Port Renfrew Marina Report July2/18

At Port Renfrew Marina spring salmon fishing is still quite good along the beach and should just get better and better as July and August is prime time in the Port Renfrew area. Evan though we don't see the 40 pound plus fish very much anymore there are still some nice sized Chinook into the 30 pounds being caught. 

Crabbing is still awesome, big, sweet and full of meat. Make the most of the time left to do your crabbing while they are still here in good numbers.

At Swiftsure Bank fishing is really good, getting your limits in record time. There are lots of black cod getting in the way but is an expensive and sought after fish. It is very rich and you don't need much and can be on the oily side but in small amounts it makes for amazing appys and such.

Matt Jones  29

Braiden Gorle  27

 Port Renfrew Marina has a gift basket ready for raffle again for the annual Labor Day Derby coming up on Sept. 1st and 2nd. This gift basket is generously donated by the local Port Renfrew General Store and has an amazing amount of great things in it. The basket can be seen at the General Store for the coming summer and tickets are $2.00 each or 3 for $5.00. The monies raised will go to salmon enhancement.

Gift Basket:  Draw date: Sept. 2nd  Contents: White metal bucket for cold drinks with built in bottle opener, Salted caramel Baileys, Absolut vodka, Crown Royal Rye, bottle of red wine, lantern w/ LED light, 4 acrylic stemless wine glasses, 1 large serving platter, 4 luncheon plates, 2 solar lights and a string of solar lights, 4 small serving bowls, 2 metal skewers, 1 lb Friendly Frog organic coffee, Cineplex movie pass for 2, $20 gift card for Purdy's Chocolates, 1 regular and 1 smoked can of St.Jeans Canned salmon and other goodies. 

Buying tickets for this basket gives you a chance to win these great items and also help the salmon, a win/ win deal! Check it out at the general store. Value of the basket is approx. $300.00!

Bud & Rex

Port Renfrew Marina Report June 26/18

At Port Renfrew Marina we want to do a quick update of the fishing for you. The weekend into Monday was quite good. Bigger fish have showed up on the beach. Nitnat as well as the Rockpile to Camper areas are holding feed and fish. The fish that were cleaned today had only squid in them so this may influence your choice of lure. 

The "chicken ranch" is still hot for springs, halibut and black cod but the big tides and full moon make for a less than comfortable ride out. 

Notable catches: 

• John Gordon   34
• Larry and Judy DeFrane  28
• Brian Paulsen   20  17

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John Gordon 34 

Coming soon:  Kinsmen Salmon Derby on July 21 and 22. If you like derby's this one is great, so many prizes and the funds raised go to an assortment of wonderful causes. Come out, have some fun, catch fish and possibly win a prize and help out with your participation. Tickets are $50.00 a rod and includes a dinner. Tickets available at Port Renfrew Marina, Island Outfitters, Bucky's, Gord's Fly Box and Harbour Chandler.

Bud & Rex

Port Renfrew Marina Report June 18/18

At Port Renfrew Marina Chinook fishing has still not lit up as it should be. It will happen any day now as we have heard good reports of numbers of fish just to the north of us. We just need some bait around to bring the fish in. 

There are some springs weighing into the mid twenties but most seem to be in the mid to high teens. Bait is always the number one choice but white hootchies are catching fish also.

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Dylan Nitschke 32lb spring

Offshore the sea conditions have been horrible for the last few days. If you can tough it out, limit catches of springs and "chicken" halibut are the norm. Yesterday though anglers complained they could not get down to the halibut as a huge biomass of black cod had moved in. They shouldn't be here long.

Inshore halibut fishing has been quite good especially with the early morning ebb currents. Crabbing has slowed a bit but is still very good.

Upcoming Events: Port Renfrew Marina will be hosting the annual Kinsmen Salmon Derby on July 21st and 22nd. Tickets are $50.00 a rod and includes a dinner. This is a really fun derby and enjoyed by all who participate. The monies raised go to some great causes in the Lake Cowichan area. Please go to www.lakecowichankinsmen.com for full details.

Port Renfrew Marina's Labor Day Derby on Sept. 1st and 2nd. details will be coming.

