| Chinooks are the largest of all Pacific salmon. Mature chinooks average between 15-20 lbs. Most of the chinooks you will catch around Victoria are between 5-25 lbs........but fish weighing 30-50 have been caught now and again. I'm looking for the biggest shore caught salmon picture I can find. Please send me your pictures. |
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Daily Limit : 2 | Possesion Limit :4 | Annual Limit :15 |
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| Chinook fry emerge from the gravel in spring and after a short schooling period take up individual territories. They are not as aggressive as the coho fry and usually spend less time in the freshwater rivers and creeks. Most fry leave within a few months of hatching, but in Alaska they may spend one to two years in fresh water. |
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| Proud Member of Victoria's Shore Caster |
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| When they first get to the ocean the young chinook remain close to the coast, feeding deeper than coho but basically on the same diet of any small creatures. When they start their ocean travels, they are feeding on oily fish like herring, sand lance and pilchard, and make long trips both along the coast and out into the middle of the Pacific. A small amount of chinooks return as jacks, about 2 or 3 lbs., but most chinook stay out at sea for three to five years, sometimes up to eight, and reaching weights of 60 lbs. and more! |
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| Pre Spawn Chinook |
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| When spawning chinook look less exotic than other Pacific salmonoids. The female turns a dark, drab shade all over her body and the sides of the males become dull yellow or reddish and their jaws become only slightly enlarge. |
