Port Renfrew Marina Report July7/16

At Port Renfrew Marina Chinook fishing along the beach is back to fair after a few good days on our last report. The salmon seem to be staying very close to shore even into 40 feet of water. There have been some notable catches if one can stay away from the seals and sea lions! Notable catches:

• Grant Hilliard  32
• Ken Gillard  31
• Terry Van Weiren  37.5
• Wayne Winters  34
• John Bart  32
• John & Gail Gordon  31  33
• John & Gail Gordon  38.5

Offshore, at Swiftsure, calm seas have returned. The prior five days had everyone getting totally beat up in very ugly weather. Fishing is very good out there for Chinook, Coho and halibut. Spoons and Baitrix at 170 feet for Chinook. White gulp and salmon bellies for halibut. Coho can usually be caught trolling on the surface or casting when you see them.

Inshore halibut remains very good and will get better still as as the guide pressure is off as they fish the "chicken ranch."

Crabbing is starting to slow down a bit although the ones you get are hard and heavy and a good size. It has been an incredible run all season long so a bit of a slow down is to be expected.

Upcoming Event: The 2nd annual Port Renfrew Marina Spring Salmon Derby will be held on July 16th and 17th  held by the Cowichan Kinsmen. This derby is a fun one with many great prizes and this year there will be a simple dinner. Winnings go to the biggest springs caught. 1st prize is $2000.00 2nd prize  $800.00 and 3rd prize  $400.00.  There are hidden weight and door prizes. Tickets will be available at Port Renfrew Marina, Bucky's Sports, Gord's Flybox or from Dustin 250 701-5253 or dustin_m@hotmail.com. Monies raised will go to local service projects, youth sport programs, San Juan Enhancement Society, Port Renfrew Park, families in need, special needs people and Cystic Fibrosis to name a few. For photos of previous derbys go to www.lakecowichankinsmen.com

Raffle Item: Port Renfrew Marina is raffling an Islander Reel donated by them to raise funds for the local salmon hatchery. It is a MR 2-LA Mooching Reel called ARBOR SLATE. Tickets are $5.00 or 3 for $10.00 and available at the marina. Buy a ticket and support the hatchery so you and generations to come can enjoy the sport of salmon fishing.

Another Raffle Item: Again the Port Renfrew General Store has generously donated another gift basket for raffle for the Labor Day Derby. This basket is full of some amazing items, such as a bottle of  Ketel vodka, Gran Reserva Bacardi rum, 1 bottle of quality red wine, & a bottle of salted caramel Baileys, a ceramic LED candle lantern, a box of Purdys chocolates, cedar salmon wraps, acrylic plates and bowls, 1 pound Salt Spring organic coffee, Stash organic green tea, bamboo reed diffuser, 4 stemless wine glasses and much more, all sitting in a metal beer cooler tub with a built in bottle opener on the side.  It can be viewed at the Port Renfrew General store or at Port Renfrew Marina later in the month. Tickets are $2.00 each or 3 for $5.00, what a deal for a basket of approximately a $300.00 value! Must be 19 or older to buy tickets and attendance is not required to win. At this time the basket can be seen at the Port Renfrew General Store.

Port Renfrew Marina is still working on getting the water line in, please forgive the mess of gravel and road work torn up in places.

Port Renfrew Marina has a Labor Day Derby every year, this years will be the 19th annual derby, this year it falls on Sept. 3rd and 4th. We are now trying to collect donations for this derby and we ask if anyone feels they can help with a donation or knows a business that could help out we would be grateful to hear from them. You can come by the office or call us at 250 483-1878 and let us know. As you know a successful derby is dependent on prizes and as usual we are trying to help the local hatchery who depends on organizations to help them stay viable and productive. All of us at the marina want to make sure that there are salmon around for generations to come! All donations, large and small are greatly appreciated. The Labor Day derby is a 2 day event with prizes for top three largest fish, one for woman's and under 16, hidden weights, door prizes, silent and live auctions and raffle items. As usual there will be a dinner and beverages and the live band that plays every year.

