Early Winter Fishing Report
Well,the fall rains have come and have pushed the last of the big migratory chinook salmon back into local rivers! This past fall was hands down the best big chinook fishing we have had in at least 6 or 7 years. A BIG reason for the great fishing was the hard work by our local guides association! Every spring we get 100,000 chinook salmon fry from the Capilano Hatchery. When we recieve them from the hatchery, members from our association (www.bcsfga.ca) feed them on a daily basis in our net pens till they reach a size where they are larger and stronger then there counterparts that are released into the Capilano River. So….this means better survival rates and MUCH bigger returns! Over the last couple years we are seeing the results of this relatively new program. It is awesome to see a world class chinook fishery minutes from downtown Vancouver every fall. The program will continue in coming years for everyone to enjoy this amazing fishery. A special thanks to Phil Grassi and John Barton and the rest of our guides in our local guides association for their hard work to get this program off the ground over the last 4 or 5 years.
Here is a sample of a great day off the Capilano Mouth in early October
Now to what is happening now in local waters! Mid November marks the start of our winter chinook season. Winter chinook are typically 2 to 4 year old salmon that are drawn into Vancouver Harbour and Howe Sound by the overwintering schools of baitfish. These fish are not the largest of the year, but they are eager to bite and quite scrappy for their size. The key to finding consistent numbers of winter chinook is typically a little bit of structure and the presence of bait. Areas that are good bets for winter chinook include the West Side of Bowen Island, Jericho, the freighter anchorages in Vancouver Harbour, and the West Vancouver shoreline. Winter chinook hug the bottom so be sure to be your gear within 10-20 feet of bottom for the best success. In the winter months spoons and hootchies are the way to go. Coyote spoon, silver horde and Gibbs Gypsy spoons are what we have our best success on!
In November and December there can be quite a few shakers or small chinook salmon in the middle part of Vancouver Harbour. These little guys are typically between 8 to 14 inches. If you are hooking quite a few of them it is a good idea to move or run larger lures in order to minimize any mortality. There are areas that have very few shakers and better quality legal fish. Howe Sound and the West Vancouver shoreline being good examples of better producers of larger winter fish.
Crabbing will start to get quite good by the end of this month now that the commercial crabbing season is almost over. Spanish Banks, the inner freighters, and the West Vancouver shoreline are all good bets for dungeness crabs!!! Salmon heads and chicken backs work great in 40-80 feet. Prawning has been excellent in Howe Sound as well in 250-325 feet of water. Cat food and prawn pellets have been the ticket as per usual!!!
We are open throughout the winter!! Give us a call to get out and experience some great winter salmon fishing! Our boats, including the freshly repowered 38 foot Uniflite are ready to go now and during the Christmas holidays. Grab a few a few friends or family and come experience some good salmon fishing and crabbing minutes from downtown Vancouver!
Tight lines
Jeff and Jason
www.bonchovy.com
info@bonchovy.com
604.763.5460
Septemper 14 Report
Fall is here and the big chinook have arrived in our local waters! The flooding tide has been producing very good numbers of big chinook salmon up to 40 pounds! Our biggest this week has been 37 pounds! On average we have been hooking 4 to 8 chinook per flood tide!
The sockeye and pink salmon that provided us with unbelievable action in August and early September have moved into the Fraser River to carry out there spawning run.. The sockeye fishing this season was almost as good as the record run and fishing we had last summer!
We will be focusing the majority of our effort over the next 5 to 6 weeks along the West Vancouver shoreline. It is one of our favourite fisheries of the year as the fishing grounds are literally five minutes from our dock location!
To target these fish we have been running herring and anchovies off our downriggers. Productive depths for us have been from 35 to 90 feet deep depending on the day!
Give us a call to book a local chinook trip!
Check out our blog for more frequent reports! www.bonchovy.com/blog
Tight lines
Jeff and Jason
www.bonchovy.com
info@bonchovy.com
604.763.5460
August 12 Report
August is here and so are the fish!!! We have so many different fisheries going on right now, it is just a matter of picking one! First off, sockeye are open! We made our first sockeye trip today and did quite well, hooking a dozen fish in a few hours. Numbers will continue to build so it should just get better. In Vancouver Harbour, the West Van shoreline has been producing chinooks up to 30 pounds, coho, pinks, and the odd sockeye. This fishery is great for a half day trip as it is literally 10 minutes from our dock location at the Westin Bayshore in downtown Vancouver. In Howe Sound, there has been lots of pinks around some of the creek mouths! We made a couple trips up there this week and hooked huge numbers of pinks on our little spinning rods! A great fishery for kids and those who like lots of action!
As we progess into August we will see the numbers of sockeye and pinks increase as well as see waves of big Fraser bound chinook pass through local waters.
Now is the time to experience Vancouver fishing at its best. There are obviously slow periods, but right now is definately a good bet to head out fishing in Vancouver! Give us a call to book a charter!!!
