Oct.3/11 Port Renfrew Marina Report

Port Renfrew Marina held it's annual Coho "Winner Take All"  Derby this past weekend.  The derby was a huge success with fantastic weather, calm seas and lots of fish.  Coho fishing has been on the quiet side for the month of September but they sure showed up in huge numbers on the Saturday, the first day of the derby! Many fishermen said it was the best Coho fishing they had ever experienced. Most of the Coho's, both wild and hatchery were caught off shore near the can bouy in the 6 to 10 pound range with a few in the low to mid teens in the 400 to 650 feet of water and approximately 40 to 60 feet deep. Spoons, hoochies and anchovies were the bait of choice. A few anglers said that the Baitrix worked well for them. Nearly all anglers were catching limit catches including many hatchery fish with the exception of the winning fish which was caught inside the bay and was a wild Coho. The winning Coho weighed in and was verified at 18 pounds 12 ounces caught by Grant Mar on the Hindsight Charter Boat on the first day of the derby. With 426 tickets sold his winnings were $8580.00 and the derby brought in an additional $2145.00 for the San Juan Hatchery. Mr.Grant Mar also very  generously donated $580.00 of his winnings to the hatchery. This brings the years total to the hatchery to $16832.00! Many thanks to all that participated this summer in all efforts to help raise this amazing amount of money for a great cause.

With October arriving we all have to face that the season of 2011 is coming quickly to an end. Please remember that the marina closes on October 16th and come and settle up any out standing accounts, remove your unit and or boat or make arrangements for winter storage.  Also all seasonals need to verify their return for next year as soon as possible and have until the first week of May to confirm their spot. This is critical if you don't want to lose your spot. The marina is now out of ice and will not be getting anymore before closing but will have fuel until we close. We also have plenty of anchovy.

Bud & Rex

Sept.25/11 Port Renfrew Marina Report

With September winding down it appears the mid October weather has arrived at Port Renfrew Marina! Rain, heavy at times, as well as some large swells signals Coho time. The best fishing is still offshore. The 400 to 600 foot areas down 45 to 100 feet are producing fish. Coho, usually found in small schools, at first,  nothing, then a triple header! Bait and white glow hoochies were the lures of choice.

Inside the whistle bouy your best bet would probably be right off the river mouth at a lower tide. Yellow/green zingers, small plugs and Baitrix trolled very fast and very shallow will get some fish.

Reminder:   Check the weather forecasts before heading out. Note a 23 foot southwest swell is to arrive on Tuesday, September 27 th so stay safe at home that day

Notable Catches:

• Double load Dale      31.5                    

News:  Port Renfrew Marina's annual Coho Derby is this coming weekend, Oct.1st and 2nd. The Coho are starting to show up so here's hoping the derby is an exciting one! The entry fee is $25.00 with $5.00 going to the hatchery.  The times are dawn to 6:00 on Oct.1st and dawn to 1:00 on Sunday Oct.2nd.

Marina Closing:  Port Renfrew Marina will be closing on Oct.16th. Please make sure you have removed your unit and boat or you will be charged for winter storage. If storage is what you prefer please speak to someone in the office and we will set it up for you. Winter storage is $25.00 a month. If you require power for your trailer it is $32.50 a month. If you aren't using power we recommend you use a product to absorb moisture to prevent mildew and getting a musty smell in your trailer. The moisture levels in Port Renfrew are very high. We have our caretakers there through the winter months to keep an eye on things  and to maintain security. You can leave keys with them so they can check on units for any possible damage or leaks.

Bud & Rex

Sept.19/11 Port Renfrew Marina Report

Chinook fishing seems to be pretty much slowing down for 2011. It turned out to be one of the best years ever in the number of fish caught and the best since 2007  for fish over forty pounds. As you can see from our notable catches that there are a few springs over 30 pounds around, the majority caught further off shore. Everyone is waiting for the big Coho to arrive. They are showing more and more every day, the bulk of the run will continue to build into October where there should be lots around.

The Coho right nowseem to be in the 300 to 500 foot depth with hoochies and spoons on short leaders working well. Don't forget the San Juan river mouth. If the fish are jumping, low tide casting on fast shallow trolling can work well.

Notable Catches:

• Bob McCullough        38               
• Joel Grodardines       36
• unknown                       35
• Joe Fortune                 33
• Ty Van Wieren        31.5

          News:      Port Renfrew Marina will be having it's annual Coho "Winner Take All"  derby on Oct.1st and 2nd. The entry fee is $25.00, five of which goes to the local San Juan hatchery and the rest to the winning pot. The winner gets the pot of money and it's all cash! This derby is a fun, easy one with little stress as it is simply the biggest fish weighed in and each year everyone seems to have a great time. We are all hoping for a good turnout for the Coho and good weather would be a bonus. 

Port Renfrew Marina will be closing this year on Oct.16th. Please make sure you have made arrangements for taking your units and personal items out of the marina by then or arranged for winter storage. Any boats in storage will need to be removed unless signed in for winter storage also. Please speak to someone in the office about your preference.

