Vancouver Saltwater Salmon Fishing Report  Coho, coho and more coho!  If you are a regularly reader of this report, you will recall I mentioned the abundance of juvenile coho we were encountering this winter while fishing for chinook.  The hope was these fish would stick around in the Strait of Georgia (sometimes they leave for the West Coast) and we would have some good coho fishing this summer.  Well, it looks like they did stick around, as the coho reports up and down the Strait, and in particular around our area and Nanaimo to Comox, have been excellent.  For those who can remember the 80’s, when this kind of coho fishing was normal, it is a nice throwback to those kinds of numbers and…

Vancouver Saltwater Salmon Fishing Report I hope you read last week’s report which had a focus on coho fishing in local waters.  I usually do a saltwater report every second week, so this is a bonus report, and it will be short and sweet.  Check out the pic from one of our 5-hour charters on Thursday!  Here we go!    Step 1.  Read last week’s Saltwater Salmon Fishing Report about coho fishing  here .  Step 2.  Go fish off; South Bowen in 200 to 600 feet of water and keep your gear in the top 65 feet of the water column, the Hump which is the large tabletop that is 400 feet deep about 3 miles off South Bowen, Point Atkinson in towards the Fishery Research…

Vancouver Saltwater Salmon Fishing Report It’s June 2 and that means coho are now open in both Area 28 and 29.  It is 2 hatchery coho a day over 30 cm.  This is welcome news to local anglers who have been closed to chinook fishing since April 1.   I have already seen some pictures and heard reports of some hatchery coho off South Bowen and Point Atkinson to West Van.  I’m not surprised as we did encounter quite a few juvenile coho this winter while fishing for winter chinook.  The coho numbers should increase as more fish show up mid-June and into July.  Each year the Capilano gets back around 12,000 hatchery coho, all of them are clipped, and that can provide some great coho…

How to Troll For Bottom Fish Trolling paddle tail swimbaits in conjunction with downriggers can be a great way to cover water when bottom fishing! This is a simple yet effective way to target bottom fish that uses the same salmon fishing gear you might already have.   First of all, tie on a bead chain and duo lock to the end of your mainline, follow up with a 3–4-foot length of 60lb mono, then tie on your paddle tail. Personal favorites are Gibbs Power-paddles, or Lighthouse Lures Max Shads. Clip your paddle tail to your Power Grip clip and send it down near the bottom.   For instance, when trolling in 150 ft of water, drop your swimbaits to 150 ft. Since you are trolling, the…

Vancouver Saltwater Salmon Fishing Report We made it over to the Gulf Islands this week for some lingcod fishing and some catch and release chinook fishing. It was a flat calm day, hot and sunny, and the fish were biting. If you are looking to get out on the water, now is a great time as the bottom fishing for lingcod and rockfish is open to retention in Area 17 and crabbing is also producing well. Chinook catch and release fishing in Area 17 has also been good and is a great way to finish off the day.  Locally in Areas 28 & 29 we are fishing for chinook (catch and release) with our DNA permits and we are happy to report there are lots…

Vancouver Saltwater Salmon Fishing Report The SRKW announcement was on Wednesday, and I am happy to report the proposal to close off all of the Fraser Mouth for SRKW protection was NOT accepted. They did keep that North Arm closure, so it will be the same as last year. Chinook fishing should open off the Fraser Mouth September 1 and you will need to fish south of the Iona Jetty, down towards T-10 and off the South Arm. Fishing should be good this fall with the projected return for Harrison chinook at a whopping 110,000. Last year 86,000 came back and in the previous 5 years it was in the 50,000 to 60,000 range. So, things are looking good for that run of chinook. DFO’s…

Vancouver Saltwater Salmon Fishing Report As you likely know, we did not get the Howe Sound opening for 1 hatchery chinook a day, 62-80cm from April 1st to May 31st.  To say I am disappointed and frustrated would be an understatement. I met with some of the Fisheries Ministers’ staff in person yesterday for an hour.  I stressed the importance of this opening to Vancouver anglers, and was told the Minister is looking at it.  There is a potential for a decision to be made next week, albeit late, but at this point I am not going to hold by breath. The DFO has had these proposals for over a year and in some version or another for 3 years.  For them to not be…

Vancouver Saltwater Salmon Fishing Report      Chinook Update & New Regulations:  Well, it’s the end of the month and we were actually surprised to receive the DFO Fishery Notices this morning instead of the usual late afternoon.   While we were hoping for a Pilot Mark Selective Fishery opening in parts of Howe Sound for 1 hatchery chinook a day, 62-80 cm it looks like the Vancouver area will be no fishing for chinook April 1st to August 31st, just like it has been the last few years now.    That said there was the following wording in this morning’s fisheries notice:  “The plan is to start the 2023 fishing season (beginning April 1, 2023) with measures in place at the beginning of last season, until further…

Saltwater Report March 10, 2023 Hard to believe we are heading into mid-March. As most of you know, chinook fishing is scheduled to close in the Vancouver area April 1st.  There are some catch and release opportunities but there is a proposal to have some hatchery retention in Howe Sound April 1 to May 31st and we are hopeful this will be accepted.  I will be in SFAB meetings next weekend and will report back what I hear.  In the meantime, best get out there and take advantage of the current opportunities which is 2 chinook per day! Fishing this past week was a bit slower than earlier in the season.  A few days with lots of fish, just that they weren’t quite big enough. …

Vancouver Saltwater Salmon Fishing Report Cold sums up this weekend’s conditions!  The winds don’t look too bad but be on the watch for the snow later Saturday afternoon and into Sunday morning.  I don’t expect it will be too busy out there given the cold temperatures and snow in the forecast.  Speaking of cold, the fishing did cool off a bit this past week and a half.  There were some days with plenty of action, but all undersize.  Also, some days of abundance with 6 fish in the boat.  Overall, the fishing this winter has been very good, so really nothing to complain about.  I think we got a bit spoiled the last 2 months and were expecting 4 fish or more on every trip,…