OUTLOOK
Happy August Long Weekend! It’s been great to see so many of you in the shop getting ready to go for your long weekend fishing adventures!
In this week’s report, Jason covers the latest from the saltwater including what we are expecting for August and some regulation updates as well. He also has an update from the Interior lakes so don’t miss his stillwater fishing report if you are heading out this month.
On the river front, Taylor checks in from out in the valley and Eric has a trout stream update from the Skagit and his favourite flies for that fishery.
If you’re headed into the shop over the next few days, we are open regular hours all weekend and closed on Monday August 4 for BC Day.
BC Long Weekend Hours
Friday August 1 – 10AM-7PM
Saturday August 2 – 10AM-6PM
Sunday August 3 – 11AM-5PM
Monday August 4 – Closed – Happy BC Day!
CLASSES AND COURSES
Introduction to Fly Fishing Course
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Fall Salmon River Fishing Course - Floats, Spinners & Spoons
This 3hr evening seminar covers float fishing, spinner fishing and spoon fishing; the three most productive techniques to catch BC salmon in a river. Sign up here today!
Cost: $85.00 +GST
Date: Sep 23
Seminar Time: 6:30pm – 9:30pm
INDUSTRY EVENTS AND UPDATES
We’re Hiring! Join our retail team at Pacific Angler!
We are looking for a self-motivated team player with previous retail, e-commerce or related customer service experience and a passion for fishing to join our team.
The ideal candidate should be passionate about fishing and involved in the fishing community and lifestyle. You have previous retail/e-commerce/customer service experience, have a friendly and outgoing personality, be reliable and responsible and possess the willingness to work. We are looking for someone with a flexible schedule including weekends and some holidays. A strong knowledge of our local fisheries is ideal, but we are willing to work with the right candidate that might be newer to our fisheries, with the expectation that you will learn our local waters quickly.
Find out more details on the position and how to apply here!
FRESHWATER FISHING REPORTS
It’s August, and the summer Salmon fishery on the C/V system is winding down- as is to be expected. Most of the Sockeye are at the lake, and a majority of the Chinook are already in the upper portion of the system... and getting quite coloured up. While there will be a few fresh Chinook (and Sockeye) rolling in late to the party, but we’re definitely nearing the end of the summer Salmon fishery.
A pod of sockeye holding just below the outlet of Chilliwack Lake.
The river is running very low and clear and will continue to do so until we get a significant amount of rain- something that will not be happening before the end of the summer fishery.
Bear in mind that the end of the C/V summer salmon fishery doesn’t mean the river can’t be fished until the Fall salmon start arriving - there will still be some opportunities to fish for trout, whitefish, and coarse fish in the meantime.
Taylor Nakatani
Skagit River Trout Fishing Report – Long Weekend Update
The Skagit has been consistent with anglers finding fish in the upper and lower river. Water levels are lower and facilitate more wading about the river. The low water will allow more crossing points, and a chance for you to cover a variety of water. It’s important to go with a few options of dries, nymphs and streamers to make the most of your time out. A little about how I choose my Skagit flies below:
Nymphs:
I can honestly say most of my Skagit fish are fooled by nymphs. I like to carry a large, medium and a small size with me. Brown pheasant tails, golden stones, hairs ears and girdle bugs. Often the larger sizes will have silly legs, and most will be tied on a jig hook. The important thing here is weight. Heavy flies allow you to fish the fast heads of runs where trout hide in the slower bottom current, protected by the faster choppy surface.
Dry Flies:
Large hatches have been hard to time but dry fies have been catching fish. Your standard smaller Adam’s, Klinkhammer, mayflies, and smaller terrestrials have been fooling fish up and down river. Dry fly fishing outside a hatch can sometimes be a grind, but each surface take is worth it. More substantial hatches have been reported in the early AM and evening.
Streamers:
It’s seeming like it’s a slightly slower year for bull trout… as such, streamer fishing has been slower than average. Even with the lowered bull trout encounters we have noted, many anglers are doing well and finding rainbows fishing smaller swung flies. Rabbit strip leeches in olive, white and black are a good starting point. Patterns like the slumpbuster or the standard wooly bugger will work great.
