OUTLOOK
Happy September! It’s been a busy week on the water for those in the river and the ocean!
For saltwater anglers, September 1 marked a big regulation change so anglers have been back to fishing off the Bell Buoy, and off the Fraser Mouth in area 29-3. Jake has all of the details on opening week in his report below!
For those on the river, the sockeye retention is closed but pink fishing continues to be strong as we enter into the second week of what is usually peak migration time for pinks.
September also marks the start of our in house courses. Check out the courses section below for an overview of all our fall courses!
CLASSES AND COURSES
September is here and the kids are back to school! Our fall class lineup will be starting soon. Now is the time to sign up before they sell out.
Introduction to Fly Fishing Course
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Fall Salmon River Fishing Course - Floats, Spinners & Spoons
This 3hr evening seminar covers float fishing, spinner fishing and spoon fishing; the three most productive techniques to catch BC salmon in a river. Sign up here today!
Cost: $85.00 +GST
Date: Sep 23
Seminar Time: 6:30pm – 9:30pm
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Fly Fishing For Salmon in Rivers
Fly fishing for salmon is one of the most exciting fisheries in the Lower Mainland. Let us teach you the techniques and the hot spots to catch salmon on the fly in our local rivers. In the 3hr evening seminar you will learn about rod, reel and line, sink tip, and fly selection. Then put the skills into practice during a fully guided day on the water where you will learn how to read water and swing the fly! Sign up here today!
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.
________________________________________________________________
Winter Chinook Fishing With Jason Tonelli
Did you know there is excellent chinook fishing in local Vancouver waters from Oct to March? This is the winter chinook season and fishing the last few seasons has been excellent and this season is no different!
Learn the secrets on how to catch these hard fighting chinook, which are prized for their table fare as well. Your instructor, Jason Tonelli, will cover all aspects of what it takes to be a successful winter chinook angler. Jason has been honing his winter chinook skills out of Vancouver for close to two decades and is Pro-Staff for Gibbs Delta Tackle.
You will learn the top producing areas, including how to fish them productively and what tides, correct speed, how to fish close to the bottom, the most productive fishing tackle setups depending on conditions, how to use your sonar effectively to catch more fish, what weather patterns to avoid for boating safety, and many more winter chinook secrets.
Sign up here today!
Seminar Cost: $100+GST
Date: Dec 10, 2025
FRESHWATER FISHING REPORTS
Fraser River Tributaries Report
The excellent week on the Fraser for pinks continues this week! As we chatted about in last week’s report this week is prime time pink fishing with peak migration being this week.
Maverick with his first salmon!
If you are heading out be sure to familiarize yourself with the regs and remember sockeye are now closed!
Have fun and enjoy your day out on the water!
STURGEON FISHING REPORTS
August is in the books and it was an outstanding month for sturgeon fishing in the lower Fraser River. The PA jetboat was busy battling big, hungry sturgeon from the lower reaches of the North and South Arm, all the way up to the Pitt and beyond. All the exploring was hardly out of necessity, but more so to find new fish in new spots. They are seemingly everywhere right now. Other than the odd lull with tide changes, consistent would be the best word to describe the fishing.
Now we are in September, which has the potential to match, if not exceed, the action experienced last month.
Double headers aren't uncommon lately!
The strong pink and sockeye salmon return to the Fraser this year certainly gets some credit for the recent sturgeon productivity. You might think that with so many pinks in the river the sturgeon would ignore bait, but that has not been the case. Despite the sheer volume of food swimming past, nothing beats an easy meal served up on a silver platter. Waste pieces from pink salmon were the go-to bait in August and will continue to work this month. At some point their preference will shift toward the chinook salmon that are now entering the river. In particular, white chinook will be their food of choice since these fish run later than their red-fleshed counterparts. If you get the chance to retain a white chinook, make sure to save those heads and spines.
As for river conditions, the current has really mellowed out which has created much more favorable fishing conditions. You can now get away with using lighter wedge weights to keep your bait down, and holding the boat on the mark is a lot easier. With the river’s flow being less of a factor, tides have a more dramatic impact. Expect your boat to flip around during the peak of the flood tide, with bait scent flowing west.
