Port Renfrew Marina Fishing Report May 5/13

The 2013 Port Renfrew Marina fishing season is underway in a big way. As of the May 1st opening halibut fishing has been fantastic. Weather permitting (and it has been doing that for the most part) most boats on anchor have been seeing limit catches of good size fish with very few oversize being hooked.The northeast corner is on fire after a four or five year rest. Make sure you have lots of anchor rope as the depth varies between 220 to 270 feet deep. Anywhere west of Logan Creek seems to be holding fish. Salmon fishing has been slow except for the cut-pluggers. Camper Creek has been the spot as usual with the top catch of the weekend, a 30 pound Chinook caught by Eric Eckdahl.

Crabbing is excellent! Everyone out there with traps is coming back with limits and they are big and sweet and very firm. Anyone wondering if fishing is worth the time right now, the answer is, YES!

Notable Catches:

• Eric Eckdahl     30
• Joe Serpa           32 35 45 52 halibut
• Island Outfitters   60 halibut
• Bruce Miller of  http://www.millertimefishingcharters.com 
• May 4         32 36 46 51 halibut  misc rock fish
• May 5        4 halibut  3 springs 2 ling cod and assorted rock fish

Now that Port Renfrew Marina is open we would like to remind everyone that we have an ATM (the only one in the town of Renfrew) and it is available for anyone needing to use it. We also have fuel now in the form of car gas, boat gas and diesel. We should have ice by mid week and we also have bait if needed. 

For those who are not aware we have a new caretaker, he is Desi Hatchard of  http://www.viciousfishcharters.com He has taken over for Wayne & Gwen Coleman who have had some serious family hardships in the last six months. Anyone who knows the issues their family is facing and would care to donate to the  families of the widows can drop off a donation at the office.  Also, Knut is back as our handyman, fill-in guy and all around indispensible help.

Again if you are a seasonal customer it is imperative that you contact us as soon as possible (if you haven't already) to let us know if you are returning. The deadline to keep your spot is coming up fast. We look forward to seeing you all again soon and welcome all our new customers.

Bud & Rex

Port Renfrew Marina Report April 22/13

Well, for Port Renfrew Marina the 2013 season is about to start! For those of you wondering when exactly we will be opening, we will be there on April 26th for the weekend even though May1st is our official opening date (weather permitting). If you are returning this year and were a seasonal and want the same spot, you must confirm with us by email or phone as soon as possible. If not you can lose your camping and or moorage spot. If you are wondering why we are so late in doing the announcement this year, we are sorry but we have had some family issues to deal with. In spite of the halibut restrictions we are anticipating a busy year. On that topic, Effective April 1, 2013 until further notice: The maximum length for halibut is 126 cm. The daily limit for halibut is one (1). The possession limit for halibut is two (2), only one of which may be greater than 83cm in length. There will be an annual limit of six (6) halibut per license.  All halibut retained by the license holder shall be immediately recorded in ink on the Tidal Waters Sport Fishing license.  The area from which each halibut is caught and its length shall immediately be recorded on the license. We do hope to extend the season well into September.

The Chinook run, especially to the US rivers is predicted to be good only with another year of smaller springs. That fishing should kick off early June.

Some of you may know that Port Renfrew Marina has a new caretaker, Desi Hatchard of viciousfishguiding@msn.com who took over for Wayne and Gwen Coleman last winter. If you need anything out there or to get in to check on your unit  before we open you can contact him at the same number as before 250 483-1486.

Some may recall the Coleman's son, Clint Coleman who had the quad accident last Oct and was in a coma. We are so sad to have to say that Clint did pass away from the injuries he received from that accident and to add to that tragedy they just recently lost their son-in-law, Travis who was married to their daughter, Sandy. Both Sandy and Carrie are left with two young children that are fatherless. Port Renfrew marina will be accepting any donations that someone may want to give to help the wives and children of these two good men to help them out with starting their lives over without their husbands.

To all our customers we welcome you back, hoping you had a healthy, happy and safe winter and for all new customers we look forward to meeting you and seeing that you enjoy your stay with us. Until then.......

Bud & Rex

Port Renfrew Marina Report Nov. 22/12

Port Renfrew Marina is closed for the winter as we all know. We did want to post some bits of information that may be of some interest to some of you. We received a thank you letter from Maurice Trembley who runs the San Juan Hatchery and anyone interested in reading it will find it below. The letter is to inform people of the monies they have received from the different derbies the marina has held, most specifically the Labor Day Derby, the Coho Derby and the Davey Derby.  Also some of you may be wondering about the well being of our previous caretakers, Wayne & Gwen Coleman. Clint is still very seriously ill in hospital and is making some slow progress but is going to need ongoing care. Anyone who would like to help the family out can go to the website set up for them and you can see any updates and donate if you care to do so.  The site is http://colemanfamilytrust.wordpress.com/ .

