Westcoast Fish Expeditions – December 2009 / 2010 Newsletter

In review, the 2009 fishing season was spectacular for both fishing and weather. We started fishing in the early spring of 2009 for Chinook salmon, halibut and an assortment of bottom fish. The Chinook salmon fishing started with a bang and never really let up. From March through until June the really decent salmon fishing was on the fringe of Barkley Sound. The hotspots were Great Bear, Alley & Sail Rock, Austin Isl., Meares Bluff, Kirby Point and Edward King Island.  Most of these were beautiful Columbia River salmon averaging 15 to 20 pounds with the odd 30 plus pound Fraser River slab mixed in. Bottom fishing was also consistent along the reefs and pinnacles for lingcod, halibut and rockfish. The early season salmon fishing in April, May and June was the best I have seen in years.

Then came the large Fraser River Chinooks in early July and August.  The first major wave of these large Chinook showed up in the first week of July out on the South West Corner. It was gang busters for a couple of weeks, with fish averaging 25 to 30 pounds. Throw out your flashers as large spoons and plugs fished shallow was all you needed to catch your limit. It was common to have double and triple headers of smilies. Coho fishing was also picking up speed with more showing up by the day. Halibut fishing also was very consistent during July and August with some nice flatties coming from longbeach and offshore on the banks. Captain kirk 134 pounder was the biggest, but we had many halibut between 15 to 80 lbs. The fishing remained strong for both Chinook and Coho throughout August and September. The Coho fishing was insane by mid August and carried on until the end of September into October. Many of these Cohoes were in the 15 to 18 pound range in size.

November and December things have slowed down around Ucluelet for charters and the weather has been hit and miss. Captain Kirk and myself have been sneaking out when we can and have been finding some really good winter Chinook fishing just 5 minutes from the Ucluelet harbor mouth.  Most of these fish are averaging  5 to 15 pounds in size - perfect for eating and smoking.  Not uncommon to be into over a dozen fish a trip.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank my clients, guests and friends for a great 2009 fishing season. Also, a huge thank you for the loyalty shown from my repeat guests who book every year without hesitation.  There would be no business without your support - I cannot thank you enough.

Please don’t hesitate to call if you have any questions in regards to fishing on the west coast of Vancouver Island. Now is a great time to sort out dates for the upcoming 2010 fishing season. There are already numerous bookings for next year, so do not leave it to late as now is a great time to prebook your fishing dates and your accommodations.

I would like to finish things up by wishing you all a happy holiday season and a very healthy & prosperous New Year! from the crew at Westcoast Fish Expeditions.

All the best,

Matt Olcen owner/head guide

www.westcoastfish.com or call anytime at 1-877-333-8221 toll free