Sooke is absolutely on fire right now for Chinook and Coho! Everyone is stoked, and anglers are happily catching limits. Lots of fish are stacked up around Trailer Park, Otter Point and Beechey Head areas, in 40-60 feet of water. Gibbs G-Force 4.0 Aztec spoons and Kingfisher Spoon 3.5 Herring Aide spoons have been hot choices.

Port Renfrew is producing some incredible Chinook right now. With no maximum size restriction in some areas, some truly outstanding fish are hitting the docks—big, beautiful West Coast salmon!

Closer to home, Sansum Narrows continues to produce some beautiful fish, and Coho are starting to show up in good numbers throughout many of our local areas.

Lingcod fishing and local crabbing also remain excellent through late August, adding even more opportunities to bring home some incredible Vancouver Island seafood.

And it’s not just the boats getting in on the action. Shore anglers are out in good numbers and catching plenty of salmon as fish move closer to our beaches and toward their home rivers.

This is one of the best times of the year to be a Vancouver Island angler. Whether you’re trolling for Chinook and Coho, casting from shore, dropping crab traps or heading out for Lingcod, there are so many opportunities right now to get outside and bring home beautiful, fresh, local seafood to share with family and friends.

Pink salmon fishing at Nile Creek in Bowser can be excellent during the last couple of weeks of August. The fish often cruise the shoreline while waiting for rain and higher water before moving into the Big Qualicum River.

High tide, particularly the hour leading up to it, has been the most productive time to fish.

For fly fishing, a pink Clouser Minnow has been extremely effective. Pink or chartreuse shrimp and minnow patterns, along with other bright pink attractor flies, are also great choices. A 6–8 wt fly rod and reel is ideal. Because the shoreline stays shallow for quite a distance, getting your fly well out from shore can be important. A sinking fly line with approximately a 15 lb leader works well. I personally use a Dragonfly 8 wt fly rod paired with a Dragonfly 8 wt reel.

Casting pink jigs and spoons is another excellent option. Prime Lures pink jigs are a great choice, especially around high tide.

For anglers trolling out front of Nile Creek, Luhr-Jensen Anchovy Roll spoons have been producing fish, along with Skinny G No Bananas and Spring Roll spoons. Run them behind a Westcoast Fishing Tackle flasher, with Red Velvet and Pretty in Pink being two of my favourite patterns. Red Velvet has been particularly hot lately.

Whether you’re fly fishing from shore, casting jigs and spoons, or trolling out front, late August is a great time to target pink salmon around Nile Creek.

Chinook and Coho are still plentiful throughout Area 13 (Campbell River) and Area 14 (Courtenay)—if you can get through the massive schools of Pink Salmon that have moved in!

Some sub-areas of Area 14 around Hornby and Denman Islands have opened retention to 2 Chinook per day within the slot limit, so be sure to check the regulations for your favourite spots before heading out. If you’re specifically targeting Chinook, stepping up to larger plugs or spoons can help you get past some of the Pinks.

Bottom fishing remains about average for this time of year. Rockfish are plentiful, so keep your descender handy. The occasional Halibut is also being picked up while trolling for salmon.

The big excitement right now is the Pink Salmon fishery. Beaches and estuaries are filling up nicely, creating a fantastic and accessible salmon opportunity for anglers without a boat. Smaller pink Zzingers and Buzz Bombs are great choices, along with pink spoons and spinners.

Fly anglers are having success with pink Handlebars, Comets and shrimp patterns. If the fish get lockjawed, don’t be afraid to switch things up—a change to green or blue can sometimes trigger picky or skittish fish.

Pinks have also moved into the Campbell River in excellent numbers, with many anglers targeting them using a float setup and drifting pink yarn.

Fishing in the Alberni Canal has really picked up over the last few days, with some anglers seeing double-digit bites in a morning! Fishing has been productive anywhere from Polly’s Point out to the boundary near 10 Mile Point.

Anchovies have been by far the top producer so far. Rhys Davis UV Purple, UV Magma Green, and Army Truck Glow teaser heads have all been working very well. Fish are currently holding from 35–70 feet, with anglers trolling around 1.8–2.4 mph.

Down in Barkley Sound, fishing has been a little spotty, but with plenty of Robertson Creek fish expected to return, fishing should pick up in the coming days. Right now, your best bets are Pill Point, Kirby Point, Assets Island, San Mateo, the Bamfield Wall, and Swale Rock.

Skinny G spoons in Gold Nugget Herring Aid, Trap Shack, and No Bananas have been producing well. There’s also been a fair amount of squid around, making the Gold Star OAL12R hoochie another great option this time of year.

In the Sound, anglers are trolling a little faster at 2.4–3.2 mph and fishing anywhere from 50 feet down to the bottom.