Bud & Rex

Port Renfrew Marina Report June 28/16

Today on June 28th it is the first day this year that the Chinook have finally hit the beach! Not as red hot as we have come to expect but some limit catches hit the docks. Most boats landed fish up to 28 pounds, others lost their fish to the dreaded seals. Small bait is around right now so Coho Killers or small anchovies should be the ticket. Offshore the "chicken ranch" is giving up springs and halibut though there has been some tide and weather issues. Baitrix trolled at 170 feet has worked well.

Inshore halibut on the anchor has been fantastic! Lots of limit catches of nice sized fish means lots of smiles at the cleaning tables. Maybe best to avoid the area around "the ears" as a longliner has been working that area. For the best halibut fishing try to pick times with a 1 to 2 knot ebb current.

Crabs have moved into a little deeper water, 60 to 100 feet deep. It has been an epic crab fishing this season and it seems to be continuing for now. The ones we see are hard and heavy and are very meaty.

Notable catches:

• Wayne Winters 38
• Matt Jones  32
• Darci Haywood   42 47 halibut
• Neil Hanson   34   have added this in since this report was posted, looks like fishing is getting more like we have come to expect!

Neil Hanson 34

Upcoming Event: The now annual Port Renfrew Marina Spring Salmon Derby will be held on July 16th and 17th  held by the Cowichan Kinsmen  This derby is a fun one with many great prizes. Winnings go to the biggest springs caught. 1st prize is $2000.00 2nd prize  $800.00 and 3rd prize  $400.00. There is an early bird draw for tickets purchased before July 4th, it is a $200.00 tackle box package. There are hidden weight and door prizes. Tickets will be available at Port Renfrew Marina, Bucky's Sports, Gord's Flybox or from Dustin 250 701-5253 or dustin_m@hotmail.com. Monies raised will go to local service projects, youth sport programs, San Juan Enhancement Society, Port Renfrew Park, families in need, special needs people and Cystic Fibrosis to name a few. For photos of previous derbys go to www.lakecowichankinsmen.com

Raffle Item: Port Renfrew Marina is raffling an Islander Reel donated by them to raise funds for the local salmon hatchery. It is a MR 2-LA Mooching Reel called ARBOR SLATE. Tickets are $5.00 or 3 for $10.00 and available at the marina. Buy a ticket and support the hatchery so you and generations to come can enjoy the sport of salmon fishing.

Another Raffle Item: Again the Port Renfrew General Store has generously donated another gift basket for raffle for the Labor Day Derby. This basket is full of some amazing items, such as a bottle of  Ketel vodka, Gran Reserva Bacardi rum, 1 bottle of quality red wine, & a bottle of salted caramel Baileys, a ceramic LED candle lantern, a box of Purdys chocolates, cedar salmon wraps, acrylic plates and bowls, 1 pound Salt Spring organic coffee, Stash organic green tea, bamboo reed diffuser, 4 stemless wine glasses and much more, all sitting in a metal beer cooler tub with a built in bottle opener on the side.  It can be viewed at the Port Renfrew General store or at Port Renfrew Marina later in the month. Tickets are $2.00 each or 3 for $5.00, what a deal for a basket of approximately a $300.00 value! Must be 19 or older to buy tickets and attendance is not required to win.

News: Port Renfrew Marina is still in the process of getting piping installed for running water. Things are coming along but the wheels of bureaucracy turn slowly. It is our hope to have it completed in a month or less.

Issues: Again Port Renfrew Marina is having some problems with the phones, they are working but we are having issues with accessing our messages so please if you call, rather than leave a message please call back. We will work to resolve the problem.

Port Renfrew Marina has a Labor Day Derby every year, this years will be the 19th annual derby. We are now trying to collect donations for this derby and we ask if anyone feels they can help with a donation or knows a business that could help out we would be grateful to hear from them. You can come by the office or call us at 250 483-1878 and let us know. As you know a successful derby is dependent on prizes and as usual we are trying to help the local hatchery who depends on organizations to help them stay viable and productive. All of us at the marina want to make sure that there are salmon around for generations to come! All donations, large and small are greatly appreciated. The Labor Day derby is a 2 day event with prizes for top three largest fish, one for woman's and under 16, hidden weights, door prizes, silent and live auctions and raffle items.

