OUTLOOK
Happy Labour Day Long Weekend! It looks like we are going to have some great weather right up until mid-day on Monday when some lower pressure shows up. Luckily this is going to bring in some light winds for the September 1st chinook opener in 29-3; more on that is in the Saltwater Report.
The Fraser is brimming with salmon, and the pinks are coming in thick right now. Check out the Fraser River Salmon Fishing Report for details. Other rivers remain low and clear which is usual for this time of year, so the Fraser is the place to be.
The Fall lake season is starting with some Fall chironomid hatches underway. It looks like we have this last week of heat to get through and then some cooler temperatures are in store early September. For more details check out the Interior Lakes Fishing Report.
If you’re heading into the shop this weekend, we are here regular hours all weekend long and closed on Monday September 1 for Labour Day.
Enjoy your weekend and we will see you out on the water!
The PA Tea
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
FRESHWATER FISHING REPORTS
Squamish River Fishing Report
The Squamish and its tributaries are very, very dirty with limited to no visibility. This means the fish are going to have a hard time seeing your lure or fly. It is likely that most fish getting “hooked” are actually getting “lined” or “flossed”. Visibility on these rivers won’t improve until we see some freezing temperatures at night up in the glaciers. This usually doesn’t happen until late September.
If you do go, there are some pinks around, although the run seems to be more average when compared to the big numbers we are seeing on the Fraser. DFO also just recently announced a retention fishery for pinks. Details below.
Subject: FN0881-RECREATIONAL - Salmon - Pink Salmon - Region 2: Squamish River - Retention opening - Effective August 29, 2025
“Effective one hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset each day between August 29 and September 15, 2025, in the waters described below you may retain four (4) pink salmon per day:
Squamish River downstream of the powerline crossing, approximately 1.5 km upstream of the confluence with the Cheakamus River.
Management measures:
- No fishing for Chinook, Coho, Sockeye or Chum salmon.
- You must not use bait when fishing for salmon.
- Fishing is permissible during daylight hours only.
There is no fishing for salmon in the following waters: Mamquam and Cheakamus Rivers, and Squamish River upstream of the powerline crossing (approximately 1.5 km upstream of the confluence with the Cheakamus River). The aggregate daily limit for all salmon species is four (4) per day.
Anglers fishing for salmon are required to take every measure possible to ensure that their fishing activities avoid impacts on non-target stocks. This means that anglers are requested to use angling methods that do not catch non-target stocks.
Anglers should be aware that the First Nations food, social and ceremonial fishery is open in this area. Anglers are encouraged to minimize or eliminate any gear conflict in this area. Please be diligent when harvesting and navigating in this area and exercise patience when and if in contact with other fishers.”
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Fraser River Salmon Fishing Report
It’s been an excellent week on the Fraser with some great sockeye fishing and in the past few days, the pink fishing has really started to get going. There are a lot of regulations to digest and we posted them in detail in Last Week's Report so please make sure you give that a read before you head out.
Peak migration of pinks into the river is usually the last week of August and the first week of September and that seems to be holding true this year. The number of pinks entering the river has really sky rocketed in the past 72 hours and fishing in the Lower Fraser, casting lures from anywhere you can get shore access, has been very good and will continue to get better.
Makoa came into the shop with his Dad to get setup up for Lower Fraser River salmon fishing and caught this huge pink salmon! Congrats Makoa on your first salmon!
All the pinks will make catching sockeye on the gravel bars upriver a lot more difficult, so be prepared for that if you are heading out bottom bouncing this weekend. Millions of pinks are in the river now and millions are on the way and that fishery will dominate the scene as we head into September.
Have fun out there, it’s not often we get these openings, so make the most of it.
Jason Tonelli
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Fraser River Tributaries Report
The main tributaries that people fish like the Vedder/Chilliwack and Chehalis are all extremely low. This means the water is very clear and warm and fishing is tough. Some pinks will be rolling into some systems, but if you want to fish for pinks, you will have better fishing in the Fraser for fresh fish.
Fishing on the Fraser River Tributaries will continue to be difficult until we see some substantial fall rains later in September, so at least another few weeks. We recommend heading to the Fraser until water levels come up and fresh fish push in.
STILLWATER FISHING REPORTS
Interior Lake Fall Fishing Report
We are still seeing some 30+ temps in the Merrit, Kamloops, and Cariboo regions but things are cooling off at night and this has triggered some fall chironomid hatches. Looking further out it seems things will finally start to cool down next weekend and then things will really get rolling.
A Fall anglers dream, a throat sample from a fish that was gorging on chironomids this week!
This past weekend I was on a family trip and had a chance to hit a lake in the Kamloops region. The water was green with algae but only 66F and the trout were feeding heavily on chironomids. I took our friends’ kids out and we had a blast, hooking a lot of nice fish on chironomids in 17 feet of water. There can be some excellent fishing this time of year, you just need to get out there and explore. Best part was there was nobody around.
A nice summertime Pennask in the net and big smiles!
As mentioned above, once we get through this last little bit of heat and things cool down in September, a lot of lakes are going to start fishing really well. The goal is always to land on a fall chironomid hatch, but if that doesn’t happen you will usually still have good fishing on leeches, scuds, bloodworms, baby damsels and blobs.
See you out there,
Jason Tonelli
SALTWATER FISHING REPORTS
Vancouver Saltwater Salmon Fishing Report
Well, August was quite the month with excellent coho fishing to start off, great chinook fishing off West Van and the Gulf Islands, then the pinks showed up by the millions, and we even got some sockeye fishing in. The best part is we are just about to open for prime-time chinook fishing!
September 1 chinook are scheduled to open back up to 2 a day, greater than 62cm, either hatchery or wild. This means we will be back to fishing off the Bell Buoy, and off the Fraser Mouth in area 29-3. Make sure to stay out of the SRKW closure off the North Arm while fishing for chinook this September. All the info you need is here SRKW Measures
With the chinook opener being on a holiday Monday and the current forecast for winds light, it is going to be VERY busy. There will likely be 300 plus boats out there, so let’s all be courteous and have a good time.
An absolutely stunning Fraser chinook released on a charter this week while targeting coho and pinks. It will be nice to be able to harvest some of these beauties this week!
Remember these Fraser chinook are generally quite shallow. They are up in that top 60 feet or so, getting used to that freshwater and trying to find the mouth of the Fraser. So, keep you gear shallow. As far as presentations, these fish love bait. Most anglers will run anchovies or herring in Rhys Davis teaser head on a 6-foot leader to a green or chartreuse flasher.
Getting through the millions of pinks might be an issue, so bring lots of bait and be prepared for a busy day! There will also be some hatchery coho around, of which you are allowed 2 per day. Remember your total salmon limit for the day is 4 salmon. Sockeye and wild coho are closed and should be released with care at the side of the boat.
It’s setting up to be a great day. I am guiding that day so I will see you out there!
Jason Tonelli
