Chinook Season is Here!

It's time to get ready for Chinook season in Georgia Straight! 

Chinook will open for retention July 15th. You can keep one fish, wild or hatchery/clipped within the same slot size as last year. 62cm-80cm. 

There are loads of fish already in the mid-island area with another big wave that is pushing South right now off Comox.

There are already good numbers around Entrance Island, Thrasher Rock and Five Fingers

Best lures have been small spoons, such as 3.5inch Irish Cream from Silver Horde or Gibbs Skinny G Trailhead. Also, hoochies in Blue Meanie and Green Splatter-back have been producing well. Pair these lures with Green Footloose or Silver Betsy Flashers.

Also, a brand-new lure called the Spinfish by Yakima Bait has been out producing most others since we began trialing it in the Spring.

Typically, we fish deep for Chinook in Georgia Straight. 140ft down or more. Downriggers are essential for this. If you don’t have a downrigger yet, try jigging. The top Jigging lures have been L’il Nibs, Gibbs Half Jiggs in Green Herring Aid and especially the new  Puget Pounder Jig.

It has been great Coho season so far, with the Coho showing up 6 months early. They have been here since January and have given fishermen an excellent opportunity to harvest a fish when Chinook is closed.

Currently they are shallow, generally 50ft or less which gives boat, shore and kayak fishermen an excellent opportunity to get into some salmon. It is hatchery only for retention, but thanks to the efforts of the local hatchery programs there are a lot of “clipped fish” to be taken.

Top lures have been small blue chrome spoons such as Coho Killers and 3” Silver Horde spoons in” Blue Chartreus Dots” pattern. The right flashers to use are the classic Coho Special, and Blue Footloose.

For Coho jigging use a Rite Angle Blue Needle Jig, or a  Doug’s Tiddler by Lil’ Nib.

Lingcod fishing has been very good with a lot of nice lings taken. The top lures are Z-Man swimbaits and Lighthouse lures in Sweet Georgia Brown pattern. 

Pro tip, remember to have a rock fish descender anytime you are fishing from a boat in salt water in B.C. It’s required by law, but it’s also a good idea to preserve the fishery. Rock fish can live over 100 years and deserve to be released is a manner that lets them live.

Overall, it’s looking like we have a great season for fishing. The weather is nice and the opportunity to harvest wild west coast fish is excellent. Email me if you have any questions and we will get you set up for a successful time on the water.

Tips up,

Steve Vavrik steve@harbourchandler.ca

Photo curtesy of Coastal Blue Adventures