Port Renfrew Marina Report Oct.13/15

The 2015 salmon season is now over. Spring fishing was fair to good with the fish being smaller this year. In the 19 years of the marina it is the first year we did not have a Chinook over 40 pounds. Some years we would have as many as 60 fish over 40 pounds! It seems each year there are less big ones although we did have many over 30 pounds. Halibut fishing was very good this season both at the Swiftsure Bank and inshore. It continued to be very good till our closing but weather and sea conditions were less than ideal.

Coho were the big disappointment. Many anglers (myself included) wait all year for the big San Juan fish to arrive. The Coho caught offshore were very small, 3 to 6 pounds for the most part. By Thanksgiving the huge local fish are usually filling the estuaries, this year no one has even seen one jump! Upstream to Fairy Lake is holding lots of nice fish for the freshwater fishermen.

This year was a struggle in many ways. We had to deal with a large wildfire that lasted over two weeks, road closures, bridge closures and hot dry weather that affected the salmon fishing and still seems to be. We all got through it and in the long run still had a good year.

As many of you know, the annual Coho Derby "Winner Take All" was won this year by Bruce Miller with a Coho weighing in at 14 pounds and 2 ounces. This is his lucky year as he won first place in the Labor Day Derby this year on Sept 5th and 6th and then managed to win the Coho Derby also. Have to say that it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy and family. The Labor Day derby raised $8377.00 for the San Juan Hatchery and with ongoing misc donations throughout the year bringing in $1850.00 and the Coho derby raising $5797.50 for a total of monies raised the the hatchery of $16,024.50 for this year! We are all so pleased with the numbers and hope it helps the hatchery stay sustainable. A big thank you goes out to all the businesses and people who supported the derbys in various ways, it all helps and it all adds up. Here is to meeting and beating that amount for next year! Also a big thank you again goes out to the people who helped pound the streets looking, asking and picking up donations for the derby. It is a thankless job and we couldn't do it without their help. These people are Sharon Winters, Vic Gee, Brian Kitagawa and Jack Hughes.

This past weekend was a busy one with putting away the docks and doing the annual clean up and dealing with storage and other things. A very big thank you goes out to Reid Warren, Todd Garrett, Wayne Coleman, Dave Mills and Odd Johansen who used his "supervisor skills." The weather didn't always cooperate so it was nasty work part of the time with torrential rain. As we always close on the Thanksgiving weekend there are some of us who spend our holiday up there and so we organized a big dinner with the few of us who are left behind. Eight of us had a Thanksgiving feast in the marina office! A great time was had by all who were there and it was a fun way to end the year.

Important: As the marina is now closed it is imperative that anyone who has a boat or unit still at the marina that they call and make arrangements asap for their removal or winter storage rates will apply. All boats must be out of the water as soon as possible. Port Renfrew Marina assumes no responsibility for any boats left unattended in the water. Weather conditions make leaving it in the water a very poor choice. As the marina is now closed you MUST call ahead to arrange access to remove your boat as the gate is kept locked. To arrange a time for this you will need to call Desi Hatchard at 250 483-1486 to let him know when you can come so he can be there to open the gate for you.

Reminder: For all our customers with accounts outstanding we ask you make arrangements to send payment asap so we can settle up things for the season. Winter storage is to be paid at the beginning of the season. Also a reminder that for customers who have made arrangements for winter storage for their units that you are allowed only one weekend a month to stay at the marina to come and check on things, this means everyone. Staying at the marina more often than that is not allowed for security and liability reasons. Again to come up you need to check in with Desi so he can be there to open the gate.

We at Port Renfrew Marina want to take this time to thank all our customers for their loyalty and love for the marina and sincerely hope all enjoyed their stay there this past season and wish all of you a safe winter and look forward to seeing you next year. Port Renfrew Marina will reopen on May 1st 2016.

