OUTLOOK
As we move into the middle of June there are some great fishing opportunities across the lower mainland and province! Saltwater anglers are seeing some of the best action of the season so far, with coho arriving in good numbers and excellent reports coming from local waters. Lingcod and rockfish fishing has also been very productive, making it a great time to get out on the salt.
Freshwater anglers have plenty of options as well. Kokanee fishing remains strong while Interior Lake anglers are finding success by staying adaptable and matching the variety of food sources trout are feeding on this time of year. June can be unpredictable on the lakes, but anglers willing to experiment with depth and presentations are being rewarded.
Looking ahead, early signs point to generally low but stable conditions for many of our summer river fisheries. The Skagit and Chilliwack trout openings are just around the corner, and current forecasts suggest a promising start to the season. Closer to home, the Capilano continues to fish best during low-light periods, with recent rain helping move a few fresh fish into the system.
In store (and online) we also have a little Father's Day reminder for anyone looking to get ahead on gift shopping. Our Father's Day Gift Card Sale is now live, making it a great time to pick up a gift for the angler in your life while getting a little extra value. Whether it's new gear, a fishing course, or a future guided trip, a Pacific Angler Gift Card lets them choose exactly what they want when they're ready for it. The promotion runs through June 21 both online and in-store.
Last but certainly not least we’re looking for a marketing specialist to join our team! This role is perfect for someone who loves creating content, building marketing campaigns, working with eCommerce, and helping connect anglers with the gear, trips, courses, and resources that fuel their passion for fishing. While marketing experience is essential, a passion for fishing, the outdoors, or adventure-based lifestyles is a major asset.
Check out reports below for the latest from the water as well as details on new position with our team and the specifics on our Father’s Day Gift Card Promo!
CLASSES AND COURSES
Introduction to Fly Fishing
Introduction to Fly Fishing Trout Streams - only 4 spots left!
Stalking trout on mountain streams defines fly fishing. In this course we will teach you the fundamental techniques for fly fishing trout streams; dry fly fishing, nymphing, and streamer fishing. This course will get you as close to being Brad Pitt (River Runs Through It) as you will ever be! This course is comprised of one 3hr evening seminar.
Cost: $85.00+GST
Date: June 16, 2026
Time: 6:30pm - 9:30pm
INDUSTRY EVENTS AND UPDATES
Come Work With Us! We're Hiring a Marketing Specialist
After years of growth, we're excited to add a dedicated Marketing Specialist to the Pacific Angler team. If you or you know someone who would be a great fit, please share this opportunity with them.
Check out all the details HERE!
Father's Day Gift Card Sale
Give the Father's Day Gift That Always Fits – a Pacific Angler Gift Card!
Whether Dad has been eyeing a new rod, stocking up on tackle, looking to sign up for a course, or planning his next fishing adventure, a Pacific Angler Gift Card lets him choose exactly what he wants.
For a limited time, we're making our gift cards go even further.
Save on Gift Cards
- Buy a $100 Gift Card for $90
- Buy a $200 Gift Card for $180
- Buy a $500 Gift Card for $450
- Buy a $1000 Gift Card for $850
Available in store and online June 12 – June 21
More Details On Our Blog or In-Store!
FRESHWATER FISHING REPORTS
River Prediction 2026
It’s no secret water levels play a massive roll in a number of our summer river fisheries. Every June we have fun looking into the crystal ball and try to predict what to expect when these fisheries kick off.
I have a soft spot for the summer trout fishing. These locations offer a terrific venue for new anglers to have success and dedicated trout bums to hone their skills.
The Skagit
The Skagit season starts July 1st and runs until October 31st. The river is a catch and release, bait banned, single barbless hook fishery. Proper fish handling practices are necessary to maintain healthy fish stocks, so pinch those barbs and bring a net.
Predictions:
The question on every angler’s mind: Will it be fishable at opening?
Short answer: Probably.
With low snowpack in the Skagit drainage at 38% of seasonal norms this spring I expect the river to be fishable but not low. As off writing this, the river is sitting at a fishable 5.8. We had some bumps in April, but I don’t think we will see another big melt event to throw things off before the opening. This should make for a strong start but could be bad news on the tail end of the season. I am expecting very dry conditions when the summer takes hold and possible low water conditions. The Skagit had a bad fire season on the US and Canada side last year so be fire safe if you choose to camp or navigate the back country.
