Vancouver Saltwater Fishing Report
If you are heading out this weekend it looks like the winds will be good for the most part. Some SE to deal with but nothing major until Sunday afternoon. The SE brings in the lower pressure system, so no surprise that the weather forecast is for some clouds and a few rainy periods.
I would suspect most anglers will be heading across the Strait of Georgia, over to Area 17 to fish for lingcod and rockfish, which open for retention on May 1st. The limit is 1 rockfish per day and 1 lingcod per day. Make sure to consult the regulations for details on size limits, daily limits, and possession limits. We have a great selection of gear for these bottom dwellers at the shop so come by and get geared up!
Check out these past bottom fishing features on our blog, scroll down to the saltwater section of the report.
Chinook are also open in Area 17 for non-retention and fishing has been good to excellent. There is always quite a few chinook in this area late April and all of May. Depths can vary greatly from as shallow as 60 on the rigger to as deep as 280 on the rigger. Water clarity and sunlight are the main factors. If the water is dirtier from an algae bloom or Fraser freshet plume, then the fish seem to be shallower. If the water is clear and its sunny out the fish are much deeper. Since it has been so cold and cloudy for the most part, the water is on the clearer side. We haven’t had enough heat for any Fraser River freshet or enough sunny days for big algae blooms.
In terms of gear for these chinook, chartreuse is always a go to this time of year. Brighter flashers like the Salty Dawg or Lemon Lime are great choices. Spoons are productive, and like the flashers, the brighter colours are usually the best producers. Try spoons that have some glow, green and chartreuse on them. Irish Cream, Outfitter, and Trailhead are great colour choices in a Skinny G, G-Force 3.5 or Kingfisher 3.5 with 5 to 6 foot leader. Hootchies are also very productive. Like the spoons, glow, green and chartreuse shades are usually the hot colours. Try a chartreuse splatter back or a green splatter back with a 32 to 40 inch leader.
Crabbing has also been productive in our local waters. If you are thinking about booking a trip, now is a great time as we can drop some crab traps, head across to catch some bottom fish, and finish off the day with some great chinook fishing.
See you in the shop or on the water,
Jason Tonelli