July5/11 Port Renfrew Marina Report

The good fishing prior to the Canada Day weekend dropped off considerably for the long weekend. Friday spring fishing was slow but picked up some on Saturday and was much better on Sunday. Monday, July 4th was fantastic,which only goes to show what a difference a couple of days can make.Everywhere from the "chicken ranch" to East Point was on fire with limit catches for most boats. The offshore fishery is seeing bigger average size springs than usual with many Chinook in the 20 pound plus range.  Plugs, hoochies and large spoons, fished deep, are the ticket.

The "beach" catches were coming in on a  anchovy or small needle fish spoons on long leaders. Fish seem to be in the 27 foot to 37 foot depth range.

Halibut fishing continues strong with both anchoring and drifting producing many fish up to 100 pounds. The past weekend we had at least three in the seventies weighed in.

Great tides are in store for this coming weekend so hopefully the fishing will remain strong. Hopefully we will have less chop and rough seas which were experienced off and on this past weekend.

Notable catches:

• Marlin Weninger                                                 33
• Glen Wilson                                                           33
• Trevor of No Banana's Charters                   32
• Terry Van Wieren                                              37
• Joe Serpa                                                               37
• Dennis McCallum                                               33         Sorry no pics this time

News:  Coming up on July 22 to the 24thPort Renfrew Marina will be hosting the 11th annual Davey Derbyput on by Audie Williams and friends. The derby is an amazing event with many incredible prizes. All proceeds goes to an assortment of needy charities and it is a great event to support either by a donation or attending the derby. Check out the website http://www.daveyderby.ca/ for more information. Tickets are available at the marina in the office. 

The marina's pay phone has been having it's issues as usual. We hope to have resolved them but if you run into problems let us know. Port Renfrew Marina will also be having their annual Labor Day Derby on Sept. 3rd and 4th this year. This derby raises funds for the local San Juan hatchery which  needs  financial support.  More information coming in the future. 

Bud & Rex

June 27/11 Port Renfrew Marina Report

Port Renfrew Marina has seen an nice improvement in fishing in the last week. The past weekend was the best this year with pretty much all anglers getting one or two springs. The fishing situation is pretty much identical to the report done four days ago. Check the June 23 report for more info. Camper was the hot spot the past few days with many springs over 30 pounds coming in. Anchovy is still the bait of choice and green and purple haze teaser heads. Another popular one is the newer tiger prawn.  We have been hearing good reports of Baitrix being a hot bait, especially at the bank. Swiftsure is full of hatchery Coho, the limit is 2 per license, they are on the small side but very delicious! Halibut fishing is still very good at Swiftsure and also at Carmanah. Crabbing is still going strong and they are hardening up nicely. The seas have been rough one day and smooth the next so be advised to check with the weather and make sure if you are going to Swiftsure you have radar and a boat big enough to handle rough seas and swells.

Notables Catches:

• June 21. Wayne Schiffner  32
• June 23   High Hamar          31
• June 24  Leah Gagen            33
• June 25  Joe Serpa               34
• June 25   Jeremy Fall         30
• June 26    Ken Gillard          34
• June 26   Blair Houdayer   31    36
• June 27   Hank Scown        33

News:  Port Renfrew had the Tall Tree Festival this past weekend and it was a huge success. Good to hear that everyone was on their best behaviour with no accidents or injuries. Thanks to the Big fish Lodge for putting this on.  This coming July 22nd to 24th will the the 11th Davey Derby held at Port Renfrew Marina. This derby is fantastic, with amazing prizes, good people having a great time and all the proceeds go to a variety of wonderful charities, all of which benefit greatly from this event. Also this Sept. 3rd and 4th will be Port Renfrew Marina's 14th annual Labor Day Derby. This derby is also a great fundraiser for the San Juan hatchery.

