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Port San Juan at one time had the largest coho run on Vancouver Island back in the 1950's estimated at 60,000. The commercial net fishery devastated that run with as it turned out at that time, poor management by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. That situation has since been rectified. The world record was held by a 28 lb. coho caught in Port Renfrew for a while before a larger one was taken in Cowichan Bay. The coho numbers dwindled to less than 1,000 in the 70's. Then DFO officer Fred Redar and San Juan Hatchery Manager Morris Trembly got involved and started producing fish.
Thanks to Morris Trembly and the San Juan Hatchery the numbers of coho started to increase. With strict fishing measures by DFO coast wide and no commercial coho fishery, a historic record return of 60,000 coho came back in 1998. Chinook fishing over the years has been good but with the addition of the Nitnat and Port San Juan hatcheries it has definitely been at its best in the last 15 years.
The largest chinook taken in our area was weighed in at our fish camp in 1988. It weighed 63 lbs. and was caught by Al Gauley with help from his son Jim. Halibut fishing has always been good over the years with the only difference being we didn't used to fish offshore. The largest halibut caught in our area was taken in San Juan Bay in 1964 by pioneer sport fisherman Frank Elliot. The big lunker weighed 242 lbs. and was taken on 30 lb. test line. Frank played the halibut for 5 hours before he got it onto the beach where he finally subdued it.
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