Well it's time to layer up and get out and start hunting for feeder chinooks. Although it's not winter yet, we call it winter chinook fishing. Typically we are fishing in the Howe Sound areas in calm waters and enjoy the majestic views of often snow capped towering mountains or right in Vancouver Harbour fishing amongst the anchored freighters with views of Vancouver, Stanley Park and the North Shore mountains. When
the winds aren't blowing, we will venture across to the Vancouver Island side and fish the eastern shores of Gabriola, Valdes and Galiano Islands. Locating feeder chinooks goes hand in hand with locating baitfish. Find high concentrations of bait on your chart/fish display, you'll most likely will find the fish. Fish your gear deep which is usually just off the bottom. Depending where you are fishing, the downriggers could be anywhere from 140 to 250+ feet down. Most guides only fish two rods this time of the year to avoid tangling of lines because we are fishing deep. Nothing worse to have 2-4 lines/lures/flashers come up in a snarled mess. I like to run a dummy flasher on one rigger fishing with a spoon or a bait rig 5 feet above the flasher and a hootchie flasher on the other side. Winter chinooks are voraciously feeding and when I get the first legal size one, I cut open it's stomach to see what they're feeding on. Some days it might be small immature herring and a few days later, 5/6' mature anchovy. With that knowledge you match the size of bait to increase your opportunities of hooking more fish. Besides salmon fishing, it's a great time of year to put out the prawn and crab traps. So if you and your family, friends or colleagues are looking for a winter adventure, then "Let's Go Fishing!"
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