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Bruce's catch 5 halibut and 4 springs 1 hali on the cleaning table

Port Renfrew Marina's Coho Derby on Sept.29th and 30th. details will be coming for it also.

Bud & Rex

Port Renfrew Marina Report June 9/18

For Port Renfrew Marina salmon fishing this past week has been generally quiet with rough seas on Wednesday keeping most anglers coming in early. 

There has been the odd bright spot with a 30 and 27 pound springs being caught and one released that was somewhere in the mid thirties. Most of the fish being caught are hatchery. 

Offshore the "chicken Ranch" has turned on about a week early this year. If you can get a calm day limit catches of chinook and halibut should be had. Crabbing is still unbelievable, big, hard and sweet. 

For Port Renfrew Marina's Labor Day Derby this year there has been a new addition to the group that we donate the fundraised monies too. Every year since we started we have donated to the local San Juan Hatchery and we will again this year but we have included the Sooke Chinook Enhancement Initiative. Here is the site if you would like to check it out  http://www.anglerscoalition.com. We are of the thinking that it would be useful to help both areas as they are tied together helping salmon stocks in the San Juan Strait. Salmon have 4 times the survival rate being released from net pens than from the wild as they are released at a bigger size. Last year at the Sooke Chinook Enhancement Initiative they released over 500,000 salmon! 100,00 of them were marked and tagged. 

Speaking of the Port Renfrew Marina Labor Day Derby, please keep in mind that we are always in need of donations, either privately or from a business. It all helps to make a derby successful and to bring in the necessary monies to donate. If you feel you can manage a donation or know someone or a business that might be interested please come by the office or email us and we can give you a donation letter. 

At Port Renfrew Marina there will be the annual Kinsmen Derby July 21st and 22nd this year. The entry fee is $50.00 a rod and includes a dinner. The monies raised go to different needy organizations in the Lake Cowichan area. A really fun derby for all. For more info go to http://lakecowichankinsmen.com/kin-derby-2018. 

It is with a sad heart the we at Port Renfrew Marina mark the sudden passing of Peter Knighton. A long time patron and good friend died this past Tuesday, June 5th when his boat capsized near Carmanah beach. His gentle spirit, his positive attitude in life and great dry sense of humor will be greatly missed. We all looked forward to when Peter would show up and have a joke or funny story to tell. We never heard a cross word from him. Our sincere condolences goes out to his family and all that knew him.  

Bud & Rex

Port Renfrew Marina Report May30/18

At Port Renfrew Marina there was some good fishing on the weekend wth some limit catches to 25 pounds. Wind and some swell for the past few days has slowed things down a bit.

Around the 10th of June the "chicken Ranch" should turn on. This will be the bread and butter for a lot of anglers looking for springs and halibut. Although this past weekend we saw some nice sized halibut coming to the docks. 

Crabbing remains fantastic with some people "crabbed out" already! They seem to be shallow water right now in 25 to 35 feet. Remember to make sure your traps are weighted down solidly so there is no rocking and movement from the swells and currents. The crabs will spook if the traps are swaying. Halibut fishing remains strong with the NE corner and farther west points giving up fish. 

Many people are already asking about when our derbies will be held this year. The Port Renfrew Marina Labor Day Derby will be held this year on Sept. 1st and 2nd. and the Port Renfrew Marina Coho Derby that so many wait for, will be early this year on Sept. 29th and 30th. The following weekend is Thanksgiving and then after that the weather is just too unpredictable. So now you can make any arrangements you might need if you want to attend either or both derbies. More info will be coming regarding the derbies. 

Effective by June 1st a total fin-fish closure from San Juan Point to Otter Point will be in effect until September 30th. This won't likely affect Port Renfrew Marina and area too much but it isn't looking very good for Sooke anglers. Please make sure you familiarize yourself with all the changes in regulations before you venture out to fish so you don't get hit with fines. Fisheries does not forgive being uninformed! We will try to keep people posted as more information comes to us. 

A reminder to all new customers that are planning a trip to the marina, we are a cash only business so please come prepared,, we do not accept credit cards or have Interac but we do have an ATM for your convenience if necessary.

Bud & Rex