OUTLOOK:

                                           
Over the last week or so the lower mainland has seen the fish and fishing activity increasing. From the stocking of local lakes to the quest for wild steelhead, anglers alike are getting outside to take advantage of this spring weather that has finally started to show up.

With the forecast calling for drizzle and showers over the weekend, we can expect to see the rivers come up a little bit- but not by much. This drizzle and rain is expected to be followed by sunnier days and increasing temperatures over the next week.

Hopefully this rain will move some fish around and the warmer weather will make them active.

On the ocean, reports have been coming in of increased numbers of Chinook, including those of keep-able sizes.

With crabbing and prawning continuing to be fair to those who have been dropping traps along with the increase of Chinook numbers, one will be wanting to start thinking of washing their patio and cleaning the barbeque.

STILLWATER REPORTS

We’ve had a few reports of lakes in the interior starting to fish well with bloodworms and chironomids making up the main portion of the diet as seen from stomach samples. People have also found fish on small bait fish and fry patterns while searching and trolling spot to spot.

As temperatures start to rise, fish will start to become more active, actively searching out prey and food items as their metabolism starts to increase. Matching the hatch can play a key role and may be the difference between casting practicing and catching.

While trolling and searching, try some bigger ticket items such as leaches and fry patterns to trigger that predatory response in hungry fish.

A lot of the lower mainland lakes have recently been stocked with numerous small to medium sized trout in the ‘catch-able size’, offering a great opportunity to get on the water for a few hours before or after work, as well as offering the chance to introduce small children and young anglers to the great world of fishing. Light spinning gear with simple terminal tackle and baits can offer a great deal of entertainment as well as the opportunity to teach young anglers about our beautiful resource we are so fortunate to have.

When putting together the weekly report, we use as many resources as possible to give you the best heads-up on current conditions, reports, and important news worth noting. The links and forums we’ve listed below are some of the sources we regularly reference as they not only offer useful tips we enjoy sharing, but we also post in these forums many of the courses, guided trips, reports, and other information in an effort to support these forums and the services they provide by sharing with others.

Forums to Use:

FlyFishBC: Great fly-fishing forum covering a wide range of topics related to fly-fishing from fly-tying to ice-off reports.

FlyBC:  FlyBC is a not-for-profit BC based forum for the discussion of all things fly fishing in Beautiful British Columbia!

FishBC:  The British Columbia Adventure Network’s guide to sportfishing the lakes, rivers and saltwater of Western Canada.

SportFishing BC Forum: BC’s and possibly, Canada’s foremost sport fishing web site containing BC saltwater fishing, BC freshwater fishing, maps, fishing tackle news, sport fishing destinations, fishing tips and techniques, editorials, articles and much, much more. Inside you’ll find everything you need to tackle trophy fish of all varieties including salmon, halibut, steelhead, trout, bass, and sturgeon to name a few.

Flyguys.net:  The flyguys are located in the interior of Canada’s beautiful British Columbia where we are fortunate to be surrounded by hundreds of trout filled lakes, river systems, mountain fed creeks & mere hours away from the pacific ocean. Our goal is to offer a place to share information & ideas promoting fishing in our spectacular province, like a one stop shop for fly fishing British Columbia with a focus on the BC interior!

Flyguys.net offers information on aquatic entomology (the bugs that fish eat), fly tying & fly patterns (to imitate the bugs that fish eat), fly fishing methods & techniques (to fish the flies you tied to imitate the bugs that fish eat), as well as cleaning, filleting, recipes & cooking tips (to care for & prepare the fish you catch with the flies you tied to imitate the bugs that fish eat)! We also offer Fishing Guide, Resort & product reviews to help you make the most of your BC fishing vacations!

Winter Kill Reports:   flyguys.net forum posted the following news in their 2014 Ice-Off Report feed.

