OUTLOOK
Welcome to another edition of the Friday Fishing Report. The big news this week is that we were a little off on our predictions last week. We are sorry – you can send any hate mail to weRsorry@pacificangler.ca we promise to respond with a longwinded heartfelt apology.
What happened? The storm was pretty intense; the wind blew away a majority of the forecasted precipitation. Rivers did rise and in some instances blew out but not as badly as we thought. Monday and Tuesday were good days to be out on the rivers and we have a number of reports from the Capilano, Vedder and Squamish. Take a look at them in the river section of the report.
Obviously with the storm, the saltwater fishing was a slog this last weekend but we did have boats that managed to find safe areas sheltered from the wind and they were rewarded with surprisingly hot fishing. Jason has all the details in this week’s saltwater fishing report. We have some more wind and rain in the forecast but if you can get out to Point Atkinson or up the sound, you have a good chance of catching fish.
In other news, we just released a new video in our “Learn How With Pacific Angler” video series. Matt invited Scott Baker, the West Coast Simms rep to look at how to care, maintain and fix breathable waders. If you are not getting out on the water, it is a great time to wash, fix and make sure your waders are properly stored for when you do get out. Check out the video here.
If you’re short on time – Matt and Scott do talk a lot 🙂 – the coles notes for the video are:
- Always make sure to dry out your waders both inside and out after every trip – never store them damp
- Waders should be washed at least a few times a year if you are getting out regularly – If you haven’t done this it worth watching the video for cleaning tricks and tips.
- If you think you have a small leak or have noticed dampness, washing can fix the problem but after washing the wader go through the inside of the wader with rubbing alcohol. Pin whole leaks will turn a dark almost purple color. It is easy do and super affective. – Again check out the video for how to do this and fix the wholes you see.
We hope you all like the video – We will also have a video soon on how to treat you waders with a Durable Water Repellent (DWR) reviver to get them wicking water again. This is also very important for maintaining your waders and we recommend you do it on all waders over 2 years old. Tune into the video or come down to the shop. We have the right spray and we can show you how to do it properly.
CLASSES + COURSES
February is almost here and that means a new set of courses! We’ve had 2 spots open up in our sold out Mastering Local Saltwater Salmon Course – grab a spot before they’re gone.
Mastering Local Saltwater Salmon Fishing – 2 SPOTS OPENED UP!!
Over 50 million salmon migrate past Vancouver annually. Learn how to catch these fish with a 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. This course includes a 6hr weekend seminar and a fully guided day on the water in one of our Grady Whites.
Dates: Seminar: Feb 4 Guided: Feb 19
Cost: $300.00+GST
Seminar Time: 9:00am – 4:00pm – with a one hour break for lunch. There are two restaurants on site for students to have lunch at their cost. Coffee/Tea and water will be provided.
Seminar held at Pacific Gateway Hotel – 3500 Cessna Drive, Richmond, BC
Guided Day: Full day on the water
Tying Essential Bulltrout Patterns
Bulltrout / dollies ….. let’s just call them char are an interesting species. These fish have a diverse habitat, a very interesting life cycle and within the species they have very different characteristics in both size, color and feeding habits depending on their environment. The feeding habits are what we look at in this course. This is a fishing course within a tying course. Instructor, Matt Sharp has caught bulltrout from here to Alaska will share with you an overview of his guide theories on fly selection for char in their different habitats. He will then tech you to tie three of his guide favorites. His sculpin pattern, the Cherokee intruder and then his go to intruder that has a name that is not fit for print.
This seminar is well suited to tiers who have taken our beginner course and have basic tying skills. Advanced tiers will find the first two patterns fairly easy but they can challenge themselves with variations of the last pattern. If you are an experienced tier you probably already know that sometimes the skill, effectiveness and beauty of many great guide flies comes from their simplicity. Students are required to supply their own vise, tools and materials. A 10% discount is available on materials and tools purchased for the course.
Dates: Feb 20
Time: 6:30pm – 9:30pm
Cost: $45.00+GST
Introduction To Fly Fishing
This course was specifically designed to give the new fly fisher the basic knowledge, casting skills and fly fishing strategies to effectively fish our local BC waters. This course is comprised of two sessions; 3hr evening seminar and a 3hr casting session. The dates below show the seminar date first and casting date second.
Dates: Seminar Feb 21 & Casting Feb 24
Seminar Time: 6:30pm – 9:30pm
Casting Time(s): 10am – 1pm or 2pm -5pm
Cost: $125.00 +GST
Introduction To Spey Casting
This 2-part course is designed to introduce you to the art of Spey fishing and establish the fundamental techniques required for basic Spey casts used on our local rivers.
