Port Renfrew Marina saw late August fishing to be as poor as the weather. There had been hopes the pick up would last but low pressures and lots of rain coupled to make Chinook fishing one of the slowest in recent years. There were some great catches topped off by Dave Mills with a 56 pounder to win a place in Island Outfitters "King Fisherman Contest." Congrats Dave! Catches of Notable Springs:
- Adrian Woods 32
- Mike Dugan 32
- Dan Peters 39
- Sandy Kent 32
- Liam Veigh 38
- Grant Graver 31.5
- Craig Martin 35
- Amber Murray 33.5
- Rex Coburn 36
- Wilf Hoban 34.5
- Shane Kapralik 34 37
- Kirk Combs 36
- Kit Tsoi 42
- Daniel Massy 13 years 32
- Jess Hydes 31.5
- Noel Atkin 36
- Trevor of No BananasCharters 31
- Jared of No Bananas Charters 33 34 36 38
- Brian Willmon 40.5
- Dave Mills 56
Coho's have been showing up in the bay with hatchery fish hitting the 17 pound mark. This could be the beginning of a good season.
Halibut is holding in there. Typically they diminish around this time. Stay on channel 06 to hear where they are. Most fisherman are still finding their limits.
Port Renfrew Marina's Labor Day Derby winners:
- First Place: Ron Jakimchuk 35.2
- Second Place: Terry Van Weiren 33.10
- Third Place: Milt Combs 33.8 (sorry no picture of fish available)
- Ladies Biggest Fish: Stephanie Aikenhead 28.8 giving her the right to wear the shirt titled "The best Hooker in Port Renfrew" passed on by Frieda Fielding
- Girls under 16 Biggest Fish: Bailey Wright 23.13
Port Renfrew Marina held it's 11th Annual Labor Day Derby this past weekend and it was another big success. Weather leading up to the weekend had many of us worried but it cleared up nicely and seas settled. Fishing was slower than past years but there was a lot of optimism and the overall feeling was of everyone enjoying themselves. This year the marina sold 272 tickets so the turn out was a huge success. We had astounding amount of wonderful donations and we give thanks to all who donated. None of which any of this could really happen without their generosity. A special thanks out to:
- Rona of Colwood
- M & M Marine
- Island Outfitters
- Redl
- Trudy Ammann
- Judy Eilertson
- Sue Coleman
- Kelly Wagner of Gizmos
Private Donations were given by:
- Ron Jakimchuk giving $500.00 of his winnings to the Salmon Enhancement Society for our local fish hatchery
- Mr. & Mrs. Wayne Schiffner of Ferndale, Wash who are seasonals of the marina $150.00
- A donation of $1000.00 from the Davey Derby held in July with Audie Williams' amazing work
- A combined contribution from some of the charter guides of $100.00 each
- Shawn & Steph Aikenhead of Quarter Tide Charters
- Bruce Miller of Miller Time Charters'
- Mark Perkins of Ace of Kings Charters
- John Rogers of Jolly Roger Fishing Adventures
- John Wells of Hindsight Charters
Port Renfrew Marina raised monies for the local fish hatchery with 4 separate raffles $3680.00 and 3 auctions $725.00 and 3 silent auctions $175.00. Bringing in a total of $4580.00.
The Bullhead Derby for children under 12 was also a lot of fun and excitement for the kids. The winners with the most bullheads were:
- Boys: A tie with Tristan Claxton and Nick Ree
- Girls: Makayla Styba
The Labor Day Derbywas a huge success even with a power failure that evening just as the announcing was to start. So with generators going the derby went on with many prizes being given and a great dinner thanks to Andrew Hoffman of San Juan Bistro and after, a live band called Able and Willing where many danced until late.
Upcoming event:Port Renfrew Marina will be having it's Coho Derby on Sept.27th and 28th. The entry fee is $20.00 for a chance to be the Winner Take All.Last years winner was Mark Kloss with winnings of $9,800.00 with a catch of a Coho weighing 14.9 pounds.
Marina Closing Date:Port Renfrew Marina will be shutting down on Oct.12th 2008. Please remember to get your unit and boat out on time or make arrangements about storage. Also all seasonals must contact us regarding keeping their site for the upcoming year before May.1st 2009.
Bud and Rex