Vancouver Winter Chinook Fishing Report
Happy New Year to all of you! Looking back, it was a great year of Vancouver salmon fishing in 2024 and 2025 is off to a great start. The winter chinook fishing has been fantastic so far and January should prove to be another productive month.
A nice winter chinook from last week, caught deep in the harbour, literally a few minutes from False Creek.
There has been lots of bait, and not surprisingly lots of feeding chinook, right here in Vancouver harbour. The exact location of the bait changes each day, as it gets pushed around by the tides. We have had good success very deep in the harbour and all the way out past the Bell Buoy. The harbour is a huge spot in general and it can take some time, but cover water, find those bait balls, and you will find the fish!
A herring bait ball from Vancouver Harbour with some chinook right above it.
As you can see from the picture above, there is no shortage of bait around. Notice those chinook arcs right above the bait on the left of the picture. Those fish were at 80 feet in about 120 feet of water. Typically, we catch our winter chinook right on the bottom but lately we have seen some suspended fish. We have had some success bringing the gear up when the sonar shows us those suspended fish. Most of the fish are still within 10% of the bottom but be on the lookout for shallower fish and be prepared to adapt to what your sonar is showing you.
As far as gear goes, the brighter chartreuse and green flashers and spoons have been working well, which I detailed in last week’s report. For a short video of my catch from Sunday and a look at the fish and the gear we were using, visit us on our Instagram @pacificangler or on Facebook and look for the post where I am on sitting on the back deck with 6 chinook!
I am not sure how much longer the fish will be in the harbour, but Howe Sound is also producing well, and I am sure the Gulf Islands are too. There are a lot of spots and a lot of fish around, so get out there if you can.
No boat? No problem. Our team of expert guides and four Grady Whites are standing by to take you out winter chinook fishing and prawning. Give us a call at 778-788-8582 to book your trip.
See you in the shop or on the water,
Jason Tonelli