Pacific Angler Friday Fishing Report: October 16, 2026

OUTLOOK 

October fishing is in full swing, and there are plenty of reasons to get out on the water this weekend!  

The Chilliwack/Vedder continues to produce chinook and coho, while chum are showing up in big numbers across several Lower Mainland rivers. With chum retention opportunities opening on October 17, it’s a great time to get out and enjoy some Fall salmon fishing. Coho opportunities on the Harrison, Stave, and other north-side systems should continue to improve over the next week or two, while the Squamish is worth exploring for anglers willing to cover some water and track down fish. Water levels remain low and clear in many systems, so adjust your presentations, accordingly; always keep an eye on the forecast and be sure to check the latest regulations before heading out.  

See you on the water!  

CLASSES AND COURSES 

We have a great line-up for our Fall Courses. 

Please note that the Fly Fishing for Salmon in Rivers, Nymphing Coastal Streams, and November 18 & December 5 Winter Chinook Fishing with J. Tonelli are SOLD OUT.  Please call the store to have your name placed on the waitlist.

INDUSTRY EVENTS AND UPDATES 

Sport Fishing Institute of BC – Policy Conference and Big Splash Fundraiser 

The SFI Policy Conference will be held at the Vancouver Convention Centre on November 20th.  This year’s theme is Pathways to Sustainability - Incorporating Best Practices across all Sectors. 

We look forward to this annual forum where elected officials, public servants, and members of the sport fishing community come together to share perspectives on the issues facing the recreational fishery and to discuss opportunities and challenges for the coming season. 

The Pacific Salmon Foundation will also take a portion of the day to highlight programs and projects funded through revenues from the sales of Salmon Conservation Stamps on tidal water licences. 

Following the Conference, you can join the Big Splash and Fundraiser.  It’s always a fun and memorable evening to reconnect with friends and colleagues, to enjoy a great meal, and bid on a variety of outstanding items, all the while supporting the important work of the SFI. 

BC Provincial Election – You Fish and You Vote  

As many of our local readers know it is election season!  

With election day approaching, take a moment to consider where candidates stand on fish, fisheries, public access, and resource management. Healthy salmon populations and sustainable public fisheries provide important social, cultural, and economic benefits to communities across BC. 

While fisheries management is largely Federal, the Province also plays a key role in salmon recovery, habitat protection and restoration, enhancement initiatives, and supporting public access to fishing opportunities. 

Fish and fisheries matter. Take the time to learn where candidates stand and make your vote count for the future of BC’s fisheries. 

FRESHWATER FISHING REPORTS 

Chilliwack/Vedder Fishing Report 

The C/V system is continuing to produce plenty of chinook and coho, despite the consistently low and clear water conditions. There are also a ton of chum around, especially in the lower and mid-sections of the river... in some cases, there are so many chum around that fishing for other species becomes impractical and borderline impossible.  

The upshot here is that the chum run is strong enough to allow retention opportunities in several Lower Mainland systems, including the C/V. As of Saturday, the 17th, the limit will be 2 per day. Remember when I said you should leave your pink and purple jigs at home in my last report? Well, now’s the time to put ‘em to use! Chum can be very aggressive and are very easy to catch, simply by hanging a jig under a float. Pink and purple are the “traditional” chum colours, but almost anything will work- I prefer darker colours, such as combinations of blue, purple or black. I usually suggest “short-floating”, which means setting your float depth to be significantly shallower than the actual depth of the water. For example, if the water is 6 feet deep, I’ll set my float depth at about 3 feet. I find that I often catch cleaner fish doing this, as it seems that darker fish are less inclined to move up to grab a jig. Another bonus is that I almost never snag bottom or foul-hook fish. There is absolutely no reason to floss or snag these fish or any fish, for that matter, so don’t.  

Chinook fishing is still decent, though as I mentioned last week, the run is starting to taper off. Coho fishing has remained good and will stay that way through the end of the month. Chum fishing should stay good until at least early November, potentially later depending on run timing.  

 A decent evening haul!  

Much like last week, there’s a bit of rain in the forecast over the next few days, though I doubt it’ll be enough to do much to the water levels. Again, the viz might decrease a bit, and it’ll probably get some fresh fish moving, but the river should remain perfectly fishable- albeit still quite low.  

