11 Chinook Released in Discovery Passage

Sometimes the best fishing days aren't measured in what you keep — they're measured in what comes to the boat. Today on Discovery Passage, Captain Jason put first-time guests Rosie, Alex, Michael, and Katrina from Europe onto 11 Chinook salmon in a single half-day charter. Every one of those fish went back into the water, just the way they'd planned it. Conditions were classic spring Campbell River: 17°C air temperature, northwest wind at 10 knots with afternoon gusts to 32 km/h, broken clouds, and 10 km visibility. Sea state was under 1 metre - comfortable fishing throughout on the 27' Boston Whaler Conquest. The heated cabin gave the group a warm base when the gusts kicked up, and the premium electronics kept us dialed into the productive water. Water temperature was running at 15.1°C - warm spring conditions that had the Chinook active and feeding. We ran plugs and hoochies on downriggers at 180 feet and worked the flood tide building toward high water at 5:27 PM. The critical window came right around the slack before ebb at 5:38 PM, when the current transition concentrated baitfish and the bite sharpened. Best fish of the day went 14 lbs - a quality spring Chinook on a catch-and-release mission. Eleven fish to the boat in five hours is the kind of session that turns a first-time angler into a lifelong one. This group came to Discovery Passage for the experience of salmon fishing on Vancouver Island, and Campbell River delivered exactly that. Spring Chinook are running well in Discovery Passage right now, with fish in the 12-20 lb range and plenty of willing biters in the 150-200 foot zone. If you've been thinking about booking a half-day or full-day charter this spring, the bite is on. The Boston Whaler Conquest holds up to 4 guests in comfort, departs from Coast Marina A Dock, and offers free parking at Tyee Plaza. Spots are filling fast for June. Book your spring Chinook charter at **hidden content**.