Tight Lines
Jeff and Jason
www.bonchovy.com
info@bonchovy.com
604.763.5460
July 8 Report
Over the last few weeks we have been fishing the Gulf Islands almost exclusively! Now, it looks like things are starting to come around in local Vancouver waters!. Over the last few days there has been a push of chinook salmon into Vancouver Harbour and Howe Sound. The QA, Bell Buoy, and Howe Sound have been the spots to be with some nice fish up to 31 pounds caught this week. As we progress into July waves of chinook, coho, and pink salmon will roll through local waters!
The West Vancouver coho fishery has been pretty slow to get going so far year with only the odd fish reported. The water in the Capilano River is currently quite high allowing the early batch of fish to head straight into the river. As the water drops this week the fish will start holding off the mouth resuming our ocean fishery.
The forecasted return of Pink salmon this year to local waters looks absolutely ridiculous! The Department of Fisheries and Oceans is calling for around 40 million fish to make their way back to the Fraser River alone! Should make for some pretty active days in August and September.
Sockeye could be open in August as well...We will not find out till late July/Early August as per usual.
Give us a call to book a charter or an overnight island package!
Tight Lines
Jeff and Jason
www.bonchovy.com
info@bonchovy.com
604.763.5460
Vancouver/Gulf Islands May 31
The gulf islands have continued to be very consistent for chinook in the 10-25 pound range! The bulk of our charters over the last 3 weeks have been full day trips over to the eastern shores of Gabriola. We have done very well averaging 6-12 hook ups on nice chinook per day trip. There has been the odd slow day in the mix but we have been successful bringing salmon back to the dock on every gulf island trip we have done so far this season. May to July is when the gulf islands fish the best. With good water conditions, you can't beat a day trip across the Strait of Georgia. In addition to the great chinook fishing, we have seen quite a few killer whales, porpoise, dolphins, seals, eagles, and sea lions on our trips!
We have been hitting our fish mainly on bait and glow hootchies from 90-160 feet on the riggers!
Locally, the fishing has been a little challenging due to the muddy water! The Fraser river is in full freshet meaning that conditions are tough due to all the silt in the water! Having said that, Blake, our new guide that will be running trips for us this year, landed an absolutely stunning 38 pound chinook salmon off of point grey yesterday! This is by far the biggest fish of the season to come out of local waters! The fish was caught on an anchovy and took his guest around 30 minutes to land. Check out our blog at http://www.bonchovy.com/blog for the full story.
As we progress into June, we should see the good chinook salmon fishing continue over on the gulf islands! In addition, the coho salmon fishery off of West Vancouver should get going here in the next couple/few weeks!
We are definitely recommending full day trips to the Gulf Islands as it is hands down the best option!
Crabbing has been quite good in Vancouver Harbour and we are dropping traps on every charter!
Tight Lines
Jeff and Jason
www.bonchovy.com
info@bonchovy.com
604.763.5460
MAY 2 REPORT
Well it looks like things have fired up in a big way.. This past weekend was the best weekend of fishing yet this season! Having said that, you had to be in the right spot to capitalize on the action. The action yesterday morning off the south end of Bowen was very good. There was quite a few boats that had a crack at 7-10 good chinook in the 12-25 pound range. The water was flat as a pancake and the sun was out. The first substantial fishing derby took place this weekend in local waters and there was over 50 chinook salmon weighed in. Not bad for a morning derby! Yesterday was a good indicator of how many fish are actually in local waters with all the boats out. Boats that stayed in too close to Vancouver on the falling tide did not fair well yesterday.
The chinook fishery that takes place off the southern side of Bowen Island usually lights up during the middle of April.. This year it looks like it has started just over a week late. None the less, they are here now!! Anchovies have been by far our best producers down 70-160 feet. Other anglers are reporting good results on green and white hootchies, coyote spoons, and gypsy spoons.
The flooding tide has also been quite good for chinook in Vancouver Harbour! You would be surprised the big bites you can get within a couple miles of Kitsilano Beach!!! We hit some nice fish deep inside Vancouver Harbour yesterday evening at the end of the flood tide!
In addition to our local fishery going strong right now, the Gulf Islands have also really perked up with some great fish being caught! The Gulf Islands are a great option on a full day trip! The fishing and the scenery are pretty hard to beat. On a recent trip across to the Gulf Islands we saw hundreds of porpoise, a small pod of killer whales, sea lions, seals and bald eagles!
With some good water conditions there is quite a few different areas that are producing fish right now!
Crabbing remains good in the harbour and crab traps are dropped on every charter!
Give us a call or email to get out and enjoy this spring chinook fishing! Our rates will be going up slightly at the end of this week due to rising fuel costs! We would rather raise our rates a bit rather than conserve fuel! Got to go where the fish are! If you want to book at trip this season at last years rates we will honour them until the end of this week!
Check out our blog for daily fishing reports! www.bonchovy.com/blog
Bon Chovy Fishing Charters Facebook Page: http://tinyurl.com/24x943p
Tight Lines
Jeff and Jason
www.bonchovy.com
info@bonchovy.com
604.763.5460
APRIL 6 REPORT
Things are starting to perk up in Vancouver waters! Over the last few days there has been some very nice fish hooked in most of the winter and early spring hot spots. The Capilano Mouth, Vancouver Harbour, the Bell Buoy and Howe Sound have all been producing some nice chinook salmon up to 25 pounds. Most fish have been 10-15 pounds, but there has been a handful confirmed over 20 pounds landed over the last few days. Anchovies, coyote spoons,and gypsy spoons have been the lures of choice.
