Len's Sportfishing Adventures - Ph: 1-604-991-0287

Chinook

Salmon fishing in British Columbia can be spectacular! In fact, the Fraser River in B.C. is the largest salmon producing river in the world with huge runs of Chinook Salmon ( King Salmon ), Coho Salmon ( Silver Salmon ), Chum Salmon, Sockeye Salmon and Pink Salmon. The timing of the runs often over-lap and it is frequently possible to catch several species in the same day. They can be readily caught fly fishing, drifting, mooching, spin casting or with ultra-lite tackle.

Chinook are the largest of the pacific salmon and when hooked put up a spectacular fight, capable of long powerful runs. Chinook over 30 pounds are common but salmon over 50 or 60 pounds are hooked often enough to keep life exciting. Although they are in the Fraser most of the year they are most abundant from May to the end of October.

Chinook are locally known as Spring Salmon as they are the first of the pacific salmon to enter the river to start there migration back to there home rivers. These fish start to return to the Fraser River as early as March, with fish entering the Fraser through out the summer and fall months. They are readily identifiable due to their size, large spots running the length of their body and black mouths.

Chinook Salmon - White or Red Meat!
Both actually. The Chinook that enter the river in the spring and summer months tend to have pinkish to red colored flesh, compared to the fall runs that go to the Harrison River and other local rivers, being a white fleshed fish.

How long do they live?
The Chinook salmon are the longest lived pacific salmon averaging 2 to 7 years in age. After the salmon hatch they will spend on average about 1 year in fresh water as young fry before they enter the Pacific Ocean.

Where do you fish Chinook Salmon?
The Chinook salmon is the most sought after salmon by sport anglers on the pacific coast. There are many methods sport anglers fish for springs here on the Fraser and other river systems in our area.

Fishing Techniques for Chinook Salmon!
One of the most popular methods is called bar fishing. When bar fishing we fish from shore on the many gravel bars on the Fraser River. The type of rods used for this method are typically longer rods in the 10 to 12 foot range with a strong back bone to toss out 14 to 18 ounce lead weights. Attached to the mainline is a t-bar with a lure called a spin n glow.

The spin n glow will not sink completely to the bottom but float off a few inches to a foot or so based on the length of leader used from the weight to the hook. the current in the river will cause the spin n glow to spin and therefore attract the fish. With the weight settled on the bottom and the lure spinning in the water we wait for the Chinook to bite it as they travel upstream and hopefully see our lure. Spin n glow's come in a multitude of colors and sizes; perfect for the varying current speeds and water clarity of the Fraser and her tributaries.

Another method used is called back trolling. This method is where we fish from the jet boats slowly backing downstream with diving plugs. The plugs dive deep to the river bottom where they wiggle in a side to side motion sending of vibrations in the water that entice the salmon to bite. Constant attention is paid to the backdown speed so that the lure works in just the right way. Too slow and the current will cause the lure to dive too deep and work to hard. Backing down too fast and the lure will not dig in and go deep enough or work hard enough as it is the current that works the lure. Since the river current and depth is constantly changing as we drift down the river only local intimate knowledge of the river and where the fish are make this method effective.

Float Fishing for Chinook Salmon (all the salmon species actually) on the smaller tributaries is very popular here in the Fraser valley. Float Fishing is where a weight and attrantant are suspended below an adjustable float. This is then cast into a river and allowed to drift with the current. There are many different types of floats on the market; the ones mostly used locally are made of foam or plastic. The float when adjusted right keeps the rest of the gear from hanging up on the bottom and the weight keeps the attractant at the right depth. The attractant can be anything from spinners to salmon eggs or small pieces of colored wool. All of which are used to attract the salmon.

Float fishing rods in the 10.4 to 12 foot range are used. These rods are generally a medium to heavy action rod deigned to handle 20 to 25 pound mainlines. Rods such as the G Loomis SAR 1265 and the SAR1363 are great rods for float fishing for Chinook salmon. The reason for the heavier action rods are that these fish average 25 pounds and when fishing faster flowing rivers you need a rod designed to be able to handle them without worrying about snapping it into pieces.

When float fishing the most popular type of reels used here are level wind or center pin reels. These types of reels allow you’re mainline to free spool in a controlled manner off the reel. This allows your lure or bait to drift naturally in the river currents. Spinning reels can work but the angler must either back wind the reel or leave the bail open to allow the line to come off the reel so the float and what hangs below it drifts naturally down the river.

For many fly fishermen it is there dream to catch a Chinook Salmon on the fly. When targeting them with the fly rod, rod weights of 10 to 12 are generally used with heavy duty reels loaded with lots of backing. These fish fight hard and when hooked there is no stopping their strong and fast runs. Spey rods work well when fishing for Chinook salmon; they allow the angler to use heavy sink tips and bigger flies to attract the fish with a lot less effort than fishing with single hand rods.

I would highly recommend this world renowned fishery in BC for Chinook Salmon on the Fraser and Harrison Rivers. Setting the hook on a large fish like these is absolutely exhilarating, and photos of the epic battle will provide the lifelong memories!