OUTLOOK
We are heading into the back end of the month with plenty of options for anglers looking to make the most of the last weeks of Summer. Saltwater fishing continues to be the big story with good chinook and coho opportunities locally and excellent chinook fishing in Area 17. The next few weeks should continue to produce as we wait the much anticipated September 1 Fraser Mouth chinook opener.
Closer to shore, the Capilano beach fishery is in prime time, with plenty of coho around for those willing to put in the work. This is a challenging fishery, but early mornings and the right tide can make all the difference. Check out Jacob’s report for his tips for gear anglers who are looking to enjoy this fishery.
Freshwater anglers have some great options as well. Fraser River sturgeon fishing is excellent right now as migrating salmon provide plenty of food for these big fish. If lake fishing is on your mind the late-summer chironomid hatches are starting to get going on some Interior lakes. Jason has all of the details on these two fisheries!
With September just around the corner, there is plenty to look forward to. If you're heading out on the salt, be sure to review the current SRKW measures around the Fraser Mouth before you go, as closed areas remain in effect and are being actively enforced.
As always, thanks for reading, and we hope you get out and enjoy the final weeks of Summer.
We'll see you on the water!
CLASSES AND COURSES
Our courses for the Summer are sold out but it's never too early to start thinking about the Fall
Introduction to Fly Fishing
Fall Salmon River Fishing 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.
Cost: $85.00 +GST
Date: September 22, 2026
Seminar Time: 6:30pm – 9:30pm
INDUSTRY EVENTS AND UPDATES
Join Our Team
We’re Hiring! We have two great opportunities to join our growing team. Check out all the details below!
Retail Sales Associate – Full and Part Time Opportunities Available
As a Retail Sales Associate, you'll be the face of Pacific Angler. You'll build relationships with customers, provide knowledgeable product recommendations, and help maintain a clean, organized, and welcoming retail environment.
Our customers choose Pacific Angler because they trust our staff to provide honest, experience-based advice. While no one is expected to know everything, every member of our team is committed to continually learning, sharing knowledge, and helping customers become more successful anglers.
Full job description is here
Product Data and Ecommerce Coordinator
Working closely with our ordering, marketing and retail team, you'll manage the flow of product information from supplier to customer. You'll be responsible for entering new products, maintaining accurate inventory records, publishing products to our Shopify website, and ensuring product information is complete, accurate and consistent.
This role is ideal for someone who enjoys solving problems, improving processes, and takes pride in producing high-quality, detail-oriented work.
Review the full job description here
FRESHWATER FISHING REPORTS
Fraser River Sturgeon Fishing Report
We love sturgeon fishing this time of year! The weather is great; the salmon are migrating into the Fraser and that means the big fish are happy and feeding!
PA sturgeon guide Josh Lo once again gets his clients into a monster sturgeon only minutes from downtown Vancouver!
If you haven’t treated yourself to a sturgeon trip, we highly recommend it. Sturgeon are the largest freshwater fish in North America, and we have one of the best fisheries for them in the world right here in Vancouver. They take line sizzling runs, come flying out of the water, and just plain pull hard. There is nothing quite like it and it is something that our guests locally, as well as from all around the world look forward to every Summer and Fall.
The fishing right now is excellent and will continue well into the Fall, but now is a great mix of great fishing and warm weather that is hard to beat.
For more information check out Sturgeon Fishing Vancouver by Pacific Angler and call 778-788-8582 to book you trip.
STILLWATER FISHING REPORTS
BC Interior Lakes Fishing Report
It’s hard to believe September is right around the corner, but the trout are well aware of it and starting to look for those Fall bloodworms and chironomids. Overnight temps on the higher elevation lakes are firmly in the single digit territory and that means colder water temps, some bloodworms starting to move around and the late Summer/early Fall chironomid hatches are starting to happen.
Some fish feeding on August chironomids a few feet off bottom earlier this week.
That’s right, I said chironomids. A lot of lakes have a distinct later Summer/early Fall chironomid hatch and there can be some very good fishing with a fraction of the boats on the lake compared to the Spring. It takes some time and effort, but if you do some exploring the rewards are well worth it.
A healthy summer, chron eating, Pennask rainbow trout.
If the chironomids aren’t happening you can usually still have good fishing on leeches, blobs or perhaps dragonflies. So, make sure you have those flies and techniques in your back pocket.
There is a lot going on right now with good ocean fishing for salmon, sturgeon fishing on the Fraser, strong steelhead returns on the Skeena, and the usual summer festivities, but if you are in need of some bobber downs, get out there and explore. It’s starting to happen!
See you in the shop or on the lake,
Jason Tonelli
SALTWATER FISHING REPORTS
Vancouver Saltwater Salmon Fishing Report
This past week we have had a lot of 5-hour trips and some strong NW winds on some days, so we have been focusing our efforts from Point Atkinson, West Van, and down to the Capilano River Mouth. We have had to work for our bites on some days, but for the most part fishing has been good for coho and chinook in these areas (28-6 and 28-9).
We’ve had to work hard for chinook bites along West Van but the reward has been worth it!
