Sept.9/09 Port Renfrew Marina Report

The 12th annual Port Renfrew Marina Labor Day Derby is now over for another year. Promises and hopes of lots of spring salmon never came to be. After the great summer we had the weather took a turn and we had huge bouts of rain. Low pressure, full moon, lots of rain and the onslaught of Humbolt squid may be some of the reasons for the very low number of fish. With 253 rods registered for the event only 66 fish were weighed in over the day and a half. All things considered the people who did attend had a great time at the dinner and dance that lasted until midnight. Even with less attendance ( down about 40 tickets) the derby raised a record amount of $9414.00 which was given to the San Juan Hatchery. Previous years we have given more in the $5000.00 range so all in all it was a great success. We want to thank all the volunteers who without their help things would never get done and all the businesses and individuals who donated to our derby and made it the success it was!

• Results of Derby:
• 1st. Stan Meredith   34.12
• 2nd.  John Lewis       33.0
• 3rd.  Kevin Zazula     31.5
• Womens largest salmon  Sarah Fraser    25.13
• Juvenile largest salmon   Daylen Uhlman  26.4
• Bullhead Derby Winners:
• Boys:  Tyler Battie    18
• Tie w/ Girls: Makala Styba  22
• Marlee Wright 22
• Hidden Weight: Day 1- Mark Med  15.4
• Day2 - Val Daigle 13.4

A special thank you goes out to Audie Williams from the Davey Derby with a donation to the hatchery for $2000.00! To Rona for donating the Weber BBQ for a raffle, M&M Marine in collaboration with Port Renfrew Marina for the APS Outboard Engine, the special efforts of Clayton and Diane Wright, Neil Young, Murray Havens, Shawn & Steph Aikenhead and Dan Dupray for all the donations they brought in. To Wayne & Judy Schiffner, Ian and Deb McGregor, Gordon n Gordon, TK Glass, PR Cleaning, Judy's Cookshack and Butler Bros for cash donations. To Kelly Wagner of Gizmo's and Is. Outfitters, Port Renfrew Hotel, Ian White of Is. Outfitters and Trevor Zboyvoski of No Banana's, Big Fish Lodge, PR General Store and San Juan Fish Processing for their very generous donations. To all the others a big thank you also for truly we couldn't do it without you. Also a thank you out to Andrew Hoffman of the San Juan Bistro for the catering and ALL the misc extra's he does for us! With the donation from the Davey Derby and the monies Port Renfrew Marina raised the amount came to a total of $11,614.00!

Coho fishing is now open for retention of 2 wild fish shoreward of the whistle bouy. Possession can be 4 Coho, 2 of which can be wild if caught in the area just mentioned. They should be moving into that area soon.

Notable Catches:

• Glen McCloskey   44
• John Rayjac          40
• Wayne Fowler   38   40
• Dave Mills       37
• Ken Beachum  40
• Dave Tucker    35
• Odd Johansen  32
• Nolan Fisher    36
• Troy Halliday   50

Apologies to anyone not mentioned as it was a very busy week!

Important dates: Port Renfrew Marina will be having it's Coho Derby coming up on Oct.3rd and 4th. This derby is a "Winner Take All." Entry fee is $25.00 with $5.00 of each entry going to the hatchery. Also for everyone's information Port Renfrew Marina will be closing on Oct. 12th. Please make sure you have made any necessary arrangements with the office regarding winter storage if needed.

Bud and Rex

Aug.30/09 Port Renfrew Marina Report

Since the Aug. 20th Port Renfrew Marina report fishing has slowed down quite a bit. Fishing became spotty and then large swells may have contributed to the slow down with churned up waters. Also the weather and seas made it near impossible for the smaller boats to get out to Swiftsure Bank. The fish that were here in the large numbers appear to have moved on, possibly temporairly, we are waiting for the next wave of springs to hit the beach. Time will tell as August is usually an excellent month for spring fishing. Some quality Chinook catches were topped off by Mark Thomas' 53.75 pound spring caught at East Point on Aug. 28th. Just 5 minutes into the afternoon trip the fish hit. It was a beauty! Checking the notable catches you will see that not all the big ones have left and things do seem to be improving slowly. I want to thank all those that helped to make this most exciting time in my fishing life even more memorable by their warm and friendly congratulations. Cheers to Bud and Rex and Tedi & all those present at the weigh in, Blair , Mr Dice(wire) and of course the Abrahams.             Mark Thomas

Coho fishing is still on fire with the Swiftsure Bank area loaded with fish from the surface to 200 feet deep. Basically any lure seems to be working but hoochies in the white and pink colors do well and anchovies.

Pink salmon are mixed in with the Coho and can be found just off shore in about 300 feet of water

Halibut are getting a little more difficult to find as they seem to be at a different location every day.

