Vancouver Saltwater Salmon Fishing Report for Early September
Fishing has been good for Fall chinook off the Fraser Mouth this past week with lots of red and white chinook around. There has been good fishing from the Bell Buoy all the way down to the South Arm, aka Sand Heads. The “hot spot” changes daily as these chinook get pushed around a lot by the tides, and of course some go up the river each day with fresh waves coming in behind them. It can go from slow to red hot fishing by the hour and by the day.
The store was closed on Labour Day, so the PA staff headed out with Jake. One of many, many chinook that were hooked that day. Fishing was excellent!
Right now, we are seeing about 60-70% reds and this mix will change next week as the big push of whites start to show up. Peak migration for the big whites heading to the Harrison and Vedder/Chilliwack is the third week in September. These will be the biggest fish of the year, so check your gear! Right now, most of the fish are in the low teens, but a guide friend of ours got a 40 pounder this week and we have seen a few posted online as well.
The results of a few hours on the flood down at the South Arm. When it’s on its hot!
For depths we have been running our riggers from 35 to 85. Usually, the fish are in that 40–50-foot range on the riggers but there are some cases where they have been down 80 or so. Trust those electronics and adjust as needed.
For tackle we have been running the flashers and teaser heads I talked about in my video last week. Check it out on YouTube by going to Pacific Angler TV. Bait has been very productive as usual but, if you run out or don’t have any, chartreuse or green splatter back hootchies have been good.
Good luck chasing the Tyees in the coming weeks and see you out there!
Jason Tonelli