Vancouver Saltwater Fishing Report
Well, spring has sprung! We are starting to get solid reports from chinook out on the Hump off South Bowen, a sure sign spring is in the air. There have also been some nice winter chinook taken up Howe Sound as well as a few fish off the Bell Buoy.
Yan with a nice Howe Sound chinook
Without a doubt, the place to be in the next 6 weeks is going to be the Hump. As early as April 4th we have had good to excellent fishing in this spot. Usually it takes until around April 10th, but it seems more and more anglers are tying this spot earlier and earlier and finding some fish for their efforts. You may have seen us on BC Outdoors Sportfishing TV this winter as we did a show on the Hump last spring. We were getting double headers on chinook. That day was April 28th and the fishing had been good for a week and a half prior to that. Take advantage of this good weather, get the boat clean and get your gear set. Chinook season is here!
When fishing the Hump fish 60-180 but for the most part 90-120 is the kill zone. When the water is clear and it is sunny the fish are deeper and 120-180 is hot. When the water is dirty from Fraser run off or it is overcast the bait and the fish are shallower, usually around 90-120. Sometimes when there is really heavy run off in the area and it is a dark, gloomy day, 60-90 is hot. As mentioned though 90-120 zone is usually key. Note I am talking about what your downrigger counter is reading and we also use 18 pound cannonballs. The depth of water you are in will vary from 420-560 depending on where you are on the Hump.
For gear you want to run some flashers with some glow. The new Salty Dawg flasher is perfect for this fishery. A Green Onion Glow or Chartreuse Glow is also very good. Spoons and bait are the top choices. The new O’Ki spoons are perfectly sized for the local bait and the new finishes have lots of glow and lots of green. If you are a regular on this report, you know those are the killer colours for spring time chinook. Check out the photos of the new O’Ki spoons. These spoons are made and painted locally and the new finishes were specifically designed for our local fisheries and they glow like crazy! These have been hot in Howe Sound lately and will be top producers on the Hump as well. Other productive spoons are the Pesca in Gut Bomb and Leprechaun as well as the Kingfisher in Irish Cream, Homeland Security, and Kitchen Sink.
If you want to book a trip for chinook, now is the time as the Hump will get good very soon. Don’t wait for the report, book in advance so you can request the best dates and tides. Call Jason at 778-788-8582 to book your trip.