A big thanks goes out to Chris and Dave for a great day on the water even if they didn't bring enough beer!!

Notable Catches:

• Bud McGrade     32
• Ron Buller          35
• Mark Twidale     42
• Ian White of Island Outfitters   43
• Walter Pederson     30
• Jeremy Fall             34
• Mark Thomas         53.75
• David Aguado       31.5
• Kirk Nelson           46.5
• Mark Perkins of Ace of Kings   32
• Mickey Jahelka       42
• Arron Atkey            32

Amazing Story: Bruce Miller of Millertime Charters was coming through the Bank when they thought they spotted a large Sunfish. Upon getting closer they then thought it might be a whale when they saw a large pointed fin come out of the water. Getting close up they realized the "whale" was a great white shark! They estimated that it was about 20 feet long!! That's the first time in all the years we have been fishing or boating there that we have heard of a great white in that area. That's when you are very glad your boat is big enough to feel a safe distance from an killing and eating machine like that!

Note: We apologize for the delays in updating the reports as we can only do them from home and we are only home every five days. Also there were a few springs in the 30's that we missed.

Dates to Remember: Coming up this weekend is Port Renfrew Marina's 12th annual Labor Day Derby. This derby should prove to be exciting with all the large Chinook that have come in this summer. Tickets will be available this coming week. Please support this derby if you can as all proceeds go to the local San Juan Hatchery. (see previous report for details) A big thanks to all who have donated so far, it goes a very long way to making this event a success.

A special thanks goes out to Rona hardware in Colwood for their very generous donation of a Weber BBQ valued at $1099.00. You can get raffle tickets 3 for $10.00 at the marina and it also comes with a metal protective cover. We are also raffling an APS 9.9 4 stroke outboard engine valued at $2000.00 with help from M&M Marine. Tickets available at the marina and at Island Outfitters, tickets are 1 for $10.00 or 3 for $25.00. This engine is a copy of a Yamaha and has all the same size fittings, comes with a 2 year warranty and some accessories. These engines have been reported by owners to be a very reliable motor.

Coming up Oct. 3rd and 4th will be Port Renfrew Marina's Coho Derby. This derby will be a "Winner Take All" and the entry fee this year is $25.00 with $5.00 of every entry going to the San Juan Hatchery. (see previous derby listings on our site for winners)

Important: If you are planning to leave your unit or boat for storage this winter please come to the office and let us know as soon as possible. This year you will make arrangements with the office and not the caretakers. This must be paid in advance for the winter.

Bud & Rex

Aug.20/09 Port Renfrew Marina Report

Fishing is nothing short of FANTASTIC at Port Renfrew Marina right now! Chinook fishing is as good as it gets. Limit catches and tyee size salmon are still hitting the docks every day. We are seeing up to 4 springs a day over 40 pounds and this trend should continue well into September. Anchovies and teaser heads in the Purple Flash UV, Chrome Tiger Prawn and Purple Haze seem to be the hot lures right now. The weather lately has been close to perfect, very calm seas for the most part and very little of that August fog we usually get. Check out the list of notable catches, it really says it all especially since we couldn't possibly get them all recorded. Coho are still out at Swiftsure and are growing larger daily. There should be lots of Coho over the 20 pound mark by next month.  Desi Hatchard of viciousfishcharters caught what we believe to be a possible record of a 26 pound hatchery Coho this past week at the Bank along with a spectacular catch of other salmon and halibut.  See pic.

Chicken Halibut are at the J bouy right now. Someone soon will start anchoring for the "barn doors" as they haven't been targeted for quite a while. HALIBUT REGULATIONS UPDATE: as of August 21, the daily limit has been increased to 2 per day. Possession limit remains 2 in total.

Crabbing has slowed down as usual for this time of year but if you are persistent you will get them.

Notable Catches:

• Desi Hatchard of Vicious Fish Charters 26 pound Hatchery Coho!
• Norm Ricketts        33                  Dan Burkmar        30
• Adam Dorey           30                  Marty Husten       30   33
• Darren Daly            30                  Wayne Fowler      38  40
• Brad MacDonald     40 Corey Kovacs       42
• Grant Graver           31                  Ian Batty         32  32    39
• Bud Watt                 32                  Mark Collicott     31
• Neil Hansen            36                 Al Auringer   38      41 on his Birthday!
• John Raynak on Ace of Kings Charters  40 Brian Lee     36
• Clayton Wright       30                  Dave Tobacco      35
• Victoria Grady on No Banana's Charters 32         Dan Harlow on No Banana's 33
• Ian White of Island Outfitters Charters  40 30 32 34 36.5
• Trevor Zboyvoski of No Banana's Charters 41 31 38
• Bard Holland on Ace of Kings Charters   46 Nicole Burkmar     40.5
• Desi Hatchard of Vicious Fish Charters 32   32   36  39
• Drew Hensen       36                        Mike Graham  35
• Cory Lowe            34.5                    Jayden Poland & Fred McCallum  31  31
• Asit Mazumber     35
• Stormriders/Scotty   42 Norm Patmore   32.5
• Troy Halliday of 360 Charters 30   30
• Bob Mathews on Ace of Kings Charters     39
• Charlie Holman    40 Mike Talarico       45.5
• Mary Dice      30                                Glen Miller      38
• Al Marsden    30.5                              Sandy Kent   42
• Art Moysychyn   41.5 Ian Bateson    30   31

