.3rd and 4th. This derby is a "Winner Take All." Entry fee is $25.00 with $5.00 of each entry going to the hatchery. Also for everyone's information Port Renfrew Marina will be closing on Oct. 12th. Please make sure you have made any necessary arrangements with the office regarding winter storage if needed.
Bud and Rex
Aug.30/09 Port Renfrew Marina Report
Since the Aug. 20th Port Renfrew Marina report fishing has slowed down quite a bit. Fishing became spotty and then large swells may have contributed to the slow down with churned up waters. Also the weather and seas made it near impossible for the smaller boats to get out to Swiftsure Bank. The fish that were here in the large numbers appear to have moved on, possibly temporairly, we are waiting for the next wave of springs to hit the beach. Time will tell as August is usually an excellent month for spring fishing. Some quality Chinook catches were topped off by Mark Thomas' 53.75 pound spring caught at East Point on Aug. 28th. Just 5 minutes into the afternoon trip the fish hit. It was a beauty! Checking the notable catches you will see that not all the big ones have left and things do seem to be improving slowly.
I want to thank all those that helped to make this most exciting time in my fishing life even more memorable by their warm and friendly congratulations. Cheers to Bud and Rex and Tedi & all those present at the weigh in, Blair , Mr Dice(wire) and of course the Abrahams. Mark Thomas
Coho fishing is still on fire with the Swiftsure Bank area loaded with fish from the surface to 200 feet deep. Basically any lure seems to be working but hoochies in the white and pink colors do well and anchovies.
Pink salmon are mixed in with the Coho and can be found just off shore in about 300 feet of water
Halibut are getting a little more difficult to find as they seem to be at a different location every day.
A big thanks goes out to Chris and Dave for a great day on the water even if they didn't bring enough beer!!
Notable Catches: 
- Bud McGrade 32
- Ron Buller 35
- Mark Twidale 42
- Ian White of Island Outfitters 43
- Walter Pederson 30
- Jeremy Fall 34
- Mark Thomas 53.75
- David Aguado 31.5
- Kirk Nelson 46.5
- Mark Perkins of Ace of Kings 32
- Mickey Jahelka 42
- Arron Atkey 32
Amazing Story: Bruce Miller of Millertime Charters was coming through the Bank when they thought they spotted a large Sunfish. Upon getting closer they then thought it might be a whale when they saw a large pointed fin come out of the water. Getting close up they realized the "whale" was a great white shark! They estimated that it was about 20 feet long!! That's the first time in all the years we have been fishing or boating there that we have heard of a great white in that area. That's when you are very glad your boat is big enough to feel a safe distance from an killing and eating machine like that!
Note: We apologize for the delays in updating the reports as we can only do them from home and we are only home every five days. Also there were a few springs in the 30's that we missed.
Dates to Remember: Coming up this weekend is Port Renfrew Marina's 12th annual Labor Day Derby. This derby should prove to be exciting with all the large Chinook that have come in this summer. Tickets will be available this coming week. Please support this derby if you can as all proceeds go to the local San Juan Hatchery. (see previous report for details) A big thanks to all who have donated so far, it goes a very long way to making this event a success.
A special thanks goes out to Rona hardware in Colwood for their very generous donation of a Weber BBQ valued at $1099.00. You can get raffle tickets 3 for $10.00 at the marina and it also comes with a metal protective cover. We are also raffling an APS 9.9 4 stroke outboard engine valued at $2000.00 with help from M&M Marine. Tickets available at the marina and at Island Outfitters, tickets are 1 for $10.00 or 3 for $25.00. This engine is a copy of a Yamaha and has all the same size fittings, comes with a 2 year warranty and some accessories. These engines have been reported by owners to be a very reliable motor.
Coming up Oct. 3rd and 4th will be Port Renfrew Marina's Coho Derby. This derby will be a "Winner Take All" and the entry fee this year is $25.00 with $5.00 of every entry going to the San Juan Hatchery. (see previous derby listings on our site for winners)
Important: If you are planning to leave your unit or boat for storage this winter please come to the office and let us know as soon as possible. This year you will make arrangements with the office and not the caretakers. This must be paid in advance for the winter.
