The Big Chinook Have Arrived!

The forecasted big Chinook have arrived in the mid-Island area. There have been multiple reports of Tyee sized fish being released and several fishermen coming in with empty reels after being spooled. Entrance Island and Thrasher Rock have been the best places around Nanaimo. The bait is small so 3" spoons in Irish Cream and Pink Sink are your best bets. Top flashers have been Phantom Flashers and Fancie Glancie. Coho fishing is still great around Five Finger island. Best lures have been Coho Killers in Blue Splatter and Blue Chartreuse Dots. Brain Freeze has been the best choice of flasher for Coho. 

Fish are also showing up in-tight to shore in the Neck Point area. This is good news for the shore fishermen. Normal gear for this would be Li'l Nibs, Half Jigs and Butterfly jigs. But some fishermen are experimenting with Z-Man swim baits in Sexy Mullet pattern. The advantage here is that the lure fishes on the retrieve as well as the drop. 

On the West Coast there are great runs in the Nootka and Kyuquot Sound right now. We are still waiting on Barkley Sound to pick up. On this side of the Island the bait is also small, so 3" spoons are working. Gold Nugget Skinny G's and Silver Horde Sprite spoons are hitting fish. The flasher to use is our Chandler custom OKI-OBS-HCRGM or any gold/raspberry blade.

Small (firecracker) anchovies in Bloody Nose and Snot Nose teaser heads are also producing fish on the West Coast. The squid are still in so white hoochies and brown Turds are still taking fish on the North Island and West Coast.

Tips Up,

Steve Vavrik

steve@harbourchandler.ca