All of a sudden massive schools of Coho have shown up in the mid-Island area. And while we are about 6 weeks away from their anticipated opening date for Coho this is still great news. Fishermen around Five Finger and Entrance Islands are reporting being unable to get their gear past the 100ft mark as the Coho are hitting everything they send down. So if you want some epic catch and release fishing, or want to fine tune your Coho game now is the time. This is also a great opportunity for taking kids or new fishermen out to learn to play a fish. Best lures for Coho are 2.5" West Coast Sex-E spoons in Blue/Silver and Size 2 Koho Kings in Glow Herring Aid. Pair either of these spoons with a Blue Magoo flasher and you won't be able to keep the Coho away. (Note the Coho in the Picture above is from last summer.) If you have any good fish picture please email it to me at the email below.
If you want to target Chinook try larger spoons to avoid the Coho. Big Eye spoons Knight Rider paired with a Bon Chovy flasher has been taking the Chinook. They are deeper than the Coho, around 150-220ft down off Gabriola, and a bit shallower south off Ladysmith.
Prawning reports have been excellent with large catches around Tent Island, and off French Creek. Remember to add oil like Copper River Prawn Oil to your prawn pellets to increase your catch. Also weighing down your traps so they don't move with the current will encourage the prawns to go inside. We have a custom designed 5lb square trap weight for rigid traps, and clip weights for round mesh traps.
If you have a fishing report of a question either email me at the address below, or add it as a comment under this post.
Tips Up!
steve@harbourchandler.ca