OUTLOOK
The long weekend is HERE! Happy Canada Day Everyone! It looks as though it will be a reasonable weekend for weather and though the sunbathers might be hoping for more sun, the mix of sun and cloud with low 20 temps should make for good fishing.
Hot off the water, lake country is still pumping out good reports even though it is getting hot. Saltwater fishing was tougher close to the harbour for chinook but it looks like the coho are starting to show up on the north shore and Thrasher Rock lit up with awesome chinook fishing Wednesday and Thursday. Check out the lake and saltwater reports below for more details.
The BIG news this week is that a number of fisheries open today! The Vedder River is open for Chinook fishing and the Skagit River is open for catch and release trout fishing! With this in mind Alex has done a great overview of the Vedder River chinook fishery and Max has looked at the info you need to tackle the Skagit. Check them out in the freshwater section below! We also are expecting beach fishing on the North Vancouver shoreline to start soon. Andre has brought in his beach flies and we have an overview of the fishery below.
INTRODUCING THE SAGE X ROD
There is no better way to celebrate Canada Day than with a HUGE announcement from Sage. While you may have heard a few rumblings about this new rod online since Sage formally announced the introduction of their new X rod at this year’s European Fishing Tackle Trade Expo Show in Amsterdam where it won Best Fly Rod of the show, we’ve got all the details for you here as it is officially launched in North America!
The X rod features new KonneticHD technology which has allowed Sage rod designers to create a new fast action rod taper that refines the synergy between angler, rod, line, and fly.
The cool thing is our very own Matt Sharp took a trip down to the Sage factory a month and a half ago and though we couldn’t talk about it, he has been putting the new rod through it’s paces on the water and at the casting pond for over a month. For Matt’s full review of the new rod and insights into what he saw and learned from the Sage development team read his full review here.
With a new lineup of rods coming on stream that means Sage One fly rods will be discounted 20% starting today, July 1!
Below is our inventory of Sage Ones in stock now. Supplies will not last and we will not be able to get more so call today and if you pay by credit card we will put one on hold for you.
- 590-4
- 490-4
- 4110-4
- 5110-4
- 890-4
INDUSTRY EVENTS
5th Annual Vancouver Chinook Classic – August 20 + 21, 2016
If you’re not on the water this long weekend take some time fill out your entry for the 5th Annual Vancouver Chinook Classic. It’s a great way to spend 2-days out on the water and try your hand at winning $25,000 in cash and prizes.
Check out all of the details for this year’s tournament and download your registration form here!
FRESHWATER REPORTS
Vedder River Fishing Report
Come July 1st the Vedder River will re-open for fishing and, while there will be a variety of species present, the most sought-after fish that anglers will be targeting is the red chinook. As its name implies, this run of chinook has red flesh. Thus, not only is it prized as a sportfish but it is also revered for its quality table fare. The Vedder run of red chinooks average between 10-15lbs, though specimens up to 30lbs are not completely unheard of. They are extremely strong for their size and put up a memorable fight with deep, powerful runs.
Alex with a Vedder chinook from a few seasons back,
Float fishing for red chinooks is by far the most popular method for targeting these fish. chinooks typically stage in deep pools and will travel in deeper channels than that of other Salmon. Thus, bigger floats which are weighted accordingly, such as 30g or 35g DNE’s are suggested in order to get down to them. In addition, since these fish are notorious for their pulling power a heavier main line and leader is warranted; a typical float fishing setup would consist of 20lb monofilament as a mainline and a 15-17lb fluorocarbon leader. Drifting roe is a good bet with hooks ranging from size 1 to size 2/0. Alternatively, drifting a size 3 or 4 hammered Colorado blade can be extremely effective as well. If the water is low and clear, downsizing the roe or blade size is a good idea. Red chinooks are taken on single eggs with a small tuft of white wool in these conditions as well. First and last light are the best options, but they can still be caught in the afternoon in the deeper sections of the river. A medium to medium-heavy baitcaster or centerpin setup will be adequate for controlling red chinook in the runs you will typically find them in.
This summer-run of chinook salmon is present in the Vedder from the July 1st opening through to the end of August, though peak season is typically between the third week of July to the first week of August. For the months of July and August, the daily limit for Chinook is 4, but only 1 may be over 62cm.
Good luck,
Alex
Skagit River Fishing Report
The Skagit River is nestled between Silvertip Mountain and the U.S. border, southeast of Hope B.C. The Skagit River flows south through Skagit Valley Provincial park, where it meets Ross lake (reservoir) at the U.S. Border. While the lower Skagit River in Washington State boasts legendary runs of anadromous fish, the Canadian reaches offer excellent trout and char fishing. The river is accessed via Silver Skagit Road off Highway 1, before Hope. While the dirt road is sometimes washboarded (uneven), it is easily accessible with 2WD. Once you hit Silver Skagit Road, it is roughly 45 min until you reach the first access point on the Skagit River, which is 26 mile bridge.
