OUTLOOK
First off a big thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate our 10 Year Anniversary by dropping by the shop over the weekend for the sale! We wouldn’t be here without our amazing team and customers, thanks!
On the fishing front things look promising for the weekend. We have some issues with the weatherman but we are optimistic that he will sort things out. While there is rain and wind in the forecast, we’re confident we can work around that and that things will shape up for some good conditions and some good fishing.
We’ve had a good week on the saltwater front, finding fish off of Bowen, up the sounds and in the Harbour. Spring fishing has arrived! Check out Jason’s saltwater report for all the details.
Andre has had some success out in the valley chasing down some cutthroat. If steelhead is what you’re looking for the steelhead season is reaching its peak for both the Vedder and all other major steelhead rivers in the valley so it is a great time to get out.
The Squamish was at a nice level this morning and though we have some weather to deal with this weekend, if it does not blow out we should see some excellent fishing. Check out all the reports below for more details and spring is almost upon us, so get out fishing!!
A sale prize and a prize from the steelehad gods – a good couple days!
CLASSES AND COURSES
If you have lake fishing on the brain, don’t miss out on two of our upcoming classes that are a must to get you ready for lake fishing season!
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.
Cost: $45.00
Dates: Apr 18 or May 30
Time: 6:30pm – 9:30pm
Instructor: Matt Sharp
Introduction to Chironomid Techniques
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.
Cost: $45.00
Dates: Apr 19 or May 2
Time: 6:30pm – 9:30pm
Instructor: Trevor Welton
WE’RE HIRING
Do you have a passion for fishing? We’re looking to add to the team here at Pacific Angler. Check out all of the details in the job posting here and come join the Pacific Angler team.
FRESHWATER FISHING REPORTS
Vedder River Fishing Report
Fishing on the Chilliwack hasn’t been too bad for the first week of April, still some fresh fish coming in. The forecast is calling for another warm and wet weekend so the clarity could degrade but it should still be fishable. The addition of a spin ‘n glo or a corky on top of baits can be the icing on the cake when fishing in coloured water, keep that in mind. Before you walk out to fish a new run make sure you pitch a couple casts in close as undisturbed or moving fish can sit in very shallow water. Keep casting and moving that is critical to steelheading success. April brings warmer water temperatures which equals more aggressive fish. Still got a couple weeks left in the season so good luck to all and tight lines.
Sam Graham
Squamish River Fishing Report
We have seen some good water levels and good fishing on the Squamish system this week. The rain has kept the river at a nice height and clarity – Not too high, not too low – just right. That will probably change with the big rain predicted this Friday but if it holds it should be very good fishing. Watch the river levels and forecast. If it goes through a 3m point on the graph, be prepared for dirty water. The fry are out in force and the road is quite clear for a 4-wheel drive on the upper river so if the weather allows, head out!
We have also heard of a few steelhead around. As we talked about last week fly fisherman after steelhead should make sure they have black and blue and pink or orange patterns in their box. Make sure your boxes have fry patterns and sculpin style minnow patterns. Fish sink tips and floating lines depending on the temperatures and clarity. The colder or more colour the water the deeper I fish. When it is at a nice clarity (3-4ft Vis or more) and warm I fish floating lines with fry patterns. There are a few more details in last weeks report or drop by the shop if you have any questions.
For the gear fisherman, be sure to have wide variety of float fishing lures with you on the water. Purple, white, red and black combinations as well as the standard pink worms are great after river levels have been high. Colorado blades are also a go to this time of year with fry moving in the system. Lastly the good old standard gooey bob with some chartreuses wool or a selection of trout beads catch a ton of steelhead this time of year.
Matt Sharp
Capilano River Fishing Report
This past week saw another bump in the water levels at the Capilano and with rain in the forecast until early next week we will likely see high or blown out conditions. This doesn’t mean fish can’t be found but it makes it tough finding good water to fish, not to mention make treacherous conditions to fish in. Steelhead will be in the system and there is a small catch and release fishery for them. Fish the inside seams and calmer edges as the fish will be pushed towards these lower resistance areas.
