To begin with, let me apologize for the delay in getting this update to you. We have been busy at the Marina this Spring with maintenance and other onsite upgrades which will hopefully improve the experience here for both campers and boaters.
As most of you know, the long awaited DFO fishing plan was announced and later posted a few weeks ago. Although the Port Renfrew area did end up having some restrictions placed on the early season Chinook fishery, we did fare better than the immediate area to the East, particularly Sooke and Victoria. A non retention of Chinook order is in place until July 15 after which anglers will be able to retain two Chinooks per day. Coho salmon are currently allowed to be retained as long as they are marked fish with the adipose fin removed with a limit of two fish per day.
Having said that, a catch and release Chinook fishery is taking place here now. Generally we have seen spotty fishing results for the first six weeks of our season which started on May 1st. Fishing has noticeably improved since June 15 particularly for some of our die hard cut pluggers some of which have reported having hooked and released half a dozen Chinooks in a day. This trend is expected to improve as we are now seeing an abundance of bait fish in our area.
The early season Halibut fishery has generally been consistent on the days when the fishermen can get out to the grounds as we have seen our share of windy days since opening. Lots af Hali's in the forty to sixty pound range have been taken by those who have endured the weather. Some of the local guides are now reporting good returns of smaller "chickens" from Swiftsure Bank recently. Fishing for Ling Cod and other rock fish has been slow so far, however one bit of good news here is that the area immediately to the East of San Juan Point which was closed last Summer to all fin fish angling, will now once again be open to ground fish angling. The Providence and Sombrio areas which traditionally have been popular for Lings and ground fish are now open. Chinook fishing in that area will remain as non retention until August 1 when a one fish per day terminal fishery commences, followed by a two fish per day limit after the end of August.
Our campsite is now relatively full with our seasonal guests many of which have been coming for years however there are still unserviced sites available along with a few sites serviced with power and water. Our newly reconfigured launch ramp is now operational which we expect will speed up the launching and haul out times.
Camp fires are currently still permitted although with the dry weather conditions we have been experiencing, those regulations could change in the next few weeks.
Thanks Rex!