For 1-3 weeks following opening day (July 1st), the river level is generally very high. While the fishing can still be quite good during this time, access to the river during the high flows can be extremely difficult. Nymphs and streamer flies are far more productive than dry flies during this high water period. Once the river level drops to it’s normal summer lows, the textbook trout fishing begins. Skagit River rainbow trout can be among the most challenging and most rewarding fish to chase, and this why true trout fly anglers are so taken with this river. Having a good selection of nymph flies such as mayflies, caddis, and stone flies is important. It is not everyday and certainly not all day that trout will come to the surface, so being able to cover subsurface food items is key. That being said, there will almost always be something hatching in the morning and evening on any given summer day on the Skagit. Effective dry flies for the Skagit include: Mayflies in size 14 and 16 in tan, grey, dark brown, lime green and Caddis flies in various sizes in colours yellow, moth white, brown and olive. One should also have a few emergers in their fly box, preferably constructed of CDC in the same aforementioned colours.
Looking forward to opening day on the Skagit and catching more of these beauties.
Bull trout also call the Skagit river home, and they provide excellent streamer fishing opportunities. All of your favourite trout streamers will work; sculpins, zonkers, wooly buggers, sex dungeons, and even clouser minnows. A sink tip fly line is required in most runs to effectively present your fly to these predators. Look for bull trout in the gut of runs, and under log jams.
We have a numbers of friends and clients heading up for opening day and we are eagerly awaiting the reports on fishing and water levels. We will have more info in next week’s report and don’t hesitate to call mid next week if you want a report early.
Good luck out there!
Max
STILLWATER REPORTS
Interior Lakes Report
Finally some steady weather! With the steady weather came really good reports from Lac Le Jeune and Hatheume this past week. Lots of damsells were hatching followed by caddis in the evening. Also at this time we will see Gumphus dragon flies flying around, especially in the lakes in the Cariboo Region. As we head into July it is safe to say that we are approaching the summer doldrums as the temperature of the water in many lakes exceeds 70 degrees. That said, lake fishing is not over as you can fish Tunkwa all through out the summer with the “bomber hatch” which are big chironomids that are tied on a size 8 hook. If you are fishing deeper lakes,fish a Booby fly on a full sink line as the trout will be in the cooler water in the deeper parts of the lake.
Andre
SALTWATER REPORTS
Beach Fishing Report
It is that time again to get your beach fishing tackle ready as the coho salmon will start accumulating in our estuary at the mouth of the Capilano River. The river is low and will probably stay like that as there is no rain in the forecast. Some coho have been caught already with gear, so as more fish start milling around the chance of catching them on the fly increases. The low tides are in our favour this week so take advantage of this if you can and get on the water. I have the beach flies in the store and if you like to have a better understanding of this intense fishery join me in our Fly Fishing on Beaches Course. We are offering 3 dates again this summer so be sure to attend one evening as this calls will help increase your chances of catching these finicky coho. If you’re heading to the beach with a gear rod you want to have a variety of blue fox spinners and Gibbs crocks in different colours. For a rod and a reel an 8-9FT rod with a spinning reel is an ideal set up.
We’re fully stocked with Andre’s custom tied beach flies!
Happy fishing,
Andre
Vancouver Saltwater Report
Well it seems the fishing off Bowen has finally tapered off. It was an interesting 6 weeks with lots of anchovies and lots of chinook around and some good numbers of coho as well. You could see it tapering off this past week with some hot and cold fishing. There is still some bait around so it wouldn’t surprise me if there are some good reports here and there, but for the most part the slow days out numbered the active days lately.
Coho fishing has officially kicked in with anglers now catching fish from Point Atkinson to the Pink Apartment, with good numbers of fish in the Capilano River as well. As mentioned in previous reports, the fish are shallow, from the surface down to around 40 feet. White hootchies with a 28 inch leader are very productive. For flashes the Purple Onion Glow, Green Onion Glow and Betsy are all good choices. Expect the coho fishing to pick up even more in the next 2 weeks.
Eddie’s guests with some nice fish landed at Thrasher this week.
Out of nowhere Thrasher really turned on this week with both Eddie and Dimitri having some excellent fishing. As per usual this time of year the fish are fairly deep, looking for bait on the structure. 180-220 feet on the downriggers is not uncommon and we highly recommend using 18 pound cannonballs so you can stay deep and troll fast to cover water. Glow is the name of the game, so a Pesca spoon in 3.5 or 4.0 is a great choice. Hot flashers are chartreuse glow and my favourite is the double glow. There really is no point using reflective tape when you are bouncing bottom in 170-220 feet of water. The glow flasher and double glow flasher really do make a difference. Another productive option is a glow hootchie with a 32 inch to 40 inch leader behind the glow flasher. I usually run a glow flasher, 6 foot leader, to a glow spoon on one rod and then a glow flasher and a 32 inch leader to a glow hootchie on the other rod. Don’t try stacking rods, keep it simple and with one rod on each rigger you can keep the gear down deeper. We will see how long this pod of fish at Thrasher lasts, it is likely just a flash in the pan because this fishery is usually winding down this time of year. This year has been much different than most, so we will see what happens.
Dimitri helping his guests get warmed up for their trip to West Coast Fishing Club.
If it is too windy to get to Thrasher or you don’t have the time, I would try West Van for coho or you could always head over to the Bell Buoy and you might get into some mature chinook looking for the Fraser. These fish are often shallow and the best depths on the downriggers are 30-70 and a glow flasher and an anchovy in a glow teaser head is one of the most productive setups.
Tight Lines,
Jason