I thought it would be great to take a look back at 2025 and a look ahead to 2026 and all it has to offer.
Big Thanks:
First off, a big thank you to all of you who came into the store, shopped online, and went fishing with us in 2025. From our weekly regulars to new customers from all around the world, thank you for choosing Pacific Angler and making it one of our most successful years ever. All of us who work here truly appreciate it, and you help support this family run, Canadian owned company.
Of course, a big thank you to all the staff here at the shop and guides down at the dock for the countless hours of hard work and your passion for fishing and service. You guys are the best in the business.
2025 was definitely a great year to be out there fishing, so let’s take a look at how things went and where you should be fishing in 2026.
Ocean Fishing:
We are lucky to have great salmon fishing in the ocean 12 months a year here in Vancouver. 2025 was no exception with great winter chinook fishing, red hot summer coho fishing, and excellent summer and fall chinook fishing.
12 months of awesome coho and chinook fishing in Vancouver!
For 2026 I am expecting a good year, so let’s get right into it. To start the year, the winter chinook season has been a good one, with lots of chinook, crabs, and prawns. Thing are wrapping up at the end of March so if you have a few more spots on your license, get out there now, fishing has been great.
Looking ahead, I just got a copy of the 2026 Draft IMFP (Integrated Fisheries Management Plan) and similar to 2025, we will be closed for chinook as of April 1st, 2026 and the next salmon opening in our area will be for hatchery coho June 1st, 2026. We are already seeing lots of juvenile coho out there so I am quite confident we will see excellent coho fishing again this summer off South Bowen and West Vancouver down to the Capilano River mouth.
Also, in the IMFP is the chinook opening on July 15th in Area 17 (Gabriola & Nanaimo) and NW of Gower Point in area 29-2. The Area 17 chinook fishery has been outstanding for quite a few years now and goes all the way into September. I fully expect it to be the same in 2026 and no doubt we will be making the run over to Area 17 as often as possible for chinook, coho, lingcod and rockfish. The IMFP also shows the famous fall chinook opener in Area 28 and 29 when it goes back to 2 chinook per day September 1st. The place to be this time of year is the Fraser Mouth and I see no reason why we won’t have excellent chinook fishing in September off the Fraser Mouth area just like we have the past few years.
Sockeye in 2026. Well, it’s a dominant sockeye this year, with a pre-season estimate at around 8 million fish. This should be enough to have fisheries happening at the same time for First Nations, the commercial sector, and the public sector. Sockeye estimates are notoriously difficult, so we really don’t know how big the run is until the fish are hitting Vancouver Island and we get some good test sets. The good news is last year the estimate was around 3 million and 6 million came back, so hopefully this year’s fish experience similar ocean conditions and survival rates will be high.
What’s not like 2025 is the SRKW (Southern Resident Killer Whale) situation for 2026. Last year there were no new SRKW proposed protective measures. For 2026 there are several proposals out there that have been consulted on and we are currently awaiting the decision from the Fisheries Minister. Some of these proposals would shut down the main areas where we prefer to fish off the Fraser Mouth for chinook in September. The fishery itself won’t close if these SRKW measures go through, but you will be fishing way offshore and the productive inshore waters will be closed. Right now, we need to wait and see…
As if that weren’t enough, there is also the Salmon Allocation Policy Review. This is a BIG one and if you haven’t been to FISHING RIGHTS then stop reading this and go there right now! The new SAP won’t be out until later this year and likely won’t have any impact on the 2026 season but could impact future seasons depending which direction DFO goes with it. This is going to be a political decision that requires you to contact your MP to let them know you want BC salmon to remain common property. For more information on the subject and to contact your MP, or visit BCWF Salmon.
In conclusion, I expect another fantastic Vancouver salmon fishing season in 2026 but we certainly have our long-term challenges ahead of us an angling community. I encourage you to follow the Public Fishery Alliance, the Sport Fishing Institute of BC and the BC Wildlife Federation to stay update on important issues and how you can make a difference.
