Bc salmon fishing skeena or ocean

[lakerman]

Would like to hit the skeena.I have no boat, probably need a guide? Need to keep costs down,any recommendations of you fishers that have done it? Have the summer to get it done😛

[edmhunter]

PM Sent

[Sea Hawk]

If cost is your first concern, the rivers would be your cheapest option. You could go out to Kitimat at the end of July and fish the river off the shore right in town. You would not need much for equipment and that river is usually full of pinks and chum at that time.

[damienelliott]

Do not book with terrace sport fishing adventures. The biggest scam artist out there we went with them last year... Never again needless to say the $7000 was pretty expensive to fish in town along shore and snag fish. The reason we were fishing in town was because we found out when we got there that they made us buy a classified waters license but they didn't have one.... But a 10'-11' spinning rod a decent reel. Some fluorocarbon for leaders a few single hooks with a piece of yarn tied on them and a 1 oz weight. Put a 4 foot leader from your weight to hook with a piece of yarn tied on the hook follow the crowds and let your gear bounce along bottom and snag (floss) fish as they swim by. Or drive past that gong show and go to Rupert and book 3 days on the ocean you will have way more fun catch way better fish and not have to deal with shoulder to shoulder fishing. Let me know if you want the contact on the ocean guide.

[curtis_rak]

I fished rupert on a stay-aboard charter this past fall and it's was great. We limited out on cohos and halibut very easily and the scenery was great. Downside; it was expensive. You can also do guided day trips and I think the going rate is about $1200-1700 a day for 2 people. (Give or take)

That being said I have never fished the Skeena, but I've fished salmon on the Fraser a couple of times and river fishing (from a boat) is a blast. Shore fishing during a salmon run is usually a gong-show as mentioned above. I can't stand that.

My preference is to river fish from a boat. I've caught huge salmon on the river, and it's a bit cheaper.

[Wild&Free]

For piece of mind and if you're just looking to put meat in the freezer, head to Rupert and book a charter.

the river is great, and the Skeena is king but it's never a guarantee you'll catch anything.

Plus, limits are greater on the chuck and non resident freshwater licences are $$$.

[edmhunter]

I have limited out and have had great fishing on the Skeena every time I have gone.

As for guides in Prince Rupert there are great guides that are very affordable and great at what they do and expensive guides that are mediocre at best. I have been lucky in selecting my guides and typically pay $800.00 per day for 2 people and always limit out on cohos, kings, halibut and cod.

The picture of me with all of the fish were taken at the dock in Prince Rupert and the other two were fish I caught on the Skeena in and around Terrace.

I took the picture of the humpbacks myself while fishing for cohos and kings :)

[Freedom55]

There are more places than you can count along the highway between Prince George and Prince Rupert. Every couple of miles you can spot a bend in the river or signage pointing to a lake and you could spend a month before you even see the Skeena River. A buddy landed a 55 lbs. salmon in the Kispiok River north of Hazelton (according to his story.)

I fished out of Queen Charlotte City back in October '89 and always wanted to go back and fish all the inland waters that we passed by on the way. Give that some thought as a way to get more fishing time for your dollar.

[Wild&Free]

There are more places than you can count along the highway between Prince George and Prince Rupert. Every couple of miles you can spot a bend in the river or signage pointing to a lake and you could spend a month before you even see the Skeena River. A buddy landed a 55 lbs. salmon in the Kispiok River north of Hazelton (according to his story.)

I fished out of Queen Charlotte City back in October '89 and always wanted to go back and fish all the inland waters that we passed by on the way. Give that some thought as a way to get more fishing time for your dollar.

Kispiox River is known for it's big springs, and steelhead. Wouldn't doubt a 55# spring from that river. I've seen washed up carcasses that would dwarf that. I spent 20 years halfway between PR and PG, so much fishable water it's paradise really. One lake will be full of the most aggressive little cutty's you can imagine, 20 minutes down the road the next lake is full of fat lazy rainbows that explode out of nowhere, 20 minutes further and your rubbing shoulders with bears over salmon runs. There's also the far back country lakes with the picsivore variety of Rainbows that balloon to well over 20# that hardly anyone goes to.

I should go back this summer...

[Red Bullets]

It's been thirty years but I doubt the shore fishing has changed. When I lived near Terrace I used to go about 50km inland from Rupert towards Terrace with a couple of locals and fish from shore. We open camped a couple hundred yards from the river not far off the highway. Heavy action 8 or 9 ft. rod with 60# line and big spin and glow hooks with roe bags for salmon. Medium action rod with 10# line with heavy spoons for sea run dollys and trout. Medium light action rod with 8# line for spinners and spoons on side channels of the river or lakes for trout. Back then it seemed that in every stream or waterbody was great trout fishing too. Probably still the same, just with more regulations.

Be prepared for a workout if you hook a big spring from shore. One time fishing, an old fellow near us took about 5 hours to get his 70+ lb. salmon in. It took me 4 hours to land a 62 lb. and a half mile of ground covered following the hooked fish. My elbows hurt for 2 days and I was spent for the day. (Make sure you have a tail lasso on your belt. Easiest way to secure the fish without gaffing.)


My two tips for shore fishing the Skeena...

1- when reeling in a 50+lb. salmon from shore know that the first time the caught fish feels gravel on their belly, close by shore, the fish will give a burst of energy to get back deeper. It might take two or three retrieves before you can land the fish. Don't rush it. Be prepared to have to chase a big fish downstream too...over log jams and along shoreline.

2- The closer you fish to the ocean the more chance you have of seeing a seal or two in the river chasing salmon. The locals taught me that having a slingshot and just shooting near the seals scares them away. It might take an hour for the salmon to come back to that area.

So all in all, I think the DIY shore fishing the skeena, kitimat, or other rivers is quite doable. If you shore fish be bear smart. The locals told me that the bears had their places to fish and people have their places to fish. Usually no problems. I never encountered a bear while fishing over 8 months . Red foxes ran around our campfires at night while camping. 3 or 4 would come 4 or 5 feet from the fire looking for scraps and handouts. Never gave them any.

We went to Rupert once, got the licence and put out a couple of crab traps off of a dock we got permission for too.