Bud & Rex

Port Renfrew Marina Report Oct.4/15

For Port Renfrew Marina the highlight since the last report was the annual "Winner Take All" Coho Derby. While the Coho fishing had been slow anglers came out in droves for a chance to cash in on the cash prize and support the local San Juan salmon hatchery. Given that the Coho fishing has been on the quiet side we were more than impressed and pleased at the turn out of fishermen who came looking to enjoy a weekend of fishing for that elusive big Coho.The weather was superb with sunny skies and fairly calm seas. Fishing was fair to good number wise but for the most part on the small size. Lots of campers and campfires at the marina with stories and laughter everywhere. It was obvious everyone was having a good time, which is what it is about in the long run, the winnings are just a big bonus! Just when we thought all the springs were gone we had a few show up this weekend. They were all white. Looks like there may be a few to be caught out there.

• Marion Randall 30.5
• Darren Noble 33
• Mark Woodger 31

Talking to the hatchery manager, he reports that the local fish are not in the San Juan system yet. Hopefully the massive Alaska commercial Coho fishery has left some of the Vancouver Island fish! We have one week left to catch some nice Coho before we close for the season. Make the most of the time left! Last chance to catch some bright red Coho and from the results of the derby there may be some bigger ones out  there.

Coho Derby: With the slower fishing the numbers of tickets sold was up for speculation but true to form the anglers came and showed their support and 526 tickets were sold this year. The father and son team of Bruce Miller and son, Chris were the winners of the 2015 Coho "Winner Take All" derby. Their prize money came to $10,520.00 with a Coho weighing in at 14 pounds and 2 ounces. They also won the side bet of $3.200.00 giving them a total of $13,720.00!! Not bad for two days fishing! The runner up was Trevor Eccleston with a Coho weighing in at 13 pounds 4 ounces, unfortunately not giving him any winnings!

From the Coho Derby there was $2630.00 for the hatchery. The Simrad GPS donated by Island Outfitters raised $1340.00 with the winner of that Evan Driver. The Bradley Smoker donated by Port Renfrew Marina raised $1240.00 and was won by Grant Hilliard. There was misc donations done over the season and that raised $587.50 for a total of $5797.50 to go to the hatchery.

Well, this is the last of the derby's for this year, the season has been a different one with fishing being slower this year and with smaller fish....none over 40 for the first time since we have had the marina. Whether it is a sign of the times or an anomaly of the year, time will tell. Saying that, the season was still a good one as fishing is always a good way to spend your free time! We had amazing sunny warm weather and considering the obstacles we dealt with this year, such as the wildfires, the lack of rain, the road closures, it seems a good time was had by all for the most part.

Important Info: Please be advised that Port Renfrew Marina will be closing on October 12th this year. Please be sure to come and remove your unit and or boat or make arrangements at the office for winter storage. After October 12th the gate will be locked and entrance will have to be arranged with our caretaker, Desi Hatchard to come by and check on your unit. Please remember that during the closed season you are allowed one night a month to stay at the marina to keep an eye on your things, we are not open for weekend stays or for long stay overs. We we-open on May 1st of 1016. There is no launching after our close date due to insurance liabilities and safety issues.

Bud & Rex

Port Renfrew Marina Report Sept. 27/15

For Port Renfrew Marina and the general area Coho fishing has not turned on yet. We expected them to be here in good numbers by now. The local San Juan fish are no where to be found at this point! The Coho being caught offshore are on the small side with 4 to 8 pounds being the average. Bait, hootchies, Coho killers and Baitrix seem to be working well. We heard reports from anglers on the radio saying the Baitrix was doing very well. Finding the fish has been the challenge, monitor VHF channel 06, the guys are pretty willing to share their location and depths on the radio. That being said when the large local fish do show up and they always do eventually, we expect hot and heavy action right in the river mouths. It is pretty clear that the springs have moved on but there were a couple caught over the last few days, one a bright silver around 26 pounds caught while fishing for Coho on a white hootchie! Over the last couple weeks we have had really up and down weather, we will get a few days of beautiful warm and clear fall days and then torrential rain for a day or two and then back to summer like weather. All of us at Port Renfrew Marina strongly suggest that if your boat is in the water to come by and check on your boat and or unit when those heavy rains come. It is your responsibility to keep tabs on your boat and be willing to come out and do maintenance or put it on dry dock. One boat sunk overnight and another one came close. The one was lucky as while checking on docks and boats it was noticed it was very low in the water. These sinkings can happen very quickly before anyone notices. You must be very sure your batteries are in good shape, that everything is turned off and that your bilge pump is working to avoid a major disaster.

