OUTLOOK
We hope everyone had a great long weekend on the water whether it was close to home or you took advantage of the extra day off to get away! As we look ahead to the weekend and next week, we are seeing some consistent temperatures in the high teens/lower twenties with a bit of rain showers mixed in for those of us in the Lower Mainland. For those reading from further afield or heading out of town things are warming up in the interior and it looks like a consistent run of warmer weather. In short – good weather all around for fishing!
In this week’s report we have updates on our favourite late May freshwater fisheries and for our saltwater anglers we have a Special Feature, Targeting Groundfish – Swimbaits Made Simple.
Check all of those reports out below as well as an overview of our upcoming classes and we’ll see you in the shop or on the water this weekend.
CLASSES AND COURSES
We have a great line up of courses. Check out all of our upcoming May and June 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: Introduction to Fly Fishing
Pacific Angler Course: Introduction to Fly Fishing Trout Streams
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
Class Size: 20
Date: Jun 18
Time: 6:30pm – 9:30pm
Sign up here
INDUSTRY EVENTS AND UPDATES
Steelhead Lager X Pacific Salmon Foundation Free Event
Our friends at Steelhead Lager are hosting an awesome event coming up later this month. Join them for a free event where folks can sample Steelhead Lager and learn about the amazing work the Pacific Salmon Foundation is doing. They’ll also have a live fly-tying demo, complimentary snacks, and a merch giveaway.
When: May 30th from 4–7 pm (the Friday before Wild Salmon Day on June 1st).
Where: Toby’s Liquor Store, 2733 Commercial Drive
More details and RSVP here!
FRESHWATER FISHING REPORTS
Capilano River Fishing Report
The early season fishery continues to produce a few fish for those willing to get up early and make the trek down the canyon. After last weekend's rain there were plenty of fish in the ladder, so this is a good sign for the season to come. Make sure to do a trip through the hatchery to see what's moving up on your next visit.
Small bait presentations have been the most productive with anglers targeting fish in the deeper pools and choppy tail outs. It’s hard to beat good roe for coho. You may be lucky enough to spot fresh schools of fish moving upriver… try to get in-front of them with a small trout sized spoon or blue fox spinner. Fresh fish will happily chase down and destroy a well-presented bit of hardware. For fish that have been in the pool a little longer try busting out the fly setup with one of Andre’s Capilano buggers or his custom tied flash flies.
The smaller presentation can help crack the lock jaw on some of the coho who have been shell shocked by gear. Sinking lines and fluorocarbon leaders are needed for this finesse presentation. It might take a while to dial in this setup but when the conditions get tough the fly can outperform everything else.
Looking ahead, we have some light rain forecasted for the end of the weekend. This might provide a little cover for morning anglers. We also have some big tides this coming week that should send fish upriver. This also means we will have some extreme low tides for those looking to spend some time on the beach. Its early but we always hear reports of someone finding silver on the beach early season. Get up early and keep your fishing environment cleaner than when you found it.
Eric Peake
STILLWATER FISHING REPORTS
Local Lakes Fishing Report
Hoping everyone had a great long weekend! With longer days and above 20° temperatures you may run into some fellow anglers on our local waters. This fishery of ours is a great opportunity for young anglers and more experienced veterans alike to spend some time with friends or family and get some top-notch table fare. All your favourite lakes have been getting routine stockings so make sure to keep a keen eye on the stocking reports on the Freshwater Fisheries Society’s website GoFishBC.com.
While you’re on their website, be sure to check out the Learn To Fish Tab. They host Learn To Fish and Rod Loan programs throughout the province. If you’re just starting out and want to bring the kids and some friends, this is a great way to introduce them to fishing!
Rice Lake, one of our favourites for good reason has received several thousand of spring catchables, or more importantly “pan sized”. These guys are around in number and are triploid, meaning they’ve been genetically modified to be unable to reproduce, this means they grow much faster than their less domesticated counterparts. Do not be shy about enjoying this great tasting, readily available angling opportunity!
These fish are quite aggressive and will readily take any sort of presentation given to them so you can make it as technical or simple as you’d like. A common staple is and always will be the simple bobber and worm combo or mix in a shrimp from a cocktail ring if you’re feeling fancy. These fish are keenly tuned into scents above all else, so adding additional scents such as Pro-Cure can elevate your odds as-well, especially to artificial presentations.
Many of these can be fished as a bottom rig as well with a slip weight and a power bait egg, as they retain their buoyancy exponentially more than the dough and stinks to boot, so it makes it one of our favourites.
Spinners and spoons are always in the cards as a more engaging way to whack and stack stockers and they’re also a great way to cover water when in new areas. These lures can be a great way to introduce our great pastime to the uninitiated, whether it’s a friend or maybe your little one. Some of our favourites are the baby Crocs, Mini-Gs and Blue Foxes!
We’ve restocked all our favourites in the trout world so feel free to come down to the shop and pick up some of the classics or some new flavours! We can help you get set up and ready to hit the water.
Tight lines!