Alex Au-Yeung
Fraser Valley Cutthroat Fishing Report
Last weekend we had the on the water portion of the cutthroat course, despite the rain I was able to find a few fish for the students to cast to. Just to find them and see the rises is half the battle, catching them could be a challenge sometimes. Since last weekend the levels have dropped more and it should be better this weekend and for the rest of the week. We had some luck when we were out scouting yesterday.
There were lots of fry and also some gray mayflies hatching in the afternoon but the cutthroat were busy chasing the fry and left the may flies for the white fish to sip on. The forecast calls for light rain so the levels should stay around 9.2m which is good enough to walk and wade. In conclusion I would say that the cutthroat fishing has just starting to heat up.
Andre
P.S. I am going fishing tomorrow so if I catch some fish I will post an updated report on Instagram and Facebook – make sure to follow us for more details.
Stave River Fishing Report
We have heard reports that the parking situation at the Stave has become rather difficult with more space being taken up by construction lots. The water has also been on the higher side. However, this can be a great place to hunt for the ever migratory Coastal Cutthroat Trout. While there are Steelhead are in the system to spawn and resident Mountain Whitefish, Cutthroat are currently in and out of the river following salmon fry so it wouldn’t be a bad idea to swing a fry pattern here. For those that don’t fly fish, you can try small spoons or spinners just under the surface to mimic these juvenile salmon.
SALTWATER FISHING REPORTS
Vancouver Saltwater Fishing Report
Is it April? It feels more like January, but hopefully that will change soon. Despite the cool and wet weather, the cherry trees are starting to blossom and that is a sure sign that the bait and chinook will start to show up off the Hump and in and around the south Bowen area. Right on queue we have encountered fish in both areas this past week, as well as fish up Howe Sound and right in Vancouver Harbour around the Bell and Mile Markers.
2 nice chinook from Thursday. One was caught around Bowen, the other off the Mile Markers.
I know I am going to get some emails about where the Hump is, so let me tell you. Take a chart, and head SW off Bowen Island around 3 to 3.5 nautical miles. You will see on your chart a large area, like a jellybean that has contour lines in the 400 foot to 500 foot zone. I am not sure why we call it the Hump, it is more a tabletop and it is a huge spot, about 3 miles long and a 1.5 miles wide. If you head out there this weekend, winds permitting, you will see some boats fishing there. Good depths to try on your riggers are usually in the 90-120 zone. Deeper if the water is really clear and it is sunny out, shallower if the water is dirty and it is a dark and cloudy day.
A limit of 4 chinook from our Tuesday trip. Hot lures were the Pesca Forage and Kingfisher 3.5 in finishes that had green and glow on them.
Productive setups this week have been glow flashers and spoons, so not much change there. A flasher that has reflective tape on one side and glow on the other will get the job done. Some of our favorites are the Blue Footloose, Green Footloose, Salty Dawg, and good old Chartreuse blade with glow on one side and silver tape on the other. A 5 to 6 foot leader with a spoon that is 2.5 to 3.5 in size with some glow on it and colours of green, blue, or black, will also work well. This past week the Pesca Forage was good and so was the 3.5 Kingfisher.
Most of our fish this week came from bouncing bottom, as that is where the bait has been, see the picture above, but we are starting to pick up a few fish a little higher up in the water column. Try running one rigger with 1 rod on it just off bottom and the other rigger close to bottom with 2 rods with a big spread so you can cover some more water. We will have to wait and see if the anchovies come up shallow and we get the same shallow fishery as we enjoyed last spring.
So where should you go this weekend? That is a tough call and it might be decided by the winds. There are fish in the harbour, at the QA, at the Hump, and in Howe Sound. Might be a harbour weekend if this gale force SE 30-40 actually shows up. Either way, we will be out there this weekend, so good luck to you and enjoy the spring fishing.
Jason Tonelli