OUTLOOK
We’re tuning in this week with the last report for February! Where has the month gone? With March upon us, we are looking forward to our upcoming Spring fisheries. This is one of our favourite times of the year to get out on the water on our local rivers and scout for the season ahead. It is also the perfect time to get all your gear dialed in for the Stillwater season. With the warmer weather and some double-digit temperatures in the forecast for us down in the Lower Mainland, it won’t be long until we are casting a line on the Interior lakes!
This week, we have reports from both the Chilliwack/Vedder and the Squamish. Both systems benefited from the rain we had last week, and things have been fishing well. Check out the reports from Taylor and Eric below for the latest details.
We have another month of our Winter Chinook Charter Special running, so if you’re looking to get on the water and don’t have your own boat, or don’t have yours in the water yet, be sure to take advantage of this special and enjoy this fishery! More details on that here and call our charter line at 778.788.8582.
CLASSES AND COURSES
Pacific Angler Course: Introduction to Fly Fishing
Pacific Angler Course: Contemporary Chironomid Tactics
Chironomids can account for 2/3 of a trout’s diet in BC lakes and on many days, it is all they will eat. If you want to catch the biggest fish and the most fish, you need to know how to effectively fish chironomids. Your instructor, Jason Tonelli, has been fishing BC interior lakes since he was 5 years old, and in recent years he has been extremely devoted to chironomid fishing. We finally convinced him to share some of his very productive techniques and insights using today’s contemporary rods, fly lines, tippet materials, fly designs and electronics. Here is what he will cover during the course.
- Life cycle of chironomids and their importance to trout and anglers.
- Boat selection, setup, rod holders, anchors, oars, electric motors.
- Rod, reel, fly line, leader and tippet selection.
- Floating line indicator setups, floating line “naked” setup, sinking line “dangle” setup, and when to use them.
- Understanding and utilizing todays electronics (sonar and GPS) including High CHIRP and Forward-Facing Sonar (Live Scope Plus, Active Target 2, Mega Live 2) with recommendations.
- The steps to properly assess a lake and subsequent boat positioning and fishing techniques.
- Contemporary fly design and fly choice (dark flies, bright flies, dark beads, white beads, etc).
- Chironomid fishing seasons and elevation.
- Course booklet.
- 10% off all in store purchases on course night.
Cost: $100+GST
Dates: March 19 or April 15
Time: 6:30 – 9:30pm (At the store)
Sign up here
INDUSTRY EVENTS AND UPDATES
Fly Tying Jam Session – 2025 Stillwater Edition - THANKYOU
A big thanks to all who came out to our Stillwater Jam Session this week. It was a great night of tying and talking fishing! We know everyone has a busy schedule and we appreciate that you choose to share your time with us and your fellow anglers. We’ll see you at the next one!
FRESHWATER FISHING REPORTS
Chilliwack/Vedder River Fishing Report
The rain finally came, and the C/V system came up about half a meter on Friday/Saturday. As expected, this sudden spike in river levels blew the river out, but it was back in shape by Monday, and fishing has been pretty good since then. The river is currently dropping slowly and is likely to continue dropping as the forecast evolves to include less rain, though high daytime temperatures may result in some snowmelt.
With that in mind, it’s going to be a good idea to bring a wide variety of presentations to tackle whatever conditions you may encounter if you’re heading out there. With some rather warm daytime temps in the forecast, I’m expecting some early salmon fry to start popping out of the gravel... so that combined with the increase in the fish’s metabolism, by virtue of the warmer water, means that now would be a great time to break out the spoon rod as well. Spoons with a wider profile, such as the Gibbs Koho, are great for swinging, as they produce a ton of flash and “thump”, which can really fire up the fish and draw some impressively aggressive strikes. Silver, gold and copper are my favourite colours, though pretty much anything can work if presented properly; as with float fishing gear, you’ll want to tailor the size and colour of your spoon to suit the conditions you’re facing.
Some of my favourite choices for this time of year!
As always, it’s a good idea to check the weather forecast and river levels before you head out there, as they’ll give you a really good idea of what the river is going to be looking like. With a daytime high of 17° being forecasted on Saturday, there is the potential for a snowmelt-induced “mini-blowout”.
Taylor Nakatani
Squamish River Fishing Report
The rain this past week combined with the warmer temperatures finally delivered the spike in water levels that we've all been patiently waiting for. It definitely walked the fine line between perfect conditions and blowing out but thankfully held in there and left the rivers all looking pretty optimal. The upcoming forecast doesn't hold a lot of rain, so the rivers will steadily drop, but it shouldn't be too dramatic since there are warm day-time temperatures to come. It will likely leave behind some good water colour that will be a nice change from the low and clear we've been used to over the weeks prior.
Most success was found with various egg patterns, ranging in size and color. The trout weren't as picky as they were with the low conditions, but it still took some experimenting to dial in what they were looking for. I recommend having an assortment of different colours and sizes of beads and glo bugs to try and don't be shy with switching it up often.
It took a couple bead swaps to finally convince this one!
It is still a bit early for the fry, but I did see a couple swimming around from time to time. Not enough to convince me to throw blades or spinners, but that will change soon, so make sure you have the right tools for when it does. We've got some great blade and spinner options at the shop, and Andre has been keeping his fry board stocked up!
As Eric mentioned last week, keep in mind that the Squamish Valley road conditions will still be variable for a while yet. 4x4 and decent clearance should be enough to keep you out of trouble but proceed with caution, so you don't wind up having to walk home.
Tight Lines!
Jake Comrie
