Tatchun Creek Fishing for Chinook (Photos from André)

August 28, 2006 at 9:00 am

Andre sent me these photos of his daughter Frédérique fishing for Chinook for the first time. Apparently, she was having a great time, limiting out right away. After a crash course from Glen at Sports North, they were fishing with roe sacks and bottom-bouncing.

I have attached a quick description of two popular ways to catch Chinook (outside of chuckin’ metal pixies and flies). This comes from www.coastangler.com:

Float Fishing

Float fishing is a technique that B.C. river anglers have adapted to achieve that best possible presentation when fishing their favorite streams. The setup involves using a tubular float (aptly nicknamed a “dink” float) to suspend the anglers offering at the level of the fish, usually just off bottom. These floats are made from foam, balsa, or hard plastic. The balsa and plastic floats are expensive, but they float high in the water and look sharp. The foam floats are cheap at less than a dollar a piece.

Either split shots, or a combination of lead weight and tubing are used to weight the rig. Split shot turns over in the water easier and provides a more natural drift. Lead weight is easily adjustable, and when you snag up usually just the weight is lost. The tubing sits above the swivel and holds the lead weight in place. The angler casts the rig upstream so as to allow the bait/lure time to get down.

It is important to keep all line off the water, as takes can be subtle. The more taught the line is from your rod tip to your float, the better the hook set will be as well. Hook and leader sizes vary according to the condition of the river. In gin clear water, as light as 6# leaders and size 4 hooks are used. When the water has colour to it, 10-15# leaders are adequate for most Coho and Steelhead fishing, hook sizes vary from size 1-2 up to a 2/0 in murkier waters. Being able to adapt to the conditions is the key to a successful day on the water. Leader length varies from 12 inches in fast water up to 4 feet in clear conditions. A large float will spook fish in clear water; so the smallest float that will stay above water is usually best.

Bottom Bouncing

Bottom bouncers utilize the same setup as float fisherman, sans float. Pencil lead and a small piece of surgical tubing above the swivel get this rig down fast into deep holes that can’t be effectively float fished. On a number of Lower Mainland streams, bottom bouncing is taboo and should be avoided. This is due to the fact that most people fish floats on a crowded river, and bottom bouncer will tend to tangle up with those people. Botom bouncing and float fishing do not mix well.

At the same time, rivers such as the Fraser generally require bottom bouncing to get down in the fast currents. On the Fraser, a 2-3 oz. “bouncing betty” is the weight of choice. Due to its cannonball design,and rubber coating,less snags and fewer lost rigs are the result. For Chinook and Sockeye in the Fraser, fisherman have adapted a technique to fish the dirty, fast waters. Long leaders, five feet and up, are used in combination with a bouncing betty attached to a three way swivel. At the hook is a wool tie and/or a corkie. Green is popular for Sockeye, although most anglers have come to realize that color is irrelevant due to the fact that the majority of the fish are flossed or lined (see FAQ for a definition) For Fraser Sockeye, 15# leaders (20# main), and 2/0 hooks are the most popular setup.

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