OUTLOOK
We’ve got the first week of May in the books and have enjoyed some warm weather days, but the cooler nights have kept some of our local river fisheries in shape so far. On the stillwater front, locally we are enjoying some great trout and bass fishing. We have updates and tips on both of these fisheries in this week’s reports.
For those heading to the Interior this weekend or next, we are getting multiple reports of great fishing on lakes in Region 3, Region 5, and Region 8. Jason has more details about the Interior lakes in his report below.
For local saltwater anglers, the first week of bottom fishing has been productive! When the wind has allowed our guide boats we have been heading across and enjoying some great bottom fishing, crabbing and catch and release chinook fishing! In this week’s saltwater report, Jake shares what our guide team has been fishing while out. Check it all out below 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
FRESHWATER FISHING REPORTS
Chilliwack/Vedder River Fishing Report
There’s not much going on with the C/V system at the moment; steelhead season is basically over, Freshet is starting, and we’re still two months away from the start of salmon season. In addition to this, the upper and mid-sections of the river are closed to all fishing as of April 1st and May 1st, respectively. The lower section is open, albeit for fly fishing only and with a mandatory release of all cutthroat and rainbow trout... wild or hatchery. The lower section will close at the end of May, leaving the whole system closed to all fishing for the month of June.
There will be some trout, whitefish and coarse fish hanging around in the lower section, so it can be fun to bring a 3, 4 or 5wt. fly rod and cast small nymphs or streamers. Admittedly, the resulting casting practice may be more valuable than the actual fishing! It’s worth noting that a vast majority of the “rainbow trout” that are encountered in this system are actually juvenile steelhead, so care should be taken when handling and releasing them... especially the wild ones!
Juvenile steelhead will often hang out in fresh water for one, two or even three years and are very often caught by anglers who are targeting “trout” in this system, so care should be taken by anglers to ensure that any “trout” they catch in the C/V or any Lower Mainland system is handled properly and released promptly if not being legally retained. Remember, killing baby steelhead is counterproductive if you want to catch them as mature fish.
The C/V will re-open to angling on July 1st, at which point the summer chinook and sockeye returns will be starting. Stay tuned for a “Summer Salmon Primer” that will be released closer to July!
Taylor Nakatani
STILLWATER FISHING REPORTS
Local Lakes Fishing Report
Spring is here, the sun’s back and it’s the best time of year to hit the stockers. Local stockings are still going on and we’re getting great reports in! Most lakes up the Sea to Sky have gotten fish so make sure you’re bringing along some fishing gear on any of your adventures up that way. Make sure to keep tabs on your favourite fishing hole in the province on www.gofishbc.ca.
Once these freshly stocked trout get acclimated to the waterbody, they become aggressive little feeders and will take a wide range of presentations, so don’t be shy and try out a myriad of different tactics. Aside from chucking small spoons and spinners, my personal favourite is presenting a Powerbait ball off the bottom or under a bobber. Natural presentations like a Nightcrawler or deli shrimp are consistently in my repertoire, which can always be used with additional scents to encourage a take.
A good consideration when trouting this time of year is to keep your gear on the smaller side and not to be afraid to cover lots of ground to find those fish!
For the fly anglers there are tons of opportunities at hand. For these trout it’s good to lean on your general attractor patterns like leeches, blobs and chironomids. If one has access to a float tube or any sort of boat, you can increase the chance of bumping into fish by trolling ledges and drop offs.
Tight lines!
Mackenzie Champaigne
_______________________________________________________________________________________________BC Interior Lakes Fishing Report
As we enter the second week of May it is prime time on so many lakes, the toughest decision is where to go!
I am getting multiple reports of great fishing on lakes in Region 3, Region 5, and Region 8. There was some nasty wind last week at times, but outside of that, the chironomid hatches and fishing have been great. Mayflies are also starting to make some appearances, so be ready for that. As we get later into May the mayflies will continue to hatch and we will see some damsels later in the month as well.
I recently had the chance to fish a few new lakes this past weekend and was lucky enough to find some big Pennask and some good size Horsefly trout. I’ve tangled with plenty of big Pennask and they will always be one of my favorites for their acrobatics.
A 7 pound Pennask rainbow trout that ate a well presented chironomid in 20 feet.
That being said, I have to say that the Horsefly strain is next level when it comes to their runs. I’ve never had so many fish take me into my backing. Those Horsefly pull hard! If you haven’t fished a lake with this strain of trout, I highly recommend doing so. There are only a few in Region 3, but plenty in Region 5, and I hear that quite a few more are going to be stocked with them in the future. Check out Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC website and all the stocking info. Find yourself a lake with some Horsefly and have at it!