Picture of the marina this summer:          Picture of two grey whales blowing near the marina:  Pictures taken by TJ Watt

Upcoming Event: Coming up this weekend, October 3rd and 4th is Port Renfrew Marina's Coho Derby "Winner Take All." This is the derby everyone wants to be in! Tickets are $25.00 a rod with $5.00 of each ticket going to the San Juan Salmon Hatchery. The tickets are only available at the marina the day before the derby starts. With this derby there is just one winner and that is the fisherman who weighs in the biggest Coho. The whole pot, the total depending on the amount of tickets sold, goes to that angler. The winning from the past were anywhere from $5500.00 up to a whopping $13,800.00! Not bad for having a two day fishing trip! If you are planning on coming bring your own firewood for campfires as we are sold out. For rules, they are basic, fishing is from dawn to 6:00 pm on the 3rd and dawn to 1:00 pm on the 4th. Fishing is allowed in any areas that are not closed by fisheries. Come out and have a great weekend fishing and maybe go home with a bag of money!

PRM Closing: Heads up for all that Port Renfrew Marina is closing on October 12th on Thanksgiving monday. It is imperative that you come in and make arrangements to remove your trailer and or boat or come by the office and set up winter storage for it to stay at the marina. Once we are closed the gate will be locked and entering with a vehicle will only be possible when you have contacted Desi Hatchard ahead of time so he knows that you will be arriving. His number is 250 483-1486.

Bud & Rex

Port Renfrew Marina Report Sept.16/15

At Port Renfrew Marina spring fishing is still very good! Camper Creek on high tide is giving up limit catches up to twenty five pound salmon. Coho are being caught more along the shore or in the Bay but this will change as we get into October, then they will be right in the river mouths, best time to fish! For Coho hootchies, spoons such as Coho killers on short leaders are the best. Now is the time if you are wanting your last chance at catching springs before they move on to spawn. Reminder: The Deering Bridge coming from the Victoria direction is now being worked on. They started on September 14th and are planned for up to the 18th depending on how work goes. The bridge will be closed from 8:00am to 5:00pm with openings for 15 minutes every hour on the hour. Please be aware you may face up to a 45 minute wait depending on when you arrive at the bridge. They are doing what they can to co-operate with the traffic.

Upcoming Event: Coming up at Port Renfrew Marina will be the extremely popular Coho Derby "Winner Take All." This derby will be held at Port Renfrew Marina on October 3rd and 4th. Tickets are $25.00 a rod and $5.00 of each ticket will go to the San Juan Hatchery. The winning pot will be determined by the number of tickets sold. It's very simple, the fisherman with the biggest Coho wins the pot of money. It could be you going home with a large bag of money (average is around $8,000.00 to $10,000.00) after fishing for two days!! Please be advised we are a cash business and come prepared with cash for your tickets, your stay and any items you may need.

Raffles: There will be two raffle draws on the 4th. One will be for the Bradley Stainless Steel 6 tray Smoker, it can do hot or cold smoke and has a digital timer for perfect results. This smoker retails for $649.00 and tickets are $5.00 or 3 for $10.00. The other raffle is a SIMRAD GPS worth $1600.00 and tickets are $10.00 or 3 for $20.00. This GPS has  Bright Low-Power Display,   Built in High-Detail Cartography,   GPS with Navionics,   Touch Screen,  ,Built in Sounder,   Micro SD Charts,   Autopilot LED’s,   1PX7 Waterproofing,  and will Interface with All Accessories.  Includes: NSS Sport Multifunction Display, Suncover, Bracket Mount & Knobs, Edge Cover(set of 2), Back Bezel & Mounting screws, Power cable, Video/Data Cable, Stainless Steel Mounting Kit, Screen Cloth, Flush Mounting Template, Manuals. It's a real beauty and every fisherman would love to have one on his boat! Please consider buying tickets for these great items and help support the hatchery even more.

Important Info: Port Renfrew Marina will be closing on October 12th this year. Please make sure you contact the marina to settle up your account and or make arrangements for winter storage for your boat and or unit. This must be arranged before we close and not when we reopen. We need to have you registered for the safety and security and our records. Once we close in October the gate will remain locked and you will need to contact our caretaker if you need access for some reason. This has to be done in advance with some notice. Also it is your responsibility to check on your units and boats if you know that the area is experiencing extreme weather. You are allowed one night a month to stay over if necessary and you can call Desi Hatchard for updates on weather conditions, etc. His number is 250 483-1486. 

