Outlook
This past week was a cold one in Vancouver, and with it came the first snow! Lucky for us, the weather is warming up nicely and should be much more enjoyable to fish in. Next week’s rain may blow out our Lower Mainland rivers, which is not a bad thing in the grand scheme of things. We are already getting excited about winter steelhead, and trout fishing has kept us entertained in the meantime. Rumours of early steelhead encounters have been surfacing, but we are still a few weeks away from any consistent reports.
Winter chinook fishing has been slow for the most part, and the majority of saltwater anglers have been landlocked during this cold snap. We should see fishing improve over the next couple of weeks with the warmer weather coaxing more anglers to head out on the local saltwater.
Feature Product
Kingpin Reels
Pacific Angler is proud to be Vancouver’s Kingpin Dealer. When it comes to centerpin reels, these are some of the finest in the world. The level of craftsmanship on a Kingpin centerpin is truly amazing. They use state of the art CAD/CAM precision engineering down to the millimeter. The backplates are Defense Standard hard anodized, making them scratch resistant and tougher than steel. There is exquisite attention to detail, such as the in house made, hand polished handles and spools. Even the screws used in these reels are made in house, in England. The reel is outfitted with German, Marine Grade, ABEC 7 bearings giving the spool very little start up inertia and allowing it to seemingly spin forever. The amount of work that goes into these reels both by man and machine is impressive to say the least.
Kingpin R2 (left) and the Zeppelin (right)
Kingpin centerpins are available in 2 models, the Zeppelin and R2. These reels would make a beautiful addition to any discerning centerpin angler’s collection. Come down and give these reels a spin at Pacific Angler today.
The Zeppelin
• Diameter: 4 3/4″ / 120mm
• Spool Width: 3/4″ / 19mm
• Spool Weight: 5.4oz / 156g
• Weight: 10oz / 286g
• Bearings: German Marine Grade ABEC7
Made: England
The R2
• Diameter: 4 3/4″ / 120mm
• Spool Width: 3/4″ / 19mm
• Spool Weight: 3.9oz / 110g
• Weight: 10oz / 286g
• Bearings: German Marine Grade ABEC7
Made: England
What’s on your Christmas Wish List?
Christmas is right around the corner and while the staff here at Pacific Angler are busy getting the shop ready for Christmas, they have also been dreaming of what they would like to see under the tree this year! Check back here each week and on our Facebook page to see what each of the guys have their eyes on for Christmas. It may give you some inspiration for the fisherman on your list or that gift for yourself this Christmas!
Max’s Christmas Wish List:
This Christmas, I am going for a more practical approach to my wish list. My parents may disagree, but I really NEED a new fly tying vise. I spend way too much time tying flies than I should, and my current vise is about to kick the marabou! I have been tying on the Apex vise by Anvil for a number of years now, and though it has served me well, it did not withstand the test of time. I have been looking at a few different brands and models, and I have narrowed it down to two vises.
I have been looking at the Regal Medallion RCR-4, and the Renzetti Traveler C2202. These vises are quite difference in appearance and somewhat different in function. The Renzetti Traveler C2202 is a true rotary vise, allowing the tier to rotate the fly quickly while wrapping materials. Although the Regal Medallion RCR-4 is not a true rotary vise, it does rotate 360 degrees. One huge upside to the Medallion is its ability to hold hooks ranging from #18 to the largest of saltwater hooks without any adjustment. The Traveler can also hold a wide range of hooks, however, the jaws must be adjusted to accommodate the different shank sizes. The Traveler features anodized aluminum parts and it also comes with a bobbin cradle. Both of these vises feature a c-clamp mount, which is the most wiggle-free way to mount a vise.
The Regal Medallion RCR-4 retails for $195.00 and is guaranteed against defects in materials and workmanship for the life of the original registered owner.
The Renzetti Traveler C2202 retails for $220.00 and is backed by a lifetime warranty against material and workmanship, regardless of its original registered owner.
I would be happy with either one of these vises under the tree this Christmas and I’m sure any fly tier would be!
Max Stickel
Courses
Our full line up of 2015 courses will be announced here next Friday! Just in time to pick your favourite course for your Christmas Wish List!
Freshwater Reports
Local Rivers
Squamish River
The Squamish has dropped back down to a fishable level, but rain and warmer temperatures are on the way. The river should stay in good shape for the weekend, however, things might change early next week once the rain really kicks in.
The rain that is forecast next week will stir up a few more eggs and there should be some willing trout around to capitalize on this. The chum are spawning or have spawned and are lining the banks of the river and the eagles are taking advantage of this food source. The coho fishing is pretty much done for the year and they are getting ready to spawn. It was a tricky year for coho fishing with all the high water and then freezing cold weather. Hopefully next year it is not so mild and so wet all of October. Until then there will be some trout fishing throughout the winter until a few steelhead trickle in around spring.
