OUTLOOK
Record breaking temperatures have meant river fisherman have had a challenging week but those temperatures were welcomed by many lake fisherman who have gotten to hit the water sooner than normal! For those of you looking for fish on the saltwater, location has been the key this week to land those big ones. Read on below for the full reports and don’t forget to mark your calendars for our Annual Spring Sale – April 30 and May 1. Come by to stock up for your spring and summer fishing!
SPECIAL EVENTS
Spring Super Sale Saturday April 30 & Sunday May 1
Celebrate the spring fishing season with Pacific Angler! Join us in store for incredible savings on all the gear you will need for your next fishing adventure.
Amazing deals throughout the store including premium brands like Simms, Sage, Rio, Scotty and Shimano. We’ve got the gear for every angler. Come down and check out our huge selection of freshwater, saltwater, and fly fishing tackle.
Highlights of our Spring Super Sale include:
- Fishing Package Deals
- Saturday BBQ with delicious dogs from Vera’s Burger Shack. By donation in support of the Steelhead Society of BC!
Watch your inbox for the full sale listing next week!
The Fly Fishing Film Tour
The 2016 Fly Fishing Film tour is just over a week away! This is a not to be missed event and the 2016 lineup films looks awesome. Check out the film tour site for all the trailers. Come into the shop to grab your ticket or buy online here! The Vancouver tour stop is on Tuesday May 3 if you want to see the full-length videos don’t miss out at The Cinematheque on Howe Street.
COURSES
Introduction To Fly Fishing Lakes
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! This course is comprised of one 3hr evening seminar.
Dates: Apr 27 or May 30 Limited Spots Left
Cost: $45.00
Time: 6:30pm – 9:30pm
Introduction to Chironomid Techniques with 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 Hemmera. This course is comprised of one 3hr evening seminar. Content is for beginner to advanced.
Date: May 4
Cost: $45.00
Time: 6:30pm – 9:30pm
Tying Chironomid Fly Patterns
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.
Date: May 16
Cost: $45.00
Time: 6:30pm – 9:30pm
FRESHWATER REPORTS
Chilliwack River
The river was affected by all this warm weather; river rose and is still quite high. The expected April showers this weekend, probably won’t help the conditions either. While things are slowly winding down, there can still be some decent fishing but only if the river drops. So be sure to watch the water levels and the weather reports and as always be careful around the river, as it can be quite dangerous at this height.
Harrison/Fraser Valley Rivers
We went to the Harrison on Monday with a boat to the upper section of the river, as the river was too high to walk and wade. After scouting a few of my regularly spots we saw some fish rising. We couldn’t’ believe our eyes; it looked like the late season hunt had paid off. The fry, together with the stickleback were out in full force so I knew this was going to be challenging as the cutthroat were well fed. After throwing many patterns we managed to get a couple of fish. It doesn’t look like the river is going to drop and come into shape before the end of the season which is usually at the end of April so that’s it for this season unfortunately. Time to change gears and get into lake fishing mode.
Andre
Squamish River
With record breaking temperatures in the past week the Squamish rose dramatically and is blown out. While we are hopeful that we could get another crack at the river if things cool down to seasonal temperatures we’re busy getting our lake gear ready!
STILLWATER REPORTS
Interior Lakes
I had some really good reports from Dragon Lake this week from a customer. If you have a few days and don’t mind a 6-7 hour drive then it is worth it. Tunkwa is also fishing well along with Logan Lake. For something a little closer, lakes in Merritt including Lundbom, Marquart, Lower Kane, Harmon, Courtney, and Corbett are fishing well. The water temps are rising and hovering around 50 degrees so all you have to do is find the thermocline where the fish are most comfortable swimming and suspend your offering and you should be into fish. Make sure to always check the stomach contents of your first fish to see what they are feeding on. For this a stomach pump and a vile are required. It also helps to have an aquarium net to pick off any bugs from the surface of the water. Leeches and scuds should be the staple food source for these trout until the chironomid hatches take over with rising water temps. For more in depth lake set-ups and which lakes to fish please come in to the shop and we’ll give you a hand.
Andre
Local Lakes
As we mentioned in last week’s report many of our local lakes have been stocked. To get the latest stocking report be sure to check out the website we gave you last week GoFishBC. There you will find the stocking report for Lower Mainland lakes and other regions as well.
This is a very approachable fishery for those new to angling and always lots of fun for kids and those seasoned anglers looking for an afternoon or warm spring evening of fishing. Drop by the shop and we can help you get setup and on your way to the lake.
VANCOUVER SALMON FISHING REPORT
Well it was a slower start to the Hump season but the fish are definitely here now. If lady luck has been on your side then you have had some pretty good fishing this past week. The trick has been in the right place at the right time as the large school of chinook has been on the Hump, at the QA and also at the Bell. The QA was good on the weekend, then the Hump was good mid week, then the Bell was good the last few days. These are the same fish, just moving around with the tides and chasing bait.
Happy client Chris with a nice chinook from the QA area.
The most productive depths have been 90-130 and bait and spoons have been doing well. We have been running Salty Dawg, Green Onion Glow, and Chartreuse Glow flashers. For spoons we have been using the Pesca 3.5 Tossed Salad and Leprechaun, the Oki Titan 5 in the Homeland Secretary and Happy Hooker, and the Kingfisher 3.5 in Homeland and Irish Cream. Bait in a glow green or chanteuse glow teaser head has also been productive.
Some nice chinook and a hatchery coho taken from a charter this week at the Hump and QA area.
We haven’t heard too much from Nanaimo or Thrasher yet, but that is normal as most of us will concentrate on the Hump for the next 3-4 weeks before we start heading across.
Crabbing has also picked up the last few days.
As usual, there are some big fish showing up. Some of the biggest fish of the year are caught in the next few weeks, so make sure you leaders are nice and fresh. There have been a few large fish that have been broken off, a few hooks that have bent out and a few fish that have tipped the scales at 29 pounds!
If you are thinking about heading out, now is great time to book a trip as the fishing should be pretty consistent in our local waters for the next month.