Jolly Rogers 2008 Wrap-Up and 2009 Outlook

Hello to Friends of Jolly Rogers around the world.

As the 2008 year winds to a close, I look back on all the fun times had out there on the ocean last season, and I can’t help but smile. Sometimes I think I have the best job in the world, taking people everyday on Port Renfrew fishing adventures. Vancouver Island’s west coast is a mysterious and exciting place, you can never know what to expect on any given day. But there’s not a day that went by that didn’t offer adventures of one sort or another. Thank you to all my guests over the past year for the good times, I hope you had as much fun as I did!

Recapping some 2008 Port Renfrew fishing highlights:

• Early season started out slowly in and surely in April, with some nice halibut being caught close to shore, west of Port Renfrew. However, May become truly remarkable with a number of halibut caught well above 100 pounds. Picture everyone looking over the gunwale, wondering what’s coming up, and then catching the first glimpse of a monster from the deep…the adrenaline starts to flow! You can’t expect to catch something that big every day, but it is good to know they are out there somewhere, waiting just the right lure on just the right tide at just the right spot….I can hardly wait until Spring!
• The first salmon started showing up in early June, with feeder Springs on Swiftsure Bank. While these fish are not as large as the late summer Chinooks, they are plentiful and put up a good scrap. The halibut fishing started into its summer pattern, daily trips out to the Bank, with smaller halibut caught but lots more of them.
• July and August were awesome for both halibut and salmon. Pretty much everyday we would head out to Swiftsure, fish for halibut until we had our limit, then chase Springs and Coho in the deep water, then head closer to shore for the trophy size Chinook. East Point, Camper Creek, and Logan Creek delivered the big salmon, and there’s nothing in fishing to compare to reeling in a 30 pound plus salmon in only 20 feet of water, and watching its wake as it takes 100 metre long surface runs.
• September and October slowed down for large Spring salmon, although they were still out there if you put in the hours. The halibut continued on the Bank this year for as long as the weather remained good enough to go out and chase them. The smaller feeder Springs were also out there. The Coho did not arrive in large numbers this year, but what they lacked in quantity, they made up for in quality….Coho up to 20 pounds makes for some exciting fishing.

Check out this video of a Spring salmon double header off Logan Creek in August. That gets the fishing blood pumping! Thanks to Gary, Chris, and Doug for sending the video and for playing those fish like pros.

What is coming for 2009 remains a mystery. Early prognosis for west coast Vancouver Island for 2009 is good, with improved returns of both Chinook and Coho salmon. Halibut remains strong, with a well-managed fishery. Regardless of what the forecasts may be, one thing we can promise no matter what happens is an exciting day on the wild west coast!

Call or email now to make your 2009 bookings – make sure to book early if you have a specific day in mind, especially in July and August or on weekends leading up to summer.

Happy holidays and best wishes from Jolly Rogers to both past guests and to future friends not yet met.

John (JR) Rogers