April 2017 Fishing Report from Reel Time Fishing Charters
This past weekend, our guests experienced some of the best salmon fishing I’ve seen in years for this time of year in Nanaimo. On Friday, April 7 and Saturday, April 8, we fished the deep waters just off of the Five Fingers. Within minutes of letting down lines, we were into fish. On Friday, we landed 5 keepers including two that were in the mid-teens. On Saturday, we landed 6 keepers, three fish in the 7-8 lb range, two in the mid-teens and one fish that was in the low twenties. Both of these trips were only 4 hour charters. During that time, we also released a number of fish not to mention 3 or 4 nice ones that we lost. All of this had me thinking I was fishing the west coast of Vancouver Island during prime time migration.
In the mix of this catch were a number of white springs (most likely getting ready to head up the Fraser River), a marbled with most of the smaller fish being Columbia reds. The depth of our hook-ups was typically between 100 to 110 ft. We also tried a variety of bait though the 3″ kitchen sink and purple haze hootchie did most of the heavy lifting. Cleaning them revealed the obvious, they had been feeding on herring.
I can’t wait to get out again since I am not sure how long these fish will stick around. However, with the typical migration just around the corner (last 2 weeks in April and the first 2 weeks in May), I’m sure that we’ll see more great opportunities to cry “fish on”. If you are looking to book a late April or early May trip for some good fishing this year, give us a call. Otherwise, stay safe, have fun, and let those larger fish go so we can enjoy this amazing resources for years to come.
Captain Turk
Owner and operator of Reel Time Fishing Charters.