Just wondering what people use for saltwater fly fishing for chinook (fly line and flies)? My dad and I booked a trip to Queen Charlottes and my main goal is to catch a chinook on the fly. I love fly fishing but never caught a chinook on the fly so... What kind of flies, and what type of line do people use ( 250 gr or 350 gr, make of line etc)? I'll be fishing with a 9wt sage any help or suggestions?
Fly Fishing for Chinook
- Thread starter tteel
- Start date
I assume you are going to be fishing some moving water, not out in the salt chuck. I fast sinking shooting head works great, 6' of 800 grain DWE. I have tied all black flies for Chinook and they work quite well. simple pattern: .050 lead wrap up and back; chenille, black; over wing silver crystal flash not longer than the hook bend; on a stainless 1/0 hook. if you get tired of the wrestling match, simply point your rod at the fish and put lots of pressure on, the hook will straighten enough to let go, bend back with your pliers and go hook another one. I use a 10wt simply because of the size of some of the Chinook I was targeting, >30. great fun. you need to spot your fish and consistently present to that single fish. sooner or later, the fish will either move tired of being bothered, or latch on to you fly.
Bait Ban
Member
Tie up some Clouser minnows, some of Lefty's Decievers and some of Barry Thornton's Silver Thorns. I'd bring two rods.. a floating line for surface fish and a second rod with a sinking shooting head set up. Start with 34 feet of Rio t14 (Or 27 feet of T-17) tied onto a mono running line like Rio Slick shooter and about 5 feet of 17lb test mono. Get out and practice casting, trim 6" of the shooting head back at a time until the rod is nicely loaded with your connecting knot past the rod tip... Find fish.. if they're deep, cast up current, let the line sink as it runs past the boat, and then begin to strip as the line starts to go taut. Stripping baskets help a lot...
if your fishing on the open sea.... First light first bite. Get out EARLY. Follow the birds, find bait, cast over top of bait and let minnow pattern of choice (lead core/ wrapped is best obviously) and let it sink... try a couple different retrieves. you get a lot of coho and pinks doing this, but the Chinook are always in the mix... im sure if you are at a lodge or guide outfit they will tell you all you need to know. Where are you staying??
I'm staying at QCL and we're doing a self guided, but staying on the Driftwood boat so we're always on the fishing grounds and not spending time going back to the lodge each day, which can be up to 3 hrs total of travelling each day. We will be fishing first light and everything in between. I was told about the Silver Thorns and tie many sizes. Just not sure what line to use. I was looking at the Rio 26ft Striper Sink Tip (350 gr) with a sink rate of 1.5/8.2 ups. I'd like to stay away from the lead core lines as my dad has one and i never liked casting it. I do have some closers in chartreuse and white already tied up that i use for pike as well.
Evenweight
Member
I used a 450 grain express sink tip and used huge 6"ish flies of polar bear tie in white and colour and bring some markers. Try tying them quite round. When chinook hit a fly it feels like you are snaging up on a piece of kelp so be ready to set the .hook with a strip
trophywife
Crew Member
i have seen this done and never tried it.. sinking tip.. slowly let line out,while driving at 3-4mph, alot of line,150-250',turn off motor,, strip back in . repeat,, polar bear 3-4" long.
Anadromous Angling Addict
New Member
Hi tteel,
I booked your dad, I'm a sales rep and guide with QCL. Bait ban has given you some good advice on flies, these will all work. Your trip is in mid June, and there will be a TON of juvenile to medium size needle fish around at that time, along with the usual schools of herring. I'll be at the Lodge guiding and will give you a detailed report of what type of bait is in the area before your trip.
Regarding lines, try to keep in mind that the magical depth for kelp bed chinook is going to be around 30' give or take 5'. I like my 10 wt rod with an 11 wt line - SA Bluewater Express. I will be trying one of Jim Teeny's lines this year on my 9 and 10 wt and haven't decided between the TS 450; 550; 650. Don't be afraid to go up a line weight in order to get a higher density line. The biggest reason why more people don't target chinook on the fly is that they are found in deeper water with current and this can be challenging. Its much easier to nail a 30 or 40 fish day up in our area if you are using conventional means.
On the fly, you will want to concentrate your efforts close to slack tide, or in areas where there is a slow moving back eddy formed by kelp/points. It will be easier to get your fly down to where the fish are and keep it there. For chinook I like to position my cast and mend line such that it will give the fly the greatest chance to sink into that magical depth zone and at the location I expect the fish to be. I then begin my retrieve by slowly twitching the fly back to me. Coho on the other hand will want to chase a stripped fly, so I don't wait too long to start my retrieve which is also much faster than when targeting chinook. Either way, experiment with your retrieves for both species, but always remember to get your fly down to where the fish are. Coho can be higher up in the water column, and are easier to target than chinook; however the coho are not around in huge numbers until July. It is a pink year up there so if you want some fun with them, they'll be around!
I think we had some email correspondence back some time ago. I'll find your email address and send you a quick note so that we can discuss this further.
AAA
I booked your dad, I'm a sales rep and guide with QCL. Bait ban has given you some good advice on flies, these will all work. Your trip is in mid June, and there will be a TON of juvenile to medium size needle fish around at that time, along with the usual schools of herring. I'll be at the Lodge guiding and will give you a detailed report of what type of bait is in the area before your trip.
