Please read and follow the instructions carefully! Don’t go “Liking” and “Sharing” the wrong stuff because it won’t get you entered into the contest.

Step 1 – “Like” Us to Enter: Head over to our Salmonboats Facebook page and “Like” us (the big link at the top of the page). Don’t worry, you are automatically entered if you already “Like” us.

Step 2 – Get an Extra Entry: Want an extra entry in the contest? While you are on our Facebook page, hit the “Share” button beneath the contest post and share it with your friends.

Step 3 – Wait Until January 31st We will put all the entries in a hat and draw a name. We will post the winner on our Facebook page and will notify them via Facebook messaging.

Please do share this with your fishing buddies!

The Small print:

• Blue Boat Calendar (Honda Engines)
• Silver Boat Calendar (Suzuki Engines)

Looking for a rate quote? Check out our easy Quote Generator.

Looking for a great deal? We have awesome shoulder season (April 1 to June 30, September 10 to to October 31) specials available. We fish for salmon on the west side of Vancouver Island from April until October. It isn’t just about July & August!

Please read and follow the instructions carefully! Don’t go “Liking” and “Sharing” the wrong stuff because it won’t get you entered into the contest.

Step 1 – “Like” Us to Enter: Head over to our Salmonboats Facebook page and “Like” us (the big link at the top of the page). Don’t worry, you are automatically entered if you already “Like” us.

Step 2 – Get an Extra Entry: Want an extra entry in the contest? While you are on our Facebook page, hit the “Share” button beneath the contest post and share it with your friends.

Step 3 – Wait Until January 31st We will put all the entries in a hat and draw a name. We will post the winner on our Facebook page and will notify them via Facebook messaging.

Please do share this with your fishing buddies!

The Small print:

Check out the calendar page to see our availability for both of our North River Seahawk Boats.

Don’t believe me? Check out the 35 lb Chinook that was entered on July 23rd in the Ukee Salmon Derby. Check out the Ukee Derby site for more information and to see a steady stream of big Chinooks that have been caught during the month of July.

We just had a cancellation, which means that the Silver 21′ Seahawk with the Suzuki engines is now available during the peak of the fishing season between July 30th and August 5th. The fishing in Bamfield and Ucluelet has bee phenomenal this summer. Get out here!

Update (July 27 @ 10:30): We have filled a couple of days, but there is still an opening from August 2-5.

• We have tons of availability in July leading up to July 18th. There are BIG Chinook around and the fishing in Barkley Sound, Ucluelet, and Tofino has been out of sight!
• We still have slots from August 27th until September 7th. The big Coho (pushing 20 lbs!) will be on the banks and the big Chinook should still be around. This is a great time to fish Bamfield or Ucluelet. Frankly, I’m shocked that there is still availability in this period.

The Bad News:

• We are booked pretty much solid from July 18th until August 27th. If you are looking for boat during this period then I’m afraid you are out of luck. These slots are generally full by early May, so be sure to get on it early for the summer of 2012!

Salmonboats.ca Availability Calendar

We’re expecting an amazing Chinook (King) salmon fishery this year. The Columbia river is expecting a huge Chinook run this summer and most of those fish swim past Bamfield, Ucluelet and Tofino on the way home. This summer is going to be awesome!

A dose of reality for those of you who think that August is the only time to go fishing? The fishing in Bamfield, Ucluelet, and Tofino is pretty consistent from April right through October. That is the advantage of being located right beside the “salmon highway”. Why not take advantage of our great spring and fall rates? We have some excellent weekend packages that will get you on the water and keep some money in your pocket.

Sardines return by the millions to B.C. coast (External Link -> Vancouver Sun)

Where there is a bait, you will almost always find Salmon. The return of Sardines to Vancouver Island waters is GREAT news for BC salmon fishermen!

Last year, most of the fish that we caught on the west coast of Vancouver Island were full of Pilchards (big Sardines). The good news is that these Sardines are very easy to replicate on the end of your line.