The Horsefly strain of rainbow have distinctive yellow fins and sometimes yellow highlights on the jaw. They are known for raw power and strong runs!
I know many of you have trips planned for the long weekend, and that’s great, as this year that timing seems like it will work well for all but the highest elevation lakes. I am taking this weekend off to do some packing for my long weekend trip next week and to be around for Mother’s Day of course. If you are headed up somewhere this weekend, chances are it’s going to be good to great fishing.
If you are heading into the shop, we just got a fresh batch of custom tied chironimids and leeches, so come down soon as these never last long.
See you in the shop or on the water,
Jason Tonelli
Special Feature
Local Bass Gear Talk
The fish stocking teams have been busy in the Lower Mainland these last couple weeks and have stocked catchable trout into a whole host of different local lakes, desperately trying to replace the trout our customers at Pacific Angler have been catching! But what if you’re looking for something a bit wackier than PowerBait? With a bit more wiggle and rattle than a Roostertail? While bass and trout cohabitate the same water, if you compared the tackle of trout and bass anglers except for maybe some terminal tackle, it is relatively the same. Leave your micro spinners and spoons at home with the floating synthetic eggs and save room for big weedless jigs replete with impaled plastic creatures, wacky rigged plastic worms, and ostentatious surface presentations!
Beginner Worm Rigs
Few baits are more synonymous with bass angling as the plastic worm. I think the best way for beginners to get started is to pair their worm of choice with a pack of VMC Wacky Weedless Hooks, a pack of Gamakatsu EWG Hooks, and some worm weights. This is all you need to get started with Wacky Rigging, Texas Rigging and Carolina Rigging and will cover a wide variety of water and bottom conditions.
Hard baits are great for younger anglers and for covering water quickly
If the worm bite isn’t on, or you’re just tired of losing your favourite senkos, crank baits and jigs are also productive. I love to fish on rainbow trout colours this time of year, but I also keep a Firetiger crank and surface popper locked and loaded for when the water has a bit more colour. Remember that different cranks will have different actions and different practical fishing depths, so if you’re looking to effectively fish the entire water column, you’ll likely need a couple different crank baits; I run the Rapala BX Brat for shallower water, and the Rapala X-Rap Shad for deeper water up to 11’ deep.
Lots of great options for fishing shallow and topwater bass
Lastly, no bass box is complete without some topwater options! Watching a big bucket-mouth blow up on the surface is an electrifying experience, and we’ve curated some awesome options for that early-morning or late-evening feeding frenzy. The Rapala Skitter Pops have a great, loud chugging action and move a ton of water while their big brother the Skitter V are built for dog-walking. Anglers wanting to fish frogs or mice must remember the difference between weedless and conventional presentations, and make sure to keep the exposed hooks and hook points away from structure! A weedless frog like the Booyah Pad Crasher is terrific for tossing into structure or ripping across lily pads and are made of durable materials for many exciting trips to the pond.
Jay Awrey
SALTWATER FISHING REPORTS
Vancouver Saltwater Fishing Report
One of our favourite times of the year has arrived! May 1st marked the opening of lingcod and rockfish retention in the Gulf Islands. Over the past week we have had the chance to do some bottom fishing across the Strait, and it has been off to a solid start!
One of the most effective ways to target lingcod and rockfish is by jigging. Our go-to method is to thread a snap swivel or slide-o onto our braided mainline where a ball weight can be attached, followed by a bead and swivel. From the other end of the swivel, we attach our leader, which usually consists of 60lb mono, so it stands a better chance against lingcod's sharp teeth. From there, our favorite jigs are the 4oz Gibbs Power Paddles. Gear aside, the most important part of jigging is the action itself! I find the most effective technique is to lower until you tap bottom, reel up a couple cranks, and proceed to do sharp and quick jigging motions up, followed by a slow and controlled drop. A lot of the strikes are typically on the way down, so if you just let it free fall, you often miss getting a good hook set.
Some solid Lings falling for the Power Paddles.
A productive time to target bottom fish is near slack tide. Less current means you'll have more time over top of structure without drifting away, and you'll also have a much easier time finding bottom at some of those deeper spots, especially if you're using lighter jigs.
A big Copper Rockfish from this past week!
Remember to always have a descending device while targeting bottom fish as rockfish will experience barotrauma if brought up from the deep. Every now and then you'll encounter Yellow Eye Rockfish which need to be released, and this can't be done without some form of descending device. We use the SeaQualizer, which can be clipped to the cannon ball on your downrigger to lower the fish or clipped to a heavy ball weight on your rod.
Good luck out there!
Jake Comrie
