Since the Aug. 20th Port Renfrew Marina report fishing has slowed down quite a bit. Fishing became spotty and then large swells may have contributed to the slow down with churned up waters. Also the weather and seas made it near impossible for the smaller boats to get out to Swiftsure Bank. The fish that were here in the large numbers appear to have moved on, possibly temporairly, we are waiting for the next wave of springs to hit the beach. Time will tell as August is usually an excellent month for spring fishing. Some quality Chinook catches were topped off by Mark Thomas' 53.75 pound spring caught at East Point on Aug. 28th. Just 5 minutes into the afternoon trip the fish hit. It was a beauty! Checking the notable catches you will see that not all the big ones have left and things do seem to be improving slowly.
I want to thank all those that helped to make this most exciting time in my fishing life even more memorable by their warm and friendly congratulations. Cheers to Bud and Rex and Tedi & all those present at the weigh in, Blair , Mr Dice(wire) and of course the Abrahams. Mark Thomas
Coho fishing is still on fire with the Swiftsure Bank area loaded with fish from the surface to 200 feet deep. Basically any lure seems to be working but hoochies in the white and pink colors do well and anchovies.
Pink salmon are mixed in with the Coho and can be found just off shore in about 300 feet of water
Halibut are getting a little more difficult to find as they seem to be at a different location every day.
A big thanks goes out to Chris and Dave for a great day on the water even if they didn't bring enough beer!!
Notable Catches: 
- Bud McGrade 32
- Ron Buller 35
- Mark Twidale 42
- Ian White of Island Outfitters 43
- Walter Pederson 30
- Jeremy Fall 34
- Mark Thomas 53.75
- David Aguado 31.5
- Kirk Nelson 46.5
- Mark Perkins of Ace of Kings 32
- Mickey Jahelka 42
- Arron Atkey 32
Amazing Story: Bruce Miller of Millertime Charters was coming through the Bank when they thought they spotted a large Sunfish. Upon getting closer they then thought it might be a whale when they saw a large pointed fin come out of the water. Getting close up they realized the "whale" was a great white shark! They estimated that it was about 20 feet long!! That's the first time in all the years we have been fishing or boating there that we have heard of a great white in that area. That's when you are very glad your boat is big enough to feel a safe distance from an killing and eating machine like that!
Note: We apologize for the delays in updating the reports as we can only do them from home and we are only home every five days. Also there were a few springs in the 30's that we missed.
Dates to Remember: Coming up this weekend is Port Renfrew Marina's 12th annual Labor Day Derby. This derby should prove to be exciting with all the large Chinook that have come in this summer. Tickets will be available this coming week. Please support this derby if you can as all proceeds go to the local San Juan Hatchery. (see previous report for details) A big thanks to all who have donated so far, it goes a very long way to making this event a success.
A special thanks goes out to Rona hardware in Colwood for their very generous donation of a Weber BBQ valued at $1099.00. You can get raffle tickets 3 for $10.00 at the marina and it also comes with a metal protective cover. We are also raffling an APS 9.9 4 stroke outboard engine valued at $2000.00 with help from M&M Marine. Tickets available at the marina and at Island Outfitters, tickets are 1 for $10.00 or 3 for $25.00. This engine is a copy of a Yamaha and has all the same size fittings, comes with a 2 year warranty and some accessories. These engines have been reported by owners to be a very reliable motor.
Coming up Oct. 3rd and 4th will be Port Renfrew Marina's Coho Derby. This derby will be a "Winner Take All" and the entry fee this year is $25.00 with $5.00 of every entry going to the San Juan Hatchery. (see previous derby listings on our site for winners)
Important: If you are planning to leave your unit or boat for storage this winter please come to the office and let us know as soon as possible. This year you will make arrangements with the office and not the caretakers. This must be paid in advance for the winter.
Bud & Rex
