Vancouver Saltwater Salmon Fishing Report
So far, September has been a great month for saltwater fishing. The T-10 and South Arm were hot the first two weeks of September, then the Cap Mouth picked up right on schedule mid-September and there have been good coho numbers in all 3 locations.
First pass double header of hatchery coho from a recent trip
The sockeye fishery was definitely a “too little, too late” opening, and I have already let DFO know that. I am sure there will be some meetings about it this winter. I will keep you posted on how those go and what the final counts are. I think you will find we didn’t harvest even close to our total allowable catch and DFO bungled our opportunity. Can’t say that I am surprised.
So where to go in the last week of September? The T-10 has slowed down a bit but the South Arm has been steady for the most part. Chinook numbers in the Albion test sets have been strong the past 72 hours and the coho numbers are really starting to pick up from single digits last week’s sets to 30’s and 40’s late this week. You can retain 2 hatchery coho a day, 30 cm min size. That, with the decent chinook numbers around, makes the South Arm a good bet. You might find some fish at T-10 but if the winds and the fuel burn allow it, I would go straight to the South Arm.
The Cap was pretty good this week, especially last weekend it was straight up hot fishing. It has slowed down the past few days though. Keep in mind the DNV Firefighters Charity Derby is today, so the Cap Mouth is going to be extremely busy. This is a great event that raises an incredible amount of money for charity. From a fishing perspective, those fish get hit hard and fishing can be slower 48-72 hours after the event, as you need more fish and fresh fish to push in.
A nice evening double header on Cap chinook!
If you are looking for local alternatives on Friday or after the derby on the weekend, I would check out Point Atkinson and the Bell Buoy. Both have been producing some chinook and a few coho. With no heavy rain in the 14-day forecast, the Cap Mouth should continue to produce well for at least another week or two. The rain that is forecast won’t be enough to bring up the river much, but it will get those fish focused off the river mouth, which is good for the trollers and beach fisherman. If you are heading to the South Arm, don’t wait for a report, just go. These fall chinook and coho don’t stage long off the Fraser. They show up, find the river mouth, and ride that flood tide up the river. That make fishing highly variable each day and in fact each hour. Your best bet is to just get down there when you have times and the winds let you.
See you in the shop or on the water,
Jason Tonelli