Bud & Rex

Port Renfrew Marina Report Sept.9/15

It is hard to believe that the Port Renfrew Marina's 18th Annual Labor Day Derby has passed! It is the general and pretty much unanimous opinion of everyone that it was one of the best we have hosted.  It was a definite success with everyone who attended having a wonderful time. Weather and fishing for the derby was fantastic! On the first day of the derby we registered 164 spring salmon with many more that went by in coolers, with a total number of fish for the derby at 216. Although it rained Saturday night the skies cleared for Sunday and we had another beautiful day. Fishing on Sunday was a little slower but with everyone needing to be in by 1:00 it was a short day. The band Willing and Able were very popular and did a great job! A very special thanks goes out to Wayne & Gwen Coleman for their gigantic effort to supply dinner for almost 300 people. With limited facilities they pulled it off and it all went well. At the end of ticket sales we had 287 tickets sold making that a record amount for the last three years. Many people who were attending for the first time said they are coming back every year because they enjoyed it so much!

• 1st. Place:  Bruce Miller   36lbs 6oz
• 2nd Place:  Laurie Orr    27lb 15oz
• 3rd Place:  Reid Warren  27lb 7oz
• Ladies biggest fish:  Segrid Perkins  25lb 4oz
• Juvenile biggest fish:  Austin Poole 14lb 10oz

Notable Catches:

• Bill Valentine  34

Each year the Labor Day Derby, on the Sunday morning, we hold a bullhead derby for children 12 and under. This years winners were  Boys: Travis Swanson (no photo available)  Girls: Sawyer Mackenzie

Port Renfrew Marina wants to thank Dustin Mayo and Dave Peters of the Kinsmen for their help donating their time during the derby and a big thank you for their donation of $1000.00 to the San Juan Hatchery from the Kinsmen account.

A big thanks goes out to some helpers who make the derby go smoothly, be it working the tables, selling tickets or cleaning up. Thank you to Sharon Winters for helping round up donations, sitting at the silent auction table ALL day and helping clean the Longhouse after the ceremonies and before the dance. Also there was one other lady who helped with that, sorry I don't know your name but thank you for your time. For the morning after a big thanks goes to Doug, Dave, Kevin, Reid and Paul for their help. It was done in record time this year! Thanks goes out to Ryan for his help at the tables. Hope I didn't forget anyone, if so someone please remind us!!

Also a big thanks goes out to the people who helped us round up donations. This is a huge help as there are so many different businesses to contact. Thanks go out to Vic Gee, Sharon Winters, Brain Kitagawa and Jack Hughes. Really, you do make it so much more doable! It is hard to understand the labor and work that goes into contacting so many places so these people deserve a big hand for taking on this job!

Audie Williams, the founder of The Davey Derby came by to drop off a donation to the San Juan Hatchery. He said that the Davey Derby in its years of fundraising raised a total of $205,000.00! The account had $130.00 sitting in it so he made a donation to the hatchery for the people at Port Renfrew Marina he loved, in remembrance of the years the derby's held at Port Renfrew Marina.

Mid September marks the "transition" time for fishing in Port Renfrew. The spring salmon are thinning out on a daily basis and the coho are still offshore. By later in the month and certainly by October the coho will be onshore and hungry. Time to get out the light rods and tackle for these best fighting fish. Don't forget: October 3rd and 4th will be the Port Renfrew Coho Derby "Winner Take All" This derby is extremely popular! Tickets are $25.00 a rod with $5.00 of each rod going to the hatchery. One winner gets the pot which on average is approximately anywhere from $8000.00 to $12,000.00 cash! Winnings will be based on ticket sales and please remember that we are a cash business. That is also when we will be making the draw for the Bradley 6 Tray Stainless Steel Smoker, worth $649.00. Tickets for it are $5.00 each or 3 for $10.00. We will also be raffling a Trophy Reel, tickets for it will be $2.00 each or 3 for $5.00.

