There have been a few solid reports of winter Chinook salmon caught locally over the last seven days. The conditions are looking great this weekend and so are the tides so if you are winter Chinook salmon angler it is time to get out on the water. Where else in the world can you go salmon fishing in the morning, skiing in the afternoon, and then dine at world class restaurants such as the Flying Pig, a Pacific Angler favourite.
The Vancouver weather forecast is calling for sunny conditions over the weekend and into next week. It won’t be until Wednesday that we start to see cloudy conditions with some rain. The daily high temperatures will range from 4 to 8 degrees Celsius while the daily low temperatures will range from -2 to 2 degrees Celsius.
The marine forecast for the Straight of Georgia is looking favourable with light wind conditions over the weekend. In combination with sunny conditions this will be a great weekend to be out on the water in pursuit of winter chinook salmon and Dungeness crabs. The tides are also looking perfect with a nice high slack tide at just around noon.
So the seas have been calm, we have even seen a little sun, and there have been some nice slabs hitting the boat deck! Eddie was out on a charter this past Thursday and got into 3 nice fish. Unfortunately none of them stuck but that is how it goes at this time of year. Eddie said he got the first two fish right at the bottom (aprox. 90) with a Flaming Hans and flasher. The third fish hit a Kitchen Sink rigged without a flasher at the 70 ft mark. A few Pacific Angler customers have also been out this week and hit fish as well.
So it is definitely worth heading out. Most of the action has been off West Vancouver from the “Green Marker to the Pink Apartment”, close to the bottom on spoons in the 3.0 to 3.5 sizes. Productive colors have been Irish Cream, Cookies n Cream, Night Rider, Glo Green, Glo Yellow Tail, and Flaming Hans. You can run a glow flasher with a 6 foot leader to the spoon or you can run the spoon by itself without a flasher. We have had success with both methods lately. We have also heard of a few fish off the QB, Freighters, and over around the Mile Markers.
Crabbing has been so so, but prawning has been very good. Crabbing will pick up as we get closer to March.
So the weather is good (the forecast is for sun on the weekend), the fish are around, the seas are flat (the forecast is for light winds), and the prawning is good, so get out there in your boat or book a charter!
A 5 hr charter is a great option at this time of year for winter chinook salmon and crabbing. On our 8 hr charters we’ve been doing very for prawns. This is always a crowd pleaser for the guests. Especially when they bring home a big catch of prawns, some crabs and a beautifully conditioned winter chinook salmon.
If you would like to book a charter give myself a call at our shop, Pacific Angler (store: 604-872-2204). Also please feel to drop by the shop and I can go over the details with you in person. If you are an avid fishermen and would like a hand with gear our expert staff can show you which gear has been getting the job done.
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Happy Fishing,
Dave
Pacific Angler Booking Manager
