OUTLOOK
Seasons are changing, and with them, fisheries are evolving too. We have seen low water levels on our rivers this week, but with the warmer weather, chum fry are hatching on almost all the major systems. Locally we have a big storm in the forecast for Friday night into Saturday. If the forecast holds true, it will likely blow out the Squamish River and possibly the Chilliwack as well. This opens the door for other fisheries that haven’t been in the spotlight recently, like the Harrison and smaller systems. The good news is we expect this bump in water levels to get salmon fry moving. We have reports on the Squamish, Harrison and Chilliwack/Vedder this week and what we think can expect after this rain!
With the warmer weather we are starting to see interior lake fishing season is just around the corner and with that we’re excited to announce a new course this year! Contemporary Chironomid Tactics, taught by Jason Tonelli! Jason—a lifelong, passionate lake angler—has really honed his craft over the past few years and he’s excited to share some of his hard-earned learnings in this course. There are still a few spots available in the March offering of this course. If you’re an avid lake angler, looking to take your chironomid game to the next level, this is the course for you! You can read more details in our classes and course section below and sign up online or by calling the shop at 604.872.2204.
On the saltwater front Winter Chinook fishing also continues to be solid. While some wind is in the forecast for Saturday, it’s still well worth heading out if you can dodge the weather. Fishing will only improve as we move into the middle of March. Jason has provided a detailed overview of what we’re seeing out in the guide fleet at the end of the report.
On to the report!
CLASSES AND COURSES
We have a great line up of courses set for this Spring. Check out all of our upcoming March and April courses below and our full course listing here and sign up today online or over the phone at the shop - 604.872.2204!
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
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Pacific Angler Course: Introduction to Fly Fishing Lakes
This course will give you an in-depth look at the fundamentals of fly fishing lakes. We explore equipment, techniques, major insect hatches and ideal lakes to begin with. You will learn all you need to plan your next successful lake trip to one of BC’s 5,000 lakes! This course is comprised of one 3hr evening seminar.
Cost: $85.00+GST
Class Size: 20
Date: Apr 1
Time: 6:30pm – 9:30pm (at the store)
Sign up here
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Pacific Angler Course: Introduction to Fly Tying
There is no greater satisfaction than catching a fish with a fly you tied yourself. This Introduction to Fly Tying course was specifically designed to give you the fundamental skills needed to tie proven fly patterns used here in BC for trout, salmon, and steelhead.
This course consists of 3 sessions, spread over 3 consecutive weeks. Each session is 3hrs. Location: At Pacific Angler from 6:30pm - 9:30pm. Choose your 3 dates below.
Students are required to supply their own vise, tools and materials. A 10% discount is available on fly tying materials and tools purchased for the course.
Cost: $130.00+GST
Class Size: 7
Dates: Apr 2, 9, 16)
Time: 6:30pm – 9:30pm
Sign up here
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Pacific Angler Course: Winter Steelhead on the Fly
Fishing for winter steelhead on the fly (single hand or Spey) is arguably one of the most challenging and rewarding fisheries in BC. Let our steelhead gurus help you unlock the mysteries of these magical fish with their decades of steelhead guiding knowledge. This course consists of a 3hr evening seminar and 1 full day of guided fishing on the water. In the seminar we will go over rods, reels, lines, sink tips, flies and reading water and swung fly techniques. The fully guided day on the water we will be work on casting, reading water and swinging the fly.
Seminar Only Cost: $85.00+GST
Seminar & Guided Walk’n Wade Cost: $375.00+GST per angler, minimum of 2 anglers per guided day on the water.
Dates: Seminar: April 8 Guided: April 12 or 13
Seminar Time: 6:30pm – 9:30pm | Guided: Full Day
Sign up here
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Pacific Angler Course: Introduction to Fly Fishing
INDUSTRY EVENTS AND UPDATES
Winter Chinook Guided Trip Special
5-6 guests – $1499 +GST
FRESHWATER FISHING REPORTS
Chilliwack/Vedder River Fishing Report
It’s March, and steelhead season on the C/V system continues to be in full swing. There are plenty of fish around, and fishing has been pretty good as a result.
I’m hearing tons of reports of fish from anglers of all skill levels, which is great to hear. The river has dropped a fair bit since the last significant rainfall and is now running low and clear. It’s nowhere near as bad as it was before the rain, but it’s still suboptimal. Your presentations and tactics will need to be adjusted to suit the conditions if you want to have a decent chance of success.
