OUTLOOK
Welcome to this week’s edition of the Friday Fishing Report! We enjoyed a short week in the shop and are looking forward to getting out on the water. There is rain in the forecast for foreseeable future but hopefully it will be enough to bump up a few of our systems but not blow them out. We’ll be looking for some breaks in the weather to get out!
Fishing on the rivers from out in the valley up to Squamish has been challenging at times but for those that have been putting in the time they have been rewarded. All of the updates are in this week’s freshwater report section.
Stocking continues on our local lakes so if you’ve only got a few hours to get out, that is a good option locally and a lot of fun. The fish may not be super active now but its great to get out and wet the line for a few hours and remember fishing will be even better once the temperatures warm up a little.
On the saltwater front fishing has been consistent with lots of options from the Bell Buoy, QA, Hump, and we’re starting to hear the first reports of the year from Thrasher, so brave the rain and get out there.
Finally, if you haven’t done it already be sure that you have renewed your freshwater and saltwater licenses.
Good luck out on the water!
CLASSES + COURSES
Introduction to Fly Tying – sold out – call the shop to add your name to the waitlist!
There is no greater satisfaction than catching a fish with a fly you tied yourself. This course was specifically designed to give you the fundamental skills needed to tie proven fly patterns used here in BC for trout, salmon, and steelhead. This course consists of 3 sessions; each session is 3hrs. Students are required to supply their own vise, tools and materials. A 10% discount is available on materials and tools purchased for the course.
Cost: $75.00 + GST
Dates: Apr 9, 16, 23 Sold Out!
Time: 6:30pm – 9:30pm
Mastering Local Saltwater Salmon – ONE spot available!
Over 50 million salmon migrate past Vancouver annually. Learn how to catch these fish with a Pacific Angler. This course offers an in-depth look at the local saltwater scene. We cover the local saltwater salmon fishing for the entire year, showing you the how, when, and where. This course includes a 6hr weekend seminar and a fully guided day on the water in one of our Grady Whites.
Cost: $300.00 + GST
Dates: Seminar Apr 14 Guided: Apr 20, 21, 23, May 6, or 7 Sold Out! One spot available May 5
Seminar Time: 9:00am – 4:00pm – with a one-hour break for lunch. There are two restaurants on site for students to have lunch at their cost. Coffee/Tea and water will be provided.
Seminar held at Pacific Gateway Hotel – 3500 Cessna Drive, Richmond, BC
Guided Day: Full day on the water
Introduction to Chironomid Techniques
Chironomids are the number one food source for trout in BC’s lakes; however, few anglers have taken the time to become true masters of this discipline. Those that do are often rewarded with the largest fish. Trevor is a former member of the Canadian Fly Fishing Team and an excellent chironomid angler. Dedication to his sport has helped Trevor become one of the top fly fishermen in the province as well as a fisheries biologist working for Hemmera. This course is comprised of one 3hr evening seminar. Content is for beginner to advanced.
Cost: $45.00 + GST
Dates: Apr 17 or May 2
Time: 6:30pm – 9:30pm
Introduction To Fly Fishing – sold out – call the shop to add your name to the waitlist!
This course was specifically designed to give the new fly fisher the basic knowledge, casting skills and fly fishing strategies to effectively fish our local BC waters. This course is comprised of two sessions; 3hr evening seminar and a 3hr casting session. The dates below show the seminar date first and casting date second.
Cost: $125.00 + GST
Dates: Apr 18 , Casting April 22 Sold Out!
Seminar Time: 6:30pm – 9:30pm
Casting Time(s): 10am – 1pm or 2pm -5pm
FRESHWATER FISHING REPORTS
Chilliwack River Fishing Report
We are officially in April and that means we have a limited amount of time left to fish the Vedder for steelhead. While the river still allows fly fishing below the Crossing in May, it closes for gear fishing by that point so these next few weeks are the last hurrah for non-fly chuckers. The water is still low and clear and most likely will be until freshet starts unless we get a very wet storm before then or the warm weather starts early.
Fishing has been slowing down a bit but still continues to be decent. Focus your efforts in the lower river as this will be where the fresher fish will be moving through and more likely to take your offering. While there are more fish stacked in the upper they are a little harder to get as they have seen so many baits, lures, and flies by this point that they have a pretty good case of lock jaw and are set on spawning.
If you haven’t already, it’s time to renew your fishing license! Don’t forget that you will need a steelhead tag to fish this river at this time of year unless you can prove you are targeting another species.