Important Dates: Port Renfrew Marina is having our annual Labour Day Derby coming up. The dates are Sept. 5th and 6th. This event is very important to help raise money for the local Renfrew salmon hatchery. This will be our 12th year and tickets are still $50.00 a rod and includes a t-shirt, dinner, beverages, and a live band. Tickets will be available by next week at the marina. There is also a bullhead derby for children 12 and under with prizes and goodie bags. The marina is raffling a 9.9 HP APS outboard motor, 4 stroke all fittings exact to Yamaha. We also have 2 beach day salmon fishing charters for a date after Sept. 15th. These are being donated by Ian White of Island Outfitters and Trevor Zboyvoski of No Banana's. Win this and take some friends or family for a day of fun and fish.  There will be many other prizes, raffles and auctions so don't miss a chance to have a good time and help a good cause.

Another big date is the Coho Derby on Oct. 3rd and 4th. This should be an exciting derby since the Coho are so prevalent already and growing every day. This is a winner take all derby and this year the entry fee is $25.00 with $5.00 of it going straight to the local hatchery. Check the site for previous years winners.

Please Note: Many of our customers arrive late in the night. If you are one of them please register the following morning and if you are just launching you can pay your launch at the front office door where we have a launch box for your convenience.  Campfires are allowed at the marina.

Regarding Winter Storage: For anyone wanting to leave their unit for storage over the winter they must pay for the storage and or power in advance before we close for the season. Please come to the office and we can discuss this with you.

Bud & Rex

Aug.11/09 Port Renfrew Marina Report

Well August is here and so are the BIG CHINOOK! Fishing at Port Renfrew Marina has been fantastic this month. Fishing along the shore has been excellent for tyee plus spring salmon. Lots of boats are reporting 10 to 15 fish days in the last week. Very calm seas have allowed even the smaller boats to get to the fishing spots west as far as Logan Creek. As we are writing this report we are getting news that fishing has got even hotter with more springs than ever today! More in the 30's and 40's!! August 8th saw at least 150 springs land on Port Renfrew Marina's docks. Many over the 30 pound range, usually 6 or more and at least one over 40 pounds each day. A lure of choice seems to be the purple haze teaser heads, the green and white glows.

Offshore halibut and spring salmon fishing is still very good with the 170 at the west end of the Swiftsure Bank being the current hot spot. Spoons and plugs are working well there, the favorites being the pearly whites with rainbow colors.

Coho have moved a bit off the beach much to everyone's relief as they can now keep bait in the water for more than 30 seconds. If you are looking for Coho you won't be disappointed. Some hatchery fish have been hitting the 17 pound mark already. This has the makings of an incredible fall fishery. Yahoo! Big northerns!

Notable catches:

• Shane Telford   39
• Dave Quayle     41
• Jesse Vanin       40   42
• Glen Clements   34    31
• Noel Armeneau     45
• Wayne Schiffner  33  31  34  36
• Kerry Rawlick    30  32  33  35
• Steve Beal      38
• Norm Baker    32
• Shannon  30  (could this fellow contact the marina as your e-mail address was lost.)
• Tony Pedro on Millertime Charters 40
• Graham Doe on Pacific Shores Charters 36
• Merv Pywell   32
• Simon Walden  33  36
• Bob McClintock   39
• Keith Cook     41.5
• Cory Kovacs   42
• Bill Cooper of King Coop Charters  30 32

Important Dates: Port Renfrew Marina will be having it's annual Labour Day Derby coming up on Sept. 5th and 6th. This will be our 12th derby and it is beginning to look like it's going to be a great one. The donations that have been coming in are very generous and we are very excited to see how much money we can raise for our local hatchery. As we said before this hatchery has not had an government fund increase since 1992 so it is very important to all of us that this event be a huge success. The tickets are $50.00 a rod and include a t-shirt, dinner, beverages and a live band. There will be raffles and hidden weight prizes. We are now selling tickets for a APS Outboard motor with the help of M & M Marine. It is a 9.9HP  4 stoke with a long shaft and retails for $2000.00. This outboard has identical fittings to a Yamaha. Tickets are available at the marina and are 1 for $10.00 or 3 for $25.00. If you are a business or individual who would like to donate to this derby please contact us by e-mail or by phone at 250 483-1878 or 1 866 565-2354. All donations are greatly appreciated and we thank each and every person or business that has given a donation. The very success of this derby depends hugely on the generosity of the donors.

