2020 Bamfield and Barkley Sound Reports

[Charts]

Just back from two nights with the family in the sound. This trip was more about hanging out then fishing. Left Nanaimo around 1pm Thursday and fished Kirby for about 1.5 hours before dinner. It was shaker mania but we did manage to put two in the cooler down at 149' on a raspberry flasher with a brown glow hoochie. After that it was time for dinner and then off to Brady beach to hang out.

Saturday morning we rolled out of bed at 7:30 and tried Kirby again but it was all shakers. Packed up and headed to beale to see if off shore could be a go? Within 15 min my wife and youngest son were sea sick. So we headed for harbour entrance. After a bunch of shakers we missed a hog at the boat going for a net. Oh well back to the grind. Ended up boxing two more nice ones on the raspberry flasher with a anchovie. 91' down right near the bottom. Let a couple more 5-7lbers go and then it was into the broken group to anchor up for lunch and a couple hour break. After lunch we jigged half heartedly for 1/2 and then everyone was ready to hit the dock.

Saturday morning we woke up at 5am to the kids saying there blankets were wet... I got out of the cuddy and stepped into 1.5 inches of water. I guess with us sleeping up front the water was coming under the door and the drain to the bilge was plugged! It was pouring rain all night. We're all ready up so I put on a pot of coffee and some sausages and then it was off to swale. There was shakers everywhere and we kept doubling up on them so I pointed the bow towards harbour entrance and we started picking up a few nice ones and landed this guy. Put anouther in the box and let a couple more 5-7lbers go and then we headed for home. Lemon lime flasher and 4' hearing aid was the ticket. All fish had tiny fish(needle?) And/or little crab looking things in there bellies.

Fish are vacuum packed and everything is put away now and all the neighbor's have fresh Fish!

Wife and kids got me a coffee mug with the boat name on it for father's day.
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Looks like a great trip with the family.. regardless of the fishing that's what it is all about!! They will get sea legs soon enough and if shore and hali bound for you! Be out there June 30th to July 6th..counting the days

 

[pennel]

Father-in-law and brother-in-law in one boat. My wife and I in ours. They hit Kirby. We fished in front of Bamfield and back to Poett Nook. We marked a lot of fish and bait all morning. Only got two shakers. Father-in-laws boat had a screamer within 15min of getting set up then nothing. We tried hootchies and spoons they were using hootchies. They are going back out for an evening fish at Pill.

Hi Big Ease is that boat on your photo a RipTide Saratoga?

Father-in-law and brother-in-law in one boat. My wife and I in ours. They hit Kirby. We fished in front of Bamfield and back to Poett Nook. We marked a lot of fish and bait all morning. Only got two shakers. Father-in-laws boat had a screamer within 15min of getting set up then nothing. We tried hootchies and spoons they were using hootchies. They are going back out for an evening fish at Pill.

 

[At Ease]

Nothing at Pill for the father son duo last night. We both tried Swale. Shakers and more shakers. They trolled half way to Meres and we stayed between Harbour Entrance and back up to the entrance into Julia Passage. Both pulled up at 10:30. We went to diplock and they hit pill. More shakers for us. They didn’t get another bite.

 

[At Ease]

Hi Big Ease is that boat on your photo a RipTide Saratoga?

Nope. It is a home built. Guy from Port Alberni made it and two others like it. Mine is the first. Second is up north. 3rd was just brought back to Port A this year.

 

[tyeegalore]

Grandson and I fished Sat to tues, not much happened for us sat or sun for salmon other then a ton of shakers and a ton of rain and wind, did well in our honey hole for rock fish, he got a nice 46cm 3 lb and one other decent size. Monday the weather man promised calm winds, so up early and out to Cree we went, apparently everyone else had the same idea, lots of guides and others as well. Action in the typical places there was slow but most the boats kept on track, we saw one decent hook up boiling on the surface behind a guides boat as they went past us but the rest were shakers we saw. I don't like the crowds and dodging boats so out we went from the masses and moved on. Turned out to be a good move, we picked up 3 springs and 3 coho and stopped on a reef and got 3 bigger rockfish, best was a 57 cm about 6 lbs, our best ever and a 75 cm ling. Picked up another spring this morning and a decent rock fish about 4 lbs.

 

[trophywife]

i dont know who was fishing between Lawton and Beal on Sunday around noon. a landslide came down and must have absolutely scared the crap out of the fishers that where right underneath it when it happened.. I was anchored close by and watched the trees roll down to the ocean and a wall of dust rise from the shore.. was quite amazing to see. Beside spike rock more accurately. Holy crap moment.

 

[FishDoc]

Well I was out last week with the family Wednesday till Friday. Took me most of Wednesday to figure things out and hooked three small chinook and one decent one by my daughter before she got sea sick, then the baby tossed her cookies so we headed in. Roasted a rockfish over the fire which was excellent. Went to bed and got the kids up as early as possible like 6am. Got out to the spot and the ocean was alive with coho everywhere, humpback whales and bait schools like I haven't seen, turning the surface black. The coho action was crazy. Got our limit of 8 in no time and lost a few. Released some more trying for chinook. Ended up with two decent chinook as well. Day three first thing in am tried south bank for halibut. All I caught was a giant pacific octopus and a ling cod so headed back in for salmon before the kids woke up on the boat and got sick from the swell. The coho had moved outside of the sound and I drove through them headed back into the sound. They were jumping like crazy again and probably could have caught a bunch but two swelly for the kids. Trolling for chinook was crazy with tons of sublegals double headers. Must have released 20 before got the first legal. Then it calmed down a bit and headed to a more exposed area after most of the boats took off. First pass double header for my daughters and both landed. Make another circle and wife hooks up on a nice fish around 20. As soon as it is netted and kick motor back into gear the second rod still down goes off. Then third circle my middle daughter hooks up for our 8th fish and we were limitted. It was insane with humpbacks surfacing scooping bait right near where we hammered the chinooks. I tried for lings and rockfish a bit but slower than usual for me. Couldn't find any good schools of black rockfish and all the lings we got were too small. Hot ticket was the green and silver skinny g and Koho killer. Once I put those on I didn't take them off and they just kept catching fish.

