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Species and Time Running
Pacific Angler Fishing Charters has access to Vancouver salmon 365 days a year. Vancouver Salmon include all 5 species of wild Pacific salmon available in the northeastern Pacific Ocean.
Chinook Salmon (King Salmon)
Chinook salmon, sometimes referred to as King salmon, are the most consistent species available in Vancouver and the surrounding areas. Late summer chinook fishing produces some of the biggest fish of the year ranging from 10 to upwards of 50 lbs!! With a number of healthy and productive river systems nearby, there are generally solid numbers of large Chinook in the area before they head upriver to spawn. As the mature spawning Chinook head up river, our waters are inhabited by immature, 2-3 year old, feeder Chinook. These fish are aggressive eaters as they work to gain body mass in order to complete their life cycles in the next 1-3 years. Due to their aggressive eating, feeder Chinook take bait hard and can be a handful on the line for experienced and inexperienced anglers alike! Generally ranging from 5-25 lbs, feeder, sometimes also referred to as winter Chinook, are beautiful chrome specimens for photographs and tasty on the BBQ. As the weather and temperatures improve into Spring time, the first signs of migratory summer Chinook appear. These fish are effectively using our local waters as a highway en route to their selected feeding grounds from their native rivers. While these fish do not usually hold for any length of time, they are exciting to fish for. They tend to travel in loose pods so you will definitely know when you have found them!
Coho Salmon (Silver Salmon)
Coho Salmon, occasionally referred to as Silvers in some circles, tend to be the scrappiest of all our Vancouver salmon. These fish begin to show up in late spring, early summer and continue on into early Fall. Our local Vancouver coho range from 4-12 lbs and are easily identifiable from Chinook by their white gums and the lack of spots on their tails.
Sockeye Salmon
The mighty Fraser River provides the Vancouver saltwater fishing scene with some healthy runs of Sockeye salmon. Sockeye are world-renowned as the best eating of the 5 locally available Pacific salmon and they can provide some top flight entertainment. These salmon tend to school up while feeding so there are often multi-line hook ups! The Sockeye fishery is a bit shorter extending from mid- to late-summer.
Pink Salmon
Pink salmon, also known as Humpies, occur in great abundance on a recurring two-year cycle with numbers peaking in the odd numbered years in the southern half of British Columbia's coastal waters. Local Vancouver rivers including the Indian and Fraser both support strong runs of Pink salmon. These smaller Pacific salmon, generally ranging from 4-8 lbs, are feisty and aggressive eaters and can provide some extremely entertaining saltwater fly fishing opportunities. For several weeks, on peak-Pink years (odd years), these salmon stack up in the river mouths and estuaries gorging themselves before their final push upriver to spawn. During these times saltwater fly fishers can be incredibly productive, wearing themselves out on these feisty and relentless salmon!
Chum Salmon
The same rivers that provide the Vancouver area with healthy Pink and Chinook fisheries also produce some strong and healthy Chum, also known as Dog salmon. Chum are generally underrated as sport fishing targets but are some of the strongest and meanest fighters in the bunch. They are somewhat difficult to target in the saltwater but gear casters and fly fishers can enjoy some spectacular fishing in the river mouths, estuaries and even up into the lower portions of the rivers. Timing with Chum salmon fishing is critical as only a short exposure to the freshwater forces their physiology to make the final switch into full spawning mode when they cease eating all together.
Cutthroat Trout
Coastal sea run Cutthroat Trout are truly beautiful little fish. Similar to Pacific salmon, these trout are anadromous meaning they spend part of their lives in the fresh and part in the saltwater. They are different from salmon in that they make the transition between fresh and saltwater each year. This makes timing particularly important, but they can be successfully targeted by fly fishers in and around their home river estuaries during the Spring and Fall months. In the Spring, they are lurking at their river mouths awaiting the newly hatched salmon fry to make their first appearance in the saltwater. During the Fall months they inhabit the same areas while feeding on Stickleback, Sculpins and a variety of immature crustaceans to fatten up before they enter the rivers once more. Pacific Angler Expeditions has significant experience targeting Coastal sea run Cutthroat on the fly!