On our longer trips (8 or 10 hour) and when sea conditions allow, we have been crossing the Strait of Georgia, heading over to Gabriola Island. The fishing here has been excellent for chinook, but the hatchery coho fishing has been slower than previous years. We are getting quite a few coho, it’s just that most of them have been wild. The good news is the very abundant and exciting chinook fishing as well as the lingcod and rockfish opportunities have more than made up for the lack of hatchery coho in Area 17.
Chinook, Coho, Lingcod and Rockfish!
The fishing in 28-6, 28-9, and 17 will continue to be produce for the next few weeks and then we will shift our focus to the mouth of the Fraser River to target the thousands of chinook that will be heading up the river in the coming weeks. The “Fraser Mouth” is scheduled to open for 2 chinook per day, 62cm or great, no max size limit on September 1. This is some of the best chinook fishing of the year and some of the largest as well.
Don’t forget about the SRKW Measures that are currently in effect and impact where you can fish off the Bell Buoy and North Arm. We routinely see people fishing in the closed area and these measures have been in place for a few years now, so DFO will be patrolling and giving people fines this year. Check out the map here Fraser Mouth SRKW Measures.
If you are fishing W to NW west of the Bell Buoy off UBC, so out towards open water you are in closed waters. Stay E of the Bell and you will be out of the yellow zone on the map.
If you are fishing N of the Iona Jetty, you are likely very close to the south edge of the closed yellow area, so that is a good place to turn around and troll S.
Good luck out there, and we will see you in the shop or on the water.
Jason Tonelli
Ambleside Beach Fishing Report
It’s August now which means we’re in prime time for beach fishing off the mouth of the Capilano. I want to preface that even though there are lots of coho around, this is still a very challenging fishery. A lot of these fish are entering their spawning stage, which means they become a lot less willing to bite. However, every so often you can get lucky and manage to trick one of these picky fish into biting your lure. I sacrificed my sleep and devoted my mornings this past week into trying to catch one of these fish, and here is what I learned.
This is an extremely tidal dependent fishery; you have to target these fish on the rising tide. When the tide starts to flood the fish will enter the river mouth. On an ebb tide, the fish get pushed out, away from the river mouth, making it next to impossible to cast your lure out to them. The narrows under the Lions Gate Bridge create an extremely powerful tidal current. All the water from Vancouver Harbour and up Indian arm has to funnel itself through this extremely narrow passage in a very short amount of time. This creates an almost fire-hose like current, as the water is sucked through the narrows. On a really big tide it can create almost 6ft tall standing waves right off the beach, which is fascinating to watch but not great for catching fish.
Time of day would be the next most important thing. On these bright, hot summer days the fish get spooky very fast. Sometimes you can get lucky and I’ve heard of people occasionally doing very well in the afternoon. However, this is an anomaly; if you want a consistent shot at these fish, you have to be there at first light. Sunrise is usually around 6 am, however under the regulations you can fish 1 hour before and after sunrise/sunset, so I would suggest you be there at 5 am.
Gear choice is probably the most simple part of this fishery. An 8,6 to 10 ft medium/medium-heavy spinning rod is recommended. The Trophy XL 600 9,6 is a fantastic rod for the price, and we just got a few of them back in stock. If you want something a little fancier and more robust you can look at the GCX spinning line up from G Loomis. The GCX 1083-2S STR would be an ideal rod for this fishery. Match that up with a 2500-4000 size spinning reel that has some form of a sealed drag and you’re all set. The Daiwa Fuego 3000 is a sweet deal for a reel with a mag-sealed drag, if you’re looking for something a little heavier duty the Daiwa BG 2500 is an excellent choice. For the fly guys, a basic 9ft, 6 to 8wt rod with a sink tip or an intermediate sinking fly line will work best. I like the Rio Coastal Quick-Shooter Intermediate Sinking Fly line.
For lures I like to keep it relatively simple. Spoons, Spinners and Buzz-Bombs are really all you need. I find a 1/2 ounce Gibbs Koho or Croc to be a nice cast-able size for spoons. As for spinners I like a size 4 Blue Fox , or a Prime Lures Spinner; if you go any smaller you will find it difficult to cast long distances. 1/2 ounce buzzbombs will also work well and will sink a little deeper than the spoons or spinners. I like the holographic or just straight chrome colours of buzzbombs; I find they have a lot of flash and imitate small baitfish quite well. Remember to swap the treble hooks on your buzzbombs for singles; Ambleside is and always has been a single barbless fishery. I find the Owner No Escape Barbless hook in a size 1/0 or 2/0 works great for swapping out trebles.
Ambleside beach is an extremely challenging but very rewarding fishery. You have to put in the hours and really learn the tides and the paths that the fish follow when they swim up river. The people that catch fish at Ambleside are the people that are there every single day at 5 am. In conclusion, Ambleside is a very beautiful place to go for a sunrise walk before work, school or whatever you have planned for the day. Go for a stroll, huck some buzzbombs or spoons out there, and maybe if you’re lucky, you’ll come home with a nice hatchery coho. Ambleside is open for 2 hatchery coho a day, and all wild fish must be released with care.
Jacob Leboe
