Fresh Port Moody Fishing Reports

Coho salmon continue to be prevalent in local waters. We have consistently hooked into 10+ fish on each trip. That said, we’ve done this by moving between several locations until we find the fish. Just because an area was productive on one day, does not mean the fish will still be there the following day. A willingness to pick up the gear and head for another spot has been the key to our success this season. On a few trips, the westerly winds hampered our ability to safely access areas where the larger concentrations of fish have been holding, but we always have a few options available to tuck in out of the wind when those situations occur. The fish are feeding on small to medium size herring currently and hitting aggressively. Coho are a surface fighting fish and often catapult out of the water shortly after hitting the lines. This is where keeping a tight line to the fish is key otherwise they quickly throw the hook leaving only a memory of the one that got away! Guests can retain up to 2 hatchery marked Coho per fishing license with a salmon stamp. We’re now in the off season for Crabs and Prawns. Upon request, we will still drop some traps on the way to the salmon grounds for guests that would like to experience this fishery but the success rate has dropped significantly. The peak season for Prawns is generally December - May and for crabs is December - June. Chinook salmon retention is now open in a few areas with additional openings coming August 1st. Give us a call for more details and to book your charter today!

Fishing has continued to be excellent with multiple hookups per trip. In the past week we’ve had trips where we’ve hooked into more than 20 fish during 8hr charters! The average size of Chinook salmon has increased to the 10-12 lb range including two fish breaking the 20lb mark this month already. These fish are feeding aggressively on large schools of herring and putting on weight every week. We are happy to report that the Coho have arrived in local waters and are increasing in numbers every day! Guests can retain up to 2 hatchery marked Coho per license to take home. A guest on our last trip took two nice hatchery Coho salmon home for the barbecue along with some fresh Dungeness crab! Coho frequent the upper areas of the water column typically from the surface down to about 60’. They are voracious feeders this time of year and put on an acrobatic display when hooked, jumping around in every direction. Contact us today to schedule your trip to experience the amazing scenery and the adrenalin rush of battling a pacific salmon!

With COVID-19 restrictions easing, we are pleased to announce the resumption of charter services! Although we were not taking guests during the lockdown period of COVID-19, we were on the water regularly including participating in DNA sampling to assist in tracking the migratory activities of our prized Chinook salmon. In addition to providing key information for the ongoing preservation of stocks, it also means we know where the fish are and what they are feeding on. Overall the fishing has been excellent. We've been hooking into multiple Chinook salmon on every trip and it has been common to be into double digits by the time the day is over. The majority of fish have been in the 8lb to 10lb range but we're seeing an increasing number of fish in the mid teens as well. These fish are aggressively feeding this time of year so they are hitting the gear hard making for some exciting battles. We are mostly trolling spoons to imitate the bait these fish are feeding on. As we head into June, we will start including bait presentations (anchovy & herring) in our deployed gear as well. It's hard for any salmon to resist a properly presented anchovy or herring! Coho salmon will be arriving soon in our local waters. We usually see the Coho appear around the last week of May into the first week of June. They are aggressive feeders as well and provide for chaotic surface battles as they jump and race around in every direction. We are currently in the 'catch and release' phase of our fishery for Chinook salmon but guests can retain up to two hatchery marked Coho salmon per license. This season, we are also providing the opportunity for guests to participate in DNA sampling efforts for Chinook. We bring the fish on board briefly to collect a sample, record its length, and take a quick photo before safely releasing the fish to fight another day. Retention of Chinook is currently slated to start July 15th, as it did last season, but there is a possibility it will start earlier this year. We are anticipating an updated announcement from the Department of Fisheries & Oceans before June 15. Crabbing and prawning has been excellent. We will be dropping crab traps on all our charters through to the end of June with prawning being offered on our longer duration charters (8hr & 10hr charters) through until mid June. Contact us today to secure your day on the water!

We had an unusually rainy fall this year through September and into mid October. This increased water levels in local rivers and streams earlier than in past seasons allowing fish to enter these systems at any time. Normally fish would continue to collect and hold near these waterways waiting for heavy rains that would typically start around the second week of October. Despite this, the volume of fish returning was substantial and fishing remained strong through September into early October. We’ve now switched to our winter fishery targeting Chinook salmon that are feeding aggressively in local waters. These fish are cruising near the bottom feeding on large schools of herring and anchovies. The key for this fishery is to locate these baitfish schools and work the lines in and around them near the bottom to find the salmon. Having good quality sonar and knowing where these baitfish tend to congregate is critical to finding these feeder Chinook salmon. Crabbing and prawning is picking up again as well. We’re dropping crab traps for Dungeness crab on 6 and 8 hour winter charters. In addition, we’re dropping prawn traps on our 8 hour trips. It’s hard to beat coming home with crab, prawns, and fresh salmon in the same trip! Take advantage of our winter rates to experience a west coast day on the water!

Great fishing continued into September with some of the largest fish of the season now appearing in our local waters! Usually we can count on September to be relatively dry and sunny - not this year. Similar to last September, we’ve had a fair amount of rain which has allowed some fish to move into local river systems earlier than they might have in other years. That said, the fishing has continued to be very strong with multiple fish on most trips and new schools of fish moving into local waters with each incoming tide! The largest fish brought in by a guest this season was in September at 27lbs - what a great fish! We’ve seen more Coho show up over the past few weeks and have had several very nice hatchery Coho to the boat with the largest being around 10lbs. We expect Chinook and Coho fishing to be good through into October so there’s still time to book your trip to experience the thrill of west coast salmon fishing!

This August will be remembered as arguably the best fishing we’ve experienced in 30+ years for Chinook salmon. The average fish size ranged between 14 - 22lbs with the occasional larger fish in the mix. Multiple double hookups were common throughout the month with the occasional triple header thrown in! The fish were aggressive, hitting almost anything presented including spoons, hoochies, and bait. It’s been an amazing time to introduce newcomers to salmon fishing. These fish have been hitting hard and taking long line ripping runs. On many trips, it was difficult to get all the lines deployed before the next fish was on. There’s nothing quite like the anticipation followed by the pump of adrenalin when the lines go off after an aggressive strike!