That said, there’s some rain in the forecast over the next week, though there’s a lot of uncertainty about how much rain will actually fall—nothing unusual there. As I’ve always said, check the weather forecast and water levels before you head out to get an understanding of the conditions you’ll be working with and to avoid any unpleasant surprises.
There are fish spread throughout the system, from top to bottom, so there isn’t really a “best” area to fish—just be sure to cover water. Float fishing with standard presentations has been the most productive method, as one would expect, but I’m also hearing reports of fish caught on swung spoons and even swung flies. So, now is a great time to head out with the spoon rod or the two-hander if you’re looking to try something different.
Despite blowouts and low/clear water, fishing should remain good all month. Note that the upper portion of the river (from the fishing boundary 100m below the confluence of Slesse Creek to the Tamihi Bridge) will close at the end of the month. Also, remember that it’s March, so there are a lot of salmon fry hiding in the gravel—please avoid any unnecessary wading to protect them.
Taylor Nakatani
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Squamish River Fishing Report
We expect the Squamish to rise significantly with the rain tonight into Saturday. The river is currently low and could use more water. For those heading out, check the water level numbers here.
If we see a 1-meter rise in levels, expect dirty water Saturday and into Sunday. Use bigger presentations and stay safe. If the rise is less than a meter, you might encounter some colored water but otherwise excellent conditions. Either way when the river settles it could make for some ideal fishing conditions
Have fry patterns in your kit along with smaller spoons but also bring the larger presentation like coho spoons, big pink rubber worms and large egg presentations.
Dress for the rain and get out there!
Matt Sharp
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Harrison River Fishing Report
We’ll have more details on the Harrison over the next few weeks, but it is well worth a look right now. We’ve heard reports of chum fry moving down the river, and anglers putting boots to the ground are finding cutthroat.
A beautiful Sea Run Cutthroat from last season.
Small salmon fry imitations or small spoons are the way to go. Cover lots of water and look for feeding trout.
Though this rain will bump up the system, Harrison Lake does a good job of dampening the effects of heavy rain. Do be careful, though. While the mainstem doesn’t fluctuate as dramatically as other systems, its tributaries do. If you’re out this weekend, keep an eye on crossing side channels as the river rises.
Note: There are a number of smaller systems like the Stave where this fishery should be kicking off. Building a circuit of systems, you can explore on a day of cutthroating is a solid strategy.
SALTWATER FISHING REPORTS
Vancouver Saltwater Fishing Report
We are in our last month of chinook retention opportunities in Vancouver waters. The limit is 2 chinook per day, 62cm or greater, hatchery or wild, but this ends April 1st. Crabbing and prawning has also been good, so if you are looking to get out for a winter harvest of chinook, crabs and prawns, now is the time to do it.
Fishing in Howe Sound has been solid this past week and there has also been some good chinook fishing in the Freighters, around Mile Markers, and around the Bell Buoy and out towards the QA Marker. When conditions have allowed, we have been making the run over to Gabriola and there are good numbers of chinook at Thrasher, Grande and Entrance.
One of many double headers off Gabriola this week!
Mid to late March last year we had some fantastic chinook fishing from Roger Curtis down to Cowan in 180 to 450 feet of water, so that is worth a look in the coming weeks. As the algae bloom starts to kick off in Howe Sound sometimes it slows the fishing down for a week or so, and offshore South Bowen can be the place to be. If you give it a try out there, it often takes a bit to get your depth dialed in, but the hot zone is usually 65 to 165 on the riggers. The darker the day and the darker the water, the shallower the fish. The brighter days with cleaner water, you will often find the fish deeper.
Productive gear lately has been chartreuse and green shades with flashers like Salty Dawg, Lemon Lime, STS, Chartreuse Phantom, all doing well. Chartreuse or green splatter back hootchies have been excellent. For spoons, the Kingfisher or G-Force in 3.0 and 3.5 sizes are working well. Of course, the Skinny G is also an excellent choice! Hot colours have been Irish Cream, Trailhead, Homeland Security, Outfitter, No Bananas, and Yes Bananas.
The chartreuse gear accounted for a nice limit of 6 chinook this day!
A reminder that our winter chinook special pricing is in effect until the end of March. The temperatures are warmer, the crabbing and prawning is good and there are still plenty of winter chinook around, so take advantage of the fishing and the great pricing this month. More details on that special pricing here.
As you can see from the pics, this the month to take advantage of the great fishing and I highly recommend getting out there before retentions shuts down.
See you on the water or in the shop,
Jason Tonelli