Bud & Rex
Aug.20/09 Port Renfrew Marina Report
Fishing is nothing short of FANTASTIC at Port Renfrew Marina right now! Chinook fishing is as good as it gets. Limit catches and tyee size salmon are still hitting the docks every day. We are seeing up to 4 springs a day over 40 pounds and this trend should continue well into September. Anchovies and teaser heads in the Purple Flash UV, Chrome Tiger Prawn and Purple Haze seem to be the hot lures right now. The weather lately has been close to perfect, very calm seas for the most part and very little of that August fog we usually get. Check out the list of notable catches, it really says it all especially since we couldn't possibly get them all recorded.
Coho are still out at Swiftsure and are growing larger daily. There should be lots of Coho over the 20 pound mark by next month. Desi Hatchard of viciousfishcharters caught what we believe to be a possible record of a 26 pound hatchery Coho this past week at the Bank along with a spectacular catch of other salmon and halibut. See pic.
Chicken Halibut are at the J bouy right now. Someone soon will start anchoring for the "barn doors" as they haven't been targeted for quite a while. HALIBUT REGULATIONS UPDATE: as of August 21, the daily limit has been increased to 2 per day. Possession limit remains 2 in total.
Crabbing has slowed down as usual for this time of year but if you are persistent you will get them.
Notable Catches:
- Desi Hatchard of Vicious Fish Charters 26 pound Hatchery Coho!
- Norm Ricketts 33 Dan Burkmar 30
- Adam Dorey 30 Marty Husten 30 33
- Darren Daly 30 Wayne Fowler 38 40
- Brad MacDonald 40 Corey Kovacs 42
- Grant Graver 31 Ian Batty 32 32 39
- Bud Watt 32 Mark Collicott 31
- Neil Hansen 36 Al Auringer 38 41 on his Birthday!
- John Raynak on Ace of Kings Charters 40 Brian Lee 36
- Clayton Wright 30 Dave Tobacco 35
- Victoria Grady on No Banana's Charters 32 Dan Harlow on No Banana's 33
- Ian White of Island Outfitters Charters 40 30 32 34 36.5
- Trevor Zboyvoski of No Banana's Charters 41 31 38
- Bard Holland on Ace of Kings Charters 46 Nicole Burkmar 40.5
- Desi Hatchard of Vicious Fish Charters 32 32 36 39
- Drew Hensen 36 Mike Graham 35
- Cory Lowe 34.5 Jayden Poland & Fred McCallum 31 31
- Asit Mazumber 35
- Stormriders/Scotty 42 Norm Patmore 32.5
- Troy Halliday of 360 Charters 30 30
- Bob Mathews on Ace of Kings Charters 39
- Charlie Holman 40 Mike Talarico 45.5
- Mary Dice 30 Glen Miller 38
- Al Marsden 30.5 Sandy Kent 42
- Art Moysychyn 41.5 Ian Bateson 30 31
Important Dates: Port Renfrew Marina is having our annual Labour Day Derby coming up. The dates are Sept. 5th and 6th. This event is very important to help raise money for the local Renfrew salmon hatchery. This will be our 12th year and tickets are still $50.00 a rod and includes a t-shirt, dinner, beverages, and a live band. Tickets will be available by next week at the marina. There is also a bullhead derby for children 12 and under with prizes and goodie bags. The marina is raffling a 9.9 HP APS outboard motor, 4 stroke all fittings exact to Yamaha. We also have 2 beach day salmon fishing charters for a date after Sept. 15th. These are being donated by Ian White of Island Outfitters and Trevor Zboyvoski of No Banana's. Win this and take some friends or family for a day of fun and fish. There will be many other prizes, raffles and auctions so don't miss a chance to have a good time and help a good cause.
Another big date is the Coho Derby on Oct. 3rd and 4th. This should be an exciting derby since the Coho are so prevalent already and growing every day. This is a winner take all derby and this year the entry fee is $25.00 with $5.00 of it going straight to the local hatchery. Check the site for previous years winners.
Please Note: Many of our customers arrive late in the night. If you are one of them please register the following morning and if you are just launching you can pay your launch at the front office door where we have a launch box for your convenience. Campfires are allowed at the marina.
Regarding Winter Storage: For anyone wanting to leave their unit for storage over the winter they must pay for the storage and or power in advance before we close for the season. Please come to the office and we can discuss this with you.
Bud & Rex
