Fishing in Vancouver in August was about as good as it gets for Chinook Salmon. Excellent numbers chinook bound for the Thompson River have been entering the Fraser river for the last 4 to 5 weeks. This has provided anglers with some excellent fishing from Vancouver Harbour all the way to Sandheads. There has been the odd slow day in the mix, but not many! Numbers have simmered quite a bit this week, but still remain decent. We should get 2 to 3 more weeks of good fishing off the Fraser River before we shift our focus to the returning chinook off West Vancouver. September is the month where the biggest fish of the year are in local waters.
Pink salmon numbers have been strong as well, but seem to be tapering off now. Lot's of good fishing to get excited about in the coming weeks. We have even had some early winter chinook back to the dock over the last couple weeks, so good news on that front as it bodes well for our November fishery!
Have a look at this graph below. It gives an idea of the excellent numbers of chinook that returned to the Fraser River in August. The vast majority of these fish are bound for the Thompson River and it's tributaries. This run has been a very bright spot in the last 20 years and has been doing quite well. The sockeye run to the Fraser River is very poor this year. Recreational anglers are extremely efficient and effective at running gear that specifically targets chinook salmon, leaving the staging sockeye to migrate in to the Fraser River unharmed, unlike the in river gill nets that have been targeting chinook in recent weeks.
We have spent the majority of our time fishing areas like the North Arm Jetty, Bell Buoy, Iona, T 10 and Sandheads over the last month. On days with big tides, tide changes have been key. On the mellower tide days, the bite has been a little more spread out. Most of the chinook we have been getting have been quite shallow with 35 to 70 feet being the standard depths. Hootchies have been an excellent option this year. We have had incredible success on a Gibbs Delta T 10 Flasher with a glow hootchie. This has arguably been our most consistent producer over the last month. Anchovies are always productive as well and if the fishing slows down, a nicely rolled anchovy needs to be down there. With the murky waters off the Fraser River, guide series flashers like the STS, T 10, Madi, Lemon Lime and Bon Chovy are excellent bets. The UV blades really kick off the light down there and are very effective!
Give us a call to get out on the water! September is typically a very good month for fishing in Vancouver!
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Topic: What a year for Chinook Salmon! Early September Fishing Report-2019 (Read 4365 times)