Vancouver Saltwater Salmon Fishing Report
We have now entered the coveted 3rd-week of June! This week is known for being the time that coho begin showing up in greater numbers, but this year it came early!
Some happy clients with a limit of coho and a bonus 2 for the guide!
Just like last week, coho fishing has been steady and consistent out off South Bowen as well as further North along the islands towards Gower. The guide boats spent a bit of time fishing near the Cap mouth, West Van, and Point Atkinson this week with little success, but it is only a matter time before we start seeing coho even closer to home.
A quick morning limit! The size of the coho has been increasing by the week.
In the previous week, the hatchery to wild ratio was definitely shifting pretty dramatically from day to day, but this week it seemed to have shifted over to more consistently hatchery fish. The chinook bycatch has dropped off but still try your best to I.D. the fish before it hits the net and opt for a quick boat-side gaff release of chinook and wild coho. As for coho strategy, bright and flashy in the upper 50ft of the water column has been the ticket, and as always… TROLL FAST. You really can’t troll too fast for coho.
Some chrome coho brought to you by the famous hoochie flasher combo.
Over across the strait there still seems to be a solid number of lingcod and rockfish lurking in shallow structure. The guide team has been having fun casting and jigging for these aggressive bottom feeders. If you ever find yourself struggling on the jigging program due to uncooperative currents or weather, don’t be afraid to throw a swim bait on a mooching rod and use the downriggers to troll them up! The Gibbs Delta Power Paddles have terrific action when trolled and this strategy allows you to cover a lot of water. Find a spot adjacent to the rocky structure, lower your cannon ball right to bottom, and once it touches, quickly bring it up approx. 10 feet so the heavy swim bait doesn’t sink and snag. Troll as slow as you can and wait for those rods to BEND.
Hard to beat bent rods and beautiful weather.
If you are looking to get in on the action, give our charter line a call at 778-788-8582 or swing by the shop to book your custom trip! Whether you want to hang around the local waters for coho, or cross the strait for some bottom fish action, we’re ready to build a charter day just for you!
See you out on the water!
Jake Comrie