This course is designed to give the new fly fisher the basic knowledge, casting skills, and fly fishing strategies to effectively fish our local lakes, rivers, and estuaries. This course is comprised of two sessions: one for theory and one for casting.

Fly Fishing Theory:

• Rod, reel, and line selection
• Equipment, accessories and knots
• Lake and River entomology
• How to locate fish in lakes and rivers
• Specific techniques for trout, salmon & steelhead
• Proper fly selection and presentation
• When and where to fish BC in Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter.

The casting portion will cover the fundamentals of fly casting starting with the basics and moving up to more advanced techniques such as the single and double haul. There will be rod and reels available for each student or you may bring your own rod and reel.

Fly Casting:

• Foundation of single-hand casting
• The roll cast
• Advanced casting techniques

Your instructor for the Theory portion of this course is master angler Jason Tonelli. He is the owner of Pacific Angler, has over 20 years of fly fishing experience and will sit down with you to teach the skills and concepts that are fundamental to fly fishing.

Your instructor for the casting portion of this class is Matt Sharp. He has been guiding and fly fishing for over 15 years. He is an experienced tournament caster, and has represented Canada twice in the World Championships of Fly Fishing. 

Course Dates:

Theory Session, July 21st 6:30-9:30 pm Pacific Angler. Casting Session July 25th 10:30am-1:30pm Central Park

Theory Session, August 4th 6:30-9:30 pm Pacific Angler. Casting Session August 8th 10:30am-1:30pm Central Park

Theory Session, August 18th 6:30-9:30 pm Pacific Angler. Casting Session August 22nd 10:30am-1:30pm Central Park

Theory Session, September 22nd 6:30-9:30 pm Pacific Angler. Casting Session September 26th 10:30am-1:30pm Central Park

Cost: $150.00, spot is reserved upon payment, cash, debit, or credit card.

Call Pacific Angler at 604-872-2204 to sign up.

If you're not on the water taking advantage of the local saltwater salmon fishing, you are definitely missing out. There are literally millions of salmon that pass by Vancouver every year providing excellent salmon fishing right here in Vancouver.

Pacific Angler offers an in depth look at the local saltwater scene with our Saltwater Salmon Course. We cover the local saltwater salmon fishing for the entire year, showing you the when, where, and how, needed to have success 12 months of the year and get your share of the millions of salmon at our door step.

Your instructors are local guides who are on the water all the time and have the local fishing dialed in. The course consists of two sessions. The first session is a workshop at Pacific Angler where we will comprehensively cover the following topics:

• Analyzing charts: Where are the fish and why.
• Information on local salmon runs (migratory patterns and life-cycles).
• In depth information on weather and tides and where to find it.
• Detailed information on the local seasons; when and where to fish each spot and what to use.
• Trolling techniques and stacking multiple rods on downriggers.
• Proper setups and leaders lengths for anchovies, herring, spoons, plugs, and hootchies.

• Set up and run downriggers.
• How to “stack” (multiple rods) your downriggers without tangling your gear thus wasting valuable fishing time.
• Reading your sonar.
• Trolling speeds and boat control.
• Setting the hook and fighting your fish.
• Proper landing techniques
• Proper handling of your fish for release

At the end of this workshop you will know what areas you should be fishing at certain times of the year, exactly where to fish each spot in terms of depth and on what tides, and what techniques to use and what lures to use to catch fish consistently.

The second session is on the water in our 27 foot Grady White, Salty Dawg. In this session we will go out fishing for 8 hours and put all the knowledge into practice. On the way out we will go over all the local hot spots and markers commonly used in the local fishing. The rest of the day will be spent fishing with the guide in a hands on, open learning environment.

You will get real hands on experience and proper coaching on how to properly:

• Set up and run downriggers.
• How to "stack" (multiple rods) your downriggers without tangling your gear thus wasting valuable fishing time.
• Reading your sonar.
• Trolling speeds and boat control.
• The proper "tacks" in our local fisheries.
• Setting the hook and fight your fish.
• Proper landing techniques.
• Proper handling of your fish for release.

Space is limited, so give us a call at Pacific Angler today (604-872-2204) and learn how you can have fun on the water all year long!

When: Theory Session is August 12th 7:00pm-9:30pm at Pacific Angler On The Water Session is August 14th 7:00am-3:00pm

Choose 1 of 2 on the water dates:

On The Water Session is August 14th 7:00am-3:00pm

On The Water Session is August 15th 7:00am-3:00pm

Where: Our boat is moored at the Westin Bayshore Marina, directly behind the Westin, just east of Lift Restaurant.

Price: $225 per angler. This price includes a comprehensive theory session, 8 hrs of hands on guided fishing, cleaning and preparation of any catch. This price does not include licenses, HST or any food and beverages. The course is based on 4 students. Once the course is full, people on the wait list will be called for the next course date.

Private Course: Many people prefer to get 3 or 4 people together and have a private course. If this interests you, simply call Pacific Angler and we will arrange a private course for you around your schedule.

Interested in a Private Saltwater Course? We offer private courses for groups of 3-4 anglers 12 months a year. To book your private course just call Pacific Angler and Jason will arrange for a private theory session for your group and a private day on the water.

This beginner course consists of 3 sessions of 3 hours each. We will cover vice and tool selection as well as the necessary materials and hooks needed to tie popular and effective BC trout patterns.

This course is designed to give you a strong foundation to base your tying and pattern selection. You will learn how to tie dries, streamers, nymphs, chironomids, and attractors.

Included in the price of the course is a fly tying manual which describes the materials, tools, and basic techniques of fly tying. It covers 290 patterns in all, each with a color photo showing the pattern, a materials list and basic tying instructions with step by step instructions and color photos on how to tie all the major styles of flies.

Course Dates:

Wednesday, May 5th 6:30-9:30pm
Wednesday, May 12th 6:30-9:30pm
Wednesday, May 19th 6:30-9:30pm

Location: Pacific Angler

Cost: $120 and students receive 10% off materials purchased for course. Seat is reserved upon payment, cash, debit, or credit card.

Call Pacific Angler at 604-872-2204 to sign up.