OUTLOOK
It’s warm and wet, two of the best things for river fishing in the winter! It is time to get out and chase steelhead or trout species on our local waters. Most of the rivers blew out yesterday with the heavy rain but they crested and should be coming down today. This is great for the weekend. Water levels may be high Saturday but depending on the weather we should see some good conditions at some point over the weekend.
Matt is on the Squamish this weekend for his egg fishing course and some of the guys are heading up to the Vedder to do some steelheading. Check out Matt’s predictions for the weekend on the Squamish and take a look at Sam’s Vedder report for more steelhead details. Other river systems like the Stave, Capilano and the Chehalis are worth looking at as well after these major rain events.
With river fishing in mind we have our entire steelhead gear fishing section on sale at 10% off this week! This means jigs, worms, hooks, leaders, soft plastics, scents and much more! Check out the feature product section for all of the information on this not to be missed sale.
On the saltwater front fishing has been excellent all week. We have some wind in the forecast but if it holds off we expect the winter chinook fishing to continue to be good. We are having one of the best years on record, if you want to book a trip; it is a great time to do so. If you are heading out in your own boat check out Jason’s report for details.
CLASSES + COURSES
The rain may keep you off the water but don’t let it keep you out of the classroom. Scoop up one of the last spots in our upcoming classes! Call the shop today at 604.872.2204.
Steelhead Float Fishing
In this fishery, 10% of the anglers catch 90% of the fish. This is your chance to learn from the 10%! Our 3hr evening seminar will educate you on the gear, water types, conditions and other key variables that put veteran steelhead anglers in that 10%. Mastering this fishery will make you the envy of your friends.
Upgrade your seminar to a fully guided day on the water and put what you learned in the classroom into action!
Seminar Date: Jan 23, 2017
Cost: $45.00
Seminar Time: 6:30pm – 9:30pm
Tying Essential Steelhead Patterns
This course is designed for the fly tyer looking to get the best start on tying steelhead patterns. In the 3-hour evening seminar your instructor will cover everything from tying techniques, material and colour choices, size and weight. They will walk you through 3 essential patterns that will build a well-rounded steelhead fly box. If you’re looking to get yourself into tying your own flies for steelhead, this is the course for you. This course is suitable for fly tiers with a basic knowledge. Students are required to supply their own vise, tools and materials. A 10% discount is available on materials and tools purchased for the course.
Date: Jan 24, 2017
Cost: $45.00
Time: 6:30pm – 9:30pm
Introduction to Fly Tying – SOLD OUT
We’ve got a waitlist going for this class and may open up a second class so call the shop to be added to the waitlist!
FRIDAY FEATURE PRODUCT
The entire steelhead gear fishing section is on SALE! With good conditions on the horizon and steelhead season ramping up this is your best chance to load up for the season. Everything in the steelhead gear section is on sale at 10% off. We have a great selection of worms, pre-tied leaders, custom jigs, scents, egg cures, leaders, soft plastics and much more.
One of the biggest keys in being a successful steelheader is having a selection of presentations that match the time of year and the conditions. You will want at least three or four options in different sizes. Come down to the shop and let us show you how we set up a well-rounded leader board. If you want to learn even more there are still a couple of spots in our steelhead float fishing course next Monday. The course is a very detailed look at the successful gear and techniques that you will need to chase steelhead with a float rod. See the details in the classes and courses section of the report above.
Prices in effect Friday January 20, 2017 through Thursday January 26, 2017
FRESHWATER FISHING REPORTS
Vedder River Fishing Report
With high water going into this weekend, expect the water to drop and clarity to improve towards Sunday and Monday. Have your rod rigged and ready to go because as soon as it comes into shape expect there to be good fishing. This bump in the water level will spread fish throughout the system and bring new ones in. Float fishing jigs, worms, jensen eggs, and spin n glos are must haves in your vest. If you’re looking to get into steelhead fishing or having trouble finding fish you should look into taking our steelhead float fishing course on Monday night and don’t miss out on are weekly sale. All steelhead float fishing gear is on at 10% off!