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again- October is prime-time for the C/V, so now is the time to get out there. Remember to check the regs before you head out, fish ethically, and be safe.  

Taylor Nakatani 

Squamish River Fishing Report 

The Sea to Sky region produces fish for anglers willing to cover some water and locate the larger pods of coho. 

Water clarity continues to be on my mind as we look for some weekend fishing opportunities. The main stem is still a bit dirty, and the levels are a bit low. 

So, what does this mean for fishing? 

Expect to find fish at crunch points and structure. These are areas where fish will catch a break before pushing up past an obstacle or pull out of the main current and seek cover before moving up.  

Water clarity continues to be an issue, especially on the main stem. Keep an assortment of larger flashy hardware or large flies to get noticed in the darker water. The PA Custom Koho spoon continues to be a favorite when scouting for coho as are larger popsicles and intruder flies. I don’t usually fill a box full of big stuff, but it’s important to have a few larger flies when the fish can’t see the small flashy ones. 

The larger brighter stuff will help make the best of the low water clarity. 

With salmon being present in the river for over a month now we can see an increase in trout fishing opportunities. Egg flies or trout beads can be deadly when you locate some salmon nearing the end of their journey. It’s still a little early for this, but plenty of customers have been able to find trout in the upper reaches of the river. I will note that with the large component of salmon still actively pushing upriver, the likelihood of encountering a fresh coho or chum is still high. I tend to stick with larger weight rods in the 7-8wt range as you don’t get to pick what bites. If you're looking for a decent but cost-effective salmon rig, check out the Redington Wrangler 8 wt. A 5-6 weight rod will do the trick for trout, but you might end up breaking off larger salmon. If trout fishing really is your thing, check out some of the 5wt 10 ft rods like the Redington EDC. The longer rod gives you better mending reach for nice drag free drifts. 

Squamish egging gear 

Chum are also present in the system and you will encounter a variety of silver and barred up fish depending on how high up you’re fishing. You may encounter them swinging flies in the lower or stripping flies in the upper. These beautiful hard fighting fish should not be directly targeted. Remember to practice your best catch and release skills and keep them wet without dragging fish up the rocks. 

A good catch and release net is a valuable tool for these systems. It lets you net a hot fish, settle down, and release that fish with care. Check out the Frabill folding nets for this. These nets are lightweight, deploy fast, and pack up small to lash to a pack for long days of hiking.  They’re available in medium coho/trout and large coho/chum sizes. 

A good net is my best friend on the Squamish.  

Lastly, we have received many reports of wildlife encounters up and down the rivers. Bears and wolves continue to be very active this time of year. Negative encounters are rare but do your best to avoid a possible bad situation. If you stumble across a bear or wolf kill it’s best to avoid the area. You don’t want to be between a hungry bear and its next meal. Anglers and hikers should carry bear spray and be cautious in the early morning and later afternoon twilight. The daylight hours are short so expect things to get dark early when fishing up river. 

Have fun and stay safe. 

Eric Peake 

Harrison River Fishing Report 

The Harrison has been off to a slower start for coho. Water has been low, warm and there’s been a TON of chum around. We should start seeing more and more coho working their way up into the Harrison throughout the next 10-14 days. I’ve heard of a couple coho getting picked off closer to the confluence of the Fraser, so there’s definitely a couple around. 

If you’re planning on targeting coho, get out there as early as possible! The Island 22 boat launch opens at 7:00AM and it’s quite common to see a lineup of trucks with jet boats before the gate opens. Make sure everything is ready to go the night before and that you put the drain plugs in before making the trip! 

Coho will come up into the Harrison and pull off into lots of side channels and frog water to rest before shooting up again into the next pool. In these pools that have little to no current, twitching small jigs and stripping small muddlers + flash flies for them are the two most effective techniques. Due to the low clear water, I run a full clear intermediate sink tip to 4-8ft of 8lb Fluorocarbon. 

Twitching jigs and Coho Flies with light fluorocarbon 

On the chum salmon front, there is a recreational opening for retention, 2 per day beginning on October 17, 2026 (Saturday). They are a super bite-y fish, and you can readily catch them on float fishing jigs (pink and purple) and swinging big meaty flies (white, purple, pink, black). 

