OUTLOOK
We were expecting the first little shot of rain and cloud this weekend but it looks as though the forecast has changed. We will have some cloud today but we are back to sun for Saturday and Sunday. The temps dropped a little over the last two days and we are eager to hear reports from today. Any time we get a little change in the weather, especially when we have had such a long period of heat and sun, cooler weather and cloud should make for some great fishing.
Obviously, the big news this week is that the sockeye fishery is open in tidal waters! See the official details here. We are still in early days. The majority of fish have not shown up in local waters yet but from all the test numbers we are excited. We have already hooked a number of sockeye while targeting coho and chinook on guided trips so we expect the first good sockeye reports soon. If you want to book a trip call us now. Prime time is more to the middle of August when more fish move into the area but that said we could see good fishing any day and spots are filling up fast!
On our guided trips this week in the salt coho fishing remains very good and there are chinook around. We have more details in our saltwater report but we still recommend focusing your efforts on these species over sockeye. Watch your sounder, look for jumping sockeye and change over to a sockeye rig if you find yourself in the right place at the right time.
We will also hear news on the freshwater Fraser sockeye front soon, possibly even today, but we have no official news yet as we write this report.
On the trout front we have an update from Matt’s Skagit trip last weekend and he is heading out with Sean and Brendan this weekend. The fishing was good and all of the details are in Matt’s report along with a new video on how he packs multiple rods when fishing the Skagit. This is not for everyone but if you plan to use different presentations it is the fastest way to change gears.
The Thompson is also another one to look at if you are planning a trip. We had multiple reports from the river this week and fishing was excellent. With sockeye coming you will see this fishery slow down a little when the bulk of the sockeye run hits the river. It seems to make the trout less aggressive but at least for now the sockeye are not posing a problem.
We were worried that if it rained hard they might open the dam on the Capilano. This would have been great for river fishing but it would have killed the beach fishing. As it stands we don’t see rain in the forecast and we expect the beach to be very good and the river to continue to be challenging. Ambleside had a water quality advisory earlier this week but that looks to have been lifted yesterday. As always be sure to keep an eye on things like that if you head out and always wash your gear after you’re out fishing.
The interior lakes have slowed down considerably with the heat but there are some lakes that are deeper or have springs feeding cold water that can still provide good fishing opportunities. Alex is heading up to Tunkwa. It is known as one of the better mid summer lakes. Though Alex is the first to admit that he is not a fly fishing trout lake expert he has a report on the intel he has been gathering and he will have more details when he is back next week.
Last but not least the Vedder chinook fishing has picked up a bit and Dustin has information on the Vedder river report below.
On to the report!!
INDUSTRY EVENTS
Vancouver Chinook Classic 2018
This year’s Vancouver Chinook Classic is SOLD OUT! But that doesn’t mean you can’t join in on the premier catch and release tournament and get your shot at the $15,000 first place prize.
We’ve had a last minute cancellation on one of our Grady Whites that is entered in the tournament.
Call us today to charter this boat and enter in the tournament.
This is the premier, nonprofit catch and release salmon derby fundraiser for the Pacific Salmon Foundation & Sport Fishing Institute. We look forward to seeing everyone out on the water again this August – fishing and having fun in the sun competing for the large cash prizes!
Dates: Sat Aug 18th & Sun Aug 19th 2018
Venue: Pacific Gateway Hotel & Deckside Marina (previously known as Pier 73 Marina)3500 Cessna Drive Richmond
Prizes: 1st place $15,000
2nd place $7,000 3rd place $3,000
Entry Fee: $300 + GST per person
Charter Fee: $2000+GST for the tournament
Registration Includes:
- Entry into 2018 Vancouver Chinook Classic
- Complimentary moorage
- Breakfast Saturday & Sunday morning
- Dinner Saturday night
- BBQ and awards ceremony Sunday afternoon
- Drink tickets
- Discounted room rates at the Pacific Gateway Hotel
If you have any questions please give us a call at 604.872.2204 or email kathryn@pacificangler.ca
For more details visit the tournament website www.vancouverchinookclassic.com
Thanks to all who participate, donate and support! We welcome all anglers from novice to expert and look forward to seeing everyone again soon – let the fun times begin!
Your VCC Derby organizers,
Pacific Angler
West Coast Fishing Club
Pacific Gateway Hotel
FRESHWATER FISHING
Vedder River Fishing Report
With the heat wave abating a little it is time to get out and look for some springs on the Vedder. River fisherman were hoping for some rain but it doesn’t look like it going to happen. Historically speaking we’ve just entered “peak” season. We heard reports of a few fish here and there over the past week. We should always keep in mind that the run of early chinook is very small and the fishing is still considered “slow”. To get rewarded with this fishery you need to keep moving and cover water.
Float fishing with roe in the morning is the best method to target these fish. In the afternoon, switch things up to colorado blades, or heavy spoons to get down and find fish.
Move from pool to pool. If you spot fish but they aren’t biting, adjust your depth of the float, cast at different angle, or switch things up by using a different rig. Sometimes it will take some work to get them to bite. If the fish won’t commit, move on when you run out of options.
Stay safe put there and have fun,
Dustin Oh
Fraser River Report
Stay tuned to our social feeds and the DFO page for any announcements – fishing reports will come soon!
Skagit River Fishing Report
I hit the river last weekend with the family. We had an awesome time but it came with some caveats.
My 2 year old helped dad catch her first fish, it was the first time she got to play in a river and she also got her first, second and 80th mosquito bite. Unfortunately she now looks like she has chicken pocks.
If you are debating taking the family on a camping trip and you have non-fishing folks or small children in the group be ready to brave the mosquitos. We did have a ton of fun and it is still one of the most beautiful places on earth, but the bugs are out in force right now so consider yourself warned.
