2024 Bamfield and Barkley Sound Reports
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Fishonjeff
Active Member
We’re in the same boat! Arrived mid day yesterday and fished a few hours from Whittlestone to Cape Beale and only a few shakers. Started today at Pachina bay to Keeha bay and lost two at the tide change both on anchovies. Picked up the family and ran over to Meares bluff and Cree and hooked up on a few smaller fish which were released and lost one decent fish at 66 on the rigger again on anchovy. On the afternoon tide change ran over too Kirby but was quiet other than a few whales that we got to watch feed in one of the bays.
From the reports at our lodge all the fish are still offshore, anywhere from 10 miles to rat nose but the boats that are heading offshore are coming back with good limits of salmon and bottom fish.
Weather dependent and fog I’ll, run offshore tomorrow morning.
Rockin Johnny
Active Member
Definitely bleed your fish asap cutting both sides of gills. Ideally while heart is still active. I leave em in fish box for 10 mins before putting them under ice. The quality of the meat is importantly to me. After all, all we get is “Stories,Steaks and snap shots”!!
jim morrow
Active Member
If you read the book "Fishing with John" he as a commercial fisher, would take his fish and place them upside down up in front of the cabin, then down to the hold for the ice. I think that was to drain blood from the ribs and belly areas.
When at the Stamp river, a fellow taught us to clean and bleed right away. Blood spoils and stinks in a short time. Lynn Wheeler was his name.
Also if using the roe, bleeding will help keep the roe from getting blood in it.
Rockin Johnny
Active Member
That makes sense. Getting the guts out asap also makes sense, just hard to do when fishing is hot. I love salmon roe fried up with a little garlic butter and nobody wants bloody roe…
If you want to freeze them freeze round Hoff, in a plastic bag immersed in a 5 gal pail of water to remove air from bag-no freezer burn.
Sea.P.P.
Active Member
Road forsure
How’s the parking situation? Planning on towing in Wednesday. Leaving Saturday.
ebrench
Member
Centennial is first come first serve so no guarantee you'll get a spot although paradise parking up the road seems to always have spots.
Parking is $6 a day at centennial and $18 for the launch. You can pay them via e-transfer if no one's at the office.
ryanonthevedder
Well-Known Member
There's an 'honesty box' for cash too if no one's around.
When I pulled out there the other day we all had to come out on the left hand side (closest to the docks) of the launch at low tide because the slab is buckled and the trailer winds up all slaunchwise.
Good luck!
When I pulled out there the other day we all had to come out on the left hand side (closest to the docks) of the launch at low tide because the slab is buckled and the trailer winds up all slaunchwise.
Good luck!
Appreciate the info! Thanks
Look at the charts and follow the north edge of the banks, starting at Beale. The charts will make it obvious. Assuming that you are anchoring, but if not, lots of guys combo troll the banks for springs and hali.
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Fishonjeff
Active Member
So, here’s a report from Aug 3rd to Aug 7th for Bamfield…….slow! This is our annual family trip with my wife, two young kids (11 today and 8) and my mom and dad so, this wasn’t going to be on the boat all day as there’s a lot of places to explore in Bamfield.
We fished all the usually spots in Bamfield Whittlestone, Cape Beale, Cree, Austin, Edward king, Kirby, Fleming and Sanford for the last tack to wrap up the trip. We fished all depths from 33-80 on the inside looking for bait etc and fishing tight to the rocks as possible just trying anything but the fish just aren’t here yet. We tried almost everything from bait, spoons, hootchies, needle fish and any other thing that has worked before and tried. We did run offshore one day to 10 mile and worked that area and pulled out a few fish but as for my dad he’s not the biggest fan of running offshore in the fog with some of those big swells coming in so, we only spent a few hours out there.
The guys at our lodge that are running from 12 mile to 21 miles are picking up their Salmon and also bottom fish and mostly fishing with hootchies on the bottom.
