OUTLOOK
With the sun has come clear, cool nights—and more are in the forecast for next week. That’s great news, because it means our local rivers should be coming into shape nicely!
If you’re planning to get out, be sure to check out our latest Squamish and Chilliwack reports below. Looking to try something new or sharpen your skills? Don’t miss our courses running next week. Taylor’s always-popular Steelhead Float Fishing Seminar is back, and we’re also excited to introduce a brand-new seminar and on-the-water course with Eric. Check out the details below and grab your spot before these fill up!
For our saltwater anglers, we’ll be back next week with a full report. With sunny weather we often see more wind on the water, but so far the marine forecast for the weekend is holding steady in the Strait. Howe Sound is expected to be a bit on the windier side through the weekend, but conditions are looking like they’ll ease off by Monday.
If you’ve been thinking about a guided trip, now’s the time.
Our saltwater Winter Chinook Special is on!
8-hour trips are available at special pricing:
• 1–4 guests: $1,300 + GST
• 5–6 guests: $1,500 + GST
Take advantage of the great weather and let’s get out there!
Last but not least, if you’ve been reading our reports or following fishing and outdoor groups online, you’ll know there’s just one week left to share your thoughts on the proposed changes to the Salmon Allocation Policy. Your input matters—more details can be found in the industry updates section below.
CLASSES AND COURSES
We’ve got a little something for everyone this month - from fly tying classes and a steelhead float fishing seminar to a brand-new course, Nymphing Coastal Streams. Check out the details on our January classes below and be sure to sign up online or give the shop a call before spots fill up!
Steelhead Float Fishing
In this fishery, 10% of the anglers catch 90% of the fish. This is your chance to learn from the 10%! Our 3hr evening seminar will educate you on the gear, water types, conditions and other key variables that put veteran steelhead anglers in that 10%.
You will learn about the top steelhead float fishing presentations including specific presentations for low and clear water, medium "steelhead green" water, and high and dirty water. We will talk about the rods, reels, floats, and leaders that work well for steelhead. You will also learn how to read the river so you know where steelhead will be holding in different water conditions and how to fish those types of water and conditions. Other key variables and secrets will be discussed that will help you become a better steelheader.
Course Instructor: Taylor Nakatani
Cost: $85.00+GST
Date: Jan 20
Time: 6:30pm-9:30pm
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Nymphing Coastal Streams
This course is designed to teach you the secrets to one of the most productive presentations in the BC fly fishermen’s arsenal; indicator nymphing. This deadly method can be used across season for different species of trout, char, and salmon. We focus on fundamentals of nymphing, specifics on egging and a light dive into tight line / euro techniques. We also do a deep dive in to the gear you need to make the most of your time on the water.
Seminar Only Cost: $85+GST
Seminar Date: January 21 6:30-9:30 PM
Seminar & Guided Walk’n Wade Cost: $375.00+GST per angler, minimum of 2 anglers per guided day on the water.
Walk 'n Wade Dates: Saturday, January 24 or Sunday, January 25
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Tying Intruder Patterns
In this one-night course you will learn about the specifics techniques and unique materials used to tie Intruder style flies. At the end of this course, you will have the skills needed to tie a variety of Intruder style flies from multistage, monster flies for high water, average sized flies for everyday conditions, down to small, mini intruders for low water. Students are required to supply their own vise, tools and materials. A detailed list of what materials are needed will be supplied in advance of the course. A 10% discount is available on materials and tools purchased for the course.
This course is suitable for intermediate to advanced tyers.
Cost: $85.00+GST
Date: January 27, 2026
Time: 6:30pm – 9:30pm
INDUSTRY EVENTS AND UPDATES
Salmon Allocation Policy Deadline is January 23
The deadline for input to the SAP (Salmon Allocation Policy) is January 23rd.
This document will be the framework for all future salmon allocation. In short, First Nations and the Commercial sectors have officially told DFO they want things to go as follows. Conservation, First Nation Food Social & Ceremonial, Commercial, Public Sector (aka Recreational Sector). This means commercial interests would be put ahead of your ability to go fishing for salmon, for what in my opinion, is a public resource. You can guess who is going to own all those commercial licenses in the coming years as well. If you guessed First Nations, that is correct. So effectively, if DFO follows the advice of First Nations and the commercial interests, First Nations will have priority for FSC fisheries and then will clean up the rest of the allocation with their commercial interests. This will be the end of public fishing.