My recommendations would be to have a few tricks in your bag to cover a variety of water. Swinging flies is an easy and productive way to navigate higher water. A sink tip, small sculpin or wooly bugger fly will work just fine. Larger nymphs can also be a great to get down fast in plunge pools and pocket water. Try some girdle bugs or larger jigged stone fly presentations. I am not expecting any big hatches at the start of the season so dry flies might be a hard one at opening.
The Chilliwack
The Chilliwack has started to become a more popular spot for locals looking for trout. It’s a much more relaxed river outside the crowded salmon season. Trout can be found in the upper and lower reaches of the river. Most fly anglers’ tent to fish the upper as it’s more technical and offer some smaller “Trout” water. The river will be open to gear and fly with retention on hatchery market fish.
Predictions:
Flowing a low snowpack trend the lower fraser valley was sitting on 77% of its usual snow. This should follow a fairly typical opening with fishable conditions on the low side. The river was settled around 2-2.2 this week. This should be ok for the trout anglers, but salmon anglers will pray for rain to bring in the larger Red Springs. As things move in to summer, I would anticipate lower conditions to be the norm. Salmon fishing opportunities might be limited to rain events and first light /last light bites in the low conditions.
The Thompson
I am only going to make a quick note on the Thomson as its still to early to call on this system. We are currently just coming off peak freshet for the river with high water expected for the next month or so. The Thomson drainage had an average snowpack ranging from 71%-106% this spring. I think it will be an average start but a rapid drop to a summer low once the summer heat is here.
As always these are predictions and not set in stone. Barring any big weather events, I think we have some low but stable fishing conditions for our favorite trout haunts. I will have more in depth primers for the Skagit once we get closer to opening!
Eric Peake
Capilano River Fishing Reports
Conditions on the Cap are still low. The hard rains earlier in the week did move a few fish upriver but not huge numbers. I was out to for a quick look and did see a few fish about. Again, the first light fishers have the edge in the clear conditions. With a few fly anglers sticking a fish or two. Keep the presentations small and light to fool these spooky fish.
For the fly guys I like a clear intermediate sink line. This keeps the bright lines away from the fish and can produce more hits in clear water. Try the Coastal Quickshooter by Rio for a clear line that can handle the beach and river. It's a punchy shooting head style line that won't wont land like a tonne of bricks and spook the pool.
Cap Coho on the coastal quick shooter line.
Don’t forget your spinning rod. Small spoons have accounted for most of my early season fish. A solid spinning setup in the medium range is one of the most important salmon setups around. Look for a rod with a deep loading flexible tip so you can still throw the small stuff. Pair that with some light braid and you have a deadly coho catching tool.
I am a fan of the high end Loomis GCX but a starter option like the Shimano Compre will do great as well.
If the river is not showing love don't hesitate to give the beach a try. We are getting better reports from Ambleside. The Beach fishery should only get better as the days pass.
Eric Peake
STILLWATER FISHING REPORTS
Kokanee Fishing Reports
Kokanee Fishing Reports
Kokanee fishing in the Lower Mainland has been pretty good as of late, despite the unsettled and damp start to the month. Most of the lakes have stratified, so the Kokanee will be schooling and aggressively seeking their preferred water temps- usually near or at the thermocline. As I have discussed in the past, a good fishfinder is super useful- almost necessary- as these fish will hang out at a specific depth and refuse to move up or down to grab your lure. If the fish are sitting at 45’ and you have one rod at 40’ and another rod at 50’, you probably won’t have much luck... so being able to see where the fish are is incredibly useful.
The cooler start to the month has two main benefits- one, it kept the water skiers, wakeboarders and other “recreators” at bay for a while, which allowed anglers to fish lakes such as Kawkawa in relative peace. Two, cooler weather means cooler water, which in turn means that the fish don’t have to head into super deep water to find comfortable water temps... yet. As such, I’ve heard of some pretty good Kokanee fishing, with fish still being shallow enough for anglers who don’t have downriggers to target them with divers (such as the Deep Six), leadcore line or inline weights.
In terms of lures, small hoochies, spoons, wedding bands or plugs are all producing. Mack’s Wiggle Hoochies and Cha Cha Squids, Dick Nites, Brad’s Kokanee Cut Plugs and Gibbs Wedding Bands are all great options when trolled behind a dodger such as a Gibbs Dog Tail. Pink, Orange and/or Chartreuse should be your go-to colours.