Tight lines,
Alex Au-Yeung
Capilano River Fishing Report
The Capilano River remains low even with the bit of the rain that we’ve had over the week. The fish will be more careful and the water is gin-clear. There are not many options when it comes to water conditions like this. However, try to find the fish and try a few casts. When the water is clear I can’t stress enough how important it is to downsize your presentation. Using smaller lures, plastics, line and terminal tackle from hooks to swivels. Having a clean presentation with less visible components will definitely up your game. Although float fishing isn’t the best option at this water level, if you are most confident in float fishing, try to use clear and lighter floats as the light fracture is less likely to spook the fish than a shadow. Don’t be afraid to use lighter leaders either as it will be easier for you to land the fish as there is not much current. Swinging flies, spoons or spinners is a good tactic in low clear condition. try smaller crocs, K-wobblers and ironhead spoons to see if the fish are willing to strike. It is also a good idea to use patterns like GP or small prawny pattern if you are going with the fly route.
You might run into some of the early coho that enter the system. It is very important to be able to identify all species in this system from salmon, trout and steelhead. You don’t want to mistake a steelhead for a salmon and kill it. If you can’t tell, or are unsure of what it is please release it with care as all steelhead need to be released with care in this system.
Have fun out there,
Dustin Oh
Squamish River Fishing Report
This past week saw the Squamish and it’s tributaries put out a few more fish as temperatures rose. The water did colour a little bit and anglers did find the odd steelhead. Bulltrout fishing has slowly been picking up and anglers should expect it to only get better as fry start getting pushed around.
Guide Alex’s young guests this week with their first Squamish bulltrout.
Another Squamish bulltrout from earlier this week.
Medium-action spinning rods with small spoons or 5wt fly rods matched with full floating lines and fry patterns are the go-to when targeting trout. For steelhead, 7-8wt switch or spey rods are quite common (the Sage-X 8120-4 is a personal favourite), as are 8wt single-hand rods for anglers who prefer going that route.
A mix of weighted and un-weighted flies paired with a variety of tips, as well as a little bit of luck, are often the keys the success.
Tight lines,
Jordan Simpson
Fraser Valley Cutthroat Report
I was out last weekend for the “fly fishing for cutthroat course” but unfortunately I didn’t even see a rise. We covered a lot of water, starting our day on the Harrison and ended on the Stave River. So far it has been a tough season for me but I have seen a few pics here and there of others finding a fish so hopefully my luck will change and I will hook a few before the season ends! I will be out there again for the course this weekend and will see how things go and will update you next week.
As I have said before everyday is a new day when it comes to cutthroat fishing. The river levels are still hovering around 8.6 meters but it might bump up a little with this rain which might be good to move more fry down in to the Harrison River. I haven’t seen a lot of mayfly or stone fly hatch yet as it is still a bit on the cold side. As we head into the month of April we should start having those nice warmer sunny days when the temperatures hover anywhere between 15 to 20 degrees so make sure to have some dry flies and nymphs on you.
Andre Stepanian
STILLWATER FISHING REPORTS
Local Lake Fishing Report
The local lakes were on and off last week. A few good reports came in just before the weekend but after that, the wind and the cold front came. The fish are now less active due to the weather conditions. Deer Lake was also stocked Thursday of last week and we are now just need to wait for the heat to come back and Deer Lake along with all the stocked lakes will be on fire.
If I were heading out now I would make it a ½ day trip, especially if you are taking your kids. Half days are easily doable for our local lakes and even with this cooler weather you can expect a few bites. It is also important to try everything from bait, lure, and fly fishing to see if they key on anything for the best success.
Once it gets warmer we expect to see more action, which will draw lots of crowd to the stocked lakes. Please respect each other and give some casting room. Remember to pack any of your garbage out with you and leave clean up your garbage and make a clean environment for the next angler.
Have fun out there,
Dustin Oh
Interior Lake Fishing Report
COMING SOON as things warm up! We can’t wait!
SALTWATER FISHING REPORTS
The fishing has been consistent this past week with lots of options. There is currently good fishing off the Bell Buoy, QA, Hump, and the first reports of the year are coming in from Thrasher. So there are lots of options. I wouldn’t say that one spot is better than any other at the moment I will say that the seals have been pretty bad off the Bell and sometimes at the QA so keep that in mind. If you have a seal following you just pick up and move as the second you get a decent fish you will get sealed.
The girls were getting it done this week from the QA to the Bell.
The amount of bait around has been staggering. As I am writing this report at the Bell there is bait ball after bait ball on the screen with most of it close to or right on the bottom. So the productive depths have been just off bottom in the shallower 100-180 water depths and then 70-145 on the riggers when fishing the deeper water off the QA and Hump where you are in 300-400 feet of water.
Realtime reporting!
Productive setups have been glow flashers and in particular green or chartreuse blades. Good choices are the Chartreuse Phantom, Green Onion Glow, Chart Glow, Green Glow. 3.5 and 4.0 spoons have been working well and good colours are going to have some green and some glow in them. Bait has also been working well. 5.5 anchovies or Green size herring in glow green teaser heads will work well.
Crabbing has been decent and prawning has been good now that Howe Sound is open so on our longer trips we have been dropping traps.
Okay, gotta get back to watching these rods!
Jason