Pacific Angler Friday Fishing Report: October 6, 2017

OUTLOOK

Well it looks like things are cooling down a bit. The saltwater fishery has been slower this week probably due to the big tides but we have been finding fish every day. With better tides and no real rain in short term forecast the Capilano and the mouth of the Fraser could provide some epic late season fishing this coming week. We should start seeing pods of coho and chum hitting the mouth of the Fraser as well as pods of late chinook hitting the river.

The river fishing has been good but not without its challenges. Again with no major rain in the short term forecast the Vedder should continue to produce but be challenging because of low clear water. We do not think the rain today will change things. We have had more chinook reports this week and coho are coming in strong. More details are in Alex’s Vedder report for more details.

The Squamish is still a little early for big waves of salmon but we are hearing reports of a few coho and the odd chum showing up. It is still coloured on the main stem so fishing tributaries is smart. Trying the lower river this week could pay off but it is a bit of a gamble. Historically this is the week that the first big pushes of chum and coho hit the river but it has not really started yet. Check out the Squamish report for more info.

The Harrison is also another good one to look at. The water is low so hiking is good and we are hoping it will shape up for a good season. Andre has all the details in his report below.

Last but not least our feature product this week is our beading wall – Check our amazing selection of beads and take advantage of a good deal on a great way to imitate salmon eggs for your fall fishing outings.

We’ll be open regular hours Friday, Saturday, Sunday and closed on Monday to celebrate Thanksgiving and an extra day out of the shop to get on the water!

 

CLASSES AND COURSES

 

FRIDAY FEATURE PRODUCT

Trout Beads
As our loyal followers know we love targeting rainbows and bulltrout when the salmon are spawning and trout beads have become the standard way to imitate salmon eggs. Simply put they drift better, are cheaper and in most fishing scenarios they catch more fish than the conventional egg flies. We just got a huge shipment in the shop along with all the indicators, weights and hooks. Come down and tell the guys you saw the feature product and enjoy 10% off on all the beads on our wall! 

 

FRESHWATER FISHING REPORTS

Capilano River Fishing Report
The water level of Capilano has not changed over for a long period. Although there are a few schools of fish still moving through the system, most of them will be holding at the mouth waiting for the big rain. The fish that are already in the system can be quite picky. Downsize your flies and lures and try to be as natural and stealthy as possible.

For the flies come into the shop to check out Andre’s flies they are perfect for the low and clear Capilano system. Also try Muddler Minnows, streamers, Wooly buggers or Mickey fins. For the lures, go for the size 2 – 3 blue fox in black, copper, brass or orange. Smaller Crocs, Koho spoon or anything similar might do the trick.

The key to success in this system is to be there at first light as fish in the system will have freshen up their mind. if the fish are spooked by the float and you see them move away from it. try using clear float, and fluorocarbon. Downsize your terminal tackle to have the best chance of getting into these fish.

Hopefully the rain next weekend will be enough for the Cap to rise

Be safe out there,

Dustin Oh

Chilliwack River Fishing Report
Water continues to be extremely low and clear although the water did colour up a bit mid-week due to a small clay slide. While fish are very easily spooked it is still possible to have a good outing if you are in the right place at the right time. Many of the fish are holed up in certain pools or pockets so do some leg work and you may come across a large school.

Anglers have reported success on pro-cured roe, jensen eggs, wool ties, jigs, and spinners. In addition, fly anglers will be pleased to know that small flash flies and muddler minnows are working well especially at first light. The forecast is calling for some rain over this long weekend and while we are not getting much, we might get enough to trigger some fresh fish to move in.

Alex Au-Yeung

 Squamish River Fishing Report
Historically things should be ramping up on the Squamish this week. We are going to see some cooler temps in the evenings going into next week and then it looks like we will see the first big fall storm the following weekend. It is hard to say if the cooler weather will be enough to clear up the river before the storm but we have already heard coho reports, egging has been excellent and chum should role in any day. The storm (if it comes) will probably blow out the river but after it settles the fishery should be in full swing. It looks like it will be worth heading out in the next couple days if you want to get some scouting in and possibly walk into the first big waves of salmon. That said we have only heard limited salmon reports up until today.

For this week, swinging flies in the lower river or float fishing should be your best bet for chum and coho. Pink and purple are the go to colors for chum and flashier presentations work well for the coho in the lower river.

On the upper river and tributaries, egg fishing has been consistent all week and there have been some Coho reports. We will have to see if the water clears up a bit to make size and color recommendations. Spoons, twitching jigs and medium sized flashy coho flies should all be in the arsenal if you are heading out for salmon and beads are always fun to target trout species.

This week we have featured our bead wall that is stacked up with all the key colors for fishing any of the salmon streams when you want to think outside the salmon box and hit the smaller trout species. Come in to get the deals and talk to us about the key colors for the Squamish.

