Skeena River Mouth

The Skeena River Mouth spreads across the tidal approaches to Prince Rupert, where British Columbia's second-largest river discharges into Chatham Sound and forms a broad transition zone of channels, tide rips, and estuarine flats. Chinook Salmon hold here through two distinct pushes, with peaks from February to April and again from April to July, followed by Coho Salmon running strong from May through September. Anglers work the water column between 10 and 80 feet, following bait schools and adjusting to tide-driven current lines that concentrate feed along the drop-offs. Downrigger trolling with whole herring, anchovy in teaser heads, trolling spoons, and hootchies behind flashers covers the Chinook fishery, while mooching cut-plug herring and jigging metal jigs produce on the slower stages of tide. For Coho, downrigger trolling with spoons, hoochies, and plastic squids remains the standard, with bucktailing and casting metal jigs or spoons taking fish that push into the surface layer.