Winter Fishing For Feeder Chinook in Victoria BC

If you’re a local angler like me, you probably haven’t put your boat away for the winter. And you shouldn’t! The Georgia Strait waters around the Sunshine Coast and eastern Vancouver Island offer fantastic fishing for winter Chinook salmon.

Author Joel Unickow fishing in March, West Coast Vancouver Island. Photo: Rob Frawley

But did you know that some of the best fishing might be right in front of Victoria?

For residents and visitors to Victoria, I highly recommend a guided charter boat tour. It’s the perfect way to experience the beauty of Vancouver Island from the water. The eastern Juan de Fuca Strait can offer surprisingly calm waters, even in winter. You can catch a variety of Chinook sizes, from legal to some real beauties over 20 lbs.

Approximately 80% of the fish in this area come from US hatcheries, primarily in Puget Sound. This means little pressure on Canadian stocks. As Tom Davis pointed out in an article for Island Fisherman, “Canadian officials appear stuck in neutral regarding the value of hatchery salmon, specifically whether they should be used to rebuild stocks and sustain fisheries. The US has already made the decision that hatcheries and fisheries are valuable. Consequently, the Americans are marking almost 100% of hatchery Chinook and coho, compared to around 25% in Canada. Puget Sound’s hatchery programs are a collaborative venture between the state of Washington’s Department of Fisheries, twenty-two local First Nations, and non-government organizations like Long Live the Kings. Canadian anglers shouldn’t feel guilty about keeping these fish, as they are part of the Canada-US Salmon Treaty sharing arrangements.”

Torsten Novak, Reel Obsession guide

The Victoria BC Winter Salmon Fishery

The Victoria fishery consists of inshore and offshore zones. Pedder Bay (1) is the inshore fishery’s western boundary, continuing towards Albert Head (2) and then across the front of the old gravel pit site (3). From here, anglers tack tight to shore across the Esquimalt and Victoria waterfronts (4 and 5) before ending at Oak Bay (6). Trolling is the best tactic since the fishery is primarily for Chinook, with some halibut available off Albert Head. Constance Bank (7) is the main offshore salmon and halibut destination, while secondary locations near the Canada-US border offer up halibut and bottom fish.

Victoria Fishing Map – hot spots to fish

A Guide’s Perspective To Victoria Fishing

Adrian O’Conner

Victoria resident Adrian O’Connor, owner of Reel Obsession Sport Fishing, is a well-known figure in the fishing scene. While his renowned Zeballos lodge, marina, and gas dock keep him busy during the summer, he transitions to winter fishing and guiding out of Pedder Bay after his annual hunting trip.

O’Connor’s passion for fishing began at the tender age of four in Ontario. His outdoorsman father introduced him to salmon fishing on the Great Lakes, and “he also learned to fish for bass, pike, and walleye. After moving to Victoria in 1999, he started working for his uncle’s charter business, Zeballos Expeditions. He quickly transitioned to independent guiding and founded Reel Obsession in 2003. By 2010, he had established himself with a second boat, partnerships, and a waterfront home in Zeballos that is now the lodge. In 2016, Angie Vincent came on as a full-time business partner and was instrumental in expanding the business by 300%. Today, the lodge accommodates around 600 guests per season, operating 8 to 10 boats daily. They also own and have expanded the Zeballos gas dock to a 14-slip marina. Despite their demanding summer schedule, Adrian and Angie remain active in the winter fishing scene, operating out of Pedder Bay.

Pedder Bay Boat Launch: Photo Joel

Adrian points out that “winter springs [Chinook] typically start to kick off late October/early November. Constance Bank almost always holds winter springs. It’s weather dependent, being in the Strait, but you do get a lot of spectacular days, and there are really good close opportunities right out of Pedder Bay. In fact, the Bay can be a fantastic spot. Even at Whirl Bay and over at Albert Head is good close fishing.”

Adrian reports that peak fishing season occurs from mid- to late-February, coinciding with the start of halibut season discussions. He also notes that spring fishing is consistently productive, with good-sized catches. This likely correlates with the arrival of spawning herring. Regarding the ratio of wild to hatchery (adipose fin-marked) fish, Adrian estimates that 90% to 100% of catches on some days are hatchery fish.

Angie Vincent and Kala McDonald

Winter Chinook Fishing Tactics

Sand lance are a common food source for winter springs. So, match the hatch with skinny spoons. Adrian suggests that your best bet is to shorten up your leaders and speed up your boat. It lets you cover more ground. “In Victoria, there’s a lot of current, so you have to also take your speed over ground into consideration, as well as the angle of your gear. Keeping your presentation on the bottom is critical because it seems like those fish live on the bottom, where they’re protected and where they’re feeding on abundant sand lance a lot of the time, right when the herring aren’t around. On your sounder, it’s tough to spot bait balls like you’d see in the summer with large herring, because micro-herring and smaller sand lance tend to hold in small schools.

Photo Joel Unickow

Typically, we are fishing right on the bottom—100′ to 140′, and there are a few spots where we get a little bit shallower, but out on Constance Bank, the top is 70′ to 80′. We’ll fish the top and the edges, spotting for right where they are holding out of the current that will push them, and bait, around.

Pacific sand lance – French Beach, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. Photo BGP MOBILE, Shutterstock ID 1443887783

In Nanaimo, where I live, we often fish at depths exceeding 300′ and find that glow and UV lures are highly effective. Adrian recommends the same approach for Victoria. He emphasizes the importance of UV lures, especially in the mornings and in deeper water.

“Lures, left to right: Coho Killer UV White Lightning, #3 Kingfisher EX Double Glow Yellow Tail, Coho Killer Glow/UV Cookies ’n’ Cream”

“I keep a UV flashlight on board to charge them up. The clear water with its distinctive blue hue makes these lures particularly effective. Silver, blues, and greens are productive colours, while purple and blue work well on cloudy days. Skinny Gs and Coho Killers are excellent choices, and Moon Jelly colour flashers like the Gibbs Highliner Guide Series Madi are always a reliable option.”

For details on effective fishing with sand lance lures, check out this article.