Huge Chinook and Coho in Georgia Straight

 Our salt water season is wrapping up with a bang as huge Chinook and Coho showing up all along the inside passage and Georgia Straight. It has defiantly been a banner year for both size and quantity of fish on the East side of Vancouver Island. 

There was a 55lb Chinook reportedly caught off French Creek. The picture I saw of it looked like that size is accurate. Vancouver Fishermen are seeing similar monsters off Sandheads heading towards the Fraser. Additionally I know of many Tyee have that have recently been caught around Entrance Island. This abundances and size class of large salmon has not been seen for many years. Basically from Prince Rupert to Vancouver salmon fishing opportunities seem to be at a 30 year high.

 To target these big boys try running pugs. Either Tomic plugs or Peetz wooden plugs. Anchovies with Purple Haze Teaser Heads and Purple Onion Flashers have also been working well. 

We just received two new custom flashers intended for late season Chinook. They are not on the website yet, but will be soon. One is a gold blue mirror, and the other purple chrome mirror. Both will work for shallow late season Chinook. We also got more of our top Coho blue chrome mirror flasher that has been sold out for a while. Pair it with Northern Tackle glow blue spoon to target big Coho.

As for Coho, there are many exceptionally large Coho up to 15lbs also being taken throughout Georgia Straight. They are everywhere from 200ft deep to right on the beaches. If you can find bait either with your fishfinder of by spotting birds, you will find fish. Entrance Island remains the best location around Nanaimo and should continue to be until the real fall rains come.

Also we finally have the first results from the DNA sampling done on these mysterious Coho. They first showed up in January, and have stuck around all year. Long story short they are our local fish. From all the rivers and streams around the Straight. They are not American fish as was theorized. It seems that there has been enough feed locally this year and they did not need to migrate out to the open Pacific looking for food. So for the first time since 1994 we have our own local Coho staying home and getting big and fat. Hopefully when the rains come they all make it upriver and we have a record spawn.

Already in the rivers we are seeing record returns. In the Stamp is already loaded worth Chinook, Coho and some Steelhead. The Puntlege and Campbell are also very productive just now. 

Best river lures have been soft baits under a float, such as BNR beads. Blue silver and green silver Blue Fox spinners or our custom black silver Prime Lures spinner are also producing very well. 

Thanks to Ken and Zach Diewart for the photo above of the 48.5 pound Rivers Inlet Tyee.

Tips up,

Steve Vavrik

steve@hotmail.com