Some golden hour action after the flood tide settled in.
For anglers eager to battle sturgeon from shore, the best window is two hours before and after high slack tide. The gentler current during this time allows you to use lighter weights, which are easier to cast and less likely to snag. An added bonus is that the flood tide often brings in a new push of salmon, which can get the sturgeon feeding. Bring a pair of work gloves for handling the fish and be ready for a serious fight.
Tight lines,
Jake Comrie
SALTWATER FISHING REPORTS
Vancouver Saltwater Salmon Fishing Report
Welcome to September, arguably the most anticipated month of saltwater salmon fishing in the Lower Mainland. The first week did not disappoint, and we have solid reports coming in from all over. Retention of chinook has increased to 2 per day with no maximum slot size, and anglers are free to hit the Fraser Mouth hotspots for these shallow, hard-hitting springs.
The Sandheads have been producing consistent chinook, coho, and pink action. The PA guide boats have reported some grindier periods when the tides are in full swing, but timing it right with the incoming flood and working the contours and shelves closer to the mouth has been paying off. Boats further out in deeper water are also finding success when new schools push in, although that action can be fleeting once the fish move on. If you manage to stay on top of them, you can capitalize quickly. The North Arm of the Fraser has also been producing, which is a great option for anglers looking for a shorter commute out of Vancouver. The same program applies here as at the Sandheads: cover water, work the shelves, and troll shallow. Starting around the 60-foot zone is a solid bet.
The first Fraser chinook of the year for the PA guide team!
Historically, bait has been the go-to choice for the September chinook fishery, and that is proving true again this season. If you forgot to get anchovies or herring brined up, running gear is still an effective option. Bigger spoons and the classic white hoochie are staples this time of year. The Gibbs G-Force in Irish Cream is always in my starting lineup.
Proof: Gibbs Irish Cream G-Force Spoon gets it done!
For those worried about pinks chewing up their bait, the good news is that pinks have been fairly avoidant when running the chinook program. Pinks prefer a slower troll, while chinook are happy to chase down bait at much higher speeds. When targeting chinook, do not be afraid to bump up the pace. Fast-moving gear forces reactionary bites and reduces pink bycatch. You may still hook the odd one, but speeding up definitely helps.
Closer to home, the Capilano River mouth is another fishery to keep an eye on as the month progresses. It has already produced some nice fish, although it has been more temperamental. Bites tend to come in quick flurries, with long lulls in between. Once more fish stack up in the coming weeks, this spot will stabilize into a more consistent fishery. For now, focus your effort around the flood tide, particularly right at the top of the high slack. That is when I have been having the most success.
Some action a bit closer to home!
A reminder that there is a Southern Resident Killer Whale closure off the North Arm of the Fraser. DFO officers have been monitoring this area closely over the past week. Be sure to know the boundary and give it space. You can find a map of the closure on the DFO website, and Navionics/Garmin Boating apps display the closure zones. As always, pinch your barbs, mark your licenses, and let those fish run!
Tight lines,
Jake Comrie
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Beach Fishing Report
Fishing has been hit and miss along the beaches the last couple of weeks, but the anglers who are out early, are in the right spot, and are knowledgeable about the relevant travelling lanes for fish are still encountering them. There are many spots along the West and North Vancouver shoreline that will be holding fish for the next couple of weeks, so if you’re after some new territory I would do some exploring and look for some different points of access.
Furry Creek fishing hasn’t improved significantly, but there are now retention opportunities on the Squamish River for pinks and that’s probably where I would be heading if I was determined to fish that system. I have heard of some anglers having good success throwing larger flies off the beach in chartreuse, pink, and orange but Andre’s Pink Pam’s are always a great choice and seem to be nearly irresistible to any salmon that can find it through poor water clarity.
This is the time to bust out the crazy rigs, like buzz bomb/hoochie hybrids (Buzzoochies), spinner/hoochie combinations (Spinoochies), hoochie jigs (criminally underrated), and soft plastics on jig heads. These are all very fishy setups that stand out against a sea of the same-old, same-old lures these fish have seen a million times!
Jay Awrey