The best option that we know of to target salmon are Tomic lures and spoons. We really like the 6-7″ Tomic Plugs and http://tomiclures.com/color_chart_spoons.htm as they do a nice job of replicating the size of Pilchards.

Here is a great forum thread on replicating Pilchards that goes into great detail on colors and rigging.

We still have a few good openings in August (particularly late August) and the first few weeks of July are wide open.

Seriously think about coming in July. Here’s why:

• The Columbia River is expecting a massive Chinook spawning run this year. The biggest run since 1980. Most of those salmon swim right past Tofino/Bamfield/Ucluelet on their way to the river. Details
• Save Money!! – We have significantly reduced our July rates! ($340/day in July vs $425/day in August).

Here is a highlight:

With the 2009 and 2010 sport fishing seasons playing out to be the best in the last decade, local and visiting anglers are excited to hear that 2011 is forecasted to again provide very strong Chinook and Coho Salmon fishing opportunities. The strength of the recent and forecasted Columbia River Chinook and Coho returns have been a definite highlight for local fisheries, and provide an extremely strong component in supporting the west coast of Vancouver Island sport fishing opportunities for the future. So strong in fact, that the Chinook salmon from coastal Washington State and Columbia River Hatcheries make up well over 80% of Tofino’s early season Salmon fishery. What is even greater news for Tofino and Ucluelet area anglers is that prime components of these strong southern stocks are forecasted to be the largest on record since 1980. These are primarily larger 4 and 5 year old Chinook coming from nearly 100 Million hatchery augmented runs. Yes, that is a lot of zeros in 100,000,000 meaning a lot of young salmon entering the ocean with very good marine survival conditions during recent years.

You can read ongoing discussion of this article here at BC Sportfishing.

• April – Save 40% – $255/day for a North River Seahawk 21
• May – Save 40% – $255/day for a North River Seahawk 21
• June – Save 40% – $255/day for a North River Seahawk 21
• July – Save 20% – $340/day for a North River Seahawk 21
• August 1 till Labour Day (September 5th) – Full Rates Apply
• September* – Save 40% – $255/day for a North River Seahawk 21
• October – Save 40% – $255/day for a North River Seahawk 21

* Beginning on September 6th

We also have some great 3 day and 1 week specials that are valid between April 1 and June 30, 2011:

• 3 Day Rental – North River Seahawk – $699
• 1 Week Rental – North River Seahawk – $1599

The following base rates are now valid for September and October 2010:

* 3 Day Rental – North River Seahawk – $749
* 3 Day Rental – Boston Whaler – $600
* 1 Week Rental – North River Seahawk – $1499
* 1 Week Rental – Boston Whaler – $1299

Get your buddies together and find a way to make it happen!

We’re not sure why, but we the general public still seems to think that August is the only month to fish the west coast of Vancouver Island. That couldn’t be further from the truth! June is less expensive, much less crowded, the weather is great, and there are a lot of fish around.

July is looking like a great month to hit the water. Average sizes will continue to climb and we should starting seeing 30+ pounders hitting the dock in the next couple of weeks.

Still think that August is the only time to fish Ucluelet?

An excerpt:

The summer salmon fishing seems to be changing. August and early September were often considered peak times for Chinook sport fishing. Because of the high numbers of transient Chinook salmon passing along the west coast of Vancouver Island from April to August it seems that the over last few years the peak of the season has been mid-June through July. This is not to say that Chinook sport fishing Halibut fishing has really improved. Most of the halibut migration from the deep to the shallows has occurred. Retention numbers are still one per day per person.does not continue in August and September.

Can’t free up your schedule in August? No problem! The fishing in June and July is awesome and accommodations are much easier to find. Get out here and get your lines in the water!

Great news for Bamfield and Ucluelet fishermen! The Columbia River fish swim right past Bamfield and Ucluelet all summer long. Abundant Columbia River returns should make for great fishing from May till October!