OUTLOOK
It looks like it’s going to be another wet weekend for us on the South Coast and across much of the province. The good news? Once the heavy rain subsides and the rivers settle, local flows often produce some excellent fishing opportunities.
If you’re planning to head out, make sure to check river levels and the forecast, before you go, to ensure conditions are safe and fishable. Once things stabilize, don’t forget to check out the reports below for the latest updates from local fisheries and tips on effective post–blowout presentations.
High river levels got you down? Consider heading to the Interior, lake fishing is shaping up nicely, with good action expected over the coming weeks. Jason was out there last week and shares his insights and expectations for the next stretch in his latest report.
For saltwater anglers, it’s been a blustery few days, but the marine forecast for the weekend looks manageable. It may be wet, but the fish don’t mind! Now’s the time to get out there and focus on winter chinook fishing.
CLASSES AND COURSES
Check out our last class with availability below (grab that last seats at the tying table before they are gone)!
If you’re thinking ahead to next year, be sure to keep an eye out for our 2026 course listing! The team here at the shop is fine tuning the schedule and we will release it here next month! If you are reading this on the blog and want to be sure you are the first to know, be sure to sign up to receive the Friday Fishing report direct to your in-box.
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. Sign up here today!
Cost: $130.00+GST 2 SPOTS AVAILABLE
Class Size: 7
Dates: (Jan 28, Feb 4, 11), (Apr 2, 9, 16), (Nov 18, 25, Dec 2)
Time: 6:30pm – 9:30pm
PRODUCT FEATURE
Fall salmon fishing is in full swing this week we have not one but two new to the shop products!
First up is the Prime Lures Walk n' Wade Landing Net!
Built for the serious angler this net combines premium materials with practical design.
Featuring a carbon fibre frame that is guaranteed to float, a generous 24” x 16” hoop makes landing fish quick and secure, while the 20” handle provides the perfect blend of reach and portability. Equipped with a 22” deep, fish-friendly, rubber-coated mesh, this net ensures a clean and ethical release every time. The depth of the net is 22” deep ensuring any fish you catch fits comfortable in the net. Upgrade your gear with the ultimate go-to net for wade and bank fishing.Check it out online here or in shop!Next up is the Daiwa 24 Steez SV 100
The Steez SV is Daiwa’s flagship low-profile reel, is packed with premium features and materials that all come together to make this one of -if not the- best low profile reels ever made. A magnesium body makes this reel exceptionally light yet remarkably durable, and the combination of the SV Booster braking system and T-Wing Systems result in unbelievable casting performance. Couple all this (and more) with a UTD Drag and Hyperdrive System, and you have an incredibly smooth, powerful and lightweight little baitcaster that punches way above it’s weight.
Although this reel was designed with Bass in mind, Taylor has been putting it to the test by twitching jigs and retrieving spinners for Salmon in the Lower Mainland’s rivers- with great success. The reel has been unfazed by plenty of Chinook, Coho and Chum encounters over the past two seasons, with the drag, gearing and braking systems all taking the abuse in their stride.
If you’re looking for a premium Bass or light/medium-duty Salmon reel, the Steez SV might be impossible to beat.
Check it out online here and in store today!
FRESHWATER FISHING REPORTS
Chilliwack/Vedder River Fishing Report
The C/V system fished very well following last weekend’s rain and subsequent blowout, but the current forecast has a fair amount of wet stuff in it. As such, it is entirely possible that we may see another period of high, dirty and borderline unfishable water at some point this weekend. If you’re thinking of heading out there, you’ll want to check the river levels and forecast before you head out to make sure it’s fishable and have the appropriate presentations on hand to tackle the conditions you’ll be facing. As of writing this report, the river is still running pretty low, with a lot of viz... so still what I would call “low and clear”, but not quite as bad as it was before the rain.
A trio of chrome, jig-munching coho.
There are a lot of coho in the system, so fishing for them has been very good over the past week. Chinook numbers are petering out, but there are still some around, and chum numbers are increasing... though the run size is still a fraction of what it should be. As such, chum remain closed to targeted angling and retention. Assuming the river levels stay manageable, the coho fishing should remain decent into November, so there’s still some time to get out there and participate in this fishery.
There are still a few chinook around, as this chrome specimen proves.
Please be careful if you’re planning on heading out there this weekend, as everybody is used to the low water levels that have prevailed for the majority of this season... so that easy river crossing that you’ve been doing since September might be anything but easy with an extra foot or two of water. Add in some turbidity that makes it hard to see where you should be stepping, and you have all the ingredients for an unplanned swim.
Taylor Nakatani
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Squamish River Fishing Report
The Squamish WAS fishing well with coho and trout fishing improving with cold weather.
Unfortunately, the recent storms have changed conditions drastically. The Squamish has blown up to the 5-meter mark, making it an unsafe option to be around. Tributaries may be fishable for a limited time but will be swelling. Use caution and common sense if you’re heading up this way. Side channels may be uncrossable, and saturated banks may become unstable.
An update on the road conditions. The road remains closed at mud creek around the 21 km mark. It looks like this won’t be repaired until Spring. Again, it’s not recommended to travel up the valley during high water of this magnitude.
