Written by Doug Lindores, Slivers Charters Salmon Sport Fishing
The Sport Fishing in the Alberni Inlet and areas of Barkley Sound have been very good during this first full week of July. With the extreme warm air temperatures the Sockeye Salmon have gone to deeper water and are sitting in big schools at seventy-five to one hundred feet of water. Until the water cools and or rain arrives the fish will stay out in the inlet in large schools before continuing their migration into the Stamp River system and into either Sproat Lake or Great Central Lake. The Sockeye are averaging about five to six pounds. Sockeye is a very fun sport fishery and is a fantastic fishery for all ages. The Alberni Inlet is a very comfortable angling opportunity. The run size is still estimated at a modest five hundred to six hundred thousand Sockeye. Black Hooks and the usual pink and black and or pink and blue mp hoochies are still working very well. The retention limit per day is four with a two-day limit in possession of eight. Hopefully the Sockeye will continue right through July before the Chinook and Coho arrive to the Inlet waters.
The runs of migrating mature Chinook combined with decent schools of Coho travelling the Vancouver Island West Coast surf line to the large southerly watersheds continue to be very good. Sport fishing enthusiasts fishing Barkley Sound and areas close to Ucluelet and close to the surf line have been doing quite well. Current sport fishing regulations provided by the DFO will allow sport fishing for Chinook salmon within one nautical mile of the coastline until the fifteenth of July. After this date anglers will be permitted to fish offshore waters for Chinook salmon. Pacific Rim areas are often a feeding station to these transient salmon. The islands close to the Ucluelet Harbor mouth and up the coastline to Wya Point and Florencia and the many areas of Barkley Sound often hold vast quantities of bait fish in herring, anchovy, squid and needlefish. To date Sail Rock, Great Bear, Florencia Island, and Black Rock which are all close to Ucluelet have had provided some very good Sport Fishing. Barkley Sound locations such as Cree Island, Meares, Kirby, Edward King, Bamfield Wall, and Swale Rock have really improved over the last ten days. There have been some terrific fishing days. The Barkley Sound sport fishing will get even better during the later part of July as the West Coast Vancouver Island salmon begin to show.
Historically the most common gear and consistent salmon producer when fishing Barkley Sound has been trolling with anchovy behind a variety of colored flashers. However, that trend has changed over the past couple of years with fish hitting various Herring Aid spoons as well as other Skinny G’s, Coho Killer spoons, and a variety of octopus, cuttlefish, and needle fish hootchies. Anchovy teaser head colors that work well are Green Haze, Glow Army Truck, Herring Aid, and Cop Car. Flashers in blue, green glow, chartreuse, and even red with at least a six-foot leader are best. Spoons behind a flasher can vary from forty-two inches to five feet. Hoochie leader lengths behind a flasher are thirty-eight to forty-two inches. Favorite hootchies are the AORL 12, the pistachio hoochie and cuttlefish, oil slick, and other white and or white-blue cuttlefish. The salmon have been feeding on small immature herring and needle fish around Meares, Austin, Edward King, Kirby, and Cree Island. Smaller Spoons work well when the bait is small. In areas around Beale, Whittlestone, and Florencia Island there have been mature squid.
Halibut fishing in July is in full swing. Many sport-fisher people will either drift, jig or anchor. Halibut will often prefer salmon bellies as well as large herring or octopus. If jigging try a Gibbs Hali Hawg tipped with salmon belly. Lingcod fishing is also relatively good. How ever it is important that a good descending device is on board as any yellow-eye rockfish are to be released.
The 2024 sport fishing season has been fantastic to date in this area.
Tight lines and Good Fishing
Doug Lindores
Slivers Charters Salmon Sport Fishing
email dlindy@shaw.ca
1 888 214 7206 (toll free)
www.catchsalmon-ca.com
Salmon fishing out in Barkley Sound has been quite good and will get better later in July when the return of West Coast Vancouver Island salmon begin their journey to their natal rivers, creeks, and stream. Slivers Charters Salmon Sport Fishing guides are fishing in both the Alberni Inlet and Barkley Sound areas.
Deryk from Edmonton enjoyed Sockeye Fishing and fished with guide Bob for Slivers Charters Salmon Sport Fishing
