Recreational chum salmon fishing is open in Squamish.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada has announced that as of Oct. 26 until Dec. 31, catch-and-release fishing of chum salmon is allowed in portions of the Squamish River.
“The daily limit for Chum salmon is zero in the following waters: Squamish River downstream of the powerline crossing at 9 Mile (approximately 1.5 kilometres upstream of the confluence with the Cheakamus River),” reads a Fisheries and Oceans Canada press release.
How to correctly fish for Chum Salmon
Coops Bait & Tackle owner David Cooper explains that chum salmon are the second largest salmon species, so prospective fishers should prepare for a fight.
“Chum are the last of the salmon to kind of enter [the river system]; they are the second biggest of the Pacific salmon, just below the chinook,” Cooper told The Squamish Chief.
“They are a pretty aggressive larger fish, so people definitely should upsize their gear a little bit, or at least be prepared for bigger fights.”
When it comes to lures, Cooper says that most salmon are “predatory” and chum in particular fancy bright colours.
“Any kind of bait-fish presentation works really well. They're also quite interested in colours,” he said.
“Coho, for example, likes the more metallic colours, whereas chums tend to go for more pinks and purples, kind of brighter colours.
“Also, they're not as agile, so slowing down your presentation in the water, retrieving more slowly, tends to work pretty well for targeting chum.”
While fishers are now able to recreationally fish for chum salmon, they are only allowed to be caught and immediately released. No chum salmon is allowed to be retained.
“Catch and release sustains a fishery for everybody to kind of have access to,” Cooper said.
“So whether that's just people that are out fishing on the same day or the same season, or future generations. It allows the fish to obviously be released and kind of carry on with what they're doing, and go spawn to then, obviously bringing more fish into the system.
“Just in general, it promotes a better, healthier fishery for the future.”
I caught a chum! Can I take a photo with it?
While Cooper is of the belief that taking photos with your catch is part of the fun activity, he encourages fishers to do so responsibly.
“So, you definitely are allowed to [take photos with a fish]. It's a recreational activity. There are some people who will kind of steer you away from it, but I think it's important to enjoy while you're out there, whether that's taking a picture with a fish or not.
“But there's definitely things to do that make the release more safe for the fish. So personally, in the store, most of our landing nets, for example, are all rubber, which is just a better material to handle the fish. And nets, in general, are super useful.
“Some people don't use them, but having a landing net handy just saves you from pulling a fish up on the shore and kind of banging them off the rocks and stuff.”
He also recommends having fishing waders—waterproof boots or overalls—to be in the water when taking a photo.
“Removing fish from the river itself is kind of something you want to avoid. Being in the water, knee deep or so, with the fish, bringing it into a landing net and holding it up, you know, just an inch or two above the water or still in the water on the surface to snap your pictures is kind of a recommended way to go about it.
“A nice, clean release and keeping them in the water as much as possible is definitely the way to go.”
How to identify a chum salmon from other species?
While it can be hard to tell the difference between one fish species from another, there are certain features to look out for that are unique to chum.
“They do tend to be similar colours to all the other salmon when they're out in the ocean, but as they enter the rivers, they get into the mating mode, and they tend to turn a bit greener on their body,” Cooper said.
“Chums specifically, kind of have tiger stripes down the side of them, so they're like a reddish or purple kind of vertical tiger stripe down their bodies.
“The males will also get a bit of a hook jaw, a more pronounced bottom jaw, and they do have dog-like teeth, so the males will grow these big, kind of gnarly looking teeth on them, which is why the nickname for chum salmon specifically, is dogs.”
Can I fish for other salmon species in Squamish?
It is currently legal to fish for coho salmon in Squamish between Sept. 15 to Jan. 31.
“Coho do enter the rivers a little earlier, but they do tend to stick around quite a while. And coho salmon, you're allowed to retain. You are allowed to retain one per day as long as it's from a hatchery,” Cooper said.
“Hatchery coho, or hatchery fish in general, are marked with the removal of an adipose fin on their kind of lower back, and there'll be a healed scar where their adipose fin was removed from the hatchery.”
Currently, you can fish for coho salmon in the Squamish River, the Cheakamus River, and the Mamquam River.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada reminders
Things to remember when fishing for salmon, according to Fisheries and Oceans Canada:
- Barbless hooks are required when fishing for salmon in tidal and non-tidal waters of British Columbia.
- No fishing is allowed within 100 meters of any government facility operated for counting, passing or rearing fish.
- It is illegal to wilfully foul hook a salmon. If you accidentally foul hook a salmon in the ocean, it may be retained if the species is open to retention. If you accidentally foul hook a salmon in any lake or stream, including the tidal parts of coastal streams, it may not be retained, and you must release it immediately with the least amount of harm as possible.
- All anglers must have a licence to fish in non-tidal waters in BC.
For more information on Salmon fishing in Squamish, visit the Fisheries and Oceans Canada website