Port Renfrew Marina is also having the Coho Derby on Oct. 3rd and 4th. This derby is winner take all. This year the tickets will be $25.00 with $5.00 from each ticket going to the hatchery.  The way things look right now with the Coho this could be quite an exciting derby so please try and support this one also and help your local hatchery while having a wonderful time. Check previous years for winnings!

Please Note: If anyone is wondering, our ATM is still working and it seems that the problem has been resolved and we can rely on it for the rest of the season. Please note that we are a cash only business so please come prepared. Campfires are NOT now allowed at this time. Sorry for the confusion, we were told the campfires were ok and now they aren't. It is very important that you check the regulations for yourself to avoid a big fine.

Bud & Rex

Port Renfrew Marina Report Aug.3/09

It appears that the Chinook have definitely arrived at Port Renfrew. Quality fish, many into the 40 pound range are hitting the the scales at Port Renfrew Marina. Each day seems to be bringing us 3 to 6 and sometimes more in the 30 pound range and many in the 20's. Camper Creek, Culite and Logan Creeks are all turning on at least 2 times a day, with limit catches of big springs for some lucky boats. The Nitinat area is doing well also.  Anchovy, Coyote spoons and plugs are the lures of choice. The bigger plugs 6 & 7" seem to be hooking the really big fish. Look for the white spoons and plugs, ones with the rainbow pastels. The weather this past 3 weeks has been unusually hot and calm with mostly nice seas and some spotty fog. Everything is pointing to having a hot August for fishing! Coho are still everywhere with some of the wild fish already in the 12 to 15 pound range. This should translate into a fantastic fall fishery. The Coho fishery for the big Northerns is something that you will have to see to believe and shouldn't miss! Remember at this time you can retain 2 hatchery Coho a day, with a possession limit of 4.

Halibut fishing for "chickens" is the norm for this time of year and continues to be very good and consistent with no problem in getting your limit at Swiftsure Bank.

Notable catches: (pictures to be posted by approx Aug. 6th)

• Ken Gillard        38  30
• Bob Morris        35
• Ian Batty           33
• Clint MacDonald    35
• Terry Van Wieren    32
• Wayne Schiffner     34, 36, 38
• Kerry Rawlick         39
• Dan Dupray            42
• Dan McGiveron on No Bananas Charters 42
• Fred Uhlman           30
• Brian Dice               32
• Kelly Wagner of Last Chance Charters 31
• Wally Brouse          30, 36
• Jeremy Fall             41.5
• John Redlick           43
• Howard Buelkert     48
• Chris McRae on Pacific Shores Charters     41.5
• Pete Van Dendungen on Dutchman Charters  42

Port Renfrew Marina hosted the 9th Davey Derby on July 24, 25 and 26th. This annual event has become more and more popular every year with amazing prizes. this year was no exception. Here are some stat results.

SALMON

1. Gerry Hamilton 40.4

2. Gary Fiege 35

3. John Switzer 34.9

4. Lance Rowlinson 34.7

5. Del Leslie 32.5

6. Glen Calahoo 32

7. Terry Vanwiern 31.4

8. Chris Heppell 30.9

9. Rhonda Mellings 30.6

10. Randy Mutch 30.5

11. John Degraff 29.8

12. Daryll Johnston 29.5

13. Dez Hatchard 29.5

14. Don Daigle 29.3

15. Larry Green 28.8

TOP WOMAN’S SALMON

Rhonda Mellings 30.6

TOP HALIBUT

Barry Cozens 30

TOP CRAB

Garrnett McDonald 8.16 inches

Please note: Unfortunately there is a complete campfire ban in Port Renfrew and that does include the marina until there are 2 days of rain. For customers wondering about the ATM, it is working but as always we recommend you bring cash with you.

Important Notice: Port Renfrew Marina will be having it's 12th annual Labor Day Derby on Sept. 5th and 6th.  This derby is a 2 day event with the prize ceremony held on Sun the 6th and followed by a dinner with beverages and a live band. Tickets are $50.00 a rod and include a T-shirt, dinner, beverages and a dance. There will also be a bullhead derby for children 12 and under on the 6th at 9:00 a.m. All proceeds go to the local hatchery in Port Renfrew to help keep the growth, protection and success of ongoing Salmon stocks for us and future generations. Anyone interested in helping out with a donation please contact the marina office at 250-483-1878. All donations are greatly appreciated!

Bud & Rex