Don’t forget your hard hats kids!
Some anglers who were robbed of an early season fishery by the high water have been braving frozen fingers and the hanging icicles of death. The key to success is to cover water. Finding a likely looking riffle, tailout or side channel and fish fast. Leave it up to the fish to tell you whether or not they are there. The more water you cover the more likely you are to find fish. Nymphing egg patterns has been the most successful method for catching trout, but swinging streamers has also been producing fish. Look for areas where salmon have been spawning, and the trout shouldn’t be far away!
A fine example of a Squamish bull trout!
While you are on the Squamish, please give the eagles as much room as possible as many of them are now feeding on the dead chum salmon along the gravel bars. It has been noted that angler activity can push the eagles off of these gravel bars and it can affect their feeding habits. Pets should be controlled and kept on leash so as not to disturb the eagles as well.
The Squamish System is 100% catch and release for all wild species. Retention of one hatchery coho (adipose fin clipped) is permitted. Be careful when identifying your catch, hatchery coho are rare on this system.
If you see any people fishing illegally make sure you call the ORR (observe, record, report) line 1-800-465-4336.
Matt Sharp
Chilliwack River
December 1st is the kick off for our winter steelhead season. We can count on one hand the amount of winter fish that have been caught this year so by no means is this report the sounding of the gong. The river is still on the high side but is dropping with the cold weather we have had this week. Expect that to change with the warmer weather and rain coming up next week. When the water clarity is hovering around 2-3 feet of visibility, you want to be fishing larger presentations such as 6” pink worms, medium Gooey Bobs, dyed prawns, and roe and wool combinations. Winter steelhead fishing will pick up towards the end of December on the Chilliwack. Now is the time to get your gear organized for the season ahead!
High water steelhead essentials
Sam Graham, Max Stickel, & Dimitri Roussanidis
Chehalis River
Salmon season has winded down on the Chehalis, however, you may still encounter the odd coho. Most of the coho that are still swimming are dark and best left alone. The Chehalis will start to get winter steelhead through December, but your chances of crossing paths with one will get better as the winter drags on. Anglers will typically encounter the first winter runs in the Chehalis around the first two weeks of December. You may also find summer/fall run steelhead that are overwintering in the river. They are usually a little coloured this time of year, but some can trick you into thinking they are early winter fish! Marabou jigs and Jensen eggs are a great choice to avoid hooking the coho while trying to target steelhead.
Capilano River
The salmon season is over on the Capilano. The fish that are still swimming are dark and ready to spawn. Although the salmon fishing is over, this is a beautiful time of year to walk around the canyon and look at the fish in the hatchery!
Please note: ALL steelhead (adipose clipped and unclipped) must be released with the utmost care.
Local Lakes
As long as there is no ice, you may encounter trout in the local lakes, but fishing will be slow between now and next spring.
Max Stickel
Local Saltwater
There hasn’t been too much saltwater fishing going on this last week with the sub zero temperatures. When it is freezing during the day the bottom of the boat deck basically turns into an ice rink. It can be a deadly endeavour trying to get to the back of the boat to work the rigger or set the hook on a bite! Believe me, I know from past attempts, and the black and blue bruises are evidence of more than the odd wipeout on the back deck when fishing for winter chinook during freezing conditions. The good news is it looks like it is going to be a lot warmer next week, with highs of 10 degrees, and some rain coming as well. We can deal with the rain if it means warmer weather and with the rain we are getting some SE winds, but nothing too significant. This means it would be a good week to get out and search for some winter chinook as things usually start to pick up around the 2nd or 3rd week of December. Most local anglers will fish off W. Van from the “Pink Apartment” down to the mouth of the Capilano on the flood tide in 80-130 feet of water and keep your gear close to the bottom. On the ebb tide most anglers have better luck fishing in the flats around the freighters in 90-120 feet of water, and again keep your gear close to the bottom. Productive setups are often the Green Onion Glow flasher, or Purple Onion flasher with a 6 foot leader and 2.5 to 3.5 Pesca spoon or Kingfisher spoon. You can use anchovies as well, but we find we catch just as many fish if not more by using spoons because we can fish fast and cover lots of water.
See you out there!
Jason Tonelli
The P.A. Saltwater Guide Team: Jason, Eddie, Dimitri
Give us a call on our charter phone at 778-788-8582 to book a charter or come by the shop for all the right gear and some friendly advice. The shop number is 604-872-2204.
On behalf of the Pacific Angler staff we wish you the best in your fishing endeavors and we hope to see you either at the shop or on the water. To check out the latest Pacific Angler news view the Pacific Angler Facebook page.
Jason, Matt, Max, Andre, Sam, Eddie, Dimitri, Kathryn