OUTLOOK
A saltwater call to action and a fly box giveaway are the stars of this week’s report. The saltwater news is IMPORTANT – DFO needs to hear from you on the proposed chinook retention plan for the 2020 season. If you didn’t see the Special Chinook Report in your inbox or on our blog and social media feeds yesterday take some time and have a read of it here.
Whether you are a saltwater salmon angler or just an angler in general, take 5 minutes read up on the proposals and make time this weekend to share your thoughts on these proposal with DFO and your elected officials (contact information for all is in the post). The time is now – letters are due April 20, 2020.
In terms of actual saltwater fishing we’ve had great reports off the water. All of the details are in this week’s saltwater report. On the freshwater front, the weather continues to look great and we have updates for you on the major systems. For those who may missed it in the news there is a fire on the upper Squamish. Access to the upper river is closed and though areas of the lower river are accessible, areas are on evacuation alert.
Ok – here’s for some slightly more fun news! Last week we released a new video in the What’s In Your Fly Box series. In this episode we look at what’s in your cutthroat box. In this video we take a look at the different prey species and conditions you will want fish to be a successful cutthroat angler. Cutthroat fishing across the Lower Mainland is in prime time right now and with this video we are GIVING AWAY A FREE FLY BOX. All you need to do is watch the video, like and then comment in the comment section below the video on YouTube. We will be putting all the entries in a hat and pulling a lucky winner in 2 weeks who will be announced in the May 1, 2020 Friday Fishing Report Video.
Watch the Cutthroat Fly Video To enter the free drawn and learn a little about cutthroat flies!
Don’t want to wait to win? We have the boxes for sale! We have a standard box with all the patterns you need for $69.99 tax included and then we have the deluxe box it have over 30 patterns in a silicone inset fly box and runs $149.99 tax included.
To get your box email us at sales@pacificangler.ca or call the shop at 604.872.2204. We’re in Monday – Saturday 10AM – 5PM and can arrange to have your box shipped to you or prepped for curbside pickup.
Last but certainly not least as we write the report there have still been no blanket changes to going fishing because of the Covid 19 pandemic. As we noted last week the best place to check for updates related to fishing and hunting is here. For a listing of closed parks and facilities check this link out. Be sure to check both of these before you go.
If you are going out, the recommendations are clear. You need to make sure that fishing will not increase risk. This means going alone or only with those in your immediate family who you reside with. Pack your lunch and any supplies you might need so you do not have to stop at a store. Do NOT fish in crowds (don’t do this anyway) and keep up proper social distancing measures at all times. We still feel that if you do this that fishing is a great social distancer and an important activity for exercise and metal health. Make sure that you play by the rules, fish close to home and let’s not give the government a reason to close or further restrict fishing.
As always watch Matt in the video version of the Friday Fishing Report Here:
If you’re looking to order some tying material or some new gear if you’re cleaning up your tackle boxes while you are at home we are here Monday – Saturday to take your phone or email order and will get that shipped out to you or prepped for curbside pickup. Have a look at this video to see how we’re adapting and finding ways to getting your gear to you!
CLASSES + COURSES
We’re working to retool our courses offering and have some great courses coming up next month that you can take in from home! To sign up for a course call the shop at 604.872.2204 between 10AM + 5PM (Monday – Saturday).
Introduction to Fly Fishing Lakes
Seminar will be taught online! Watch and learn from the comfort of your own home!
This course will give you an in-depth look at the fundamentals 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!
Dates: April 28
Time: 6:30pm
Cost: $50.00+GST
FRESHWATER FISHING REPORTS
Squamish River Report
Talk about getting kicked while you are down. Our thoughts are with those folks up Squamish Valley Road who have been evacuated and those on evacuation alert up the Paradise Valley. If you have not heard there is a wildfire on Squamish Valley Road and the Upper river is closed. We can’t recommend going to the mid / upper Squamish system right now with the fire. Hopefully weather will change and they will get things in hand up that way. If you live in the area and chose to get out on the lower river conditions should be great with rising but not spiking river levels and the report we heard before the fire were excellent fishing small spoons and fry patterns for bulltrout.
Chilliwack/Vedder River Fishing Report
For those of you out in the Chilliwack area the water is beautiful right now on the Vedder. It’s little low but the colour from snow melt has made things perfect for fishing. We are still hearing reports of fresh fish though there are some older fish in the system. Please treat these fish with as much care as you can. Colorado blades, K4 spoons are great for covering water but all your presentations like jigs and roe should be in the kit.
Fish responsibly and good luck!
Harrison River/Stave/Slough Fishing
We are sorry we missed reporting on the Harrison and other cutthroat fisheries last week. The fishing was good and the rivers are still holding good levels. Andre was out and caught a couple of great fish. We heard good reports off the Stave as well as a number of smaller systems.
The cool thing about trying to fish closer to home is exploring your local creeks and beaches. It is worth going right now and scouting any water that had salmon in it in the fall can be productive. Obviously make sure you check your regulations before going and to fish responsibly.
If you missed it check out the video on building a cutthroat box. It covers exactly the flies you would need for these fisheries.
Good Luck
SALTWATER FISHING REPORTS
Vancouver Saltwater Salmon Fishing Report
I hope you received my special chinook report on Thursday. If not, stop reading this report and check it out here. It is critical you check out the proposals for our area and write a letter of support. I am hoping we get some areas opened up and this will give us some opportunity as we continue to push hard for larger scale opportunities like marked selective fisheries for the Salish Sea.
Okay, back to straight up fish talk. Well they sure showed up. There are all sorts of chinook around now and there was some good to awesome fishing this past week off South Bowen and over at Thrasher. Hot depths really depended on water colour as some areas had more algae than others, but basically the range was 120-180 on the riggers. More algae and less sun mean shallower, less algae and more sun mean deeper.
I was fishing in very clear water and at times I could see my flasher down 63 feet! So, for me, the hot setup was a black or UV purple flasher such as a CB55, Madi, or purple Phantom and a Silver Knight Herring Aide spoon or Gibbs G-Force Herring Aide spoon. These setups were on fire in the ultra-clear water and sunny conditions.
Others were fishing in more algae stained water and were doing well on more traditional gear for this time of year and by that, I mean chartreuse. So, all your green and chartreuse flashers were working and similar green glow spoons or hootchies. Also keep in mind with all the fish around you are going to get hits on a wide variety of gear, but colour selection definitely matters and will affect your overall productivity.
Crabbing has been good for the most part and the prawns are getting hammered hard with some calm and sunny days out there. DFO has been out a lot, checking traps, etc. So, make sure your name and phone # is on your float and you aren’t set on a sponge reef. They confiscated a fair number of traps this past week, they were set on the sponge reefs. Update that chart plotter micro SD card or get the Navionics app on your phone. Really no excuse to set your gear in a closed area with today’s tech.
Don’t forget to write that letter! It doesn’t have to be long, just a quick paragraph in your own words. Details on what to say and were to send it are in that special chinook report.
See you on the water or through the window at the shop.
Jason Tonelli