Regarding lines, try to keep in mind that the magical depth for kelp bed chinook is going to be around 30' give or take 5'. I like my 10 wt rod with an 11 wt line - SA Bluewater Express. I will be trying one of Jim Teeny's lines this year on my 9 and 10 wt and haven't decided between the TS 450; 550; 650. Don't be afraid to go up a line weight in order to get a higher density line. The biggest reason why more people don't target chinook on the fly is that they are found in deeper water with current and this can be challenging. Its much easier to nail a 30 or 40 fish day up in our area if you are using conventional means.
On the fly, you will want to concentrate your efforts close to slack tide, or in areas where there is a slow moving back eddy formed by kelp/points. It will be easier to get your fly down to where the fish are and keep it there. For chinook I like to position my cast and mend line such that it will give the fly the greatest chance to sink into that magical depth zone and at the location I expect the fish to be. I then begin my retrieve by slowly twitching the fly back to me. Coho on the other hand will want to chase a stripped fly, so I don't wait too long to start my retrieve which is also much faster than when targeting chinook. Either way, experiment with your retrieves for both species, but always remember to get your fly down to where the fish are. Coho can be higher up in the water column, and are easier to target than chinook; however the coho are not around in huge numbers until July. It is a pink year up there so if you want some fun with them, they'll be around!
I think we had some email correspondence back some time ago. I'll find your email address and send you a quick note so that we can discuss this further.
AAA
I got the email and sent one back with some pictures of flies I have. I'll have more of a selection in the next bit, just got caught up with work so couldn't make any more patterns. Ill try to have everything n every colour and well definitely try a day or two of targeting chinook on the fly. We are there from 16-20 so I'll try everything to hook up.
I'll be getting probably the SA line you recommended and will run a 10wt line. I have a rio versi-tip line on it and will probably bring that as a secondary line. I'll be using the SA line lots prior to as I'll be targeting lake trout early on in about 30-40ft depths. If you can think of any other tips I'm keen to know!! Thanks again for your help
I'll be getting probably the SA line you recommended and will run a 10wt line. I have a rio versi-tip line on it and will probably bring that as a secondary line. I'll be using the SA line lots prior to as I'll be targeting lake trout early on in about 30-40ft depths. If you can think of any other tips I'm keen to know!! Thanks again for your help
Saxe Point
Well-Known Member
After you catch them in the ocean on the fly, try catching them in a river when they're fresh in from the ocean. A much tougher battle than in the ocean because of the current, which they know how to use when hooked. You often have to run the bank to quickly get downstream of them - that way they fight your pressure and they have to push upstream. Nakina River, near Atlin, is as good as it gets!
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Saxe Point
Well-Known Member
I fished it a number of times when I lived in Whitehorse [I lived there 9 years]. It's a short helicopter flight in [20 minutes] from Atlin. It is therefore accessible and affordable. The salmon fishing is unbelievable. Chrome fresh chinooks, some well in excess of 50 pounds, which you will likely never land with a fly rod in the river unless you are both extremely skilled and very lucky. But I have to be honest, a 20 to 30 pound chinook in the river and on a fly rod is a fight like nothing I have experienced in the salt. As I said earlier, the river gives the fish advantages they don't have in the ocean, and being on the bank takes away the advantages you have by being on a boat. That river (pronounced like "Mackinaw") is a tributary of the Taku. In addition to your 9/10 weight rod, bring a 5-7 weight for the hordes of huge rainbows that will also slam your fly. That place is like no other.
fshnfnatic
Well-Known Member
What time of year are the Chinooks in,Saxe Point?That place sounds like somewhere to put on the "bucket list"!
Saxe Point
Well-Known Member
Mid-July is prime time and two weeks on either side of it are very good.
Saxe Point
Well-Known Member
The grizzly bears are as plentiful as the chinook salmon. We set a trip wire around our campsite when we went to bed. We also brought a 12 gauge pump just in case. But we never had any issues. The bears are really well fed and rarely see people so I think (hope) they stay away.
Saxe Point
Well-Known Member
We had a couple of preferred spots, but there are lots. If you are just going for the day, the pilots will just fly the river and you'll see them stacked in the pools like big logs. Then you can get dropped off, fish them till your arms can't take it anymore and fly back at the end of the day. One day is often enough. Up there, in July it doesn't get dark until maybe midnight, so you'll get more than enough. Camping is fun too. Almost any salmon fly will work. It need not be fancy as it will get destroyed or lost anyway, either on a fish or the bottom. Bring lots. I favoured a home made 1/0 or 2/0 Tiemco 800B with lead wire wraps over which I dubbed orange, red or pink "crystal dubbing". Tied in some silver or glow in the dark Krystal Flash as a wing. Worked amazing, especially the red. Fast sinking tips, Teeny or equivalent, are required. Limit your tippet to 25lb or even 20lb or you'll just blow up your pricey fly rod. I'd bring a Spey rod if I were going again. 9 weight minimum single handed, 10 is better.
fshnfnatic
Well-Known Member
Perfect!Thanks for that,SP.Always wanted to take a trip up that way for years now.Furthest north in B.C. I've been is
Fort St. John.
Fishtank
Well-Known Member
I don't think fishing salmon in a river is more challenging especially like u said when there stacked up like logs in a pool.its a little harder in salt water as u can't see them and chuck a fly in there face,sure the river current can be a tough battle but your making it sound like fishing for salmon in a stream is harder than in salt water,it's almost cheating
