Chinook fishing has remained sketchy over the past month. Hopefully these fish are late in their migration, and not missing due to ocean mortality.

The chinook are late coming into the Alberni Canal, too. It is very odd, when the early May and June runs were so prolific, to experience this dramatic drop off.

The Neck Point/Rocky Point area off Nanaimo is producing slightly better than the Thrasher/Grande area here. This has been an oddity this year also, as usually a lot of the better fishermen and guides from Nanaimo fish Gabriola over the spring and summer, but they’ve been staying on that side this year. Hopefully, we’ve got better things to come in the coming month!

Congratulations to Robert and Huey Tufnail, who landed their second 30 pound tyee of the year off Thrasher! Anyone who fishes here seriously knows how rare these big fish are in these waters!

The Fraser sockeye run is expected to be low this year, so there probably won’t be a sport or commercial fishery allowed. I’m hoping there are enough to allow a sport fishery, so we can make our annual sockeye trip!  There has been the very occasional coho taken off Neck Point. I have not talked to anyone on Gabriola who has retained a hatchery coho yet this year.

Ling fishing has been excellent off Gabriola Reef. Try large bait, jigs or plastics at 35 to 65 feet for the ling.

Prawning is excellent, also. Expect 100 to 150 per trap. Tuna cat food fished at 350 feet is the best methodology.

Good fishing!