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//Chinook

Chinook

The biggest of them all — the King salmon.

Quick IDBlack mouth with black gums; spots on both tail lobes; biggest fish.

The fish

The chinook is the largest Pacific salmon — the "King" — and the most prized for its size and rich, fatty flesh. Fish over 30 lb are caught every season and the species can exceed 50. In saltwater, immature resident chinook are known as "blackmouth." Runs are often split into early "springers" and later fall fish, and because several BC chinook stocks are of conservation concern, this is the species where knowing your regulations matters most.

Beads that bite back — hand-poured in BC

How to identify

chinook showing black mouth interior and spotted tail
  • Black mouth with a black gumline — the single most reliable tell. Open the jaw: if the gums are black, it's a chinook.
  • Spots on the back and on both lobes of the tail.
  • Large fish, small eye, silver in the ocean turning to a dark maroon, olive-brown or coppery bronze on spawning — a less dramatic colour change than the other salmon, with only a modest kype.

Lifecycle & migration

Chinook fry typically spend about a year in freshwater before heading to sea, where they may feed for up to six years — the longest ocean residence of the group, which is how they reach such size. They are the earliest spring spawners of the Pacific salmon.

Run timing & conditions (BC)

  • Broadly April–November, varying widely by river; the Fraser sees spring, summer, and fall components.
  • Check DFO in-season notices — chinook limits are often the tightest of any species (frequently one fish, sometimes with mandatory length recording).
  • Best conditions: big fish hold in deeper, heavier water. The prime window is the same greened-up drop after high water, though chinook will take a well-presented egg across a range of flows.

Best BeadnFloat beads

  • Low & clear: 14mm (12–16mm), natural / peach / orange-roe — a natural egg, not oversized.
  • Green & dropping (prime): 19mm (16–19mm), orange-roe / red — a large, visible egg matching king roe.
  • High & coloured: 19mm, red / bright orange — our largest, for lowest visibility on the biggest fish.
  • Blown out: 19mm, red — below a clearwater trib only.
Stock note: in heavily coloured water the research points to beads above 20mm for kings, but 19mm is our current ceiling — worth knowing there may be demand for a 20mm+ option.

When chinook run

Updated for 2026

Chinook move through the Vedder, Fraser and Harrison from roughly June, building through summer to a fall peak in September and October — check DFO in-season notices before targeting them, as chinook limits are typically the tightest of any species. A late tail can run into November.

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Fished on:

Beads that match

Tap any condition to open the full tool.

Low & clear14mm (12–16mm)

Big fish still want a natural egg in clear water — don't overdo the size.

Open tool
Green & dropping · prime19mm (16–19mm)

Prime window: a large, visible egg. Red and orange match king roe.

Open tool
Check live river conditions before you go — level, flow and the bead that matches today's water.View rivers →
Vedder River ·
Fraser River (at Hope) ·
Harrison River
When do chinook run in BC?
Chinook move through Fraser Valley rivers from around June, building through summer to a fall peak in September and October, with a late tail into November. Limits are typically the tightest of any species — always check DFO in-season notices.
What months are best for Fraser chinook?
September and October are the fall peak on the Fraser, when the largest component of the run comes through — though spring, summer and fall components mean chinook can show from June onward depending on the stock.
High & coloured
19mm (16–19mm)

Lowest visibility on the biggest fish — the largest, brightest beads.

Open tool
Blown out19mm (16–19mm)

Below a clearwater trib only; go big and bright.

Open tool
Open Bead Match for Chinook →
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2026