Vancouver Area Chum

[trendsetter]

Where are some good areas to fish for Chum when they start making their way towards the rivers?

Howe sound? Off the mouth of the Fraser? South of Sandheads?

Just looking for some info; last time I fished for Chum was over on Vancouver Island.

 

[Dogbreath]

Very</u> hit 'n miss-because results are so poor very few people bother targeting them-they just don't seem to bite south of Campbell River.

 

[trendsetter]

Really? That's too bad because they are a great fighting fish. I'm sure I'll try a few days in the open water. Otherwise a few days on the fraser but they aren't even good for smoking once they hit fresh water.

 

[Peahead]

They are often hard to get to bite but sometimes they do. I usually get the odd one each year as incidental catch here and there while chinook fishing in the fall off ambleside. I haven't ever really targeted them but one time off Ambleside in late Sept/October after a Chinook limit I moved away from the Cap crowds and in closer to 14st dock looking for coho and Chum....sure enough I located a school of chum that was near the bottom and landed several and lost several with a couple double headers in about an hour....not unlike sockeye fishing. The other location I have done ok is out off the North arm and QA area in October. Had a few days where I landed a couple out there. While sockeye hoochies and purple hoochies work I have found herring stip and anchovy to do well at times. They tend to be similar depths to sockeye but have got several off west van near the bottom.

 

[Dogbreath]

I remember catching one just off that dock once in September-took an Anchovy IIRC.

 

[Peahead]

Yeah ...you can often see them jumping in there in October...off the dock ..... people sometimes think they are late season coho but actually chum

 

[Brisco]

There were no signs of any kind of fish today, but once in October I caught a 20lb chum that was mint. It fought like crazy and when we got it in the boat I never looked at it. We got home and I was pretty surprised. It did make nice salmon candy.