R
Rodbreaker
Guest
The PREDATOR'S PEN Date: September 3rd/2004.
An update of the local saltwater fishing scene for Vancouver To : Saltwater Angler
By: David Korsch (Predator Charters)
E-mail: davek@dccnet.com Web Site: www.predatorcharters.com
Phone: (604) 329 - 8642 Fax: (604) 886 - 1928
Hello Fellow Anglers
They Hit!!!!!
The morning of August 28th, a wall of Chinook arrived off the mouth of the Fraser River. They mainly seem to be "reds" in the 18 to 25 lb range, though there were a fair number of whites landed as well.
We started fishing quite late (about 9:25), and had nothing happen for about the first hour (there was a good bite earlier in the morning), then about 10:30 it went gangbusters. In the next 2.5 hours we hooked into 12 large Chinook, but only managed to land 3 of them.....don't ask......it was a general problem this morning....most guys were about 2/10. We were staying out all day, and we did get into three other fish in the afternoon (landing two of these), but that low slack tide (11:20am) was definitely the ticket.
It seemed that the bite was just starting to get going again before the evening high slack, but then it died. I am not sure if that is a proper assessment of what could have occurred since we wrestled our last fish away from a seal, and I think he may have been shadowing us after that. Whatever the case, we didn't get a bite during the next 1.5 hours, so we called it quits about 6:30. Our totals ended up 5 for 15 hooked which isn't great, but it does indicate there was a WHOLE bunch of fish out there (and most are still swimming).
Well......unfortunately that awesome day of fishing did turn out to be a bit of a one-day-wonder. I was afraid it would be something like that, but it did usher in the start of the fall's "trophy Chinook" fishery, as the subsequent days since Saturday have continued to produce large fish......actually larger fish than those in the main school, as several fish in the 25 to 35 lb range have now been hit.........just not the numbers that we saw on Saturday.
There is some very good news from all this as well. Almost 100% of the large Chinook that were caught on Saturday were males, and most of those were "reds". In addition, there was another good wave of "red" Chinook that migrated into the Fraser on August 15th (we all missed that one), and my friend who works on the Salmon Commission test boats mentioned that 90% of those were males as well. Since the large males always migrate upriver before the large females, this means that a huge amount of large "red" females are still going to arrive off the Fraser very shortly. Unfortunately, there is no way of predicting when they will arrive, but for those lucky enough to be there when they hit, the days will be VERY memorable.
Another bonus is that females tend to stage off a river's mouth longer than males, so we should get a few days of hot fishing when they arrive. These "red" Chinook hit the Fraser during August most years, so it seems as if everything is just a bit late this year....something to do with the extremely hot, dry early part of the summer I would think. The rains of the past week were surely the "bell" that rung to call them to the river, and I bet the females are not all that far behind the males.
The Salmon Commission test troller saw some decent Chinook action again on the afternoon of September 2nd near that low slack. About 3:00, they were near the T-10 buoy (trolling with Sockeye gear only), and they broke off 5 large Chinook in quick succession. The other test troller broke off several Chinook as well, so it seems their numbers may be on the increase again. Interestingly, they were getting fish as deep as 95 feet, while we were fishing the top 65 over the weekend. They may have moved deeper, which would make sense for "holding" fish.
Bait has taken the vast majority of the fish. Anchovies were the most popular choice, but they are a bit scarce, so some of us have been experimenting with medium whole herring. They also work just as well, and the bonus is that you can avoid 95% of those voracious grilse and large herring that are apt to attack your anchovies. Some guys have also done very well with Gypsy and Coyote spoons, but I cannot figure out how they keep the grilse off for more than 5 minutes. Hootchies should also work, and those that worked in the past at this time of year are: blood and bones, army truck, green/glow, and Sockeye hootchies.
