Pacific Angler Friday Fishing Report: April 25, 2025

OUTLOOK 

We hope everyone enjoyed the long weekend and found some time to get out on the water.   As April comes to a close, we are busy here in the shop with all our spring orders coming in and stocking the shelves with all you will need for your favourite Spring fisheries.    

In this week’s report, we have updates from both the Squamish and Chilliwack systems as well as a cutthroat update from Eric.   

On the saltwater front, May is almost upon us and with that comes the opening for bottom fishing in select locations on the coast.  Jordan goes over some of his favourite gear for this fishery in the saltwater section.  Now is the time to get ready for the May 1 opening so swing by the shop or shop online for everything you need!  

For stillwater anglers we have a BC Interior Lake Fishing Report and we have a special feature where Jason reviews Forward Facing Sonar – a new tool that will give you the best chance at being successful on your next lake fishing trip.   

Check it all out below! 

CLASSES AND COURSES 

We have a great line up of courses set for this Spring.  Check out all of our upcoming March and April courses below and our full course listing here and sign up today online or over the phone at the shop - 604.872.2204!

Pacific Angler Course: Introduction to Fly Fishing

INDUSTRY EVENTS AND UPDATES 

FRESHWATER FISHING REPORTS

Chilliwack/Vedder River Fishing Report 

It’s been a great season for the Vedder.  After a long winter of grinding, it out most anglers have decided to hang it up and call it done for the season. The upper section of the river, from the Tamihi bridge to the fishing boundary, is closed to all fishing and has been so since the end of last month. The mid-section of the river, from the Vedder Crossing bridge to the Tamihi bridge, will remain open until the end of this month. May will signal the fly fishing only opening on the lower river below the crossing. Our daily temperatures are now in the double digits and the nightly temperatures are well above zero.  This means that the water temperatures will have come up a few degrees, making steelhead just that much more aggressive.  If you like to swing flies this is the season to get out and swing something up.

If you are looking to make the most of your late season steelheading keep an eye on the weather and water levels. We have a little rain in the forecast combined with some melt, I expect the river to have good colour coming in to the fly only season. This bit of cover is huge for fly anglers as moving fish will travel up the slower moving inside water and make then easier to target with the swung fly. If you want to make one last trip now is the time to get out, as we don’t know how long the river will be fishable. Many fly only seasons are cut shore by heavy rains or melt that blow the river out.

Its late season so you might encounter coloured fish or even Kelted fish (fish that have spawned and are dropping back down river). With every encounter do your best to limit handling time and land your fish in a timely manor. Hatchery fish can still be retained.

Because we are moving into the fly only season, we have some quick fly tips below

• Two handed Spey and switch rods are preferred but a singles hand 8-9wt will do.
• Sink tips are usually in the t8-t14 range depending on water levels.
• Go heavy on leaders 12lb or 15 lb is a must. Keep them as short. If you only have 30 in or river visibility… make it 30in.
• Try something that’s NOT pink. Fishing pressured waters Late season I like to have a variety of fly colours, sizes, and weight. Try something a little out of the ordinary like claret, purple, orange, chartreuse or black. Size the fly to the clarity of water.

I love getting out and fishing in the spring. Take advantage of the nice weather and less people on the water. Cover water, bring your sunglasses.

Cheers, 

Eric Peake

Squamish River Fishing Report 

Over the course of last week, the water level on the Squamish River steadily dropped and has been hovering in the 2.5m to 2.6m range.  In my opinion, this is one of the most optimal levels.  Every run has solid depth, the speed is relatively consistent throughout the river, and the colour/visibility is in that sweet spot between clear and murky.  A little bit of colour in the water is your friend this time of year. 

 
Some clear water conditions before the warm weather brought in some colour later in the week. 

The weather coming up isn't crazy hot and there is also a bit of rain forecasted for next week.  There doesn't appear to be enough rain to impact the river conditions too dramatically, and the temperatures shouldn't cause any crazy snow to melt that would bump the levels.  I would imagine the level will remain consistent for next week.  That being said, freshet is on the horizon!  Some years it is a gradual change and other years it can seemingly happen overnight.  When it does start to happen, the river will still be fishable for a bit, but once the colour goes from brown to grey, it will be time to pack it in for the season.  

A healthy fry eater!

