You need to be in Westport right now if you want in on the best fishing of the year! I got the full scoop from Captain Nick Clayton, who operates one of the charter vessels in the All Rivers & Saltwater Charters fleet. Eventually, all their boats will transition over to Albacore Tuna, but for now there is a mixed bag of trip options and all of them are hauling in fish!
Westport Salmon Fishing Report
Chinook Salmon fishing has been really good for the Westport fleet. Coastal salmon fisheries are managed based on a catch quota. And the quota for hatchery Coho Salmon is extremely low this year. So once 26,500 are caught, salmon fishing for both Chinook and Coho will close.
To help prolong the salmon season, Westport’s Marine Area 2 is only open to salmon fishing five days a week, Sunday through Thursday. You need to run to Marine Area 1 to salmon fish on Fridays and Saturdays.
Nick says that the Chinook are all quality this year. Most of the fish they are catching are in the 10 pound to 15 pound range. A few are in the high-teens to mid-twenties. That’s as good as it gets!
They are seeing good fishing mostly from the GH Buoy to points south. He’s running out to the 200′-250′ zone, heading in a southwesterly direction from Westport. On Fridays and Saturdays, they head a little further south to MA1.
Trolling with downriggers is a key tactic, running Gibbs Flashers and Pro-Troll Blinkies, with traditional lures such as Silver Horde Kingfisher 4″ Herring Aide, Gold Star Green Spatter-back Hoochees. But pretty much everything is getting bit.
Running diver rods adds to the production. Nick is fishing with cut-plug herring, no flashers on those set-ups.
When they see a patch of birds working bait on the surface, the mooching rods get dusted off. Nick and the other captains are having a blast with his clients salmon fishing with rod in hand!
Westport Albacore Tuna Fishing Report
ARSC Captain Ian Winder headed out on a scouting mission on July 2 and found a nice patch of Albacore Tuna. About 50 nautical miles from Westport to the southwest. They put 17 Albacore in the boat, and left them biting. Recently Mark took out their fleets’ newest vessel, the 42′ Integrity and brought back 40. It sounds like the Albacore Tuna season is right on the verge of busting out!
Westport Lingcod and Rockfish Fishing Report
Bottom fishing has been excellent this season. Large Lingcod are gobbling up the live flounder those boys like to fish. Limits of Black and Yellowtail Rockfish add a fun mix to that trip. This should be a viable option all summer long, so bring the Lingcod gear with you, if you head out!
Information on booking with All Rivers & Saltwater Charters: view their website.
Sekiu Chinook Fishing Report