Chum on the swing! and Picking flies for chum 

If you’re float fishing, any rod in the 9’6-10’6 MH range will work wonders. Paired with 30-40lb braid to 15-17lb fluorocarbon leaders and you’re set up to go crush some chum! For some ideas, refer to Jacob’s part in the Stave River section of the report, he has some fun jigs picked out for chum salmon fishing. On the feather-flicking side of things, any 8wt single hand or 8wt or 9wt spey set up will work wonders. Bring the 20lb maxima for swinging as they have some GNARLY teeth.  

Onto some of the other north side systems; they will start to pick up in the next 10-14 days. Historically speaking they’ve always run a week or two later than the south side systems and systems further east into the valley. 

 Coho on the 5wt! 

Gear wise, it’s the same idea as what’s above for the Harrison. 6-8wt single hand fly rods with a full floating line to an intermediate sink tip or a full intermediate line is the go-to set up. Paired with 8-12lb fluorocarbon and the entire rainbow of coho flash flies, you are bound to poke some shiny bullets. 

For gear heads, twitching small jigs (1/4 and 3/8oz), casting small spoons and spinners will work quite well for these coho. In lower, clearer water copper and brass are some of the proven go-tos. If you do notice that everyone around you is fishing the same small brass/copper lure, change it up to a small bright option. You’d be surprised sometimes at how fishing slightly outside the box can put fish on the bank. 

Strip flies and tight lines! 

Casey Guo 

Stave River Fishing Report 

It’s the middle of October now, which means the Stave River will be starting to fill up with fish. Chum and coho salmon are the most prominent runs of fish on this system, with coho currently being the only species open for fishing. However, as of this Saturday it looks like we will be getting an opening for 2 chum salmon a day. Chum salmon are a lot easier to catch than coho salmon and can be a great species to target when learning the ropes of float fishing. 

A beautiful early morning fog rolling through the Fraser Valley. 

Fishing for chum salmon in the Stave River is simple. These fish will sit virtually anywhere but are best targeted in slow to moderate flowing runs of water. They are extremely aggressive and will bite all day long, rain or shine. A simple float fishing setup, with a small purple jig or chunk of wool, is all you need. I would recommend setting your float depth extremely short to avoid accidentally foul hooking fish. These fish are always looking up, so don’t worry about your set-up not being deep enough. 

Some of my favorite jigs to run for fall season Chum 

Stave river coho can be tricky; you really have to search for them in order to find out where they are sitting. Coho typically like to sit where the chum don’t, in slow moving back channels or deep pockets of water.  They travel in schools, so if you run into one or two in a spot, you can bet there are more nearby. These fish also move around a lot, partially because the chum tend to chase them out as they move up river. They are constantly on the move, which means you must be too. 

A nice hatchery Stave River Coho salmon  

Tide will also play a big role in water levels throughout the day. The rising tide is best, as it pushes fish up into the river and brings up the water level. However, on an outgoing tide the fish tend to spread out amongst the mud flats, hiding around structure, or in deeper contours.  

On my most recent trip, the water clarity has been very clear. Overcast days will probably produce the best at this point, because once sun hits the water, the fish become very spooked.  

As for equipment, I would say this is a fishery where fly fishing will probably work the best. Small flash flies early in the morning, and very sparse olive, brown or red, flies later in the day. These small fly presentations can be very effective in the shallow pools and runs, where larger presentations like twitching jigs or spoons will only spook the fish. The Reddington Wrangler 8wt fly rod is a great starter fly rod if you’ve been thinking about giving fly fishing for salmon a try. It loads nicely and is a forgiving rod for new fly anglers. Fluorocarbon leaders can make all the difference in low and clear conditions. Seaguar STS Fluorocarbon in my go to. As for a fly line, I find the RIO Coastal Quick shooter Intermediate Sinking line to be a great choice for a system like the Stave. It loads your rod up very nicely, allowing you to make long-range casts quickly across a vast area of water. The clear head section of the line also helps keep the element of stealth when fishing clear water, with spooky coho. Spoons, spinners and twitching jigs will all work as well but try to fish them in deeper pools or runs to avoid foul hooking fish.  

Some of my favorite fly patterns on the Stave River 

There are still plenty of coho as well as chum on their way to the Stave River. I would expect things to really start to pick up this week and into the next.  

Good luck out there and we'll see you in the shop or on the water. 

Jacob Leboe