BC Friday Fishing Report, May 24th, 2013

Outlook:

Welcome back to typical late spring and almost summer weather here in Vancouver!  The barometer is looking fairly steady over the next few days.  Lows of 9 and highs of 20 straight through to Monday. 40-60% chance of rain in the lower mainland this weekend but this should not stop anyone from hitting the water!

This is the same forecast for up the interior this weekend as well.  There is a slight drop in the barometer on Saturday but I am not letting this stop me from heading for some lake fishing this weekend!!

Over the Georgia Basin this weekend the winds are SE and 5-15knots all weekend, nice and steady!  Forecasts this week were for cloud and rain and it cleared up and fishing has been amazing.  See below for more saltwater details.

PACIFIC ANGLER SUMMER SUPER SALE!!  1 WEEK TILL SAVINGS TIME!

RAFFLE PRIZE UPDATE!!  We have TWO AMAZING RAFFLE PRIZES THIS YEAR!  You must make a sale purchase (May 31, June1-2) to be entered into the RAFFLE!

RAFFLE #1

Brent Gill at Stoney Lake Lodge has awarded a raffle prize of:

2 nights / 2 days package (for two) to Stoney Lake Lodge (value $1121.80)

Properly built on the southern shoreline of Stoney Lake this exclusive, adult oriented facility offers the finest in World Class fly fishing, lodging and dining. The lodge is furnished with a fully licensed lounge bar, tastefully decorated dining room and large rock fireplace. A large sun deck with hot tub is immediately adjacent to the lounge and makes an ideal spot for outdoor barbecues while enjoying the stunning view of Stoney Lake’s famous sunsets. Rainbow trout and bird/wildlife activity can be observed right from the large windows of the lounge.

Situated in the world famous Kamloops Rainbow Trout Region, fish in these waters are notorious for their incredible fighting abilities. Guests of the lodge have unlimited access to Stoney and Minnie Lakes. Minnie Lake is a 5 minute drive from the lodge, with both lakes offering opportunities to catch and release trout up to the double digits. Both Minnie and Stoney Lakes are surrounded by total private property. Limited visitation and angling pressure is the first draw to these nutrient rich bodies of water. A complete fishery waters management program is firmly in place, closely monitoring water levels/angling days/fish populations, natural and enhanced [Triploid & Diploid Rainbow Trout]. These lakes are strict Rainbow Trout only habitats.STONEY LAKE LODGE VIDEO! http://youtu.be/KD6tGkl1o6s

Follow the action on Facebook, YouTube or on Twitter!

RAFFLE #2

Randy Beck from Ultimate SportFishing has awarded an amazing FULL day trip for two on the Fraser River going after MONSTER STURGEON!

8hr Full Day Trip on the Fraser River valued at $650!!!

World Class Big Game Sport Fishing is what we’re all about and our guests come from across the globe year after year to experience the excitement that the Fraser River white Sturgeon fishing has to offer. The Fraser River sturgeon is British Columbia’s largest game fish, and once you’ve had an adrenalin filled battle with one of these prehistoric fish from the past you will be hooked! From the second one these giants are hooked, to the line screaming runs and the tail walking jumps it’s only then you can truly appreciate the sheer strength of these giant fish from the past. Many of our guests call these fish “The Fraser River Marlin” due to their jumping aerial displays.

Fraser River White Sturgeon can reach weights of over 1000 pounds and 12 feet in length. Many of our sturgeon fishing clients often catch fish in the 4 – 7 foot range with a few 8 and 9 footers every year tipping the scales at over 400 pounds!

Just stop in to Pacific Angler on May 31, June 1-2nd and make a purchase during our Summer Super Sale and get entered into a draw for one of these prizes!!! 

OK….here is what you really came here for, the reports!

STILLWATER REPORT:

Roche Lake report from one of Jason’s friends;

Hey Jason,

Figured I’d give you a report from the last weekend, though I’m sure you’re getting lots. We headed up to the Roche area and fished one of the smaller lakes. The fishing wasn’t stellar but it was good enough to keep us busy. Lots of fish in the 18″-20″ range with a few bigger ones. Biggest of the trip was caught by Jessica and we were lucky enough to get a picture of the pristine specimen. I’ll be by the shop later this week to stock up on supplies as I have a week long trip coming up first week of June.

Dion Lauriente

P.S. we love those hats Dion and his girlfriend are wearing!!

