The Might Fraser River
The Mighty Fraser River drains a vast amount of BC. The river also plays host to one of the worlds most amazing migrations. Below the surface of the river there is a migration of Salmon which is just as impressive as any of the great African animal migrations. Every month of the year Fraser Salmon are entering the system making their way to spawn at the place of their birth.
The Lower Fraser is the equivalent to a fish superhighway. Each and every fish heading to any of the Fraser’s tributaries must first swim through the Fraser mainstem. Each tributary has very individual run timings, making the Fraser a very consistent fishery and offering anglers a great opportunity to intercept the fish of a life time. The numbers of fish are not the the only reason to fish the Fraser, the average size of the salmonoids is also very large, with Springs (Chinook or Kings) reaching up to 60lbs or sometimes even larger.
Sturgeon are also present in the Fraser in numbers and size which dwarf other rivers. White Sturgeon grow to 14 foot in length, with most of the world record Sturgeon coming from the Fraser.
The Fraser River Fishing Seasons
July – October Spring Salmon Fishing
Fraser Springs start to enter the river in mid July and fish well late into October. Fraser Spring’s, also commonly known as Kings or Chinook Salmon, are the largest of all Salmon. In the Fraser they grow to 60lbs and sometimes a little more. A battle with a large Spring is tough; they have determination unlike most other species of fish, they stay deep during the fight and have incredible willpower. It’s a fight that you will never forget. Springs can be hooked on conventional gear and also fly patterns.
August – Mid September
Fraser Sockeye is the largest Sockeye return in the world. The 2014 season was a huge return of fish and we are very excited for 2015. Check our blog regularly, as we will be the first to tell you about the predictions for the coming season. Sockeye are fairly difficult to catch, so there are couple of important rules to adhere to. Red is the colour they love and use very small sparse flies, this imitates the natural food that sockeye feed on when out in the open ocean. Sockeyes are a little different to other species such as chinook which hang out feeding around the coastline of BC during the time they spend at sea, sockeye disperse as far away as japan, for this reason they are almost impossible to target until they reach the coastline and begin to school up in the costal bays. Once the Sockeye enter the river our guides are very adept at landing good numbers of fish per day through a variety of methods.
Mid September – November
Coho are great sport on the Fraser from Mid September until mid November, these strong aggressive Salmon are also known as Silver Salmon due to the beautiful silvery scales. Coho are a little different form the other species and will be found in what we guides refer to as slack or even frog water, finding Coho is all about water selection. They tend not to hang out with the more aggressive species such as the Chinook or Chum and you will find them in good numbers in soft side channels, deep holes and even soft shallow waters. This species is a real favourite on the table too, almost as great eating as the Sockeye, which is a japanese “sushi grade salmon”. Here are a couple great ways to prepare your catch after a day on the water with BC Sportfishing Guides.
Mid September – November
Chum or Dog Salmon are really aggressive, they are feisty and chase everything, offering the angler great sport, luckily for the Chum they are not good eating which is their saving grace. Once hooked a chum is an awesome fight, they tend to take off and continue to fight hard until they are landed. They lack the stamina of a Spring but are just as much fun to hook. Chum can be targeted using almost any method as they are so aggressive, the choice is totally yours, Fly, spin, float, jig and bottom fishing will yield results. This is a great way to start fishing as the action is fast and furious, the takes are great and you can pick up the skills needed fairly fast. Our guides love teaching new anglers, they are all very patient and full of the knowledge needed to make your trip a total success.
September – mid October
Pinks aka Humpies, they salmon are present in the Fraser on odd years only 2015, 2017, 2019….etc. and the numbers can be staggering, when viewed from above they make the water look black due to the sheer numbers of fish. We use fly or light tackle for pinks fishing, this is the best family fishing experience going on the Fraser, they are just great fun for all. The kids love the excitement of hooking these feisty little salmon in the 2-5 lbs range. Prime pinks season is 2nd week of September until the the end of the month.