After the "red" Chinook, we have a run of even larger "white" Chinook that hit the Fraser's mouth in September. The fish in this run usually provide recreational anglers with a few fish in to 50+ lb class each year. In past years, they have sometimes arrived roughly one month after the "reds", though it is possible that the rains will have called them in as well, and we could also have them show at anytime........things could get really "nuts" out there. The two waves of "red" males hit the Fraser on the mid-month new moon, and the recent full moon, so maybe one or both of those moon phases in September will signal the arrival of the "whites" if the rain didn't call them in. I guess only time will tell.
After the "whites" hit the Fraser, some of them (those released from the Capilano and further up in Indian Arm) move into Vancouver Harbour and begin to stage off the mouth of the Capilano. They usually begin to show off the Capilano by about mid-September, and early October typically provides some very hot, consistent fishing. This fishery continues until late October, but its finishing date is dependent on our fall rains. Last October we had that record rainfall about mid month, and the fishery ended about a week after that on the 24th or 25th. As long as we have a somewhat dry fall, this year we may see this fishery continue into early November since the runs seem to be arriving off the Fraser about 2 weeks later than normal.
At the present time, I have lots of openings over the next week or so, as most of my bookings in September were targeting the latter portion of the month for the Chinook fishery off the mouth of the Capilano. I am also beginning to get bookings in early October, but I still have lots of openings during these next two weeks. Those large fish will be hitting the Fraser at some point during this stretch of time, and providing exceptional fishing. As it stands right now, I have the following openings still available during the next week or two: Sept 5th (am, pm), Sept 6th (am, pm), Sept 7th (am), Sept 8th (pm), Sept 9th (am, pm), Sept 11th (pm), Sept 12th (am, pm), Sept 13th (pm), Sept 14th (am, pm), Sept 15th (am), Sept 16th (am, pm), and then no openings until after the 20th.
As always, feel free to pass this information along to any associates whom may appreciate the report. If you have any questions, or wish to book a charter, e-mail me davek@dccnet.com), or call me at (604) 329 - 8642.
Tight Lines,
David Korsch
Predator Charters
(604) 329 - 8642
davek@dccnet.com
www.predatorcharters.com
that's why there's a warranty!
An update of the local saltwater fishing scene for Vancouver To : Saltwater Angler
By: David Korsch (Predator Charters)
E-mail: davek@dccnet.com Web Site: www.predatorcharters.com
Phone: (604) 329 - 8642 Fax: (604) 886 - 1928
Hello Fellow Anglers
They Hit!!!!!
The morning of August 28th, a wall of Chinook arrived off the mouth of the Fraser River. They mainly seem to be "reds" in the 18 to 25 lb range, though there were a fair number of whites landed as well.
We started fishing quite late (about 9:25), and had nothing happen for about the first hour (there was a good bite earlier in the morning), then about 10:30 it went gangbusters. In the next 2.5 hours we hooked into 12 large Chinook, but only managed to land 3 of them.....don't ask......it was a general problem this morning....most guys were about 2/10. We were staying out all day, and we did get into three other fish in the afternoon (landing two of these), but that low slack tide (11:20am) was definitely the ticket.
It seemed that the bite was just starting to get going again before the evening high slack, but then it died. I am not sure if that is a proper assessment of what could have occurred since we wrestled our last fish away from a seal, and I think he may have been shadowing us after that. Whatever the case, we didn't get a bite during the next 1.5 hours, so we called it quits about 6:30. Our totals ended up 5 for 15 hooked which isn't great, but it does indicate there was a WHOLE bunch of fish out there (and most are still swimming).
Well......unfortunately that awesome day of fishing did turn out to be a bit of a one-day-wonder. I was afraid it would be something like that, but it did usher in the start of the fall's "trophy Chinook" fishery, as the subsequent days since Saturday have continued to produce large fish......actually larger fish than those in the main school, as several fish in the 25 to 35 lb range have now been hit.........just not the numbers that we saw on Saturday.