River Fishing:
The rivers fished quite well this later summer and fall. With local chinook and coho stocks being strong and river anglers doing quite well. These days it seems things are super low and then all the rain comes at once. Call it climate change or whatever you like, I do think it stays warmer and drier longer than my river fishing days in the 90’s. Now all the rain comes in a week or so and blows out the rivers after extended low water periods. Regardless, the fish seem to be doing well and all the DFO data I saw this winter showed some excellent returns of salmon to our local stream. 2026 should be another great salmon river fishing season and hopefully we get a sockeye opening in late August to early September.
Steelhead:
The Skeena, Nass, their tributaries and the Dean all seemed to have solid returns for 2025. Not the best but also not the worst on record like we saw only a few years back for the Skeena. Steelhead travel quite far offshore and we don’t know a lot about their highly variable return rates other than blaming it on ocean survival. For 2026 only a fool would predict steelhead returns, so I hear I go. I think the returns will be good as ocean survival seems to be good out there right now for sockeye, who also travel way offshore. The big thing will be these summer/fall steelhead getting through all the Alaskan gill nets and the nets in the Skeena. Looking at winter runs, so far so good, with a good return well on its way on the Vedder/Chilliwack and decent fishing on Vancouver Island.
Lakes:
The spring lake season in 2025 was a good one and the real bonus was the fishing in July and August, which was quite good because we had a cooler than average summer in Region 3 and 5. The fall season seemed to be tough for most, as a late heat wave messed up a lot of the traditional fall fishing. The winter killed that occurred a few years back is just a distant memory now and all those lakes have bounced back nicely for the most part and should be coming into peak cycle this year and next. For 2026 there will be plenty of lakes in Region 3 and Region 5 and other regions that will be fishing excellent.
No shortage of big BC trout in Region 3 & 5 last year!
As far as timing for 2026 we are definitely seeing a very early season for Region 3, likely some of the earliest recorded ice offs. White Lake has been off since Feb 15 and 6 Mile, Morgan, Stump and a few others are already iced off in this second week of March! Looking at my satellite data, I see a number of lakes breaking up or half off. Even though last year was early, it looks like we are 1-2 weeks earlier than 2025, so keep that in mind when planning your trips.
One thing that is of concern, especially in Region 3, is the water table and this year’s mild winter with little to no snowpack at lower elevations. A lot of lakes ended the season extremely low last year, so low a lot of boat launches were not useable. It looks like a bit more snow is on the way, so that is good news as a lot of lakes in Region 3 need it or we could be seeing some summer kill this year. Some more good news is that once you get out of the South Coast, Lower Fraser, and Lower Thompson regions, the snowpack is looking better to good with some levels in the 90-110% of the median. Check out Snow Conditions and Water Supply Bulletin for updated information and let’s hope for a late season dump of the white stuff to bring the water table up in Region 3.
Sturgeon:
Did you know the largest freshwater game fishing in North America is right here in Vancouver? We fish the Lower Fraser for white sturgeon and 2025 was truly world class fishing. These fish melt line off the reel then come flying out of the water like a tarpon or marlin. Our guide Josh Lo had great fishing all summer and fall with some truly amazing fish. Josh grew up fishing the banks of the Lower Fraser and is an excellent sturgeon guide. I have no doubt he will be dialed in as ever for 2026, meticulously preparing his secret baits and guiding people into the largest fish they will ever hook in their lives, all only minutes from downtown Vancouver our 22 foot jet boat.
World class big game sturgeon fishing minutes from downtown Vancouver!
I have to tell you, even though I am a hardcore fly angler, I love sturgeon fishing. Being connected to that raw power and watching them go air born is something I will never get tired of. If you aren’t making this an annual trip, you’re missing out. Enough said, visit us at Sturgeon Fishing Vancouver to book your trip. Fishing is excellent from July right into November.