Port Renfrew Marina now has a new caretaker. His name is Desi Hatchard, some of you may recognize the name as he was one of our guides at the marina. If you need to contact him the caretaker number is 250 483-1486. The main office number is not hooked up until next April. 

We, Bud and Tedi, Rex and Diane would like to send all our customers a a wish for you to have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and we hope to see all of you again in the coming new season at the marina. Be safe.

Bud, Tedi, Rex a& Diane

Port Renfrew Marina Report Oct.16/12

For Port Renfrew Marina another season has come to an end. All in all it was a good year with lots of springs just not many of the big ones over 40.  Nature made up for it by giving us all a spectacular Coho season. It came to an end basically last Friday. It would have gone on longer if the rain hadn't come and when it did, it was biblical! It started Friday night and kept on in rages until Sunday night.  We probably had 6 or 7 inches in those two days. The ramp going down to the cleaning area was flat. For the month before though we had fantastic Coho fishing with everyone coming back with their limits.  Now we are all hoping the salmon can manage to get up the rivers now that the rain has started. Now that the marina is closed we need all customers to be sure they have come and removed their units or boats unless prior arrangements were made. The gate will now be locked and getting in and out you will need the caretaker to assist you.  You should contact us to let us know what day you hope to collect your things.  Our number is 250 474-2643 and email is info@portrenfrewmarina.com .

Wayne and Gwen Coleman are still away staying by their son's bedside. There has been very little change in his condition. Our new caretaker is Desi Hatchard. Anyone who is interested in helping the Coleman's out with their expenses and or Clint's family can go to this site set up for Clint.   http://colemanfamilytrust.wordpress.com/.

It has been a great year with seeing long time return customers and getting to know our new ones. And with every year whatever the fishing is about, getting together and having fun and a few laughs is what makes a season so perfect. We look forward to seeing you and any new people next year for another fantastic year. We wish you all a safe and healthy winter.

Bud & Rex

Port Renfrew Marina Report Oct.2/12

At Port Renfrew Marina the Coho fishing is nothing short of spectacular! And on top of that the weather has been if anything even more spectacular with sunshine, calm seas and little or no fog. This is quite unusual for Port Renfrew at this time of year.  Anglers coming to the docks are all bringing in their limits with the usual catch being anywhere from 8 pounds up to 15 pounds. many guys are reporting that they will have somewhere between 30 and 50 Coho brought to their boat in a two hour time span. The fish are found at the river mouth and outside the bay but having said that you will often find them jumping everywhere. You can find the fish in about 350' to 450 feet of water and fishing at about 50 feet deep.  the lures of choice remain the same, anchovy being the favorite but also hootchies in green, yellow or white, spoons in similar colors with Bad Attitude being a favorite and apex's in green, gold and clear with UV.  Spring fishing is pretty much over for the season, although Rex Coburn brought in a 22 pound spring and a 16 pound 12 ounce Coho which if qualified would have beat out the winning fish for the Coho Derby. We all laughed at the idea of Rex handing himself the inning pot! NOT going to happen!

Port Renfrew Marina held it's annual Coho Derby "Winner Take All"  this past weekend. It was a great success with 533 tickets sold. Not a record year but an outstanding turnout. The winner of the derby was Jesse Legg with a 16 pound 8 ounce Coho. He was also assisted by his friends Sam Noble and Jan Vanherwaarden and it was agreed by them to split the pot of $11060.00. They were 3 very happy guys! This year the amount to go to the San Juan Hatchery from the Coho Derby came to $2765.00. Maurice and the guys at the hatchery are over the top please with the donations this year as they come to a grand total of $18,324.90! Thanks again to all that donated and participated in the derbies to help make them so successful and a lot of fun!

 Other pictures of Interest:                  

Important News:  Port Renfrew Marina will be closing for the season on Sunday October 14th. Please make sure you have removed your units and or boats on or before that date unless you have made prior arrangements.  It is very important that you contact us as to what you are wanting to do.

Very Important News: Port Renfrew Marina's caretakers, Wayne & Gwen Coleman are away right now to be with their son, Clint who was badly hurt in a  quading accident in Williams Lake. He is in a Kamloops hospital with life threatening injuries and is in a coma. They are staying there for at least a month and are going to incur living expenses that are a hardship for most families. At the marina we are starting a donation jar to help them out with all of this and if you are interested in contributing please drop by the office or call 250 483-1878. Anyone who knows Wayne & Gwen knows that they are always doing something for others, Wayne offers tools and gear to fishermen and Gwen feeds anyone who passes by her, including us in the office. They are always giving and now it's a chance for us to give back. Thank you!

Bud & Rex