May 2012 Fishing Report
We would like to thank all of Cleanline’s guests who joined us in early May and more recently, over the May long weekend. It appears that fishing in May has hit a turning point for the season as we’ve experienced some of our best and most productive fishing trips yet this season! With an abundance of feed distributed liberally around Tofino’s early season offshore fishing haunts, good numbers of migrating Chinook are now actively feeding off Tofino’s shore. The birds never lie is a fisher’s mantra to rely on when waiting for a salmon to bite. Find diving birds such as the common murre and rhinoceros auklets are sure signs of bait fish down below. Find the right birds, you’ll find the bait fish and if you find the bait fish, you’ll find a hunting salmon! Whales and porpoises are also an excellent indicator for an active piece of water producing salmon close to whale sightings. Over the month of May our guests were pleasantly surprised to have Humpback and Minke Whale sightings, Orcas and plenty of harbor porpoise sightings as well.
With the approach of some of the most extreme range in tides for the season, as the June solstice is near, strong currents often dictate where we fish, how and when. Timing it right in the tide cycle can make the difference for a greatly successful fishing trip and heading in with your tail between your legs, so to say. One word will sum this up: ‘patience’. What happens with larger range in tide and consequently stronger currents is that your slack tide golden hour is may be even shorter, while good quality flurries may happen quickly within a 20 minute to a 40 minute window. The key is to stick to your tried and tested, resist the urge to keep changing gear and ‘keep it down there’! The other challenge can arise when you second guess yourself and have that urge to move somewhere else–stick and stay and never travel during a slack tide event. Wait, be patient and something will bite over the slack tide eventually!
As we glide into the month of June, June 1 marks the start of the coho salmon season. As we’ve already started to see a few showing up in May, this is surely a good sign for a productive saltwater fly fishing season as well as a quality inshore coho fishery in the calm waters of Clayoquot sound. Stay tuned for next months fishing report and for a more detailed and up to date look, follow us on Twitter, Facebook or call our booking office at 1 855 726 3828 to have a chat with us! Our peak season is nearly booked up, but please call or us our contact us form to inquire about the latest availability during our peak season.
Tight lines,
Blake
Owner/ Head Guide
blake@cleanlinesportfishing.com
Cleanline Sportfishing, Tofino, B.C.