Vancouver Saltwater Salmon Fishing Report
Overall fishing was quite good this past week. We spent most of our time around the T-10 and South Arm when conditions allowed. As usual for this time of year there are waves of chinook showing up off the mouth of the Fraser each tide change so fishing can be highly variable from one hour to the next. If you put in a good shift, you are almost always going to have at least 2 hours or more of great fishing, usually around the tide change when the current backs off. As usual, productive depths have been 35 to 65 on the downriggers and bait has been very productive.
Mike and Matt with a couple of typical Fraser River chinook from this week.
The white springs are starting to show up now, but we are still getting a good number of red springs as well. It’s also great to see lots of coho, some wild and some hatchery. The pinks seemed to have thinned out a bit, so it appears that a good push went up the Fraser. This is great as the anglers in the river are now open and it will allow us to focus on the chinook and hatchery coho.
A nice hatchery coho from T-10 on Wednesday
As we get into the second week of September there will be a lot more white springs showing up. The peak migration into the Fraser is usually around the middle of the month, so there are lots of chinook on the way. In fact, we fished the Gulf Islands on Monday and had red hot chinook fishing. They were all whites, and they are all headed to the Fraser, so fishing should stay good for at least a few more weeks as these fish head south and eventually find the Fraser mouth.
Fishing in the Gulf Islands for Fraser bound chinook was red hot this week. Good news for the Fraser Mouth chinook anglers! More are on the way!
We haven’t spent much time at the Cap Mouth yet, but that will change next week as the white chinook usually show up in force mid-September and that fishery will start to pick up.
If you are looking to squeeze in a trip before the fall sets in, now is a great time. There are lots of chinook around with more on the way and good numbers of hatchery coho as well. Give us a call at 778-788-8582 to book your September salmon trip.
Jason Tonelli
Beach Fishing Report
With the first pumpkin spice latte comes the last act of the beach season. The massive schools of pinks anglers have enjoyed the last month are completing the next phase of their long journey. You will see the schools change to their spawning colours as they stage in estuaries or making their way upriver…. But the season is not completely over. Without any major weathermakers in the forecast we will probably see a few late season shots at coho. Tides are looking great for the end of the week / weekend so it’s still a great time to great out.
– Howe Sound fisheries will still have some pink stragglers heading to the Squamish. Low tides might yield a few fish but its defiantly winding down. Eager anglers could try their luck in the salt before making their way to the river for some catch and release.
– Ambleside will have coho and maybe a confused pink or two. I was out last week and noticed a reduced number of fish and anglers. I noticed fish being taken on the outside sand bar and rock piles. Coho schools are still present and worth your attention! The fall coho are arriving and will hold up outside the river mouth. Without any real rain in the forecast, we can anticipate another week or two of action.
With the reduced number of pinks, I started to shift my presentations back to the smaller flashier presentations for the coho. Blue foxes, cohos and crocs in copper, silver, and brass finishes. Smaller metallic buzz bombs, and small sparse flies all tied on to good quality fluorocarbon leaders. Some of these fish can be very spooky so be mindful how you tackle the water. Fresh unpressured schools will travel close to shore… keep your eyes peeled and look for the nervous water. I had a few shots at coho close to shore before the seals started to spook the school.
Get up early put on an extra layer and see what the last bit of beach season has in store.
Cheers,
Eric Peake