We are in the magical time of the year for salmon fishing in the Victoria area and it鈥檚 time to get out there. We have sockeye, coho, pink and spring salmon in the area. You will have to visit the DFO鈥檚 website for up to date limits and regulations before you head out, but as I write there is no sockeye retention, two hatchery marked coho retention (Oct. 1 it becomes 2, one of which may be wild), two wild or hatchery less than 85 centimetres or hatchery marked greater than 85 centimetres chinook and four fish limits for pinks. It is too early for chum salmon. Our area is Area 19 and 20.
I have caught summer fish all the way from several miles east of Discovery Island all the way west to Muir Creek. The best most consistent fishing is always from Race Rocks west to Sheringham Point, the latter being the hotspot as I write. From Race Rocks east to four miles south of Discovery, the three intermingling species of coho/pink/sockeye tend to beetle across the huge area with catches being highly localized and fewer in number. Then the fish turn up Haro Strait heading for home, the Fraser River. The Pender Bluffs at 90 feet is the spot for sockeye should any retention be authorized. Tide lines off the Race east, and coming in to the Quarantine Buoy nine kilometres off the Breakwater is commonly the closest these species come in numbers to the Victoria water front. Having said this I have seen chinook, pink and coho caught in Ross Bay by shore anglers.
Typically, big springs are caught 50鈥�75 feet deep in water that is 120 feet or less. You fish the nooks and crannies on shore, Swordfish Island, and right off the Breakwater being two examples of tight to shore chinook fishing. Look at your chart and find ebb tide back eddies as this is where springs hole up waiting for the flood. The east side of Clover Point typifies such a spot, as does the ebb tideline that streams west off Otter Point a prominent point of structure on the Muir Creek side. The back eddy allows you to come in close to do the rock wall at Otter Point until you hit the ebb tide line and repeat the circle. Do remember that there are good flood tide spots, too. The Owen Point ledge in Port Renfrew is hottest on the last two hours of the flood. Closer to home, Creyke and Aldridge points in Becher Bay are good flood tide spots.
Have three plans in mind before hitting the water, and don鈥檛 hesitate to fish where your records show catches. Don鈥檛 head over to the boats and put out lines. In the Sooke area you fish tide lines for coho/pinks (sockeye travel with them) all the way to the U.S.A./sa国际传媒 border 鈥� but the first to third tide lines usually produce. Instead of fishing tight to others, find good looking tidelines, put out flashers with 34-inch leaders to plastic or tin lures, pickup speed and cruise back and forth across tidelines until you contact fish. Then you circle around the spot, the result usually being limit catches. It is very satisfying to be on the fish when there is no pack of boats around.