For those of you looking to take advantage of the warm weather and solid conditions, you've got a couple more weeks!  If you have spent any time up the Squamish Valley, in the past couple weeks, then you have probably noticed just how busy it has been.  Lots of people camping and fishing.  High pressure fishing means the fish have seen a lot of gear and will be a bit more challenging to convince to bite.  This is the time to dust off some of those flies at the back of the box that never see the light of day.  Try something new and different!  Getting something in front of these fish that they haven't seen yet after having the same presentation float by them all season will often be the difference maker.  Switch up often and fish those more obscure patterns with confidence.  For the trout enthusiasts, the fry are getting bigger!  Big fry patterns have been producing fish, as well as spinners, spoons and blades for the gear anglers.  

Good luck out there! 

Jake Comrie

Cutthroat Update – Fresh and Saltwater 

Cutthroat fishing has been decent on the freshwater side and looking at the beaches, things are productive there as well. 

The Harrison and Fraser tributary systems continue to have signs of life.  Fry continue to school in the estuaries and riparian zones attracting the nomadic cutthroat.  We are getting solid reports from upper Harrison tributaries, the lake, and all the way down the Fraser. This is a great time of year to keep a rod in the trunk just for a quick look at the slough or creek. 

Beaches around North Vancouver and Blackies Spit in White Rock have also been producing fish.  Mornings have been best, with fish seen slashing fry close to shore.  Tides will improve next week with some good high tides in the morning.  A key piece of kit we don’t mention enough is a stripping basket.  A stripping basket will allow you to move freely along the coast debris and rocks without catching your line up.  Modern fly lines are expensive; one misstep can result in a few hundred dollars crushed under foot.  Save your lines and start beach season off right…  invest in a basket.  

Keep the gear simple.  Light rods and small lightweight packs are best.  5 and 6 wt fly rods or ultralight trout spinning setups will make for the most fun.  Pick a few presentations and hit as many spots as you can until you get lucky.  These fish don’t stay still so neither should you.  

Cheers! 

Eric Peake 

STILLWATER FISHING REPORTS 

BC Interior Lake Fishing Report 

After what I would call an early ice off season for Region 3 and a normal one for Region 5, followed by a cold April, we are finally getting some serious heat in the forecast.  This is especially true for Kamloops, so we are going to see some nice chironomid hatches coming up. 

 Kamloops 7 Day Forecast 

Things are heating up a bit in Region 5 as well and a lot of lakes at the 4,000-foot level and higher came off this week.  These lakes should be prime for good chironomid fishing late in the first and second week of May.   

Williams Lake 7 Day Forecast 

For the lower elevation lakes that have been off 3-4 weeks now, the chironomid fishing has been good to excellent.  That will continue with the current forecast, and it will be a nice way to wrap up April.  For the lakes that have only been off for a few weeks, leeches, baby damsels, and blobs have been producing well under the indicators in 5 to 15 feet of water but do try stripping a booby or leech to change things up. 

The big chironomid hatches are happening now and the big fish are waking up and taking full advantage of that, right on schedule. 

There is so much going on this time of year, it really depends on what elevation you are hitting.  You could be on a lake that just came off or on a lake that is well into its chironomid hatch season.  All of this is within a 3-4 hour drive of Vancouver, so you have lots of options to choose from.  Peak season is now upon us, so grab your gear and get out there.  Speaking of gear, I just got back from a 4-day trip, and I had the Garmin Livescope Plus System with me and it was truly amazing.  Make sure you check out my short piece on Forward Facing Sonar to learn more about it. 

The store is now fully stocked with lake flies and all the essentials so if you need to get some items, come by the shop or shop online. 

See you in the shop or on the water, 

Jason Tonelli  

SPECIAL FEATURE 

Forward Facing Sonar Review 

So, what is forward facing sonar?  Well, if you google it, this is what you are going to read.   

“Forward-facing sonar, also called live sonar, is a fishing technology that provides a real-time, live view of the water and objects like fish, bait, or structure in front of the boat.  Unlike traditional sonar, which displays sonar history, forward-facing sonar shows a live video feed, allowing anglers to see what's happening in the water in real time.”   

I can’t explain it any better than that, but what I can do is tell you how it is changing the way anglers fish and how it is used.  The transducer is mounted on a pole, so you can rotate that pole when the transducer is scanning forward, so effectively you are seeing what is in the water as far out as 100 feet in some cases.  It’s basically like being in a dark room and turning on a flashlight to see what is in front of you and you can move that beam around to wherever you want to see.  This effectively allows you to scan the water for fish, so you know where they are and where to send your presentation.  This is called Forward View and for good reason. 

