Chrome Chinook & Clear Skies — First-Tim

Some mornings the water just gives. Friday delivered clear skies, 28°C, and a light east breeze at 5 knots — flat, fishable, and about as pleasant as a summer day gets on Discovery Passage. Seas held at a metre or less with just a light chop. You could see the treeline across the Passage clean and sharp. Captain Bruce ran the 6am departure aboard the 17' Boston Whaler Montauk, a nimble open boat built for getting into the right water and staying on the fish. Aboard was Renee, up from Vancouver for her very first day of salmon fishing. We worked Seymour Narrows and timed the passes to the tide. The flood pushes bait through the Narrows and the Chinook stack up to feed. We trolled hoochies — plastic squid lures — behind flashers on the downriggers, running 80 to 120 feet down. The morning bite lined right up with the solunar feeding window, and the rods delivered. Water was warm at 17.9°C, which had the fish active and holding higher in the column. We released plenty and kept a couple of clean feeders in the 12-16 lb range. There's always a shot at a trophy 30-pounder out here too, and those go back to keep the run strong. The look on Renee's face when the rod loaded up said it all. First Chinook, first day, bright fish to the net. Summer spots are filling fast. If you want flat water, feeding Chinook, and a captain who knows every eddy in the Narrows, now's the time. Book your trip today at **hidden content**