At Port Renfrew Marina we have the pay phone working but it is a temperamental thing and if you have issues using it please let us know.  We have also found our gas boy for the summer. The fishing season is starting to come on now and we want to say welcome back to all our regular customers and a big welcome to all our new ones that are making this year their first at the marina. We wish all a safe and great fishing summer.

Bud & Rex

June 23/11 Port Renfrew Marina Report

Chinook fishing continues to improve along the coast from Owen Point, west. Most boats last week have reported 3 to 5 hook-ups a trip. Anchovy and strip are working well. Swiftsure Bank, specifically the "chicken ranch" has been spectacular for both spring and halibut fishing. Limit catches are the norm with hootchies working best for salmon and plastic grub for the halibut.

Crabbing is still of the charts!! Even a two hour soak will produce daily limits. Get them while you can as they usually fade away after mid July.

A days catch with Blair from Swell Time Charters

News: The marina's pay phone is now up and running. Our ATM is also there for customers use if you need to access cash.

Below is a youtube video of a day's fishing with John Rogers of Jolly Rogers Fishing Adventures. Enjoy.

Bud & Rex

June 16/11 Port Renfrew Report

For Port Renfrew Marina Chinook fishing remains fair along the beach with most anglers hooking at least one to two fish per day. Camper and the Rock Cliff seem to be holding some bait. Off shore fishing is very good for spring salmon as well as Coho and halibut. Massive schools of herring are boiling at the Swiftsure Bank. Coho are being caught right on top, Chinook down anywhere from 110 to 200 feet! Hootchies and small spoons are the lure of choice.

Halibut are found in all the regular spots including the NE corner and the 170. Anchovy is still the best bait for the big ones. If the current is not too strong backtroll drifting with herring on a hootchy skirt while covering more area.

Notable catches:  (mentioned previously in last report but now with pics)

• Bill Valentine      46
• Gerry Hamilton  50

                                                                                                                                                                       

Note: Port Renfrew came in 5th in the WFN contest. The winning prize for that placement is $1000.00 from Bell. We now have our payphone repaired and soon to be installed.  

Port Renfrew Marina is looking for a gas boy for the summer. Anyone who may be interested or knows of a boy who might be please contact us at the office. The job will be July to just after Labor Day roughly 5 hours a day in the afternoons.   

Bud & Rex

June 9/11 Port Renfrew Report

Port Renfrew Marina is seeing similar fishing results as the previous week overall.  Springs are coming in with some fishermen getting decent results and others getting bites only.  Anchovy seems to be working best with hootchies and spoons being second choice.  Cut plugging seems to be the way to get the most results lately at least for some lucky fishermen. Weather has been up and down and there have been days at Swiftsure that were flat and smooth and other days very rough. Fishing has picked up out in the Swiftsure area, more so than on the beach. Halibut fishing remains good and most guys are coming in with their limits. Crabbing is still very good and should be for another 2 to 3 weeks or longer if we get lucky.

Fishing Update:  As of yesterday, June 9th fishing at Renfrew has picked up quite a bit especially out at Swiftsure where the fishermen are hooking into 15 to 20 springs. Fishing on the beach has improved also. Fishing seems to be on the upswing.

Notable catches: 

• John Gordon                   40 22  (last week)
• John  Gordon                  35 36
• Gerry Hamilton        50    (caught June 8) picture in next report
• Steve French of Seawind Fishing Adventures    38 
• Shane Morse                    72   hali

WFN news:  The official count is now over for the WFN contest. Port Renfrew came in at 5th place and the official winnings are $1000.00 from Bell. We want to thank everyone for their efforts to help a small town like Port Renfrew make it to 5th place over the large towns in Ontario with huge populations. Losing power for those two days didn't help with the voting but we are happy to get 5th and the winnings, when they are received, will be going to the San Juan Hatchery.

Our pay phone is still in the works to getting repaired. The parts were needed to be shipped and with the postal issues it has taken time, needless to say. 

Bud & Rex