Bud & Rex

Sept.6/11 Port Renfrew Marina Report

As of this report for Port Renfrew Marina Chinook fishing has slowed down some.  We still expect a run of big white springs to arrive in the first two weeks of September. Right now you can find as many pinks as you want, witha few Coho, Sockeye and springs with the areas of Camper, Logan and Walbran being the hot spots. It is too early for the serious numbers of San Juan Coho, they will show up closer to the end of the month and when they do they can be twenty plus  pounds!

The early halibut closure on September 5th is in our opinion ridiculous as we have seen one of the best hali seasons ever. The early closure is certainly going to impact the economics of the town of Port Renfrew negatively. All of the fishing guides out here are affected deeply with their bookings for fishing dropping off with the closure.

Port Renfrew Marina had it's 14th annual Labor Day Derby this past weekend and although the fishing could be extremely slow at times the weather was absolutely perfect with sunshine, no fog and calm seas. This made fishing more enjoyable even if  there were less fish caught. Considering that fishing was on the quiet side spirits were very upbeat with everyone really enjoying themselves. We had a fantastic turnout with 256 entrants. We are happy and proud to say that all the people there came through,  helping to raise money for the San Juan hatchery. With raffles, silent auctions, live auctions and cash donations we raised $11,275.50 by including the donation bank kept in the marina office for a total of $832.00 that brings that total to $12,107.50 and another $2000.00 from the Davey Derby held back in July, bringing the total money raised to $14,107.50! A huge thanks to all the individuals and businesses, both local and from Nanaimo, Duncan, Lake Cowichan, Victoria, Colwood, Glen Lake and Langford that made generous donations without which this derby would not be the same!  A special thanks goes out to Rona of Langford for a very generous donation of Bosch tools equalling a value of over $2000.00! This alone raised $3040.00! Also West Marine for their generous sponsorship of $500.00 worth of goods and Three Point Properties for a 2 night stay in one of their cottages worth $375.00 and many more that would take far to long to list. Many people helped clean up during the day and evening but a special thank you goes out to 8 year old Melana Saab who helped clean up the longhouse  from the dance the following morning when everyone else was sleeping in and taking things easy.

• In first place:   Nathan Theriau                           35.3
• Second place:   Bill Cooper                                   33.10
• Third place:      Ryan Chamberlain                     32.3
• Woman's biggest fish:  Amanda McKenzie      20. 8

Notable Catches:

• Dan Massey                       34
• Ray Hawthorne                35
• Lindsay Gagen                  32
• Mel Prouse                         35
• Mike Smith                         48
• Brian Dice                           32
• Len Huot                            48
• Sigrid Perkins                   42

News: The next and last derby coming up will be the Port Renfrew Coho Derby on Oct.1st and 2nd. This entry will be $25.00 a rod with $5.00 of every entry going to the hatchery. This a simple and relaxing derby with one winner who takes the pot, all cash. This year the marina will be closing on Oct.16th. Please make sure to come and collect your boat if it is in storage before that date if you do not intend to leave it there for the winter. This years fee for winter storage for boats or units is $25.00 a month. You must register with us if you want to leave it there.

Bud and Rex

Aug.27/11 Port Renfrew Marina Report

While the numbers of Chinook salmon being caught has slowed a bit in the last few days, the sizes of fish have increased. The pattern of catches especially of the large white springs, is just like 2007 which was our best season ever for big fish. The majority of them coming in the first two weeks of September. As of this report most of the action is coming from Logan and Walbran. Pinks abound everywhere. The "chicken ranch"at Swiftsure bank is still on fire for spring salmon with many 30 pounders coming from the 150to 200 foot depths on the downrigger. Sockeye has been increased to 4 a day but getting them can be a challenge fighting through the pinks.

Halibut catches from the anchor are  great with barn doors hitting the scale most days. Crabbing is still going strong!

Remember August is known for the fog and this year is no exception. Use caution boating as the fog can be thick at times.

Notable catches:

• Chris Paul                             32
• Shaun Gurney                    41
• Trevor of No Bananas Charters     30   and more
• Glen Wilson                         33   35         
• Greg Scalamogna              38     
• Brian Dice                             41
• Lockey Taker                      32
• Ian Batty                               39
• Grant Graver                       30
• Darryl Kyba  Len Huot    41

News:     Port Renfrew Marina's Labor Day derby is this coming weekend Sept. 3rd and 4th. Tickets are $55.00 a rod and will be available at the office a day or so before the derby begins. Please try to support this derby by donation or attendance to help us raise funds for the local hatchery.

Our Coho Derby will be on Oct.1st and 2nd this year. This derby is "Winner Take All" Tickets are $25.00 a rod with $5.00 of each entry going to the hatchery. This derby will be a win-fall for one lucky fisherman.

This year Port Renfrew Marina will be closing on October 16th. Please be aware of this date for things such aspicking up boats in storage or making arrangements for storing of units.

Bud & Rex