With the long weekend approaching, we have had some questions about drifts on the lower. There are a few navigable log jams that will require you to get out and walk but the main portion of the float is fine. I will note that as the water lowers the necessity for a boat is reduced. As with any moving water, know your limits and comfort level and think safety first.
Lastly, with the long weekend rush, expect to see others out on the water. Be kind and courteous to your fellow anglers, and pack out any garbage you bring in. A friendly reminder that camping is only permitted in designated camp sites. Make sure you have your bear spray and your bug spray and don’t get them confused!
Cheers
Eric Peake
STILLWATER FISHING REPORTS
Summer Interior Lake Fishing Report
I thought I would do a quick lake fishing report as we enter August. I was out in early July and did have some good fishing on leeches and chironomids on some lakes that were in the 64-67F range. Talking to my contacts in the Interior, a lot of those same lakes are now in that 68-72F surface temp range and fishing a lot slower.
There is still some good to great lake fishing to be had, especially if you hit those lakes touching 5,000 feet, or go to lakes that are known to have good summer chironomid hatches like Tunkwa and Leighton. Most anglers are now looking forward to cooler temps in the fall or are busy chasing salmon in the ocean, like me. I am looking forward to September though and have my fall chironomid lakes picked out and days booked off. It will be here in the blink of an eye, and I can’t wait!
You never know what you might find in the summer. These are trout feeding on chironomids in 17 feet in late July with a surface temp of 70.36F. A good reminder there can be good fishing in the summer if you put in the time to find out where. Those secrets are closely guarded by the July and August hardcore lake anglers.
If you are heading out in August, try and hit those higher elevation lakes as mentioned earlier. There can be some good summer chironomid hatches and some good fishing with blood worm patterns. A leech or dragonfly along the bottom can also be extremely productive, especially later in the evening as the water cools and the fish come up onto the shoals to feed.
This will be the last lake report until things cool off in September, so have a great August and I’ll see you in the shop or on the water.
Jason Tonelli
SALTWATER FISHING REPORTS
Vancouver Saltwater Fishing Report
Wow, August 1st already. That happened quickly, didn’t it? Looking back at July, no complaints at all as we had phenomenal local coho fishing. When we went across to Area 17 it never disappointed with plenty of chinook, coho, and lingcod. Overall, fishing in July was as good as I’ve ever seen it before and the red-hot fishing for chinook, coho and lings will continue all of August in area 17 for our boats on full day trips.
Some nice chinook from Gabriola Island in Area 17!
So, what to expect in August locally? Well, the pinks have shown up in force off South Bowen and that has changed the fishing in a big way these past 3 days. These fish are likely destined for the Squamish River as the Fraser River pinks are still on their way. All indications are the run will be strong for both systems, especially for the Fraser, as it has a forecast of 25,000,000 fish. Yes 25 million. There are still some coho around, but with all the pinks starting to show up the coho are getting harder to find but expect some fun and double-digit days for pinks.
The pinks are here! We have been having some epic fishing for them the past few days with millions more to come!
A reminder you can keep 4 salmon a day in total. So that could be 4 pinks, or you could have 2 hatchery coho in the mix, and if you are in an area where you can keep chinook, you could have one chinook between 62-80 cm. Regardless of your catch, your total salmon per day is 4 combined. It is not 4 pinks, 2 hatchery coho, and a chinook.
As of August 1st, Area 28-6 is now open for 1 chinook a day from 62-80cm, and you will find some coho and pinks in this area as well. 28-9 opens August 12th for one chinook a day, no slot limit (min size 62cm). This is a big news for the local fishers in smaller boats that don’t often venture outside of the harbour.
Looking out to September, we will be back to 2 chinook per day, no slot limit (min size 62cm) and fishing off the Fraser Mouth will be the place to be as usual. So, we have a lot going on right now and a lot to look forward to. Chinook and coho fishing have been excellent, millions of pinks are on the way, even the sockeye test sets are very high and well above forecast.
Things are looking good going forward, so get out there on your boat now or book a trip and experience some of the best salmon fishing on the coast, right here in Vancouver!
If you're thinking about booking a charter, now is the time to go. Give us a call at 778-788-8582 to check availability or ask any questions.
See you in the shop or on the water,
Jason Tonelli
