Vancouver Saltwater Fishing Report
We are in our last month of chinook retention opportunities in Vancouver waters. The limit is 2 chinook per day, 62cm or greater, hatchery or wild, but this ends April 1st. Crabbing and prawning has also been good, so if you are looking to get out for a winter harvest of chinook, crabs and prawns, now is the time to do it.
Fishing in Howe Sound has been solid this past week and there has also been some good chinook fishing in the Freighters, around Mile Markers, and around the Bell Buoy and out towards the QA Marker. When conditions have allowed, we have been making the run over to Gabriola and there are good numbers of chinook at Thrasher, Grande and Entrance.
One of many double headers off Gabriola this week!
Mid to late March last year we had some fantastic chinook fishing from Roger Curtis down to Cowan in 180 to 450 feet of water, so that is worth a look in the coming weeks. As the algae bloom starts to kick off in Howe Sound sometimes it slows the fishing down for a week or so, and offshore South Bowen can be the place to be. If you give it a try out there, it often takes a bit to get your depth dialed in, but the hot zone is usually 65 to 165 on the riggers. The darker the day and the darker the water, the shallower the fish. The brighter days with cleaner water, you will often find the fish deeper.
Productive gear lately has been chartreuse and green shades with flashers like Salty Dawg, Lemon Lime, STS, Chartreuse Phantom, all doing well. Chartreuse or green splatter back hootchies have been excellent. For spoons, the Kingfisher or G-Force in 3.0 and 3.5 sizes are working well. Of course, the Skinny G is also an excellent choice! Hot colours have been Irish Cream, Trailhead, Homeland Security, Outfitter, No Bananas, and Yes Bananas.
The chartreuse gear accounted for a nice limit of 6 chinook this day!
A reminder that our winter chinook special pricing is in effect until the end of March. The temperatures are warmer, the crabbing and prawning is good and there are still plenty of winter chinook around, so take advantage of the fishing and the great pricing this month. More details on that special pricing here.
As you can see from the pics, this the month to take advantage of the great fishing and I highly recommend getting out there before retentions shuts down.
See you on the water or in the shop,
Jason Tonelli