Vancouver Salmon and Bottom Fishing Report
The weather has been outstanding, and the fishing has been matching it. Our boats have been making their way across the strait over to the Gulf Islands where we’ve continued to have consistent bottom fishing with limits of lingcod and rockfish. On the salmon front, our local waters have been producing some solid numbers of chinook during our catch & release trips. We are doing DNA sampling so we can better understand the strains of chinook in our waters. With this data, we hope to see future openings where there are no stocks of concern present.
The warm weather brought some wind along with it, but the forecast is looking to be smoothing out for the foreseeable weeks ahead. Overall, its looking to be a fun May with plenty of fish to be found!
If you want to get out there for some bottom fishing, then help with some catch and release Chinook DNA sampling on the way home, give us a call at 778- 788 – 8582 to book your trip!
Some Bottom Fishing Tips from Our Guides
Bottom Fishing has remained productive for our first couple weeks crossing over to the Gulf Islands. Most success has come from jigging a variety of swim tails while back trolling. Our guides typically run a set-up consisting of a slide-o on the main line with an 8 – 12-ounce ball weight attached. From there, a bead is threaded onto the line then tied to a barrel swivel that different leaders can be tied or clipped to. For a leader, I would recommend at least 60lb mono as lingcod have some gnarly teeth that can damage anything lighter quickly. Make sure to check your leaders frequently for nicks and frays! 3-to-4-foot leaders usually suffice and ensure you’re still giving some decent action to the swim tail while you jig. For bottom fishing, I find one of the most important keys to success is HOW you jig. Sharp “jigs” upwards followed by a slow drop creates an enticing presentation for an aggressive and predatory fish like lingcod. Where mistakes are often made is while lowering the jig back down. Letting it free fall can entice a bite but now the issue is that you won’t notice until its often too late. A sharp “jig” upward followed by a controlled drop that keeps the line taut will clearly show when a fish has grabbed on; the line will go slack as if you’ve hit bottom. If you’re lowering and see it go slack, give it a solid set and you’re on!
A nice lingcod from a trip earlier this week!
We are also gearing up for the June coho fisheries. We are seeing early signs that this season could be shaping up to look like last year’s. If you we’re out there last summer, you’ll know that this is a fishery you will want to be prepared for. Light tackle, bucktails, and dummy flashers are all gear and techniques you can use to experience all the fun these fish can offer. Stay tuned in over the next couple weeks for tips and tricks for tackling this excellent fishery.
A quick note on prawning. As mentioned in the last report, we have sadly reached what is typically the end of our prawning season. The commercial prawning boats rolled out on the 15th which usually results in some disappointing trap pulls for us recreational prawners. We will now be switching gears to focus more on the plentiful dungeness crab crawling around the harbour. If you’re having trouble finding them, get experimental with your depths. If you’re dropping more than one set, try one out deeper away from the typical zones you’re used to. Having a set with 150 feet of rope can give you some more options out in the deep where there is typically less pressure.
Good luck and tight lines!
Jake Comrie