The prime time to fish here is all summer - well not quite, but since we fish three areas there is usually somewhere to catch salmon and halibut. Most recommended times are:
- December to May for the feeder Chinooks and some halibut starting to show in Ucluelet around mid May
- May - July for Halibut in Ucluelet and large numbers of Chinook(King) salmon.(they run all summer) .
- July 15 - September 10 in Ucluelet for large Kings
- July, August and September for Coho in Ucluelet
Ucluelet has been very hot the last few years and is expected to continue for this year. If you are trying to decide what time in the summer to come, any time between May and September is good. While June, July and August are peak months, September and October can still see good action as well. Many people are concerned about catching fish, so one thing to note about Ucluelet is that it is not like some other areas that have really slow times and really good times. We have a large area to choose from and there are so many fish travelling past, that you almost always have a good shot of a good days fishing, whether coming in May, June, July, August or September.
Ucluelet, BC
Right now....
Salmon Report:
The weather is starting to look much nicer and some fish are showing as well. Barclay Sound has been holding a good number of herring and some nice salmon as well. When fishing in Barclay Sound it is a good idea to have a few areas mapped out to fish as the fish tend to move around from day to day. Right now the south side has been producing fairly well. Working around the tide changes seems to work well. Bait is also showing up on the lighthouse bank along with some nice feeder Chinooks. Try using anchovies or herring in a teaser about 5-6 ft behind the flasher. Well tips up and make sure you have a heater in you boat!
Halibut Report
We have not been halibut fishing as the weather has been a little rough, however we should have a report for you soon on this. Halibut was also closed for the month of January as it is every year to let the halibut spawn.
Last year....2006
Ucluelet was the hotspot again last year and it was very common to bring back a 200 litre(about 230 quarts) cooler full of fish. Our biggest problem here this year was hauling the cooler up the dock! Not a bad problem to have!
Chinook (King) fishing started in May and lasted into October as the weather stayed very nice. Halibut fishing was great all summer and even when it usually slows down in August and September. Near the end of September we were getting our halibut very quickly. The Coho fishing off shore was a little different than normal as the Coho seemed to be in different spots than normal and offshore mostly. We had some great Coho fishing days in September as the Coho were getting to be 8-15 lbs. Coho fishing was also pretty good in July and August off big bank. Late June and early July was our peak for large numbers of Chinook, Coho and Halibut all in the same spot. We had days where we couldn't keep the line down for more than a minute. If you want to experience this kind of fun, Ucluelet is the place to come!
Port Alberni, BC
Latest.....
Fishing in Barclay Sound through Port Alberni usually means a 1-hour run up the Port Alberni Inlet. My recommendation would be to come to Ucluelet since you have the option of fishing off shore or Barclay Sound.
General...
Port Alberni is known for the sockeye runs that come into the Inlet every year and this year was no exception. Sockeye fishing usually starts around mid-June and continues until early August. The Kings usually start in early August and run until mid-September. The Coho usually start around early September and last into October.
Qualicum / Parksville
General....
Chinook(King) fishing around the Big and Little Qualicum Rivers was very good starting about August 25 and continuing into mid-September. Salmon fishing can be variable this time since the fish travel around in schools, but generally the fishing is very good. It is not uncommon to catch the majority of the fish in a very short time span. Sometimes you wait until the end of the time to get a rush of fish, though you will usually have salmon in the boat in the first 1/2 hour in the moring.
Thanks to all of you who read my reports,
Sam Vandervalk
Salmon Eye Fishing Charters