I Tried Fly Fishing for Chinook Salmon (And It Was Hard)

I tried fly fishing for Chinook salmon on Vancouver Island — and quickly discovered I had a lot to learn. Here’s to visiting fascinating places! I headed up-island to Nile Creek Fly Shop, where the owner, and my friend, Courtney, gave me a crash course in targeting Chinook on a fly rod: reading the river, choosing the right setup, presenting the fly, and understanding what these powerful fish are doing as they push upstream. Armed with a new Vision Coast 8-weight fly rod, I climbed back into Bluey, my 1981 VW Westfalia, found a place to camp beside the river, and went fishing. The salmon run was incredible. Chinook were charging through the shallows, fighting their way upstream — sometimes literally crashing onto the bank. And once I started figuring things out, I began hooking fish. Landing them was another matter. This episode is part fishing lesson, part road trip, and part first attempt at something I've wanted to learn for a long time. If you enjoy fishing, sailing, wild food, old boats, old VW Westfalia's and the other adventures around here, subscribe and come along. And if you'd like to directly support the channel and help make these films possible, consider becoming a channel member. Your support goes directly toward keeping John Fraser's Wild Life growing and getting me out there making more of these stories. CHAPTERS 00:00 Fly Fishing for Chinook Salmon on Vancouver Island 03:40 Meeting Courtney at Nile Creek Fly Shop 05:05 Choosing a New Vision Fly Rod 09:58 How to Fly Fish for Chinook Salmon 16:10 Fly Fishing Again After Four Years 18:53 How to Read a River for Salmon 26:20 VW Westfalia Road Trip on Vancouver Island 27:16 The Spectacle of Spawning Chinook Salmon 29:37 Hooking Chinook on a Fly Rod Thanks for watching. vidIQ Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG6diCN-nm_nUS-BS-hJHTA/join