Kane Valley report from Dimitri

This weeks look into lake fishing is for the better. Andre and myself were in the Kane Valley on the holiday monday. It put a bit of a smile on my face to see everyone leaving and to hear that the last 3 days had been unsettled with mixed rain, wind and cloudy skies. With bluebird skies above a stiff breeze, Andre and I made our way onto the lake. The fish hadn’t been hit that hard with the unstable barometer. The first thing to note when launching into your selected lake is to look at water temperature (reminder of how important a fish finder w/ temperature can be). This will dictate where, how deep and when the hatches will come off. Another key to success is wind and the direction it is blowing. My most hated days are ones spent where the lake is as flat as can be. With a stiff wind from the south and water temperature sitting at approx 56 degrees and a hot sun, things were looking for the better. The week prior Andre had done well with a little colder temps in 16-20ft of water fishing right off the bottom. Taking that into consideration, we decided to anchor up in 18-22ft feet of water and see how things went.

For the first hour things were slow, we could see fish on the sounder occasionally and there were hatches coming off, but the fish weren’t on them yet. Water temperature, time of day and the intensity of the hatch will dictate what time the fish will turn on. Finally after about an hour Andre hooked up with the first fish of the day and unfortunately crackering it off. It’s key to land that first fish in order to throat pump them to see what they are on. Both colour pattern and size. As the day went on, Andre and I were constantly moving every 10-15minutes in order to stay on the hatches.

Finding where the Chironomids are coming up and putting your indicators on the spot is critical to success. To put it into perspective, 10ft in any direction other than on the spot resulted in hooking 1 or 2 fish instead of 7 or 8. After netting a couple fish and sampling them, we found that they were keyed in on a few different patterns. With the temperatures being fairly cold still, chromies were coming off all day. Persistance and continuously moving and planning these moves strategically to the lay of the land is the biggest factor to success. Once you net your first fish, using your throat pump and looking carefully at your vile to ‘match the hatch’ is all that’s left. Once more thing…CONFIDENCE!

All the best

Dimitri

Brian Chan Report:

Hi Jason and Bryce,

It is chironomid time in the interior regions of BC! Chironomids coming off most lakes now, sizes ranging from #16 to 10-2X (bombers) all dependant on lake elevation.  Also, lower elevation lakes now seeing some callibaetis mayfly emergences.  Some mature damselfly movement noted as well but no emergences.  Should be a prime week of fishing coming up.  The usual lakes are all producing with White Lake near Salmon Arm a great fishery to introduce someone to sight fishing with chironomids as lots of fish on the marl shoals now.Cheers,Brian

(Pacific Angler recommends taking Trevor Welton’s “Chironomid Technique” course!  See course details below)

John Kent Chironomid Spotlight:

Spending nine years living on the shores of Tunkwa Lake made for some quality time to observe natural chironomids during their varying stages of metamorphosis and one such pattern that was developed from these observations was the Guns n’ Roses pattern. Looking back on my journal, it was August 2005 and the bombers were in full bloom at the northwest corner of the lake off the knoll. This particular day the trout were feeding sporadically on the pupae which gave me a chance to explore other areas of the lake.

One of the spots that often gets overlooked is Bloodworm Bay situated in the most southeasterly corner of the lake. As I glided up the channel towards the bay I noticed a few fish moving at the mouth and arriving there I noticed lots of shucks and wriggling pupae on the surface so I anchored up in the 12’ of water at the mouth of the channel. Little did I realize that the hatch was just starting to intensify and soon I noticed lots of pupa in the surface film. I noted the colour as maroon with a very gassy segmentation.

There were a few fish targeting these pupae and I managed to land half a dozen decent sized fish but I was more interested in getting some photos of these size 12 pupae but had forgotten my camera. After pulling up my anchors I netted two natural pupae and inserted them into a vial and filled the rest of the vial up with water. It was a short 2 minute run back to the dock. I was very disappointed when I arrived and found that the pupa had exhausted the oxygen supply and were a solid maroon with no rib.  No worries as I had a vivid memory of  this unique pupa and the GNR was born that day!

Keep tuned for another chironomid spotlight!

Regards,

JK

River Report: For the most current river conditions and fishing updates please check out our friend Rod’s report at Fishing with Rod!  He has updates on Stave, Harrison, Capilano and others!

