By Don Daniels
From mid-July to now the salmon fishing has been exceptionally good for the experienced anglers who know the area, and for some, it has been a challenge.
Here we are Sept. 16 and the locals have been getting out during the warm weather and the undersized Chinooks are out there in abundance. Also, the guides who fish for Chinooks have been working the area south of Campbell River. To the north starting at Browns Bay, some good catches are being reported around Stuart Island.
Coho salmon fishing is exciting and those who fish them are trolling at different speeds. Finding them can be a challenging hunt, to say the least. Once the rains come, and they will, you will see coho in shallow water and starting at Oyster Bay Park you can view the schools of salmon when they are coming close to shore and heading to the rivers to spawn. You will also see spin casters and the fly fishers wading the beach to try and hook a coho.
The anglers at Discovery Pier are putting in the time to land a salmon and they have. Gord Bennett has been fishing the pier for years and this year landed a nice Chinook.
The Kelsey Bay Wharf has been slow for salmon catches as of late but it started off with a bang in mid-July then got slower and slower.
A number of rivers are nearby and the Salmon, Adam and Eve can be fished for catch-and-release trout and knowing the regulations is mandatory. Driving from Campbell River to Sayward keep on the highway, going north at the junction, and you will see a rest area on the left-hand side of the highway; Keta Lake is a small lake that was stocked many years ago.
Trout can be caught in the upper reaches which will be out of the wind. There is no shore access except for a small road and parking is limited. You will battle the wind on most days but using light tackle, spinning or fly, will give you hours of fun. There are picnic tables at the rest area and there are washrooms on site.
As of Sept. 4, the anglers and rowers in the Tyee Pool have hooked 14 salmon that hit the scale of 30 pounds or more. On Sept. 2 angler Nathan Lagos got a 39 lb., 2 oz Tyee and the rower was Ken Enns. The Tyee was caught on a spoon and all other catches used a plug.
I made a number of road trips to Buttle Lake and the Upper Campbell and the long weekends are busy and camping areas are full, and with hot weather, the kayakers and paddle boarders were out in full force. I will report on lakes and fishing next week.
I know of a few people at Saratoga Beach on paddleboards and they are reporting seeing salmon in shallow water.
This time of year, a number of guides have been working the west coast and they will bring their boats back to Campbell River. A number of people will store their boats and get ready for the hunting season around the Island. The rains will come and the spawning coho will make their way to the upper river pools and add to the mix the chums.