FINDING THE FISH

How to find salmon is perhaps the most important variable in the entire fishing experience. Because of course if you can't find them, you can't catch them. Here let us go over typical areas in which salmon are found.

POINTS

Anywhere where land sticks out into the ocean, as in any point, is often a good spot to find fish. The point will stick out into the water flow and cause an eddy to form on the lee ('downwind') side. Fish do not like to work any harder than they have to, therefore, they will often congregate into these eddies in order to save effort. They will also stack here to await any unfortunate baitfish that gets swept by in the current. Salmon will many times be on the lee side of a rock outcropping, such as a point.

Tides As we know, fishing at slack water, (end of the flood or end of the ebb, so, high or low tide), is often the best time to fish. This is when the current stops running and the flow of water is more or less stationary. So, when you are fishing slack water, take note of how the tide has been running past a point for the past few hours. For example if you are fishing off Beechey Head, a point near Sooke, BC, that sticks out south into the Juan de Fuca strait, and the tide has been flooding (so this means it was running towards the east), it would be wise to focus east of the point. This is where the slack water was for the recent history.

This doesn't just go for points, but bays, and anywhere that water will form an eddy behind land. In all these cases, read the ocean as if it were a river. Look for the shelter. Ask yourself, "if I were in a windstorm, and in a canoe, where would I paddle to?" This is likely where fish will prefer to hold.

UNDER WATER STRUCTURE

As we just discussed above, eddies are a great place to look for salmon. However this is not always just in a 2 dimensional sense. Sometimes vertical eddies will form too. Imagine what happens with Niagara falls. The water flows over and falls behind it. This happens in the ocean as well. If you know there is a steep dropoff, that would likely cause a vertical eddy. I have put together a quick doodle to the right to demonstrate what I mean. Places such as the Trap Shack Reef, off Sooke, are example of this. As the current runs overtop it, fish often will be holding just behind it. Again, this requires a knowledge of the bottom via GPS maps or charts.

READING TIDES / CURRENTS

Tides and currents obviously have an effect on the salmon. It dictates the environment within which they reside. Therefore, before going fishing for salmon on the ocean, always check the tide tables first. In some cases, there will be current tables as well, especially up the northern coast of BC where there is alot of water that must travel through a small stretch of passage. Sometimes there is indeed a difference in when high tide is, and when the current will stop moving, due to the time it takes water to move in and out of these narrow passages.

In general though, aim to fish the high or low tide. (high or low 'slack'). This is when the water stops moving and the fish are able to swim around easier to feed. In the winter time, when fishing for Winter Chinook, it is almost a waste of time to not fish the slack tides. The bite can seem like a lightswitch, with a flurry of activity, and then be off for hours more. In the summer, the best fishing is often between first light and the first slack tide. This is primetime.

When you are on the water, be sure to note how the moving water will affect the given area. Look for areas where eddies and backwaters will form, on the lee side of outcroppings.

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE

The best way to determine where the salmon are holding, is to ask the locals. I cannot stress how many times this has made the difference between nailing fish all day, and taking a boatride. Most marinas will have a tackle store or boat launch attendant. These guys see anglers go by all day and are most often happy to answer questions. The questions you should ask are as follows:

1) Where are guys getting fish? (and perhaps if it isn't obvious, what species as well)
2) How deep? (crucial piece of information to have)
3) What on? (an anchovy, spoon and hootchie will not always all produce fish)

During a recent trip up to Brown's Bay in early October, near Campbell River, I asked these 3 questions. The answer to where the fish were, was "Greensea Bay". In our 16' 60hp boat, this was quite a run up the channel. However it was more than worth it. We made our way up there and lone and behold there was a fleet of boats focused on this place. When we trolled our Blue/Silver Coyote Spoon through at 40', we ended up with half a dozen Cohos up to 13lbs.

However, there were Chum across the bay, in Deepwater Bay at 100'. Totally different species, depth, lure, trolling speed, and location. The point being here, is to gather as much information as possible, as sometimes it can really make the difference. Asking the above 3 questions should be enough though. This can be done on the water too, especially if you see someone who landed a fish.

BOATS ATTRACT BOATS

This saying will be obvious to you every morning. Sometimes it is not the good fishing grounds that attract other boats, it is all the other fishing boats that attract anglers. People will see this and very often drop their lines along with 800 other anglers. Sometimes there is a reason for this. All I am trying to stress here is not to be afraid to veer away from the pack.

Ask yourself where you think the fish will be holding. If you aren't having any luck where you are fishing, go try somewhere else; even more so if you have a reason to believe the salmon may be somewhere else. For example if there is a crowd of boats fishing off Wain Rock, in Deep Cove, Saanich Inlet, and nobody is having much luck, look elsewhere. On a flood tide try just south of Moses Point or into Pat Bay.

Just use your fish sense. If you aren't feeling it, move. Sometimes picking your lines up and moving seems like such a waste of time and effort. However it really only takes 10-15 minutes or so, which you probably would have spent without a touch anyways.

FISHFINDER

Although not as vital as a boat, or rods, or even downrigger, a depthsounder is not far down on the list of must haves. Most importantly, the depthsounder will show you where the bottom is. Often times you will hear the fish are "at 110' in 150' of water" for example. It helps you keep your bearings, and to see how much water you are fishing in. A decent depthsounder will also show schools of bait. They will not show salmon, unless in a large, tight school, such as Sockeye. If you find the bait, you will likely have found the salmon.

In the winter time, for Feeder Springs (Winter Chinook), the fish are often feeding right on or near the bottom. Now the depthsounder becomes even more crucial to your day. The depthsounder will help you locate yourself and the fish time after time.

BIRDS

Another fantastic way to locate the fish is to look for birds. Should you see diving birds surfacing and diving again, this means they are after bait down to 100'. I have in fact had a bird take my anchovy at 60' on two occassions. If the birds are after the bait, this means so are the salmon.

However if you see seagulls as well, this means the bait is within the top 20-30' and this is a good reason to start fishing shallower.

COVER WATER

If you have been doing all of the above techniques, being diligent about your lines, fishing points, creek outlets and so on, and there is still no sign of fish. Then just start covering water. Sometimes it takes a while to find where the salmon are hanging out that day.

As with everything in salmon fishing, this can becomes a bit of a decision to make. Do I fish one good hotspot all morning, or do I try and cover everywhere I can? The answer is going to be up to you. Although rarely have I ever fished one spot all day if I am not having any luck. Chinook will generally be near the shore and in select locations. However Cohos, Sockeyes, Pinks and Cohos will often be in schools scattered all over. These species require covering alot of water almost every time you fish for them

I recall on fall a buddy and I were fishing off Port Renfrew one fall for Coho. It was not until we were many miles offshore that we started hitting fish, up to 17lbs. Sometimes you just have to point the boat and wait. However, once you have found the salmon, note the current and try and stay on them.