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 撸奶社区River.
鈥淭he daily limit for Chum salmon is zero in the following waters: 撸奶社区River downstream of the powerline crossing at 9 Mile (approximately 1.5 kilometres upstream of the confluence with the Cheakamus River),鈥� reads a Fisheries and Oceans Canada press release.
How to correctly fish for Chum Salmon
owner David Cooper explains that chum salmon are the second largest salmon species, so prospective fishers should prepare for a fight.
鈥淐hum 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,鈥� Cooper told The 撸奶社区.
鈥淭hey are a pretty aggressive larger fish, so people definitely should upsize their gear a little bit, or at least be prepared for bigger fights.鈥�
When it comes to lures, Cooper says that most salmon are 鈥減redatory鈥� and chum in particular fancy bright colours.
鈥淎ny kind of bait-fish presentation works really well. They're also quite interested in colours,鈥� he said.
鈥淐oho, for example, likes the more metallic colours, whereas chums tend to go for more pinks and purples, kind of brighter colours.
鈥淎lso, they're not as agile, so slowing down your presentation in the water, retrieving more slowly, tends to work pretty well for targeting chum.鈥�
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.
鈥淐atch and release sustains a fishery for everybody to kind of have access to,鈥� Cooper said.
鈥淪o 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.
鈥淛ust in general, it promotes a better, healthier fishery for the future.鈥�
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.
鈥淪o, 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.
鈥淏ut 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.
鈥淪ome 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.鈥�
He also recommends having fishing waders鈥攚aterproof boots or overalls鈥攖o be in the water when taking a photo.
鈥淩emoving 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.
鈥淎 nice, clean release and keeping them in the water as much as possible is definitely the way to go.鈥�
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.
鈥淭hey 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,鈥� Cooper said.
鈥淐hums 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.
鈥淭he 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.鈥�
Can I fish for other salmon species in Squamish?
It is currently legal to fish for coho salmon in 撸奶社区between Sept. 15 to Jan. 31.
鈥淐oho 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,鈥� Cooper said.
鈥淗atchery 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.鈥�
Currently, you can fish for coho salmon in the 撸奶社区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