To make matters worse, the commercial sector has requested priority access to chinook and coho. Currently the public has priority access to chinook and coho, as these are the core “sports fishing” salmon that support a 1.27 billion dollar industry. Commercial has priority access to pink, sockeye, and chum. It is critical the public maintains priority access to chinook and coho.
What can you do? Go to FISHING RIGHTS and give it a quick read, it will take 1 minute.
Next, click on the GET INVOLVED link at the bottom of the page. Write a quick email using the points suggested on the website. It doesn’t need to be a novel, just short and to the point. This is about each person sending an email and it is about volume. That is what is going to move the needle and preserve your right common property rights to water and fishing.
One last point. This is about a lot more than fishing and access to fish. If this allocation policy goes the way First Nation and commercial want it to, this will set a precedent for all common property activities, such as boating, hiking, skiing, hunting, etc. Anything that requires water, land and has a commercial value is at risk. That is truly what is at stake here.
Respectfully,
Jason Tonelli
FRESHWATER FISHING REPORTS
Vedder/Chilliwack Steelhead Fishing Report
The river is back down to a nice level, but as of today, below the clay banks it is still fairly dirty. The good news is there are some much cooler nights in the forecast, with some freezing temperatures down to -4C early next week. This usually clears the river up nicely.
In the meantime, larger presentations have been doing well, like hot pink or bubble gum rubber worms and larger and brighter soft beads. There has been some decent fishing this past week, despite reduced visibility in some sections of the river, and as usual for mid-January there are lots of hatchery steelhead around.
Looking a week out, there isn’t any precipitation in the forecast until the 21st and when that shows up it might be snow. This means things can get low and clear, and with the general high level of angling pressure on this river, that means you will need to scale your presentations down accordingly.
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Squamish River Fishing Report
The Squamish has had some ups and downs. Winter came, went, and came back again. Let’s go over some of the changes and what to expect on the water in the Sea to Sky area.
The rain clouds have finally disappeared in the Squamish Valley. Day time temperatures have been high even in the alpine, so the rivers have taken some time to come back to shape. The big water has left some scars and changes to our favorite spots. Plenty of trees and debris have washed down so expect some diversions and wreckage to be scrambling through. Be careful as you make your way along eroded or undercut banks and check your wading spots before you storm through. Side channels can be scoured deeper, and sand flats can be a sinky mess to navigate. With that in mind, it’s still a great time to get out and do a little scouting with the swing stick or egging setup.
Egging is my go-to right now. Light trout rods with Indicator setups or tight line setups are great tools to fool those winter fish. Get technical with your presentations and pick apart the water the best you can. Those big lethargic trout won’t move far for your fly so cover the run and don’t leave any stone un-fished. Light colour beads have been my top producer over the winter.
If your new to nymphing or egg fishing but want to dive more into the specifics, the Coastal Nymphing Course is a great way to learn the tactics and gear needed to be successful. We host an in-house seminar to go over all the equipment and rigging for the fishery and offer a unique opportunity for a guided walk and wade to put your new skills to use. I love sharing my experience in these fisheries and it's a pleasure to share some of these wild places with new anglers in the course.
Swinging can be a relaxing pace of fishing if you're tired of indicators, split shot and beads. A simple swing setup can cover big runs in short time to find resting fish. Medium sink tips with olive and white flies have been productive.
A pre-storm blow out fish!
Road Update: It's not great. Wash outs have been bad this year so expect closures as low as 19 km. This is a shame because the upper river holds some great winter fishing for trout. We expect repairs on this in the Spring. It's warm now, but expect full winter driving conditions whenever you head out this time of year.
If you're headed out be sure to dress for the weather. We still have some great layering pieces on sale to keep you toasty when putting in the long days. As always keep your fishing environment cleaner than when you found it and respect your fellow angler.
Eric