Travel:
We were one of the original and most frequent hosted trip shops here in Vancouver, having done many trips to Christmas Island, Cuba, Bahamas, Panama, Mexico, and Venezuela. We plan on ramping things up again in 2026 and 2027 and being the leader for hosted trips in our area in the years to come. Notice two of those locations are now off the green light list. Yes, I am talking about Cuba and Venezuela. I long to go back to both locations so I can once again experience the amazing fishing for bonefish, permit and tarpon, but it looks like that might be awhile yet. For now, the list of places to go has gotten a bit smaller, especially with the Cuba situation, as the programs there hosted thousands of anglers each year from across the globe. This will put a lot more pressure on Mexico, Belize, Christmas, and other locations. I expect things to book up fast and prices to go up basically everywhere and this is already happening at Christmas Island (CXI).
Stay tuned for hosted travel opportunities and if you want to be put on the specific fly fishing travel list, please email me directly at jtonelli@pacificangler.ca as I am currently combing the globe for opportunities.
Some pictures from our warm water adventures this past winter. Stay tuned for information on hosted trips for the 2026/27 season!
Staff Updates:
A quick update on some familiar faces and changes that happened in 2025. After the better part of a decade and a half at PA, Matt Sharp has moved into the rep world and is now working for Woodside Agencies. He is now the sales representative for some prestigious brands including Simms, Abel, Ross, Renzetti, Dyna-King, Airlite, and Airflow. Matt helped build PA into what it is today, and for that we thank him and are very excited for him and this new chapter.
Jake Comrie, Guiding & Operations Manager, Head Guide, and all-around awesome dude, has also moved on to pursue a firefighting career. His hard work and well-rounded skill set on and off the water made 2025 one of the best guiding seasons we’ve ever had. He will be missed down at the docks, in the Grady, and on the raft. We know he will be an excellent firefighter, and If I know Jake, I am sure he will be sneaking in a few guide days in the years to come.
Awesome Additions:
I am pleased to see some new members who joined the team in 2026. Jacob Leboe is now on the retail floor full time sharing his experiences in local ocean salmon fishing, salmon river fishing, lake kokanee fishing, and interior lake fly fishing and fly tying. You won’t find a more passionate young angler who is well on his way to being a well-rounded BC fisherman.
We are also pleased to announce we are working with Will Rice. Will is helping us forge ahead on some awesome projects for 2026. His depth of experience in marketing, sales, and strategy from working with Fortune 100 companies, as well as working in the fly fishing arena has made him an exciting addition to the team. Will fly fishes for trout, salmon, steelhead, warm water species, and has written for the Denver Post, the Flyfish Journal, Fly Rod & Reel Magazine, Outside Magazine Online, and The Drake Magazine.
Giving Back:
At Pacific Angler we believe strongly in giving back to the sport and industry that has given us so much. Last year we made donations to the Steelhead Society of BC, the Sportfishing Institute of BC, and the Public Fishery Alliance to name a few. That will continue in 2026, as will the significant amount of time we donate to various organizations. I spend countless hours working within the Sport Fish Advisory Board process, where I am Chair of the Sport Fish Advisory Committee for the Lower Fraser (Area 28/29). Kathryn is also very active as a Director of the Public Fishery Alliance, having recently spent a week in Ottawa advocating for your right to access sustainable public fisheries.
Things to Come:
We are excited for things to come in 2026. As you can see there are lots of great fisheries to participate in BC this year and the fishing outlook for salmon, steelhead, trout, and sturgeon is looking good. For the store, expect some more video content this year, the most extensive and professional fishing courses in North America, special events, hosted travel, further refinement of the ecom store, the best guided salmon and sturgeon trips in Vancouver, and more quality interaction with you, our customer, our friend, our fellow fisher, who we can’t wait to share our 2026 fishing journey with.
Thank you,
Jason Tonelli & The PA Team