More and more fish are starting to suspend off bottom now that it is the first week of April. These spring time chinooks can be found from 50 feet down to the bottom if you are fishing any kind of structure. Off the south end of Bowen Island, which should REALLY pick up shortly, run your gear scatterred between 60-150 feet.
Crabbing has been excellent in Vancouver Harbour. Crab traps are dropped on every charter!
April and May are typically great times to fish for chinook salmon in Vancouver!
Check out our blog for daily fishing reports! www.bonchovy.com/blog
Bon Chovy Fishing Charters Facebook Page: http://tinyurl.com/24x943p
Tight Lines
Jeff and Jason
www.bonchovy.com
info@bonchovy.com
604.763.5460
MARCH 1 REPORT
Well, let's just hope winter is finally done with us! We had a late season blast of winter here this past week! It did not keep us off the water though! We fished the Gulf Islands and Vancouver Harbour. We were pleased to find some good numbers of winter chinook salmon in both locations we fished!
Vancouver Harbour has continued to produce some very impressive winter chinook salmon up to 18 pounds this week. The average size has been in the 10-13 pound range....very nice fish. We have had the majority of our success running silver horde spoons and coyote spoons behind our flasher and above our kone zone flashers!
There is not a ton of bait in the harbour right now...we are finding the fish on structure! We have had our best success along the West Vancouver shoreline.
Howe Sound has been very slow with no good reports this week....There should be fish showing there soon as Howe Sound typically provides some great winter chinook fishing.
We are running our FLOOD TIDE WINTER CHINOOK SPECIAL until March 15th. For $399.00 plus taxes and licences we are offering 5 hour winter chinook and crabbing charters! This price is good for up to 4 anglers on the boat. Fishing has been best on the flood tide so we are scheduling the trips according to the tide. Give us a call to book a winter chinook trip…We are fishing minutes from the dock!!
Check out our blog for daily fishing reports! www.bonchovy.com/blog
Bon Chovy Fishing Charters Facebook Page: http://tinyurl.com/24x943p
Tight Lines
Jeff and Jason
www.bonchovy.com
info@bonchovy.com
604.763.5460
FEBRUARY 4 REPORT
The last few weeks have definitely provided us with the best winter chinook fishing of the season. We have not had to travel far from our dock location in downtown Vancouver as the most consistent spot for big winter chinook salmon has been along the West Vancouver shoreline. The flood tide and the first hour of the ebb tide has been where we have had the best action. We have been running coyote spoons behind flashers and above kone zone daisy chains. Some guys have been having good success on greenish/glow hootchies and anchovies.
There has also been some nice fish out in the freighters as well. However, there seems to be quite a few juvenile salmon in the freighter anchorages. If you are hitting lots of little guys it is always a good idea to move, or increase the size of your lures.
Howe Sound has been quite slow over the last couple weeks. This could change any day though.
There has been some really good fishing over on the Gulf Islands recently. A few boats have made it over to the far side and have hooked very good numbers of fish.
As we progress into February we should expect to continue to see good numbers of winter chinook salmon in Vancouver Harbour. So far this winter we have seen good numbers of larger than average chinook salmon! Fish up to 27 pounds have been reported in Vancouver Harbour in recent weeks. We have not had a fish that size, but we have landed fish in the 13-17 pound range. Crabbing has been decent along the West Vancouver shoreline and Spanish Banks.
Give us a call if you want to book a winter chinook and crabbing charter. It looks like there is going to be some beautiful sunny days next week!
Check out our blog for daily fishing reports! www.bonchovy.com/blog
Bon Chovy Fishing Charters Facebook Page: http://tinyurl.com/24x943p
Tight Lines
Jeff and Jason
www.bonchovy.com
info@bonchovy.com
604.763.5460
JANUARY 3 REPORT...Happy New Year!
Our local winter chinook fishery is now in full swing!!! The fishing has really perked up over the last week with good numbers of fish up to 18 pounds being landed in all of the local Vancouver winter chinook salmon spots!
Locally we have had our best success in the inner portions of Vancouver Harbour. Hootchies, spoons, and bait have all been taking fish. As always, keep your eye on the sounder to look for patches of bait, the salmon will not be far from it.
The Gulf Islands are also fishing very well. There has been great reports from Sidney all the way up to Gabriola Island. We had some great chinook on New Year's Day over that way. If you pick a good weather day the Gulf Islands would be a solid bet for a full day charter.
Crabbing and prawning has also been very good as well!
Give us a call to book a winter chinook charter! There is no better way to beat the winter blues than going salmon fishing!
Check our fishing blog out for more frequent reports.. www.bonchovy.com/blog
Follow our Facebook page.. http://tinyurl.com/24x943p
Tight Lines
Jeff and Jason
www.bonchovy.com
info@bonchovy.com
604.763.5460