There were no bugs when you were actually on the river so for fishing it is not an issue if you are prepared with repellant and long sleeves.
On the fishing side of things, it was excellent. Even though I was confined to limited areas where I could keep an eye on my daughter, we hooked a bunch of fish. Again there were no noticeable hatches. I would love to hear if anyone was on the water during the overcast skies this week because I usually see better hatches when there is less sun on the water.
I mostly used dry flies, even though there were no hatches and the fish were still hungry enough to come to the surface. Size 12 parachute patterns in grey worked well but nymphing would have probably produced more fish. I am hitting the water again this weekend and will have more time to really go hard on the fishing front so stay tuned for updates next week.
If you are planning a trip, come prepared to nymph, dry fly fish and swing streamers. Look back to Brendan’s bug report (scroll down to the Skagit Report) for details on what you will want in your box.
With the need to fish multiple presentations we have released a new video with Fishing with Rod this week. It shows you guys how I pack multiple rods on the river. This is key for changing presentations fast. It is a very useful skill to learn and play with when fishing in many different situations. I hope you guys like it.
Good luck and I will see you on the river!
Matt Sharp
Thompson River Fishing Report
The Thompson has been fishing well this week and we have had multiple reports of anglers doing well on hoppers, Cali Blondes and larger stone fly nymphs. This is a massive river to fish and it can be intimidating. We find that because the water is quite hot that we target riffles with chop where the water has more oxygen for the fish or deeper riprap sections where the water is deep enough to stay cool but there is a constant supply of grasshoppers falling into the river from the high banks.
Thanks for the report guys!
Fishing should be good for the next 2 weeks, but we sometimes see this system slow down when large numbers of sockeye move into the river. For the lack of a better word the trout seam to get “scared” and are pushed out of the classic feeding lanes. This historically happens about the 10-20th of August.
Come down to the shop and we can show you some flies and some general spots to access the river.
STILLWATER FISHING REPORTS
Tunkwa Lake Pre-Trip Primer
Hey look, Alex is writing an interior lake report!
This is a change-up isn’t it? Those that know me know that I spend a lot of time chasing fish in freshwater but I don’t get much of a chance to hit the Interior for the fantastic rainbow trout fishing it has to offer. Well, I’m going to be doing just that next weekend at Tunkwa Lake.
So why the sudden jump into the deep end for this report? A handful of my friends (including Dustin whom you all know from the shop) were trying to figure out what to do for my upcoming stag party. I told them, “Honestly, I don’t need any crazy partying. Just take me fishing and I will be happy.” Thus, this upcoming Tunkwa trip was conceived. Before you ask – hell yes I would take 3 days of hardcore fishing over 3 days of hardcore partying any day! For this week the report is not really a “report” per se but a primer for the following week after I come back so with any luck we will have some cool fish porn to share with you all.
We do have a little bit of intel for those thinking to hit the lake as well in the next little while. Acquaintances who have fished the lake recently have had decent success on red and green bloodworms as well as larger bomber style chironomids, which are just starting to show up. A couple of fish have been caught on lures as well. As for my group going next weekend we will be fishing a myriad of things, which includes (but not limited to) chironomids, streamers, dries, spoons, and spinners. I also will be testing out what I hope will be a fun new twist on the chironomid game but I won’t spill the beans just yet. If this new idea is a complete fail then this will be the last you will hear of it, but in theory it should be a blast and if it works all of you will be hearing about it.
I will be back in two weeks with the results of our trip. Until then, tight lines out there!
Alex Au-Yeung
SALTWATER FISHING REPORTS
Vancouver Saltwater Salmon Fishing Report
It has been an eventful week; where to start? The first few days of August are historically difficult to predict, that, and in combination with the sockeye opening that was announced on August 1st has everyone talking.
Locally, we have had good numbers of coho during the week. In the morning hours, on the flood tide we have found them close to the mouth of the Capilano at 70-50 ft. on the riggers, and on the ebb we have done well along the West Vancouver coastline. The classic white hoochie setups have produced, but we have also had good numbers caught on spoons and anchovies. While the chinook run isn’t quite here in force yet, a good strategy is to run anchovies or spoons on the lower rods for chinook, then a mini hoochie and a “big ugly” hoochie on the top rods for coho. In terms of spoons, 3.5-inch Irish cream is my favorite, and for teaser heads I like either a green glow or a UV purple. Chartreuse flashers have been a favorite lately for our guide team.
The strong SE winds this week have made the Hump harder to fish, but the coho are there and we also picked up some chinook in the mid 20s. Some of our charter boats have prospected the Bell Buoy and further down to T-10 and the Sandheads area but I haven’t heard of any significant reports yet. There are fish around, but it’s not red hot yet. That area will pickup anytime now, perhaps this weekend.
For sockeye we recommend using 3-4 “dummy flashers” and then two flashers with small hoochies above that on the cable. The best colour hoochies historically have been hot pink with a glow head or a glow strip. Productive leader lengths have been from 22” up to 31” but most anglers fish about a 28” leader of 40 or 50 LB test. When it comes to flashers, the more flashers in the water the better. Sockeye love to follow the gear and will follow you, not the other way around if you make a big enough appearance. A great way to put those flashers you normally don’t use to good use. We have a sockeye diagram at our Pacific Angler retail location, which shows exactly how we fish for sockeye on the guide boats. Come by the store for that and your tackle needs.
Tim beat the heat on the water this week and enjoyed some great fishing.
Since the announcement of the tidal sockeye salmon opening, our charter hotline has been ringing off the hook. If you want to get out and experience this incredible fishery using our top of the line Grady White charter boats run by our expert guides, give me a call at 778-788-8582 to lock in a date – we are filling up fast but some prime dates are still open.
See you in the shop or on the water
Lars Akerberg