 Bud & Rex

Port Renfrew Marina Report June19/16

First, we at Port Renfrew Marina want to explain why the long timeline between reports. There were some inquiries as to the time spread. It seemed that nothing had really change much with the fishing, the pattern stayed pretty much the same. Now time has passed and happily we can report that fishing has improved some. While inshore spring fishing remains slow there are some big fish being caught and....lost! Saturday, Port Renfrew marina weighed in a 40 pounder caught by Phil Rankin, a 38 by Larry Jones, a 35.5 by Larry Green and a 32 by Mike Graham, all could have won the Father's Day derby held this weekend at Gateway Marina.

A huge congratulations To Robbyn Kerrone and Ian Batty for their winning of the Salmon Championship at Pacific Gateway Marina. The two Port Renfrew Marina local boys landed a 30 pound Chinook on Sunday morning and won the first prize of $10,000.00 plus the $5,000.00 side bet. Sounds like the best Father's Day anyone could have!

Offshore the "chicken ranch" has finally turned on. Limit catches of halibut and springs up to 28 pounds are again the norm. About a week to ten days later to start up than past years may mean that our beach fish could be showing up a bit later as well.

Inshore halibut remains very good if you have some secret spots. Not so secret the 420 and NE corner are still producing fish. Salmon bellies and gulp seems to be preferred bait for many.

Crabbing is still awesome!! Get them while it's still hot!

Upcoming Event: The now annual Port Renfrew Marina Spring Salmon Derby will be held on July 16th and 17th  held by the Cowichan Kinsmen  This derby is a fun one with many great prizes. Winnings go to the biggest springs caught. 1st prize is $2000.00 2nd prize  $800.00 and 3rd prize  $400.00. There is an early bird draw for tickets purchased before July 4th, it is a $200.00 tackle box package. There are hidden weight and door prizes. Tickets will be available at Port Renfrew Marina, Bucky's Sports, Gord's Flybox or from Dustin 250 701-5253 or dustin_m@hotmail.com. Monies raised will go to local service projects, youth sport programs, San Juan Enhancement Society, Port Renfrew Park, families in need, special needs people and Cystic Fibrosis to name a few. For photos of previous derbys go to www.lakecowichankinsmen.com

Raffle Item: Port Renfrew Marina is raffling an Islander Reel donated by them to raise funds for the local salmon hatchery. It is a MR 2-LA Mooching Reel called ARBOR SLATE. Tickets are $5.00 or 3 for $10.00 and available at the marina. Buy a ticket and support the hatchery so you and generations to come can enjoy the sport of salmon fishing.

News: Port Renfrew Marina is in the process of bringing in running water and when you come by you will see the work going on coming in the driveway. We hope to have it in working order soon, there are some things that have to be in place before we can complete the job.

Port Renfrew Marina has a Labor Day Derby every year, this years will be the 19th annual derby. We are now trying to collect donations for this derby and we ask if anyone feels they can help with a donation or knows a business that could help out we would be grateful to hear from them. You can come by the office or call us at 250 483-1878 and let us know. As you know a successful derby is dependent on prizes and as usual we are trying to help the local hatchery who depends on organizations to help them stay viable and productive. All of us at the marina want to make sure that there are salmon around for generations to come! All donations, large and small are greatly appreciated.

Bud & Rex

Port Renfrew Marina Report June 4/16

At Port Renfrew Marina we have had sunny skies and very warm weather the last few days and it is supposed to continue for the coming week. Fishing for halibut is still excellent! There are lots of limit catches on a daily basis. The size has picked up since the last report, jumping from 20 to 30 pounders up to 60 and 70 pounders coming in. Out west is still the place to fish, nothing coming in so far from the Sombrio area. If the currents are right and you are feeling strong you can try fishing the 420 foot deep hole east of the NE corner.White gulps with bait is what works there.

Crabbing is still crazy good! Best results comes from a heavily weighted trap that sits solid on the bottom and doesn't drift around.

Chinook fishing remains slow so far with the notable exception of a 42.5 pound beauty caught June 3rd by cut plugger, Eric Eckdahl. Congratulations of our first over 40 pounder of the season. People "in the know" have told us to expect the best Chinook fishing since 1998 this year. These fish that are expected to show will be 4 and 5 year old salmon so sizes will be likely bigger than in the recent past. Lets hope they are right!