Tight lines,
Sam Graham
Capilano River Fishing Report
All the rain and snow melt from this recent warm weather brought an extreme change to the water levels on the Capilano this week, going from dead low to completely blown out. Luckily, the weather forecast for next week is calling for some cooler temperatures, which should bring about some lower water with good clarity. While there are some steelhead in the system currently, please keep in mind that this is a fragile run that is strictly catch and release only so treat any fish you catch with care. All the classic steelhead baits will work so think pro-cured roe, colorado blades, and pink worms. In addition, you can also target them on the fly with egg sucking leeches, flash flies, or popsicles. It is a short river so cover as much water as you can.
Alex Au-Yeung
Squamish River Fishing Report
We are heading out for the egg-fishing course this weekend and I am pretty pumped about the conditions. We have been closely monitoring water levels and weather. It looks as though we will see a dropping river over the weekend. This is what we have been waiting for. High water flips over rocks and disturbs eggs. The water temps also rise as rainfall mixes with snow melt. This kicks the bull trout’s metabolism on and they have to feed. The last benefit is the rain colors the water and makes all the fish in the system a lot less spooky.
This weekend is no guarantee. There is no such thing in fishing. The river clarity may stay dirty and finding fish is always a challenge this time of year. That said this is the best forecast we have seen in a long time and with a little luck the rivers will drop and it won’t rain too much.
Use brighter colored eggs and don’t worry as much about light leaders. Sometimes having a larger bead in your arsenal can be a game changer when the water is heavily colored. Watch the river levels and rainfall predictions. Tie up some leader boards and dress warm.
We will see you on the water!
Matt Sharp
Stave River Fishing Report
The Stave River offers a fun and potentially productive alternative fishery to the more popular rivers in the Lower Mainland. It is a short river with somewhat limited access so covering the accessible water isn’t a laborious task and it is home to quite a few different species of fish. The two main target species are cutthroat trout and steelhead, though you may also come across rainbow trout, mountain whitefish, and bull trout. Many of the lures, flies, and baits you would use for any one of these species will catch the others just as effectively so don’t be afraid to mix it up. Spoons, spinners, pink worms, colorado blades, egg sucking leeches, and muddler minnows are all viable options and this can be a great place to experiment as you don’t know what might end up on the end of your line. It is also a great place to bead fish is you don’t have time to make it to the larger rivers. Depending on what they do with the dam over the weekend we should see good fishing.
Alex Au-Yeung
Chehalis River Fishing Report
The Chehalis gets a winter run of steelhead from December through till April. This river can be hit and miss, as it rises and falls quickly after a good rain. There is no graph on this river so the only way you will know the level is by driving out to the river and seeing it first hand. The rain this week might make it worth the trip as there can be excellent fishing when the river is dropping. It’s a fun river to hike when the conditions are right but she is hard to gauge.
SALTWATER FISHING REPORTS
Vancouver Saltwater Fishing Report
I feel like a broken record, but what can I say, the fishing continues to be good! There has been consistent fishing in Vancouver Harbour, Howe Sound, and the Gulf Islands for many weeks. There has been the odd slow day or weekend in there, but for the most part the fishing has been very good and should remain so the rest of the winter.
Weather was a bit tricky this past 7 days, but we were lucky enough to get out on a few of the days where the winds and rain weren’t too bad.
Flat seas and sunny skies make for great winter chinook conditions.
We have been getting fish from a few pounds all the way up to around 15 pounds and we have seen a few pictures of fish around 18 pounds, so they are starting to get pretty big. With all this bait around it won’t be long before a few fish start pushing the 20-pound mark.
Some nice winter chinook from a recent trip.
As usual, the bait and the fish have been on the bottom for the most part. The productive flashers have been ones with some glow on them, in particular Green Onion Glow and Salty Dawg. The new Pesca spoon that is about to be released has been on fire. The action on this spoon is extremely erratic on a medium speed troll and if you slow down it has a nice flutter as well. We have been test fishing a variety of colours and the best ones are about to be released, probably next week. When they are available we will feature them in the report and post on Facebook.
If you would like to book a trip, this is prime time. Fishing is awesome, prawning is good, and the crabbing is picking up as well. Give us a call at 778-788-8582.