There is some very good news from all this as well. Almost 100% of the large Chinook that were caught on Saturday were males, and most of those were "reds". In addition, there was another good wave of "red" Chinook that migrated into the Fraser on August 15th (we all missed that one), and my friend who works on the Salmon Commission test boats mentioned that 90% of those were males as well. Since the large males always migrate upriver before the large females, this means that a huge amount of large "red" females are still going to arrive off the Fraser very shortly. Unfortunately, there is no way of predicting when they will arrive, but for those lucky enough to be there when they hit, the days will be VERY memorable.
Another bonus is that females tend to stage off a river's mouth longer than males, so we should get a few days of hot fishing when they arrive. These "red" Chinook hit the Fraser during August most years, so it seems as if everything is just a bit late this year....something to do with the extremely hot, dry early part of the summer I would think. The rains of the past week were surely the "bell" that rung to call them to the river, and I bet the females are not all that far behind the males.
The Salmon Commission test troller saw some decent Chinook action again on the afternoon of September 2nd near that low slack. About 3:00, they were near the T-10 buoy (trolling with Sockeye gear only), and they broke off 5 large Chinook in quick succession. The other test troller broke off several Chinook as well, so it seems their numbers may be on the increase again. Interestingly, they were getting fish as deep as 95 feet, while we were fishing the top 65 over the weekend. They may have moved deeper, which would make sense for "holding" fish.
Bait has taken the vast majority of the fish. Anchovies were the most popular choice, but they are a bit scarce, so some of us have been experimenting with medium whole herring. They also work just as well, and the bonus is that you can avoid 95% of those voracious grilse and large herring that are apt to attack your anchovies. Some guys have also done very well with Gypsy and Coyote spoons, but I cannot figure out how they keep the grilse off for more than 5 minutes. Hootchies should also work, and those that worked in the past at this time of year are: blood and bones, army truck, green/glow, and Sockeye hootchies.
After the "red" Chinook, we have a run of even larger "white" Chinook that hit the Fraser's mouth in September. The fish in this run usually provide recreational anglers with a few fish in to 50+ lb class each year. In past years, they have sometimes arrived roughly one month after the "reds", though it is possible that the rains will have called them in as well, and we could also have them show at anytime........things could get really "nuts" out there. The two waves of "red" males hit the Fraser on the mid-month new moon, and the recent full moon, so maybe one or both of those moon phases in September will signal the arrival of the "whites" if the rain didn't call them in. I guess only time will tell.
After the "whites" hit the Fraser, some of them (those released from the Capilano and further up in Indian Arm) move into Vancouver Harbour and begin to stage off the mouth of the Capilano. They usually begin to show off the Capilano by about mid-September, and early October typically provides some very hot, consistent fishing. This fishery continues until late October, but its finishing date is dependent on our fall rains. Last October we had that record rainfall about mid month, and the fishery ended about a week after that on the 24th or 25th. As long as we have a somewhat dry fall, this year we may see this fishery continue into early November since the runs seem to be arriving off the Fraser about 2 weeks later than normal.
At the present time, I have lots of openings over the next week or so, as most of my bookings in September were targeting the latter portion of the month for the Chinook fishery off the mouth of the Capilano. I am also beginning to get bookings in early October, but I still have lots of openings during these next two weeks. Those large fish will be hitting the Fraser at some point during this stretch of time, and providing exceptional fishing. As it stands right now, I have the following openings still available during the next week or two: Sept 5th (am, pm), Sept 6th (am, pm), Sept 7th (am), Sept 8th (pm), Sept 9th (am, pm), Sept 11th (pm), Sept 12th (am, pm), Sept 13th (pm), Sept 14th (am, pm), Sept 15th (am), Sept 16th (am, pm), and then no openings until after the 20th.
As always, feel free to pass this information along to any associates whom may appreciate the report. If you have any questions, or wish to book a charter, e-mail me davek@dccnet.com), or call me at (604) 329 - 8642.
Tight Lines,
David Korsch
Predator Charters
(604) 329 - 8642
davek@dccnet.com
www.predatorcharters.com
that's why there's a warranty!
