OUTLOOK
We hope everyone had a great sunny long weekend. This weekend is looking a bit different with some rain in the forecast and though it might not be as nice for an outing in the sun, we need the water. With the exception of the Squamish, all our local rivers are low.
In this week’s report we have low water reports for the Skagit and Chilliwack and we have pink reports on the Squamish where the dirty water has made things a challenge.
We also have some good beach updates from Howe Sound and Ambleside where pink fishing has been spotty but coho fishing has been good at Ambleside.
On the saltwater front, Jason is away this week but we have an update from the guide team who have had some productive days out on the water this week. There has been some solid fishing across the straight for chinook and we have had good pink and coho reports from Bowen and the North Shore.
CLASSES AND COURSES
Introduction to Fly Fishing
This course is specifically designed to give the new fly fisher the basic knowledge, casting skills and fly fishing strategies to effectively fish our local BC waters. The course is comprised of two sessions; a 3hr evening Zoom seminar and a 3hr casting session. The dates below show the seminar date first and casting date second.
Seminar Date: September 21 Casting Date September 26
Cost: $150.00+GST
Seminar Time: Zoom Seminar 6:30pm – 9:30pm
Casting Time(s): 10am – 1pm or 1:30pm – 4:30pm
FRESHWATER FISHING REPORTS
Chilliwack/Vedder River Fishing Report
The fishing on the Chilliwack/Vedder has slowed down significantly over the past week, for two main reasons – first of all, the water has gotten uncomfortably low and clear, which has obviously resulted in some unfavorable conditions for both anglers and fish. Secondly, we have to remember that the summer chinook run is typically short in duration, and it’s already been about a month since the first wave of fish pushed into the system, so it’s safe to assume that we’re getting close to the end of the run at this point.
The fishing on the Chilliwack/Vedder has slowed down significantly over the past week, for two main reasons – first of all, the water has gotten uncomfortably low and clear, which has obviously resulted in some unfavorable conditions for both anglers and fish. Secondly, we have to remember that the summer chinook run is typically short in duration, and it’s already been about a month since the first wave of fish pushed into the system, so it’s safe to assume that we’re getting close to the end of the run at this point.
Now, having said that, there will still be some springs pushing through for a while, but we probably won’t be seeing the same numbers of fish that were around a few weeks ago, and it’s likely that there will be higher numbers of darker fish from here on out. All the gear that’s been discussed in previous reports is continuing to produce fish, although downsizing presentations probably isn’t a terrible idea right now.
There is some good news though, with some rain in the forecast for the coming days, so that should bump the river up, put some colour into the water, lower water temperatures a bit, and reduce the perilously high fire risk in the Lower Mainland. It did rain a fair bit at the end of last week; enough to bump the river up a bit and color up the water, but it didn’t actually do much. I didn’t notice an appreciable increase in the numbers of fish moving in the system, surprisingly. Hopefully the next batch of rain actually gets some fish moving!
Unfortunately, it seems that this year’s summer sockeye return has been, to put it mildly, pretty terrible. As such, following responsible catch and release practices is especially important… these fish swim all the way up to Chilliwack Lake and spawn in the creeks and rivers that flow into it, so they’ve got a long way to go. The last thing they need is to be dragged up on the rocks, held out of water for an extended period of time or be fought until complete exhaustion. Sockeye are notoriously fragile fish, so minimizing or eliminating pre-spawn mortality is incredibly important… every single fish matters at this point.
Taylor Nakatani
Skagit River Fishing Report
The Skagit fished well again this week but it is dropping hard. When we look at levels from last year you can see that we are much lower than last season at this time.
Jordan was out this week and he found some nice bull trout as well as a handful of rainbows. It wasn’t on fire and he did not see any noticeable hatches. He got fish on the standard size 10 and 12 nymphs and fooled a couple fish on dries but did not see any rises through the day.