Total Kills: Pass, Bleeker, Frisken, John Frank, Allen Meadows, Bog, Englishman?, Hudson Bay, Ida, Isobel, L. Rossmore, Tulip

Partial Kills: Red, Logan, Horseshoe?, McGlashin?, Tom Campbell?, Tsotin

Andre also mentioned that Englishman in the Kane Valley winter killed this year as well.  It will be interesting to see how bad it was. This would be the first time in 4-5 winters since it last winter killed.

RIVER REPORTS

Vedder: The Vedder has been fishing well this past week  with conditions having remained stable with the lack of rain. As of Thursday the visibility is sitting at 4-5ft at the crossing and 6-8ft in the upper. Most of the fish are being caught between the crossing and the Keith Wilson Bridge. We are hoping that the weekend rains bring the river up and give those fish a chance to distribute themselves throughout the system. Bait has definitely been key at times, however, Colorado blades have been catching plenty of fish. Jason was out on the Vedder with some clients this past Wednesday. They hooked two steelhead and landed one beautiful hatchery buck. Both fish came on our 5 egg roe bags with light orange mesh. Be sure to pick up some of our pre-tied roe bags for your next outing! Please remember to keep moving and be respectful to all fellow anglers.

Chehalis: The Chehalis has been low and clear due to the lack of rain. A bump of late-winter steelhead usually enters the river in late March to mid April. We are hoping that the rains over the weekend will be enough to trigger some of these fresh fish to swim up from the Harrison. This is not a terribly easy river to access. Those who are willing to hike and explore off the beaten path can be greatly rewarded!

Squamish: The fry hatch is starting to become more prominent in both the upper and lower river with trout and char having been seen slashing the surface at times. These slashing and leaping type rises are usually an indication that the fish are feeding on salmon fry. Andre’s epoxy minnows fished on floating lines and long fluorocarbon leaders have produced some big bull trout in the past. We have heard of very few steelhead being caught in the upper river and even less in the lower river. Fly anglers will find Type 3-6 sink tips with un-weighted or lightly weighted flies to be effective in most spots. Although each fly angler has his own go-to patterns for this river, there seems to be a common theme among most of these flies. Smaller pink, orange and or white flies in the 2”-3.5” range are quite popular. Drab coloured flies in olive, black, brown, and burnt orange are also effective for both steelhead and bull trout. Colorado blades and small spoons such as the Dick Nite or Little Shaver are a great choice for gear anglers when fry are present.

**The Squamish and Cheakamus systems are a 100% catch and release – no bait/scent** As always, this is a barbless fishery, so play by the rules, give other anglers space, and have fun!

Capilano: The Capilano is once again low and clear. With the arrival of spring comes great anticipation of this year’s summer coho salmon fishery. The coho fishing in the Capilano usually picks up in mid May and can remain decent until the low flows of late july/early august. The most popular method for this fishery is short floating with light/medium power casting and center-pin rods. Productive baits include cured roe, roe bags, krill, dew worms, and Colorado blades. Fly fishing is also quite effective for these early run coho. 7-8wt single hand fly rods equipped with full sinking type 6 lines allow you to strip your fly reasonably fast while maintaining a deep presentation. The most effective flies are olive wooly buggers (Andre’s Cap Coho Bugger), muddler minnows, and small polar bear winged flies in sizes 8-12.

Please remember to carefully release ALL STEELHEAD (HATCHERY AND UNCLIPPED).

SALTWATER FISHING REPORTS

We were out on Tuesday and found a few nice chinook up Howe Sound and also did very well on crabs in Vancouver Harbour.  It was for the most part, a flat calm day- the sun was out, and the chinook were biting.

Some things you just can’t beat, and our guests from Vancouver and Calgary had an amazing time.

I was hoping that this would be the start of spring, but the forecast has changed and now the SE winds are here along with the clouds and the rain.  Once the winds back off we are going to head out to the Hump and see if we can find some fish.  There have already been a few fish caught in this area and it usually picks up this week, so we are excited to get out there.  If you are going to head out to this fishery, try trolling 60-175 feet.  The fish are often fairly shallow with a lot of fish coming at 90-120 but last year the fishing was pretty hot 140-175 early in the season.  So spread your gear out and see if the fish are shallow or deep and then tighten your spread from there.  Glow flashers and some spoons with some green and glow on them are always productive.  Anchovies also work well in this fishery.  Stay tuned for more info as we head out this week.