Overall great family trip again staying at McKay lodge and they always go out of the way for my boys. Both boys had an awesome time fishing for squid off the dock and all the different bottom fish they picked up along the way. We seen lots of whales daily, seals, the resident sea lion that probably lives in the harbour, sea otters and river otters, bears and lots of eagles. I’m back up again in a few weeks so, hopefully by then the fish will have moved into Barkley sound.
We fished all the usually spots in Bamfield Whittlestone, Cape Beale, Cree, Austin, Edward king, Kirby, Fleming and Sanford for the last tack to wrap up the trip. We fished all depths from 33-80 on the inside looking for bait etc and fishing tight to the rocks as possible just trying anything but the fish just aren’t here yet. We tried almost everything from bait, spoons, hootchies, needle fish and any other thing that has worked before and tried. We did run offshore one day to 10 mile and worked that area and pulled out a few fish but as for my dad he’s not the biggest fan of running offshore in the fog with some of those big swells coming in so, we only spent a few hours out there.
The guys at our lodge that are running from 12 mile to 21 miles are picking up their Salmon and also bottom fish and mostly fishing with hootchies on the bottom.
Overall great family trip again staying at McKay lodge and they always go out of the way for my boys. Both boys had an awesome time fishing for squid off the dock and all the different bottom fish they picked up along the way. We seen lots of whales daily, seals, the resident sea lion that probably lives in the harbour, sea otters and river otters, bears and lots of eagles. I’m back up again in a few weeks so, hopefully by then the fish will have moved into Barkley sound.
Rain City
Crew Member
Sorry to hear that. Can I ask though why you only fished to 80 feet? I'm no Bamfield expert, but when we couldn't keep the little guys off, we found more success around Swale at 180-200 on the riggers. That was in early July though so could be a whole other game at that point.
Fishonjeff
Active Member
I would say that was average depth. I guess I did leave out fishing Meares bluff also and I did try a tack at 120-140ft with no luck. The areas that we’re fishing have a lot of contours and pinnacles so, those were the average depths.
This is only my 6 year fishing Bamfield usually doing two trips in August and haven’t experienced a year like this yet but would say the early July fishery is definitely different than the August fishery. We were able to pick up a fish at all places we went but it just wasn’t like previous years and that’s fishing.
Even the coho this year weren’t around and only found them out at 10 mile in decent numbers. The one thing I would say was that there was a morning bite at Fleming with usually a handful of boats fishing that small tack.
Drewski Canuck
Active Member
From what it appears, Bamfield is between "waves" of fish. There are fish up north at Nootka / Esperanza and some of them will be heading your way sooner or later.
Early July fish are often heading to the US to the Columbia and other southern Rivers. There is a push of Fraser fish that follow the coast, being the Springs heading furthest up river that can show up in late June early July as well.
As the fish move through , there are dead times. If there is alot of bait to hold the local fish close to shore that does help. If no herring, the fish could be 20 miles off.
Add to that a week of bad weather and high winds, and the week you pick can be a bust. I have lived this dream or nightmare many times.
All the same, springs should start staging as long as the water is cool, and the jellyfish are gone so you stand a chance of finding the fish.
Drewski
Early July fish are often heading to the US to the Columbia and other southern Rivers. There is a push of Fraser fish that follow the coast, being the Springs heading furthest up river that can show up in late June early July as well.
As the fish move through , there are dead times. If there is alot of bait to hold the local fish close to shore that does help. If no herring, the fish could be 20 miles off.
Add to that a week of bad weather and high winds, and the week you pick can be a bust. I have lived this dream or nightmare many times.
All the same, springs should start staging as long as the water is cool, and the jellyfish are gone so you stand a chance of finding the fish.
Drewski
I found basically the same thing fishing pretty hard the 2nd to 5th. Very slow for salmon on the inside. Finally found a decent bite at Cree on the last morning. We focused in the 60-100' range but sent the gear down to 130' a decent amount too. We didn't mark much on the sonar deeper than 100'. The fish we got were pretty full of small bait. I think they were around but getting plenty of feed.
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