Saltwater Report:

Well it’s now one of my favourite times of the year. The hump off Bowen Island is slowing down but we’re still able to pick up some nice fish. It at least provides us with a decent opportunity to hook fish close to home for our short trips or as a back up for when we are unable to run across the Strait to Thrasher. Last Monday was extremely challenging as 3′ waves and wind turned a 1 hour run to 2 hours. We had very difficult conditions to fish in with the bulk of the boats that made it out coming back empty handed. In contrast the very next day was sunny and flat calm and I had one of my most productive days of the year….so far.

In either case we are regularly coming home with fish and the crab are plentiful and large. The gear is still the same as on my previous reports with spoons like the 4″ Homeland Security, Green Glo, Kitchen Sink, Cop Car or any spoon that resembles a 4′ herring working, Anchovies and an assortment of Hoochies such as Army Truck, White and the Spackle Backs in the regular and Double Glos taking he lead. It’s also good to try other gear in the box as you may be able to find other favourites with could be the next hot ticket. Every year or so seems to produce a new favourite and you may be the one to find it. Bottom line is getting onto the fish and finding the depth. I’ve found that 80′-120′ range working best at the Hump and 130′-180′ range working best at Thrasher but be prepared to adjust the depth.

I had an interesting thing happen on my last trip. After doing pretty well offshore at Thrasher the bite seemed to slow down and I got into a school of small fish. Getting tired of releasing small fish I decided to pick up the lines and move inshore. I was all by myself but I started spotting bait dimpling the surface. Looking down into the water with my polarized glasses I also started seeing the concentrations of herring in the water. No need for a “fishfinder” at that point because when you find the bait usually find the fish. After seeing a few fish fining on the surface so I started experimenting with running a line up high. I went 30′ and then 60′ which is much higher than I’ve ever fished there and the next thing I knew I couldn’t get the fish out of the net before the next fish hit! I was also hitting fish on my other line at 180′ initially but adjusted to 140′ and both the deep and shallow lines kept hooking up. For the next hour we filled the box and got well past the double digits in hook ups for the day!  That being said, there were a number of nice fish that got away and I am sure they’ll be there for the next trip!!

Tight lines,

Eddie

P.S. Remember to always check our blog on our Vancouver Salmon Fishing website to get current fishing conditions and contact us for an amazing guided saltwater trip for out-of-town guests or before that summer BBQ!!  We drop traps and can catch you spotprawns and crabs while we are out pursuing the salmon!

Upcoming Courses + Availability

INTRODUCTION TO FLY FISHING LAKES

 This course will give you an in-depth look at the fundamentals of lake fly fishing. We will look at equipment, techniques, strategies, major insect hatches and locations. Everything you need to plan your next successful lake fly-fishing trip. This course is comprised of one 3 hr evening session.

Cost: $30.00 (before taxes)

Course Date/Time: Wednesday May 29  630pm-930pm

(10 people booked and 5 Spots Available)

CHIRONOMID TECHNIQUES WITH TREVOR WELTON

PERFECT Timing as it is widely known that chironomids are the number one food source for trout in BC’s prolific lakes. However, few anglers have taken the time to become true masters of this discipline. Those that do are often rewarded with the largest fish.

Trevor Welton, fisheries biologist and expert lake fisherman, is the instructor. This course is a 1-night theory session designed for beginner to intermediate fly fishermen getting started on chironomid fishing. However, even the advanced lake fishermen will glean valuable information that will increase your catch rate.

Cost: $30.00 (before taxes)

Date/Time: Tuesday May 28 (5 booked, 15spots available)  This course will sell out…BOOK NOW!

FLY FISHING ON BEACHES (Due to overwhelming demand and growing wait list)

 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 an effective beach fly fishermen on this once a year seminar.

Cost: $30.00 (before taxes)

Date/Time: Tuesday June 25th (11 booked & 4 Spots Available) / 630pm-930pm

TYING BEACH FLY PATTERNS

 Join Pacific Angler for a night of tying flies specific to catching salmon on our coastal beaches. Without a doubt fly selection and the use of the right fly is one of the major keys to catching salmon on the beach. Your instructor will walk you through each fly step-by-step, as you follow. This course is suitable to fly tiers with a basic knowledge.

Cost: $30.00 (before taxes)

Date/Time: June 26th (2 booked and 4 Spots Available) 6:30pm – 9:30pm

See complete Pacific Angler 2013 Course Schedule

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, Eddie and Bryce