fishing spoons for salmon

Tip: try herring wrapped Kwikfish with a bait-diver

Winter Chinook Salmon are a good 20lbs more than their fall counterparts. They start showing up in the Vancouver area in November and stay there until spring.

 

These fish are usually around 2 to 3 years old and are drawn to the Vancouver area due to the abundance of bait fish in the area.

Chinook Salmon Lure and Bait Tips

Like any other fish if you want to locate them, find out where the bait fish are and their migratory patterns and you’ll find the Chinook Salmon following.

 

Fishing spoons for salmon that are very effective are Coyote spoons, gypsy spoons and hootchies.

 

If you prefer fishing with live bait, go with anchovies and herring. As herring are very popular in the Vancouver area in the winter, your best bet is to use them; hooking the herring just under the dorsal fin.

 

Chonook are hungry at this time and will strike hard at your bait or lure. However choosing the right lure or bait will determine how often you get a strike.

 

Not a huge amount is known about Winter Salmon. What we do know is that they enter small rivers on the South Coast of Oregon after the rains of November have cleared the sandbars from the mouths of these rivers.

 

The run peaks in mid to late December in the The Sixes River, The Elk River, The Chetco River and The Smith River. These rivers are less than 40 miles long and the King Salmon entering them remain bright due to the small distance they travel to spawning grounds.

Large Winter Chinook Salmon

They can reach 60 lbs/27 kgs, but 25-35 lbs/11-16 kgs are more common. Due to severe winter rains the river conditions change quickly and dramatically.

  • Tips for these conditions include herring wrapped Kwikfish with a bait-diver.

Vancouver Winter Weather

If you’re fishing in estuaries, off the shore or on a dock, the weather shouldn’t be much of a concern. This time of year the winds are southerlies, coming from the south and bringing warmer air and generally calm conditions.

 

However when a northern low pressure system is coming through, expect high winds and heavy precipitation. This is much more of a concern if you’re fishing from a boat and so make sure you have all your safety equipment available when fishing from a boat.