August

When August rolls around, excitement is in the air as the “smilies,” or large trophy chinook, start to arrive home. Ucluelet is in the perfect location to intercept these local runs of Robertson Creek and Nitnat River chinook which return in the thousands every year.

Your chances are very high in hooking several large chinooks this time of the year. Average chinook in August are between 20 to 35 pounds, with many fish taken over 40 pounds and the odd one recorded over 50+ pounds. This trophy chinook fishery, over the years, has been concentrated inshore close to the rocks.

Offshore fishing continues to be on fire for chinook, coho and halibut. Generally, offshore chinook, this time of the year are made up of feeders and mature adults. Therefore, you can experience a real mix bag of fish ranging from 10 to 40+ pounds. Coho pack on the pounds feeding heavily on herring, pilchards and krill. This is the time of year you bring out the fly rods, bucktails and spoons and surface troll for these surface feeders.

Coho average 7 to 15 + pounds and at times large schools can be seen finning for miles on the surface. There are times when you cannot get your second rod in the water! Halibut fishing is still consistent with the majority of the halibut being “chickens.” Limits are 2 chinook, 2 coho(1wild,1 fin clipped inshore,2 fin clipped offshore) and 2 halibut per person a day, with a 2 day possession of 4 chinook,4 coho and 3 halibut.