Dates: Seminar: Feb 28 Casting: Mar 3 (Squamish)
Seminar Time: 6:30pm – 9:30pm
Cost: $150.00+GST
FRESHWATER FISHING REPORTS
Chilliwack River Fishing Report
The Vedder shaped up nicely the past few days and while it is still a bit on the slow side we have heard reports of a couple good bumps of fish. Things might get a little dicey this coming week with the next winter “storm” we are going to get; lots of precipitation with a mixture of both rain and snow if the forecast can be believed. This is not necessarily a bad thing as higher water will spread the fish out more and the poor weather conditions will keep all but the diehards off of the system. Keep an eye on the graph and for those that don’t already know, you can take a real-time look at the visibility at this page.
The water has been a bit chalky recently so fish bigger presentations like pink worms, colorado blades, and of course big intruders if you are swinging a fly. Also don’t forget to fish in tight when the water gets turbulent; like most other river fish they will follow the path of least resistance and sometimes that means hugging the shoreline. The cloudy water will give them a bit of cover as well in the shallows.
Get out there and get ’em!
Alex Au-Yeung
Capilano River Fishing Report
Water is still very high at the Capilano River but steelhead are showing up. Although the rain isn’t predicted to stop, keep an eye on the levels. If and when they close the dam, get out fishing. We expect fish to be in the system.
With the higher water there are areas where float fishing has been difficult. We have heard one good report with an angler fishing K-wobblers in the higher dirty water and it is a good reminder than if you can’t fish a spot with the float or you have already covered it thoroughly with a dead drift presentation, take a few shots with a big spoon. Though it is cold, early fish will sometimes go for a big flashy presentation over a floated presentation.
Please release ALL steelhead with care as the system is very fragile.
Watch out for fast-rising water and do not attempt to cross the river as there might be holes that might get you to fall in.
Stop by the shop if you get a nice one and stay safe out there.
Dustin Oh
Squamish River Fishing Report
Not much has changed this past week with the exception of water levels. Fish are still being found throughout the lower and upper areas of the Squamish, with beads and streamers playing a major role.
Matt was a little off last week, or should we say the weatherman was a little off. Matt apologizes for both of them. The storm was nasty but not as much rain hit the river as expected. There were days that the water was high and dirty but it did not blow out as hard as we expected. For those who braved the nasty weather there where moments of good fishing.
A bulltrout from my trip up to Squamish this week.
The water has been up and down this past week. This helped cycle and move fish around, as well as stir up eggs or push baitfish out of usual hiding spots. Monday was probably the best day. We were out later in the week and once again, my proven producer was my C3 streamer in an olive over yellow with white tail. The water was quite clear by the time we made it out, so going to the more natural colour was an obvious choice.
The olive over yellow C3 produced this week.
Egging has still proven successful for anglers as well, with water colour and clarity dictating egg size and colour- with paler beads being chosen more frequently.
Though some fish can be hard to distinguish (bull trout and dolly varden), the difference between a fish and piano are obvious: you can always tune a piano but you can’t tuna fish.
Jordan Simpson
Stave River Fishing Report
The water level has been fluctuating at the Stave. This has turned on the resident fish and we have heard a few more steelhead reports.
The stave is a short river and you will be rewarded if you move around to find steelhead. Swing flies and drift with bait, plastic worms, gooey bob, corkies and spin-N-glos. Also try throwing spinners or spoons, as it is likely for steelhead to chase things as the water warms up a bit. Make sure to release wild Steelhead with care.
Stay safe out there,
Dustin Oh
SALTWATER FISHING REPORTS
Vancouver Saltwater Salmon Fishing Report
Well it has been a bit of a nasty week filled with big winds and heavy rains, but that didn’t stop Eddie and some guest from heading out this week and the fish were in a rewarding kind of mood! They had a great day with a limit of 4 chinook and released a few nice ones as well. There were some smaller fish in the mix too, resulting in a very active and productive day. Best part was there was nobody else there…
A couple of nice ones from Eddie’s trip this week!
When it comes to winter chinook fishing, you have to go when you can go, despite the winds and the rain. Our boats are equipped with non-slip deck boots and full sets of rain gear so you will stay dry during the trip. We also have heaters on board to take the edge off the coldest and wettest of days. If you wait for a day when the wind forecast is for light variable and it is nice and sunny, well lets just say you might be waiting awhile. It will also be crowded. These kinds of days are usually extremely busy and that can make for slower fishing at times. So put on the winter clothes and get out there to enjoy what has been an excellent season so far.
As far as tackle, not much has changed. Eddie reports he has been doing well on a variety of glow flashers and his top spoon has been a 3.0 or 3.5 Irish Cream. Keep your gear close to the bottom, cover ground, look for the bait, and stay in that area and you should do well.
Speaking of raingear. I have to put mine on now and head down to the dock this morning to do some maintenance on the boats.
Jason Tonelli