To book a charter give us a call at the shop 604-872-2204 or come by the shop for the hot flashers and spoons.

-Jason, Matt, Andre, Max, and Jordan

Pacific Angler Courses

The following featured courses are coming up in the first few weeks of April and still have some space available.  Our courses tend to sell out FAST once we post them a 7-10days before the course date so please do not hesitate should one of these amazing courses be in line with what you are looking for this year!

INTRODUCTION TO FLY FISHING

This course was specifically designed to give the new fly fisher the basic knowledge, casting skills and fly fishing strategies to effectively fish our local BC waters. This course is comprised of two sessions; 3hr evening seminar and a 3hr casting session. The dates below show the seminar date first and casting date second.

Class Size: 12
Cost: $125.00
Dates: (Apr 7th seminar & 13th casting)
Seminar Time: 6:30pm – 9:30pm
Casting Time(s): 10am – 1pm or 2pm – 5pm

INTRODUCTION TO FLY FISHING LAKES – Matt Sharp

 

decked out tube!

This course will give you an in-depth look at the of fly fishing lakes. We explore equipment, techniques, major insect hatches and ideal lakes to begin with. You will learn all you need to plan your next successful lake trip to one of BC’s 5,000 lakes! This course is comprised of one 3hr evening seminar.

Class Size: 20
Cost: $45.00
Dates: Apr 23 or May 6
Time: 6:30pm – 9:30pm

Customer Testimonial:

Hi Jason

Please will you convey my appreciation to Matt for last night’s workshop on “Intro to Fly Fishing Lakes”. I learned a great deal and look forward to the next workshop. Maybe now I can finally start fishing in Canada.

Kind regards

Eden J. – May, 2013

INTRODUCTION TO CHIRONOMID TECHNIQUES – Trevor Welton

Chironomids are the number one food source for trout in BC’s lakes; however, few anglers have taken the time to become true masters of this discipline. Those that do are often rewarded with the largest fish. Trevor is a former member of the Canadian Fly Fishing Team and an excellent chironomid angler. Dedication to his sport has helped Trevor become one of the top fly fishermen in the province as well as a fisheries biologist working for Dillon Consulting. This course is comprised of one 3hr evening seminar. Content is for beginner to advanced.

Class Size: 20
Cost: $45.00
Dates: Apr 16, Apr 29 and May 7
Time: 6:30pm – 9:30pm

INTRODUCTION TO FLY TYING – Andre S.

There is no greater satisfaction than catching a fish with a fly you tied yourself. This 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; each session is 3hrs. Students are required to supply their own vise, tools and materials. A 10% discount is available on materials and tools purchased for the course.

Class Size: 7  (2 spots left!)
Cost: $75.00
Dates: (Apr 8, 15 & 22) 
Time: 6:30pm – 9:30pm

TYING CHIRONOMID FLY PATTERNS – Andre S.

80% of a trout’s diet consists of chironomids whose patterns vary from lake to lake. This 3-hour evening seminar will teach you how to tie a variety of the most effective chironomid patterns used in BC’s world-renowned lakes. You will finish this course understanding the very specific technical aspects ranging from beads, ribbing, colors, and body shapes. Students are required to supply their own vise, tools and materials. A 10% discount is available on materials and tools purchased for the course.

Class Size: 7
Cost: $40.00
Date: Apr 30
Time: 6:30pm – 9:30pm

To view all dates & times for Pacific Angler 2014 course schedule, please view them by downloading the Pacific Angler 2014 Course Schedule PDF.

Additional course dates are added throughout the year due to demand.

Please contact the store for additional information or to be added to a wait list.

Pacific Angler Retail: 604-872-2204

On behalf of the Pacific Angler staff we wish you the best in your fishing endeavors and we hope to see you either at the shop or on the water. To check out the latest Pacific Angler news view the Pacific Angler Facebook page.