Port Renfrew Marina is seeing the last of this years Chinook. It was one of the best years for spring salmon in probably the last five or six years. Neil Hanson capped his season with a 33 pound spring on Saturday while Coho fishing in 400 feet of water running a hootchy. Coho catches had dropped off right after last weekends rain but are back on track again as of today, Monday. Limits of nice Coho are hitting the docks. Most are fishing 45 feet to 64 feet down in 350 feet to 400 feet of water. That seems to be the key right now. Hootchies and bait are working best.
Don't pass up the river mouth on the high tide as there have been lots of fish jumping in as little as 3 feet of water. Casting or trolling fast with spoons or Baitrix strip seems to be working well.
Notable catches:
- Neil Hanson 33
- Marion Randall 18 Coho
Upcoming Event: Coming up this weekend will be our annual Coho Derby "Winner Take All." This year the derby is on Saturday, September 30th and Sunday, October 1st. Tickets will be available at the Port Renfrew Marina only and are $25.00 a rod with $5.00 of each ticket going to the San Juan Hatchery. This derby is our most popular one we hold and we do get a huge turnout, the prize money is a cash payout to the person who catches the biggest Coho and the pot usually runs around $10,000 or more depending on attendance. We want to reassure everyone that even though we are a first come, first serve business we make sure we find room for all entrants to the derby for camping if needed and moorage. Please remember we are a cash business and come prepared and if possible small bills and change as it can be difficult for us since there is no bank in Renfrew!
Closing date: Well, it seems like we were announcing when the marina would be open for the season just a short time ago and now here we are posting the closing date. This year even though Thanksgiving is our usual closing date, the holiday is a week early this year. We were undecided as to whether we should close a bit earlier but our usual time is mid month and so that is when we will close the gate. This year the closing date is Sunday, October 15th. We ask that all our customers please make sure they have contacted us regarding any winter storage they may need for their unit and or boat. Winter storage is to be prepaid, if you do not contact us and do not remove your unit, winter storage rates will apply. We ask that all outstanding accounts be settled up before this date. Once we close if you need to come and check on your unit you will need to contact our caretaker, Reid Warren for access through the gate as it is kept locked. His number is 250 483-1486. Any person storing their unit on the marina property can stay overnight ONE night a month to make sure things are working correctly and your things are in order.