Notable catches:  Eric Eckdahl  42.5

 If you have left messages on the marina phone and no one has gotten back to you, we apologize as we have had phone issues that have taken quite a while to resolve but they are now fixed and we can now access our messages. At this time the pay phone, office phone and ATM are all working!

Upcoming events: Coming up on July 9th Port Renfrew Marina will be having another "Hoody" derby in honor of Blair Houdayer, who was a long time customer and friend of all of us at the marina. This derby will be for cut pluggers only, details to come.

Also the Port Renfrew Spring Salmon Derby  held by the Cowichan Kinsmen will be coming up on July 16th and 17th. This derby is a fun one with many great prizes. Winnings go to the biggest springs caught. 1st prize is $2000.00 2nd prize  $800.00 and 3rd prize  $400.00. There is an early bird draw for tickets purchased before July 4th, it is a $200.00 tackle box package. There are hidden weight and door prizes. Tickets will be available at Port Renfrew Marina, Bucky's Sports, Gord's Flybox or from Dustin 250 701-5253 or dustin_m@hotmail.com. Monies raised will go to local service projects, youth sport programs, San Juan Enhancement Society, Port Renfrew Park, families in need, special needs people and Cystic Fibrosis to name a few. For photos of previous derbys go to www.lakecowichankinsmen.com

 New News: Some of you may have noticed a lot of drilling and digging lately at the marina. We are in the process of putting in a water line, we are hoping it will be completed in a month or two.

Raffle Item: At Port Renfrew Marina we have a Islander Reel donated by Islander Reel, Victoria for raffle. Value of the reel is $625.00. Tickets are at the marina and are $5.00 each or 3 for $10.00. All proceeds go to the local salmon hatchery in Renfrew.

Bud & Rex

Port Renfrew Marina Report May 20/16

Port Renfrew Marina and the surrounding area saw excellent weather with sunny skies and calm seas a few days ago, since then the seas were rough for a couple days, hopefully the calmer weather will return very soon. Excellent crabbing has been the buzz since our opening. Quite possibly the best we have ever seen.

Halibut fishing continues to be strong though the average size is getting a  little smaller. Strange current patterns have some fishermen sit on anchor for a few hours till they get the first fish. Salmon bellies are personally jigged herring ae working best.

The 'chicken ranch" has turned on early this year. Chinook salmon in the teens are being caught on spoons and anchovies. Watch the weather as we can still get a SE wind which makes for a rotten ride home.

Beach fishing for springs is still a little slow with the cut pluggers at Camper hooking one or two a day with the seal managing to steal the odd one.

A big thank you goes out to Stan Robertson for fixing the long dock at the ramp! Also a big thanks goes out to Desi Hatchard, our caretaker, for helping Bud push some new docks up the river to the marina.

For those of you who are wondering about the fire restrictions, the marina area is fine, campfires are allowed as long as they are no more than 1/2 meter in height and width. Be aware of your campfire and the area surrounding it as the season is looking like it will be a dry one, even for Renfrew. We will have some firewood for sale, ask at the office.

The pay phone is installed but not working as yet. We hope to have it up and running very soon. At this time we are having problems accessing our voice messages on the office phone so unfortunately we can't hear them so please if we miss your call you will need to call back until this gets resolved. We apologize for the inconvenience. 

It is now past the deadline for previous customers to contact us regarding keeping their site from last year. IF you are a returning customer and do want your site you must contact us immediately or your site will likely be gone.

Big News:  The marina is in the process of getting running water installed so we will have an ongoing supply and no need eventually for the water truck. Plans for completion are tentatively set for mid summer all things being equal. Will keep things updated as we learn new information.

Raffle Item. Port Renfrew Marina is now raffling an Islander Reel donated by Islander Reel in Victoria. The proceeds from this raffle will go to the local fish hatchery in Port Renfrew.

Islander Reel

   MR 2-LA Mooching Reel

           Arbor Slate

Generously Donated by: Islander Reels, Victoria

     Retail value: $625.00

Full frame construction w/ one piece spool & frame

Free spool operation controlled w/ frame-side  recessed lever

One way large cork disc drag system

Face side adjustable drag knob

Islander classic outgoing clicker & generous palming rim

        Tickets: $5.00 each or 3 for $10.00 at Port Renfrew Marina

            Draw Date: Sept. 4^th  @ PRM Labor Day Derby

Bud & Rex