Good Luck,

Matt Sharp

Harrison River Report
Well this could be it! So far the river is at a good level and there is still no major rain in the short term forecast to blow things out. If this season is a repeat of 2013 then we are in for a treat. The coho will stack up in the channels as they can not go up to the Chehalis or Morris creek until the first big rains. I went out to scout a week ago Thursday but did not find any coho, just some old pinks, sockeye splashing around along with some fresh chum. I had some customers and friends that went up after the rain on Friday but didn’t find any coho either.

Although the river level is very low at 8.8 meters there is still enough water for the fish to come up from the Fraser. If you are heading out in these conditions you want to be there at dawn and fish before the sun hits the water as the coho feel more secure moving in low light conditions. Downsize your flies and fish very sparse patterns, in some places on the river it is so shallow that you can even get away with a floating line and a long leader as suppose to a clear intermediate tip. It’s a great time to walk and wade the river all the way to the mouth of the Chehalis as you never know where a bunch of coho could be sitting so take advantage of this just in case the weather pattern changes into monsoon rain.

The chum are also a great way to have fun with the fishery if you are not set on coho. Pink and purple flies with medium sink tips work well and sometimes catch coho. Gear fishing this system is also extremely effective. Spoons are deadly for the coho and float fishing the classic pink and purple jigs can be amazing fun with the chum.

Good luck!

Andre Stepanian

Stave River Fishing Report
It is now October and it’s time to start thinking about the Stave. This is typically a great introductory fishery due to its high abundance of chum salmon. Popular spots are the highway bridge and also closer to the dam, or “Toilet Bowl” as it is known. It is not a long stretch of river so go explore! Once the fish are in there are a number of things that will work, but for those targeting chum a pink and purple or chartreuse jig is a top producer as are popsicles and other big streamers in similar colours.

The Stave also gets a good number of coho salmon and for those targeting coho think about roe, jensen eggs, Blue Fox Spinners, the new Zak twitching jigs, Crocs, and a variety of flash flies. These two species can be differentiated by water type for the most part so it is possible to target one over the other.

Since it is still early, those that want to scout the Stave will have the best luck timing it with the incoming tide as this is when the fresh batches of fish will move in.

Alex Au-Yeung

Fraser River Fishing Report
The chinook fishery is slowing down on the Fraser River as most of them have already moved through the system. However not to worry! There are still schools of chinook and many other salmon such as coho (which opens on the 7th), or chum salmon making their way in.

As the temperature continue to drop, the freshet in the upper Fraser River is coming down as well which means it will bring more opportunities for the fly guys to take their fly gear out and try their luck. Try using bigger and flashier flies as the water is still quite murky. Try Muddler Minnows, streamers, woolly buggers, flash flies in blue, silver or purple. You can also toss lures such as size 4 – 5 Blue foxes, Crocs, Kitimat, and Kohos. Bar fishing is also one of the most popular methods with Spin-N-Glos and roe (see bait ban for dates on timing). Please keep in mind that bottom bouncing is not an ethical and viable option to catch fish. If we have people bottom bouncing, DFO will be unhappy and the Fraser fishery might be closed to the sport fishing anglers.

The sturgeon fishery was a little slower this week with cooler weather but this is relative. You can still expect lots of bites if you head out and when more chum hit the river things should pick up again. Try using chunks of uncured roe, salmon belly and any other smaller baitfish that reside in the area.

Meanwhile, in the lower Fraser, there are opportunities to bar fish for coho with roe as soon as the bait ban is lifted tomorrow. For this setup, you can use a medium action 8′ – 10″ rod with 3 – 5 oz sinkers with a 3-way swivel set up. Make sure to pay attention to your rod tip and check your bait every 15 minutes or so as there are coarse fish in the area. If you’re heading out this weekend be sure to check out his map for some locations to bar fish from.

There are also both fly fishing and lure casting opportunities down in the lower section of the Fraser as well try to be there at flood tide and target fresh fish that are coming into the system. Try using big and flashy flies and lures in the murky water of the lower Fraser. My favourite is the Blue fox in chartreuse as it creates the most vibration in the water that annoys fish.

Please release any wild coho and sturgeon with care so that they could survive for the conservation of the fishery.

Dustin Oh

 

SALTWATER FISHING REPORTS

Vancouver Saltwater Salmon Fishing Report
It was a pleasant week on the water for the most part. We had some calm seas and some nice afternoon flood tides that lined up with some fantastically sunny afternoons and spectacular sunsets. The fish were around as well and we had consistent action for coho and chinook on recent trips to the Cap Mouth.

We haven’t been down to the south arm since Saturday, but you can see from the test sets that there are good numbers of coho and chum entering the Fraser. If you have the time and the winds allow, it would worth heading down this way. If that is not in the cards for you, the Cap is still a good bet. As long as the rains hold off there will be coho and chinook to be had. It looks like there will be a bit of rain today, but not enough to bring the river up. Long term it looks like we will finally see some heavy rains after the 15^th and this will send the last of the coho and chinook up the river, marking an end to the Cap Mouth season.

See you in the shop or on the water,

Jason Tonelli