2025 Port Alberni and Alberni Inlet Reports

Headed to China Creek for the weekend on Thursday night. Reports have been slow and I don't see a lot of boats on the Webcam? Socks will be the main target, but is there any point in bringing the gear for anything else, if we don't intend to make the run to the Sound?
 
Headed to China Creek for the weekend on Thursday night. Reports have been slow and I don't see a lot of boats on the Webcam? Socks will be the main target, but is there any point in bringing the gear for anything else, if we don't intend to make the run to the Sound?
What reports? Very few on here compared to most years. I'm trying to decide whether to stop on Thursday early before heading to Ukee.
I don't think there will be much for other salmon species yet.
 
What reports? Very few on here compared to most years. I'm trying to decide whether to stop on Thursday early before heading to Ukee.
I don't think there will be much for other salmon species yet.
Yeah that's what I meant, not a lot of reports lately
 
Been spotty for some decent for others, with the warm then cold weather fish haven’t seemed to be schooling up a lot yet but hopefully with this hot streak coming through should help things. There is also a seine fishier that just happened and a 2 day gillnet fishery starting July 1st over night and again on July 2, see how that affects things, we will be out again tomorrow
 
Fished early in the am and then headed out to the sound …. Slow but lost a few … gill
Nets all over in the upper part of the inlet … but gone on return ….
 
What reports? Very few on here compared to most years. I'm trying to decide whether to stop on Thursday early before heading to Ukee.
I don't think there will be much for other salmon species yet.
My Friends were fishing, last weekend. Very few fish caught. Seines started Sunday finished on Tuesday and gill nets were in Wed. Not much around after the net fleets are in.
 
Seines are were inside, gillnets are shallow and fish laugh at them sometimes. I found it very good this morning. Lots of action if you can get them following. 4 for about 12- done by 7:15.
I fished away from the pack.so I could drive like a drunk: perpendicular to shore, big circles,, zig zag, change throttle, but mostly 1.9-2.2 mph
3 dummies with 2 rods above on each side.Balls were about 55, but hootchies were at 28/34, 31/37. All got hits, but mb in bubblegum with glow blue head was best.
 
Seines are were inside, gillnets are shallow and fish laugh at them sometimes. I found it very good this morning. Lots of action if you can get them following. 4 for about 12- done by 7:15.
I fished away from the pack.so I could drive like a drunk: perpendicular to shore, big circles,, zig zag, change throttle, but mostly 1.9-2.2 mph
3 dummies with 2 rods above on each side.Balls were about 55, but hootchies were at 28/34, 31/37. All got hits, but mb in bubblegum with glow blue head was best.
They seined right down to pochohantis for a couple of days. This picture was taken in front of the cabin, South of Nahmint
 

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SLOW still.
5/5 this morning, first one was a jack (we kept it in case it was all we would catch lol).
Only saw the odd one caught, although there was a Skagit style boat with a red stripe that appeared to be having more success.
My best guess is that they simply aren't there in numbers at the moment.
 
5/5 ain’t too bad. We were out today and saw quite a few caught, but we didn’t get a sniff. Every year I have to re-learn how to do this thing. Got the wrong squirt, too deep or shallow, too fast or slow, … Something wrong.
 
We put 5 in the cooler this morning, a couple decent ones and a couple on the smaller side. Probably lost about the same. 3 came pretty much all at once. Still experimenting as to what colors and depths, but we were running green and red flashers this morning with the standard orange, pink or red squirts. Dummy flasher and two stacked rods per side.
 
Lots of action … hooks at 30 and 20… pink hoochies … halved…
By "halved", do you mean pulling a bunch of fronds off a squirt, or are you cutting down a regular size pink hoochie?

Was slower for us today, managed 3 in the boat, lost about 4... all 3 on the bottom rod with the cannonball at 44, hook about 5' above a dummy. Didn't see a lot of action at other boats, but saw a couple guys in a Bayliner haul in 3 in about 5 minutes. Tried to copy cat but no love. Boats were spread out, seemed like everyone was in search mode.
 
By "halved", do you mean pulling a bunch of fronds off a squirt, or are you cutting down a regular size pink hoochie?

Was slower for us today, managed 3 in the boat, lost about 4... all 3 on the bottom rod with the cannonball at 44, hook about 5' above a dummy. Didn't see a lot of action at other boats, but saw a couple guys in a Bayliner haul in 3 in about 5 minutes. Tried to copy cat but no love. Boats were spread out, seemed like everyone was in search mode.
Sometimes it’s pull the fronds off … but yes slice a regular squirt so it covers one hook and leaves the other trailing bare ….
 
I’ve got company coming for a visit July 19th. Are springs in yet and will Sox still be around?
Timely ask, I was thinking about throwing a report in the mix.

Haven't been out a lot this year, work has been very busy, but same experience as everyone else, sox fishing has been on and off; based on the run estimates it seems like there should be plenty more to come, and hopefully they'll school up with warmer weather. Most recent good day for me was the 1st and kept 7 and lost a few. 3 were studs, over 7 lbs each, one maybe pushing 8. But, same day a bunch of pals were out and only caught a handful between 3 boats, and when we got back to the dock we got few of friendly chirps about us catching all the fish, so I got the idea we got pretty lucky getting on a school early.

Also took my brother out on Saturday, kept 3 sox, let a couple small ones go and lost a few, definitely saw a quite few boats on fish, but we never got on a good school, which has basically been the story I've been hearing most days. Some days it's hot in pockets, some days just a grind. But, (buried the lead here) the first fish of the day popped the clip, my brother grabbed the rod and remarked "jeez, must be a good one, I forgot that sockeye can have some fight in them". I figured it was just another dandy fat sockeye, but low and behold we netted a nice 10lb spring. So sent my brother home his salmon limit for the day, he was pumped. I know they get caught early occasionally but that's the earliest one in recent memory for me, especially in so close.

So would I promise your guests springs? Definitely not. But you'll probably be good on Sox and you can give them hope that an early tank might latch on ;)

All of the above was between Cous and Macktush, same depths as everyone else has been mentioning. Maybe, if anything, I've seen more luck on the shallower side of the normal range this year so far.
 
Seines went in on Sunday, and they opened up the " no Seine" zone to seines today. I guess they weren't getting enough fish in the other areas?

DFO still saying 800k + fish in the run but the escapement to date is only 190k fish. Seems like A...s backward management to me. We'll all pay the price for this in 4 years.

No one I know is bothering right now with the " mop up fishery" in progress.
 
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