Vancouver Saltwater Salmon Fishing Report
Well what can I say, its mid-May and there are a lot of chinook around including some big hatchery fish. We are still waiting to hear from DFO if they will accept some of the SFAB chinook management proposals. We might see some decisions early June. In the meantime, we have been heading out a few times a week and doing some DNA sampling for the Avid Angler South Coast Stock Assessment Program.
Greg with a nice hatchery chinook released over at Gabriola on Tuesday.
There are a lot of options for chinook right now. There are fish in Howe Sound, off South Bowen, the Hump, the QA, and over in the Gulf Islands. Productive depths have ranged from 60 to 220 and it really depends on the water clarity and what you are seeing on your sonar. Productive lures have also ranged from hootchies, to spoons, to bait. I have been fishing a fair amount with brighter gear, as the places I have been fishing have had dirty water due to algae blooms or Fraser run off. So, the chartreuse Gibbs and Oki flashers have been working well. Familiar names like Salty Dawg, Green Onion Glow, Lemon Lime, should be in your arsenal. Brighter spoons and hootchies have been working well, like the Yamashita splatter back hootchies in green or chartreuse or Gibbs G-Force spoons like the Trailhead, Irish Cream, No Bananas and Outfitter. I have been doing well on these in 3.5 size.
Derek with a chunky Howe Sound chinook from Wednesday.
Bottom fishing has been good as well. Check out Jordan’s bottom fishing information in this week’s report for specifics on what to use and how to set it up. I was into some decent bottom fishing this past weekend using a slip rig and adjusting my weight to the depth of water and the tidal current. This setup works well for me and I like the fact you can unclip the weight when you are done for the day. It’s a productive rig when paired up with Gibbs Delta Power Paddles. We have a full selection of bottom fishing gear at the shop, so give us call and we can get you dialed in.
The results of Jason and his family’s afternoon bottom fishing efforts in the Gulf Islands using a slip rig and Gibbs Delta Power Paddles.
Insert bottom fishing pic. Caption: The results of Jason and his family’s afternoon bottom fishing efforts in the Gulf Islands using a slip rig and Gibbs Delta Power Paddles.
I haven’t been dropping the crab traps, but those who have seem to be doing pretty good, which is normal for this time of year. I haven’t been prawning for a while, but I think it has slowed down a bit.
See you in the shop or on the water,
Jason Tonelli