Outlook:
We would like to welcome Max Stickel to the Pacific Angler Team! Max is an avid young fisher who excels at single, double hand fly-fishing, gear/centerpin and his fly-tying expertise is amazing.
Max knows his bull fishing!
Come in to say hello to this knowledgeable, friendly and all around great young guy. We are thrilled to have him our team this year!
Max with a nice bow!
Well, we asked for the steady barometer and now we have her. Its been just gorgeous out this past week and well into next week. Safe to say…break out the sunscreen.
Should you be heading out on the salt chuck this weekend keep your eye on the marine forecasts. They are calling for 10-20 NW winds all weekend.
Up in the interior we are looking at temperatures climbing to 27 on the weekend and then into the 30’s starting on Mon!
Stillwater Report:
This weekend you will want to start climbing higher. Lakes over 4000ft in elevation will still be producing in this heat. The higher you can get the better.
Locally you can track down which lakes are best to target by checking out the local fish stocking reports published by GoFishBC
Remember to browse some of the online forums. You will find useful information in the forums at flyfishbc including their stillwater section. Flybc.ca is another great forum to check in on to see what people are sharing and talking about.
We have heard good reports of mayfly hatches and fishing that will turn on as soon as you spot the mayflies coming off. Keep your eyes on the water, the weeds in closer to shore and match the hatch for your best chance at success. Caddis should be showing up and we are loaded with caddis flies to get you prepared.
Be sure to spend some time at the shores of the lakes you are fishing. See what is swimming or moving around in the weeds and watch how they move, their color and size. Remember this and use it to mimic what you end up presenting to the trout!
Heading to Whistler? We got a nice report from Ryan O’Connor last week that Alta Lake was fishing well. Rabbit strip leeches and purple and black micro leeches continue to produce. On the south end of the lake Scotia creek was slow going. Had some takes presenting a leech under an indicator at the creek mouth. Released a nice 16 inch cutthroat on a thin brown rabbit leech in front of rainbow park docks. Also a few smaller rainbows up to 12 inches on a goddard caddis toward the reeds at the north end of the lake.
Had most success on the edge of the weeds stripping leeches with sinking lines at the north end of the lake.
Green Lake
River of Golden Dreams mouth flowing clear but slow fishing. 19 Mile creek clear and producing lots of smaller rainbows 10 -12 inch no bulls today. Small hatch of small black midges. Fish were feeding from the lookout point on highway 99 all the way to Edgewater lodge.
Fitzsimmons creek is cloudy and lower but still fishable.
Rainbows to be caught on leech patterns and nymphs at the creek mouths. Use larger flesh patterns for bull trout. The weed beds toward the north end of the lake produced a round 14 inch rainbow like a football.
Ryan O.
River Reports:
Fraser River: Randy Beck from Ultimate Sportfishing continues to have great success out on the Fraser river for white sturgeon. The Fraser opens for salmon at the end of July.
Skagit River:
Max (our retail newbie) gives us his first report for the store:
Water level is high, too high to cross via wading. Fishable water is limited because of the water level. The water has quite a bit of colour to it (minty green). No sign of bull trout, however, the rainbows are about in decent numbers. Nymphing and streamer methods proved effective. In terms of streamers, muddler and sculpin patterns produced. We hooked fish on golden stone nymphs (#10), pheasant tails (#12), hairs ear (#12), and the hottest fly was a cinnamon caddis nymph (#14). Saw no surface feeding and didn’t try the dry fly as the conditions were less than favourable.
Birkenhead: As of last week the Birk was still running high and with the heat pushing some extra melt down initially we expect it to be another week before she falls into decent fishing shape.
Capilano: Fishing with roe/prawn tails has been productive in the cap and full sink line for flies using Andre’s cap killer! No strong reports off the mouth, but soon, very soon!
Saltwater Report:
Beach Fishing: Its time to start tracking the start of beach season for W. Van, Furry Creek and Cate’s Park. No solid reports yet but this fishery will begin turning out some fish within the next 7-10days while the true season is not expected to start till late July.
I have been to Furry Creek once already and did not see anything moving.
We are running ONE LAST beach fishing course taught by Andre on Monday, July 15th. Details below.
Eddie Matthei:
What a difference a week of hot dry weather is starting to make. Had I written this report earlier in the week I would have said it’s pretty slow locally lately. It’s still a little slow but the fishery is starting to show signs of life! A few guys are still going across the Georgia Strait and the odd boat is still managing to find a few fish. It’s at this time that we start to prospect on the Vancouver side of the strait which is what I have been doing. Hole in the wall is spotty but there are definitely fish being taken.
BANANA??? Client given option to finish banana but swim back to dock or toss and fish. 🙂
I hooked my first one there about 3 weeks ago so the numbers should be building and sooner rather than later that fishery will be a viable option for chinooks! Most of the reports of fish hit are in the 120′ and up as high as 60′ on a variety of spoons and anchovies. No single spoon or teaser head is the magic one so it’s good to put different things on the menu for them. Reports from further up Vancouver Island indicate we should be in for some great coho fishing when they arrive in masses.
I have already released some nice wild cohos and kept a few as well. There’s no “hot spot” at the moment as I found them from Point Atkinson to Ambleside and they tend to move around. Again, it is a little early in the season for a “Hot Lure” to rise to the top but I have been using different 3″ spoons and my trusty 4″ beat up bent scratched Homeland Security. It has got both chinook and coho way back in the Bowen Island fishery, Thrasher, Hole in the wall and West Van!
No banana in this picture!
Just a reminder to always check your leaders as I would have lost it long ago if I hadn’t. Green glos, small pink apex, cop cars and bi-coloured hoochies are all good bets. In West Van I also hit a couple of undersized chinook! I also heard of a 10lb chinook taken locally as well. So break out your favourite coho gear and start looking for them!
Tight lines,
Eddie
Courses:
Due to current waiting list and continued demand we have added one LAST fly-fishing on beaches course this summer. This is the last seminar covering this topic this summer and it is right before the beaches light up. Sign up now as we limit participants to 20 people and it sells out every time. Details below.
Fly-Fishing on Beaches:
Beach caught coho by Andre
Time/Date: Monday, July 15th from 6:30pm-9:30pm
Cost: $30pp
This one night seminar will cover the basic principles needed in order to be an effective beach fly fishermen in British Columbia, such as gear, flies, tides, and other environmental conditions. Andre Stepanian will be the instructor for this course who has been chasing salmon and trout on our local beaches for over two decades. You will be sure to gain lots of valuable information to help you become a effective beach fly fishermen on this once a year seminar.
MASTERING LOCAL SALTWATER SALMON FISHING:
Date & Times: (6spots available)
Theory: Wed Aug 7th is theory portion of course from 630pm – 930pm at Pacific Angler store
On-the-water: Saturday Aug 10th & Sunday Aug 11th (time TBA) 4per per day for maximum learning.
Cost: $225+tax
Over 50 million salmon migrate past Vancouver annually. Learn how to catch these fish with Pacific Angler. This course offers an in-depth look at the local saltwater scene. We cover the local saltwater salmon fishing for the entire year, showing you the how, when, and where. The course includes a 3hr evening seminar and a fully guided day on the water in our 27ft Grady White.
Pacific Angler is proud to be your source for fishing education. Call Pacific Angler today, 604-872-2204, to book your spot. All classes have limited availability.
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, Dimitri, Andre, Dave, Eddie and Bryce