With all the rain forecasted I don’t expect great things from the weekend fishery. Once the storms pass, expect fish to be scattered throughout the system. I would be fishing larger presentations as the water drops. I don’t expect great clarity so bigger flies, larger spoons, and dark colored jigs will be noticed.
We will have a mix of fresh and coloured fish moving about. This will also draw in the late Fall salmon feasters. We have seen plenty of bear activity… especially in the Squamish valley. Keep your bear spray handy and your heads up when breaking trail first thing in the morning.
Have fun, stay safe.
Eric Peake
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Capilano River Fishing Report
By all reports, the Cap has been fishing well; this steady rain has kept the river at nice levels throughout the week, and both gear and fly guys are finding fish. For the upcoming week with the load of rain we’re expected to get make sure to keep your eye on the hydrograph, the river should get some nice flow. With this amount of rain there could be unexpected dam openings, so always keep safety as a number one priority when you’re angling. With the expected conditions of the river, it’s going to be a gear guys’ game. Lots of anglers are finding them on twitch jigs and spoons.
Start your days fishing the bright aggressive colours and wind down to the muted natural tones during the mid-day bite; my favorites are always the pinks/blues to the olive/blacks. Your small and medium sized Gibbs Crocs and Kohos will be fishing well. We’ve recently got restocked on Trout beads so I’ll be fishing 10mms in Oranges and Peach. Fly guys will find the faster water more difficult to fish. Stick to your full sinking lines or heavy sink tips. Stripping flies in olive, chartreuse and purples are always my go-tos this time of the year. Make sure to check out the new collection of blinged out coho flies tied by Jordan in shop.
As a reminder, there’s a bait ban on the Capilano until the 31st. Until then, keep the good stuff at home. As well as the coho you’ll encounter, there may be the elusive steelhead in the mix at this time of year. All steelhead including hatchery must be released.
Good luck to all the anglers out there braving the weather!
Tight lines,
Mackenzie Champaigne
STILLWATER FISHING REPORTS
BC Interior Lake Fishing Report
I was able to go lake fishing this weekend and found some decent fishing at lakes around 3,500 feet. The water was 44-46F and the fish were in 7-15 feet of water. As usual this time of year, there were no hatches and the fish were responding well to black and green balanced leeches under an indicator or stripped on a sinking line. Blobs also accounted for some fish.
Black and olive straggle string balanced leeches are always very productive for BC Fall lake fishing. This weekend was no exception.
The fish were quite spread out and the Garmin LiveScope was invaluable at finding fishable concentrations of fish. Even with the LiveScope, you had to move a lot. Find some fish, catch a few, they disperse, find some more, repeat. The arms got a workout this weekend, pulling those anchors up and down, but it was worth it for some nice Pennask and Horsefly rainbows.
A nice Horsefly strain rainbow trout (left) and Pennask strain rainbow trout (right) from the weekend.
It’s amazing how concentrated the fish can be, nothing for large stretches of water, then a small group that you can fish on. I must admit, without the Garmin LiveScope it would have been slim pickings, so as predicted it has been a game changer this Fall season.
The Garmin LiveScope allowed me to find the fish and do so quickly, ruling out huge sections of water with literally no fish. Here you can see fish just off the drop off, in 6-8 feet of water, behind some weeds, 25-45 feet from the boat.
The lakes closer to 4,000 feet are now seeing temps around 40F or lower. Stump is even dipping down into the high 40s now. Is it over? No, it’s not. There will be good to great fishing on a lot of lakes in the coming weeks as the fish move into even shallower water, getting more and more aggressive as they do so. The name of the game now is watching the weather. Snow on the highways and the lakes is now a consideration, so getting to where you are going in a timely and safe fashion becomes a big part of the puzzle.
I’ll be watching the weather closely and if I see clear highways, moderate temps and winds, I’ll be there.
See you in the shop or on the water,
Jason Tonelli
SALTWATER FISHING REPORTS
Vancouver Saltwater Fishing Report
It’s wet and windy out there this Friday, but the marine forecast for wind doesn’t look too bad for the weekend. Unfortunately, the rain looks full on and the high looks to be 10C or less with wind factored in. So not ideal conditions, but at least it won’t be crowded out there!
This rain will certainly push all but the last of the late run chinook and coho up the Fraser and into the tributaries and other coastal rivers. It’s been a great season with strong runs, so I hope all those fish have favourable spawning conditions in the months to come.
We have officially moved into “winter chinook” season and are now focusing on these fish, also known as “feeders.” These aggressively feeding chinook are around for the next 5 months and we have already put some nice ones on the cleaning table on recent guided trips.
It’s official, the winter chinook are starting to show up in Vancouver waters
It looks like we are off to another good start to the winter season and I am looking forward to getting out there myself in the coming weeks. I will be doing a saltwater report every 2-3 weeks throughout the winter as fishing and conditions change. So, get your glow flashers, hootchies, and spoons ready, keep your gear close to the bottom and get out there!
See you in the shop or on the water,
Jason Tonelli