A small assortment of Kokanee killers!
Because Kokanee are so good at seeking out cool water (and usually live in deep, cold lakes), fishing for them can oftentimes remain good all summer, as long as you have the means to find out where they are and get your gear down to them. Remember to check the regulations before you head out, and keep in mind that Kokanee do not tolerate catch and release well at all... so It’s good practice to stop fishing (or try targeting other fish) once you have retained your limit, as there is no point in catching and releasing fish if most of them won’t survive the ordeal.
Taylor Nakatani
BC Interior Lake Fishing Report
It’s mid-June, and a lot is happening on the lakes. I’ve seen and heard reports of everything from slow days to excellent fishing, with chironomids, mayflies, damsels, sedges, and bloodworms all in the mix. The reliable chironomid fishing of mid-May is now a distant memory, and we’re into the unpredictable stretch of June, when almost anything can happen. One lake can feel completely dead, while another just 30 minutes away can be fishing extremely well on chironomids. That’s June for you.
I was out this past weekend and was presented with challenging conditions. The fish were on daphnia, Chaoborus larvae (aka glassworms), and Chaoborus pupae aka phantom midges), and the odd bloodworm. Chaoborus are free swimming, so it was no surprise the fish were feeding on them 14-18 feet down in 20-24 feet of water, with daphnia in the samples as well.
Glassworms, phantom midges, daphnia, and bloodworms. Must be June!
I had mixed success with Chaoborus pupae imitations, blobs and leeches, so I put on a bloodworm and that proved to be something the fish were willing to happily consume from 10-3 each day. By day two it was bloodworms on both rods and some pretty good fishing despite the mixed barometer and what the fish were feeding on.
One of many fish that were happy to eat the bloodworm, even though it was a good distance from the bottom of the lake where anglers traditionally fish that fly.
One key to my success was the Garmin LiveScope Plus. It helped me find actively feeding fish along drop-offs in 20–24 feet of water, suspended 14–16 feet down. These fish would have been hard to locate with traditional sonar because they moved off before I could get within 40 feet. With LiveScope, I could spot them from a distance, adjust my depth to match their feeding level, and make 45–65-foot casts to wind-drift my bloodworm into their lane. It was deadly—once the bloodworm got in front of them, they smashed it!
I will be out on the salt the next few weeks, so the lake fishing will have to take a break until July when I have a bit more time. I will be hitting some of my favorite July chironomid lakes when I return. Yes, there are chrons in July, you just need to put in the time to figure out which lakes have those summer hatches and keep a journal. Until then, have a great time out on the stillwaters and I’ll check back in a few weeks from now.
Jason Tonelli
SALTWATER FISHING REPORTS
Vancouver Salmon Fishing Report: The Coho Arrival!
It’s June 12th, and coho fishing has been outstanding this past week. Fishing usually picks up in the third week of June, but this year the action has been strong since the June 1 opener, with especially high numbers of fish showing up over the past several days.
The coho and bottom fishing has been excellent this June!
Locally we have been doing well for coho off South Bowen and on The Hump. The fish are shallow, from the surface down to about 50 feet. Keep your presentations shallow, troll fast and hang on!
We have also been crossing over to Gabriola and doing well on coho and lingcod. The bottom fishing this year has been very good. I don’t think as many boats have been crossing with the price of fuel, so there are still plenty of lingcod and rockfish around. We have been getting easy limits of both and coho as well.
Some lingcod and rockfish from Area 17!
As you can see, it’s officially go time for coho, lingcod, and rockfish. If you are looking for a trip with lots of action and a high success rate, the time is now. Give us a call at 778-788-8582 to book your trip.
If you are heading out on your own boat, we have been doing well on Purple UV flashers and chrome flashers and of course the white UV hootchies. Here are some of our favorites from Gibbs, Oki and Yamashita that have been putting limits of hatchery coho on deck this week down at Pacific Angler Fishing Charter docks.
Hot flashers:
Gibbs Highliner Guide Series Twisted Sista
Gibbs Highliner Guide Series Madi
Oki Big Shooter Jellyfish Purple Phantom
Oki Big Shooter Betsy Plaid Silver
Oki Big Shooter Green Yellow Mist Silver
Hot hootchies:
Pacific Angler Coho Hootchy Rigged
Yamashita UV White & Pink Stripe
Yamashita UV White Pearl Aurora
