Fishing for Chinook Salmon

Any fisherman worth his salt has Chinook Salmon high in his list of prized catches. Ranging in size from 10kg right up to the monsters at over 30kg, Chinook Salmon are known as one of the best fighting fish in the world.

Below, we've combined some of the most important tips to help in your trolling for Chinook, by following these hints, you'll dramatically increase your chances of landing the big one!

Timing and location. You need to make sure that the Chinook are actually in before you waste your time trying to catch fish which aren't there. By keeping an eye on local online fishing forums and talking to the people at the local tackle shop, you'll know when are the best times to hit the water.

Use lures which immitate the food that the Chinook is eating. By presenting a lure which is the same shape and colour as the food that they would normally eat, you increase your chances greatly that the fish will bite. If you can't convince the Chinook to take the lure, you can't catch it!

Make sure your hooks are SHARP. Hooks that come attached to commercial lures can sometimes be dull or blunt. Either sharpen the hooks with a grinding stone, or replace them with extremely sharp ones. You don't want to muss out on a 30kg monster because of a blunt hook!

Keep your lures smelling great. Chinook Salmon have a great nose, so you don't want your lures smelling like your lunch, or the petrol from your boat motor. You can purchase scents to add to your lure which have been shown to have great success.

Get the right depth. Chinook Salmon are renowned bottom feeders, so if you want to catch them, you need to put the lure where they are feeding - at the bottom. Generally, your lure needs to be in the bottom two metres of the ocean, to give yourself the best chance.

By following these tips, you will greatly enhance your chances of landing that monster Chinook Salmon. The guys at West Coast Fishing Club, specialists in Langara Island Fishing, can talk you through all this when you book your charter fishing trip with them.