In this forward view screen shot you can see 3 fish feeing on chironomids, 15 to 30 feet behind the boat, a few feet off bottom. 

What this sonar allows you to do is find or not find fish, very quickly.  You can scan vast areas of water in minutes and determine if fish are present or not, or in what numbers.  If you like what you see, you can get to fishing and start decoding what they are up to.  If they just aren’t there, time to move on and keep looking.  When you are fishing you can also watch them respond to your presentation, literally watching them eat or refuse your fly.   

You can also orientate the transducer, so you are looking right under the boat.  This is called Down View.  If you are deep lining, you can see your fly line, a split shot if you are using one, and you can even see your fly.  I watched countless fish look at my swivel, split shot, and refuse the fly and of course I saw some eat it as well!  Truly remarkable to watch them react to your presentation.  

In this down view screen shot you can see the fly line, the split shot, even the #16 chironomid.  This fish swam up to the fly, took a look, I twitched the fly and it climbed on! 

As you can well imagine, with this technology you can find the fish a lot faster than without it or with traditional sonar.  You can also dial in your presentation and fly choice faster as you can watch the fish refuse your fly or accept it. 

These screen shots truly don’t do this sonar justice.  You need to see the videos to really see how amazing it is.  Make sure you are following me on Facebook (Jason Tonelli) and Instagram (@jasonrtonelli) as I have been posting videos.  I will also be posting some on the Pacific Angler Facebook and Instagram accounts. 

Love it or hate it, this tech is here to stay.  It’s not cheap but neither are the trucks, gas, food, drinks, fly rods, fly reels, fly lines, and one’s time.  It is certainly a tool that will give you the best chance at being successful in the least amount of time, and for me that is key.  On a new lake or on that first day it is invaluable, and I will never lake fish without one again.   

If you want more information on the available packages and how to set this up on your boat, email me at jtonelli@pacificangler.ca or call me at the shop 604-872-2204.  Better yet come down for a chat. 

Jason Tonelli  

SALTWATER FISHING REPORTS 

Bottom Fishing Feature 

With May on its way and almost here, many saltwater anglers are already starting to think about bringing out their bottom fishing gear and getting ready for the upcoming season.   

With select opportunities and areas for rockfish and ling cod about to open, anglers will want to ensure they are well prepared with a good selection of terminal tackle. These include snaps, swivels, beads, and leader material.  Along with those, be sure to have extra hooks and a file to keep your hooks sticky sharp.  I usually like to organize my own bottom terminal kit to make sure I don’t borrow from my salmon gear. 

For jigging efficiency, anglers will want to use short, stout rods that are paired with matching level-wind or lever-drag reels filled with braid.  
Terminal Tackle Essentials

One thing that most anglers don’t take into consideration is the number of lures needed in a variety of weights.  As much as it is a bit of a ‘send it down and dance it fishery, you will still want to approach it tactically.   I like to use the least amount of weight I can still fish effectively at varying depths- this means that I may use the same lure in shape and colour, but in varying weights, as my depth changes along with the push of the tide.  I want to keep my jigs up and down the best I can, so changing out weight as needed can play a key role. 

 
A Good Selection of Bottom Gear

If you like to drift swimbaits with the rod in the holder, you’ll want to approach this the same way, with various ball-weights kept on hand for easy rigging.  As you fish them deeper, you’ll need to add more weight to help keep them at a slight angle: this helps you keep your depth fairly accurate and true-to-depth, while also allowing a slight angle that indicates that the tail is swimming/kicking.  If there is a slight angle, you know it’s trying to drop or fall, and with that, swimming properly. 

 
A successful day on the water last season.

Adding scents can help make a great difference, with a variety of scent options on the market.  Having a variety can play a key role as food and bait opportunities change.  Lots of herring around?  Switch out to Herring gel.  If the squid hatch is happening, squid gel can be great and is a great sleeper scent for most ground fish in general. 

Keep in mind that a descending device is required by law and must be kept on-hand when targeting groundfish.  Having it in your bag or kit doesn’t count- it must be on deck and ready to use.  

Click to view the details

There are lots of different designs, but our favourite is the Seaqualizer: it’s easy to use, can clip to a down-rigger, and doesn’t require an angler to ‘jerk’ the rod multiple times to release a fish.  They open up automatically at a pre-set depth, ensuring a safe release for fish being sent back. 
 
Stay safe, 

Jordan Simpson