Fishing Reports
Abundant Runs of Columbia River Chinook, Puget Sound Pink and Coho Salmon Projected
OLYMPIA – Fishing prospects look bright this year for chinook in Washington’s ocean waters and the Columbia River, according to preseason salmon forecasts released today at a public meeting in Olympia.
Opportunities for anglers also look good in Puget Sound, where coho and pink salmon runs are expected to be strong this year.
Forecasts for chinook, coho, sockeye, pink and chum salmon mark the starting point for developing 2013 salmon-fishing seasons in Puget Sound, the Columbia River and Washington coastal areas. The forecasts were developed by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and treaty Indian tribes.
Fishery managers have scheduled a series of public meetings over the next few weeks to discuss potential fishing opportunities before finalizing seasons in early-April. A meeting schedule, salmon forecasts and information about the salmon season-setting process are available on WDFW’s website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/northfalcon/.
Salmon fisheries developed through this extensive process will once again be driven by the need to rebuild depressed wild salmon populations while protecting healthy stocks, said Phil Anderson, WDFW director.
“This year’s preseason forecasts point to a number of opportunities for us to design some exciting fishing opportunities in waters across the state, while staying true to our conservation principles,” Anderson said. “We look forward to working with our constituents in designing salmon fisheries.”
West Coast Early Spring 2011
For the Spring and Summer of 2011 , a huge portion of the Pacific Rim areas’ Chinook Salmon catch originates in U.S. rivers and streams south of the border. This recent update from the Washington State Dept. of Fish & Wildlife is more great news for local anglers that are already seeing good number of these large sized early run Salmon.
“Large Chinook Salmon, five-year-old fish are expected to make up an unusually high portion of this year’s catch, said Joe Hymer, a WDFW fish biologist. More than 100,000 five-year-old spring chinook – each weighing 18 to 30 pounds – are predicted to pass through fisheries en route to the Willamette River or the upper Columbia River this year.
By comparison, only about 26,000 five-year-old fish returned to those areas last year, despite a strong run of 423,000 spring chinook to those waters.”
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Great Fishing Months!
June to September (Chinook ‘King’ Fishing)
Locally in Comox Valley the favorite fishing destination for these beauties is Kitty Coleman or the Lighthouse off Campbell River. Depending on the runs coming buy at the time we will be departing from Pacific Playgrounds Resort or Comox Harbour Marina. Depending on what the Customer wants and hot spots at the time we can also fish North of Campbell River where the biggest local Chinook in 2010 was 72 lbs
June to September (Coho ‘Silver’ Fishing)
During the early summer and into fall on the east coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, anglers also catch Coho Salmon. This fishery was consistent in our waters for the summer of 2010 season.
September to October (Chum Fishing)
Fishing during these months is excellent for catching Chum. Quickly becoming a popular Sports Fish, good scrappers ranging from 8-25 pounds. Our boat was the Browns Bay Chum Derby champ in 2010 winning both Biggest Fish (sixteen and a quarter pound Chum) and Biggest Aggregate for the Derby (4 Chum totaling 48 pounds).
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