 

[FishDoc]

 

[Griffin88]

Great report!

 

[Olde School]

2 night trip with my daughter, we worked the Bamfield wall pretty hard.
We came home with 4 springs and a pink, nothing huge.
She kept having success with a glow tiger prawn hoochie while I worked the tackle box.
We caught fish from 45 feet to just over 200 feet.

 

[Seaspanker]

trying to make plans for our annual fishing trip to Bamfield in mid August , being from the kootenays we are totally unaware of what is currently happening down there , is the town of Bamfield accepting tourists this year or is the covid scare blocking access thru territorial lands ? just trying to remain respectful here . some one comment please , appreciate any response .

 

[John s]

Poett nook is closed to everyone except owners and seasonals. Every one has to be self contained. There’s no public washrooms. I’ve heard bamfield has started to open up. Give Gerry from mills landing a call . 1-250-728-2300. He will be able to help ya out.

 

[Thunder21]

Fished Pill and Diplock today. Pretty dead for me at pill except for shakers and a few on the smaller side at Diplock. I tried spoons but had the best luck on a glow white hootchie. I did see some nice springs at the dock. They came from Meares. Not sure what they were using.

 

[trophywife]

trying to make plans for our annual fishing trip to Bamfield in mid August , being from the kootenays we are totally unaware of what is currently happening down there , is the town of Bamfield accepting tourists this year or is the covid scare blocking access thru territorial lands ? just trying to remain respectful here . some one comment please , appreciate any response .

todays weird normal is also happening now in Bam, back to business as usual with respectful social distancing. Bring a mask if your going into the store.

 

[wildmanyeah]

I was surprised to find out that some places are fully booked for August.

 

[Delray]

Fished Sunday 21st thru Tuesday 23rd out of Bamfield.
Tried a few different spots Sunday (Meares,Austin,Cree,Kirby) then ended at Little Beale. Had four good hit and runs, all on hoochies, only shakers on small spoons, but could not stick any of them. Back to the house with no fish..
Back to Little Beale on Monday morning.Had one on before second rod was down, brought to boat but lost. Kept our first fish of the year at 70, then at 7:30 caught another. Just as we had the fish coming to the net the other rod goes off and starts peeling out line,netted first fish, grabbed the other rod while wife dealt with getting net cleared, just to feel fish get off, what fun though. Another fish at 9:30 then a couple hours of nothing. Calm day so headed around Beale to try for bottom fish. Ended up breaking a rod so gave up at went for a ride to Austin/Cree. Picked up a small coho around Austin, everything else were shakers. Headed back to Beale for high slack and picked up a 12 pounder to end the day.
Beale again Tuesday morning. Had two in the boat by 6:30, then at 8:45 another that was 25. Had one on that I lost at boat while trying to move a rod, then our last fish at 10:00, around 15 lbs.
All of the fish we kept were caught on hoochies and all of their stomachs were loaded with squid. Best June trip we have ever had up there.

 

[Delray]

now the work begins

 

[Charts]

Fished Sunday 21st thru Tuesday 23rd out of Bamfield.
Tried a few different spots Sunday (Meares,Austin,Cree,Kirby) then ended at Little Beale. Had four good hit and runs, all on hoochies, only shakers on small spoons, but could not stick any of them. Back to the house with no fish..
Back to Little Beale on Monday morning.Had one on before second rod was down, brought to boat but lost. Kept our first fish of the year at 70, then at 7:30 caught another. Just as we had the fish coming to the net the other rod goes off and starts peeling out line,netted first fish, grabbed the other rod while wife dealt with getting net cleared, just to feel fish get off, what fun though. Another fish at 9:30 then a couple hours of nothing. Calm day so headed around Beale to try for bottom fish. Ended up breaking a rod so gave up at went for a ride to Austin/Cree. Picked up a small coho around Austin, everything else were shakers. Headed back to Beale for high slack and picked up a 12 pounder to end the day.
Beale again Tuesday morning. Had two in the boat by 6:30, then at 8:45 another that was 25. Had one on that I lost at boat while trying to move a rod, then our last fish at 10:00, around 15 lbs.
All of the fish we kept were caught on hoochies and all of their stomachs were loaded with squid. Best June trip we have ever had up there.

sounds like a great trip. I will be up there in 5 days so like hearing about happy fish stories. White hoochies were the ticket? if not what colour?

 

[MOOSEANDMERMAID]

trying to make plans for our annual fishing trip to Bamfield in mid August , being from the kootenays we are totally unaware of what is currently happening down there , is the town of Bamfield accepting tourists this year or is the covid scare blocking access thru territorial lands ? just trying to remain respectful here . some one comment please , appreciate any response .

We booked mid August at McKay Bay for four nights. Not many nights left, if you are wanting to go better book soon. They just are not taking any reservations from US citizens.

 

[Delray]

don’t know if it has a name or not