Vancouver Saltwater Salmon Fishing Report
Well we are glad to put one of the rainiest Januarys on record behind us and lets hope that February has less wind and rain in the forecast. We are about midway through the winter chinook season and I would say so far so good. The main challenge has just been getting out there, but when we have been able to, the fishing has been good and so has the prawning.
So what’s in store for this weekend? Well looks like some sun actually, but with that we often have some NW winds and this weekend is no exception. We have a few trips planned so we are going to keep a close eye on the weather and hopefully we can get past the NW and get to some of our favourites spots for winter chinook in Howe Sound and hide from the wind. Such is the life of a winter chinook angler, but the patience needed often is well worth the rewards.
We have been prawning on all our winter trips and the effort has been well worth the reward.
In terms of gear, the usual productive gear has been well, usually productive. The go to chartreuse flashers with glow tape like the Gibbs Delta “Lemon Lime” and the Oki Tackle “Salty Dawg” have been working well when paired to a Kingfisher 3.0 or 3.5 in Irish Cream or a G-Force 3.0 or 3.5 in Irish Cream or Trailhead. On the sunnier days when the water is clear we have been doing well on darker flashers, such as a black blade with glow tape or a UV purple blade with glow tape. Examples are the Gibbs Delta CB55 or the Madi. Good spoons to match up with this are the Herring Aid in Kingfisher or G-Force in 3.0 or 3.5. As usual, if you find the bait you usually find the fish. This is where premium electronics come into play. After an hour in a spot and exploring the usual productive zones within said spot, if I am not seeing bait balls and chinook arcs, I am off to greener pastures. When the fishing is good I am always seeing bait balls and chinook arcs and you can even call the bite sometimes. So if you aren’t seeing this kind of information on your current system, you are at a distinct disadvantage in this particular fishery.
When the chinook are around you are often seeing a lot of bait, like in this screen shot. There are some chinook hiding down there as well.
If you want some help tweaking your system or are in the market for a new system, send me an email at jtonelli@pacificangler.ca
In the meantime good luck out there and if I don’t see you in the shop I will see you on the water.
Jason Tonelli