Your Morning Aboard: Hooking 12-16 lb Chinook on a 0.1m Flood
Calm seas and a morning flood have Chinook, Coho, and Pinks firing in Discovery Passage — plus the season's best shot at a trophy Tyee.
What Your Morning on the Water Looks Like
Picture this: you step aboard at Campbell River just as the sun starts working through partly cloudy skies. It's a cool 11°C, the NW wind is barely stirring at 7 km/h, and Discovery Passage is laid out flat with wave heights hovering around 0.1m. We time our run to catch the morning slack tipping into the flood — the exact window when Chinook light up. Within minutes of dropping gear, you're watching rod tips and waiting for that first heavy pull.
What's Running and Why
This is shaping up to be one of the best months of the year for sheer variety. Chinook are still biting hard, with most fish landing in the 12-16 lb range — solid, hard-fighting salmon that put a real bend in the rod. But August also carries the season's best odds at a trophy Tyee in the 30-35 lb class, so every hookup could be the fish of the trip. Coho are peaking right now too, typically 12-16 lbs, and Pink Salmon round out the action to keep the whole boat busy.
Technique for the Day
On a glassy flood like today, we're fishing the tide line where bait stacks up along Discovery Passage and the Quadra shorelines. Anchovy in the upper water column and glow hootchies down deep both earn bites — we'll dial in depth as the flood builds. When Johnstone Strait fish push through, it happens fast, so staying on the gear pays off.
What Guests Can Expect This Week
Chinook retention is open, so keeper fish are going home with guests. The limit is one Chinook per day, between 62cm and 80cm — meaning you can bring home a beautiful table-fish while still releasing the giants to fight another day. With calm seas, light winds, and multiple species firing, this is a perfect week for families, first-timers, and seasoned anglers alike.
Book Your Seat
The flood tides are prime, the fish are here, and the trophy window is wide open. Days like this fill quickly — if you want to be aboard when the next Tyee comes over the rail, now is the time to lock in your spot.
Ready to experience world-class fishing in Campbell River? Book your charter trip with Fishing Storie Charters today. Captain Jason and the crew are ready to put you on fish.
