November is the month the fishing calendar begins in saltwater for winter springs, and is the end of the freshwater fishing calendar. Some rivers and beaches have late chum for the taking, while some rivers have coho in them.
The Puntledge is typically fished for chum and roe in mid-November. And from year to year, the Sooke, Stamp and Nitinat also have late spurts of new chum into December. Do check the fishing regulations before heading out. And the Stamp usually has some late clean coho in November. December can still produce some fresh coho in the Cowichan, and Taylor. At the other end, the Toquart can have coho as early as July, while the Stamp starts receiving in early September and the Rifle Range is a good spot on a late summer day to soak up the warmth and catch a coho from The Bucket on down.
It should be noted that many west-side rivers are still receiving summer steelhead in November, including the Stamp. I have caught summers all 12 months of the year. Winter steelhead come early to the Nimpkish in November and December. January and February are high season for winters in the Cowichan, the Stamp, Sarita and the drainages that flow into Alberni Inlet. Scrutinize your Vancouver Island Backroad Mapbook for these rivers and make a plan to try something new this winter, the Franklin for instance. The Campbell’s summer runs have split in two with later fish arriving in January. So any trip you take up-island for the Salmon and others should include a stop at the Campbell. Notably, it has searun cutts at this time as does the Sarita.
In saltwater, it is time to check those downrigger cables and change them before your first trip out — for fraying, rust and worn ball clips. I have changed over to braided line. It has two advantages: It does not carry electric charge and thus you don’t have to worry about bonding all metal parts on your boat, particularly with the recent surge in purchases of metal boats over fibreglass. Second, at lower speeds, downrigger balls sit deeper in the water, closer to the counter reading; this is because braid has a thinner diameter than stainless cable and thus has less drag. However, fishing fast or against a current does lift balls clipped to braided line, in my opinion.
Early in the winter season, winter springs are noticeably bitier than the mature chinook that have just vacated our areas. You might want to consider a winter trip to the west side. Your biggest consideration is storms and thus any long inlet — our fjord-like sounds can be 50 kilometres long and surrounded by mountains — is a likely bet, for example, Gold River and Tahsis, for lower winds. Locals go out from Ucluelet and Tofino, but do get local advice before mounting your trip, and check hotels.
Locally, flashers with glow green in them and lures with both glow and UV properties are good at the deeper depths we fish for winter chinook. And of course, Purple Haze in flashers and teaser heads are also sound tackle choices. Do remember that if the location bait is needle fish, say the Oak Bay Flats, you will use squirts, smaller spoons and small anchovy; if the bait is herring, fish hootchies, spoons and large anchovy.