Still no halibut reports as most boats are leaving on trailers or tied to the dock. Focus has been on springs and some Coho.

Some Great news on the Coho front. As of Sept. 11 area 121 (Bonilla West) anglers are allowed 4 Coho per day wild or hatchery! That NE corner along to the 170 top end of the closure can be amazing.

Below is the list of businesses in no particular order who were generous enough to make a donation to this great cause and we ask that all our customers and readers patronize their businesses in thanks and respect for their contributions:

Christie Phoenix, Insolex, Westcoast Tire, Butler Bros, Handsome Dan's, Soule Creek Lodge, Tomi's Restaurant, Select Mortgage Group, Gallery House, Dennis Murray, Travelbea & Ass., Port Renfrew General Store, Beauty Smiles Denture Clinic, Redl Sports, Marion Randall of MVCC, Island Outfitters, Islander Reel, Sooke Harbour Marine, 17 Mile Pub, Monti's Boat Sales, Wholesale Sports, Greg's RV, Construction Drilling, Debbie Gilmore, Canadian Tire (Duncan), Darrel Johnston, Hugh Hamar, Mid-Island Co-op (Lk. Cow), Trailhead Motel, Lakes Marine Supply, Lifetimer Boats, Diamond Eye Care, March Meadows, Glenwood Meats, Green Lantern Pub, Harbour Chandler, Choice Charters, CIBC Bank, Horseshoe Pub, Viper Fuels, Wally Quaite, Mike Smith, Black Dragon Enterprises, Salt Spring Soapworks, Oughtred Coffee, George Wetherall, Ampersand Distilling Company, Avril Creek Winery, Don Colgrave, Four Points Sheraton, Sooke Harbour House, Barry Hobbis & Victoria Harbour Ferry, Coast Victoria Harbourside Hotel, Big Fish Lodge, 4 Mile Pub, Milroy Engineering, Doug & Susan Mills, Kevin Gillard, All Battery, Blair Houdayer Estate, VI Rentals, O'ki, Browns Social House, Paul Ricard, Nisers, Peoples Drug Mart (Sooke), J&V Burgers and Pizza, A&W, Subway (Colwood & Langford)Liqour Planet, Starbucks (Colwood & Langford), Liqour Depot, Richlock Rentals, Cineplex Theater, Three Point Porperties, Gerry Murray, Great Canadian Oil Change, Esso, Serious Coffee, Stone Pipe Grill, Floyds Diner, Bob Biggs, Cabela's, Parker Marine, Gone Fishin', Chemainus Auto, Band H Tire, Dog House Restaurant, ATP Bait & Tackle, Buckerfields, Sooke Power Supplies, Sheringham Distillery, Shoppers Drug Mart (Sooke), NW Aluminum, Blair Davis, Lazy Gecko, Hardie Honey, Tim Hortons (Colwood & Duncan), Artisans Well, Kelly Wagner of Gizmos Computers, Jim Hermanson of Great Western Equipment, Home Hardware, Lake Cowichan Fly & Tackle, Wise Buys, Eagle Eye Sports, Deans Marine, Scotty, Irly Bird, Duncan Auto, S & G, Silver Streak Boats, Sleggs Lumber, ECS Electrical, Trotac Marine, Bow Mel Chrysler, Item, G n'G, Tirecraft, Country Grocer, Jakes at the Lake, Oak & Carriage, Tugwell Creek, McGregors, Peninsula Co-op, Anglers Retreat, Thrifty's Food Stores (Colwood), Three Gringos Grill, Milestones, Mai Mai bistro, Turmeric Restaurant, Coastal Kitchen, Kelz Cake Shop, Fountain Diner, Village Foods, Superstore, Alpine Marine, Best Western Premier Resort, Western Foods, Whitespot (Duncan & Langford), DSS Welding, Eriks, Greg Distributing, Steve Holgate of Surespan, Steve Lamont of Maple Bay Marina, Steele Electric, Shane & Samantha Morse, Grant Hilliard, Fastenall, Mike Young, John Sheldrake, Wallace Cheong, Berk Intertruck, Tube Shop.

Please forgive and also remind us if we have inadvertently forgotten someone! The derby would not be as successful without all these generous people and businesses!

Bud & Rex