Mackenzie Champaigne
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BC Interior Lakes Fishing Report
The cooler temperatures for most of this month have been great for chironomid fishing, but as we get into the back end of the month this will change. The mayflies are out in full force on a lot of the lower elevation lakes now and this past week I saw a few damsels as well. I mentioned in previous reports to be ready for both as that season is now upon us. If you head up into that 4500 feet or higher zone, the chironomid hatches are just getting going, so as usual, reports this time of year will vary dramatically based on elevation.
This Blackwater took a blob just off the weed line.
This week I was on a lake that had one very good day of chironomid fishing. I expected this the next day, but to my surprise there was no hatch and no fish, despite perfect water temps and conditions. Eventually we found some fish on the weed line and got a few on blobs and saw fish feeding on water boatmen in the late evening. We anticipate the chironomid hatches and mayfly hatches this time of year, but it was a humble reminder to be ready for anything at any time and to keep an open mind.
Have a great weekend and I hope you have a chance to get out on the lakes as there are so many amazing opportunities right now with a lot of lakes firing as we are in prime time.
See you in the shop or on the water,
Jason Tonelli
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Lower Mainland Bass Fishing Report
I hope everyone had a great long weekend and got a chance to sneak out and enjoy some bass fishing, because I sure had a blast! I fished a couple of ponds in the Fraser Valley with a casual pace for a half day and touched a couple dozen fish in the 2lb range on a bunch of different presentations. I was hoping to catch a late spawner or two but all I found were the signs of recent spawn beds with no aggressive fish around to protect them, so I set up my rods with one of my favourite chartreuse crankbaits and a weedless wacky worm and started covering ground. I found a stump lurking within range of the shore, bounced my crankbait off it and couldn’t spin the handle twice before I poked the first bass of the day!
You’re not likely to win many competitions with fish this size, but consistent, aggressive bites all day long make for a great day!
With the warmer weather of the summer well on its way, we’re going to only see the fishing get better and better, but you should be prepared to carry a wider range of presentations than you’re used to. Angling pressure increases exponentially with warmer weather and summer months, so if you’re after big, intelligent fish you’re going to need to know your way around more than just a Texas rig! While the urge to throw topwater baits for bass is irresistible, try to mix in some jig and alternate soft plastic techniques to help put up numbers. I caught a couple on a brilliant blue crawfish rigged to backslide amongst other anglers throwing senkos in deadly colours.
An idyllic frame from a very popular urban bass pond
If you have the luxury of two setups, carrying a spinning rod with light braid and fluorocarbon leader for throwing weightless and finesse baits and a baitcasting setup with 20-40lb braid for hardbaits, it makes switching presentation tactics effortless. Fly anglers can get by with a floating line and some sinking leaders, but individual setups fitted with a sink tip and a floating line makes life easier. Bass are predatory fish and love to smash baitfish imitations like Clouser Minnows, but for many, me included a bass fishing trip with the big stick isn’t complete without trying to raise a bass to the surface for a bite. We’ve got some great poppers and divers here at the shop, and if you’re into making your own we’ve got all the materials you need to turn out your own!
A custom-painted Tequila Popper by JA
Stop by for gear and tips and go rip some lips!
Jay Awrey
SALTWATER FISHING REPORTS
A common tactic for groundfish, weather they're ling cod, halibut, or rockfish, is to jig with heavy darts or irons, but some anglers are starting to fish swimbaits- and to good success!
When using swimbaits and paddle-tails style lures, we can fish them a few different ways: casting and retrieving, jigging, and drifting/mooching.
When targeting fish on structured flats, casting and retrieving swimbaits and paddle tails can provide some exciting and visual fishing. A medium-heavy to heavy spinning rod paired with a salty reel and braid is all you need outside of the terminal tackle you probably already have, with various swivels (snaps and barrel) and heavy leader being all you really need outside of the lures.
Jigging with paddle tails is also a great tactic to stay active and feel bits in-hand.
Remember to use an erratic jigging motion, imitating stunned or injured prey. All too often anglers do smooth lifts and steady drops, making their jig barely move down at the depths it's at. Having sharp, short, jerky motions will help draw fish in out of curiosity, as well as instinct. When choosing the different sizes, I make sure to have a variety of weights to make sure I can drop down straight the best I can during various tide swings. More flow with more depth will equal a heavier lure if choosing to jig.
The other way is to use a sliding weight and to 'mooch' your swimbait.
Running a Slydo above the first swivel will allow you to clip in (and out) various weights as needed. This also allows you to completely unclip everything, removing all lead and heavy objects that may bounce or damage your rod during travel.
Once a paddle-tail has been chosen, along with the weight of choice, let the line down to your desired depth and set the rod in the rod holder that is angled straight out the side. Imagine mooching cutplugs- same idea. Adjust your speed but know that as long as the line is on an angle, the tail is kicking, and the lure is active. This is a great way to drift and cover water, letting the current control your speed and drift angle.
Whether you're casting and retrieving or jigging vertically, the gear is mostly the same. The only gear you may need to have on hand if you choose to drift/swim the paddle-tails is some Slydo's and ball-weights.
Remember to always have your descending device on hand and ready to go should you need to use it.
Always know where you're angling and be aware of any sponge reef closures or RCA areas.
Cheers,
Jordan Simpson