This can happen in August. We are going to see some rain this weekend and much cooler temps. As long as the weather doesn’t push in with wind and unsettled pressure the rain and overcast could be good for the river. Overcast days are a good thing this time of year and it can trigger hatches as long as it doesn’t get too windy.
Good luck out there and keep sending in river temps when you are out. We didn’t get any this week and so if you are out this weekend/week coming up email them in to matt@pacificangler.ca .
Matt Sharp
Squamish River Fishing Report – Pink Report
Those of you that have been reading my reports for the last 5 years know that I generally like to tell it like it is. Hyping up a fishery isn’t really my thing, and while I love the Squamish pink fishery and often praise it for its accessibility to newcomers and veteran anglers alike, my job is to give you guys an accurate report to read so you can go out with realistic expectations.
If I am being honest, the early component to this year’s pink salmon run has seemingly been very weak. You can blame it on the terrible water conditions and that definitely is a huge contributing factor but there just aren’t that many fish around yet, keyword being YET. Yes, there are fish in the system and some lucky anglers are definitely getting into a couple fish here and there, but it’s not like it has been the last few cycles at this point in the season. That can turn around any day now, but I have been telling myself that for a week and nothing has really changed.
Not to be all doom and gloom though, there is still a chance to hook into a pink or two in the river at this point as they are definitely there. We have had reports of some anglers coming across small pods of fish and getting multiple hookups though it has been extremely sporadic. Time your trip for that window between two hours before and after high tide and you may be lucky enough to have some fish push past you.
This entire week the water coming out of the Mamquam has been like clay with next to zero visibility so bring your bigger and louder spoons, spinners, jigs, beads, gooey bobs, or streamers. Pink and chartreuse are always your staple colours but don’t be afraid to throw some darker colours in too to create a silhouette in the dirty water that the fish can track. Now, it looks like the hydrographs are taking a nose-dive as of me writing this so hopefully we will see some clearer and lower water that will grant us easier access to that early trickle of fish. Reports of a few pinks getting caught off of Furry Creek recently means some are pushing through Howe Sound now while we are hearing that a large number of them are still hanging out around Bowen Island.
I think this pink season on the Squamish can still be a great one. Though the early component was slow, there is still time for it to turn around and pink numbers in the salt indicate that this should be the case. At this point, all we can do is be patient. I know it’s difficult!
If you want to get geared up for this fishery come see us at the shop as we have everything you need! Once they do get to the rivers it’ll be fast and furious so you will want to be ready for it.
Last, but not least, before you head out, be sure to familiarize yourself with the regulations. Pinks are catch and release and the Mamquam and Cheakamus are closed to salmon fishing.
Alex Au-Yeung
SALTWATER FISHING REPORTS
Vancouver Saltwater Salmon Fishing Report
We have a brief saltwater update this week from our guide team who have been out on the water daily. We have had great trips off Bowen for pinks. When you can find schools of them on the sounder, flashers and pink hoochies have been quite productive. The guys have also been picking up coho consistently off of South Bowen with some chinook mixed in. Please note the chinook are all catch and release in this area. Another item that is worth paying attention to is that there have been one or two sockeyes hooked in this area over the last week so take care to identify your fish properly and be sure to carefully release all sockeye.
The North Shore in tight has produced a couple chinook and this is an area where you can retain one fish 62-80 cm. Make sure you are familiar with the regulations and related boundaries. If you’re doing some local fishing, the coho fishing with white Hoochies and Wee G’s have been good in the same area so it’s definitely worth a trip out.
Last, but not least, across the straight has been excellent. Boats fishing Entrance and Thrasher have been doing well. If you are going out and, you have the time and good weather, this is where we have seen the best fishing. Fishing down deep with glow gear has been the ticket.
Good luck and we’ll see you out on the water!
Howe Sound Pink Report
The beaches up and down Howe Sound are seeing pink salmon, but there are still not big numbers. As the weekend arrives with the predicted cooler weather and rain, this should change and the beach anglers looking for pinks could be rewarded for their efforts.
This past week we saw beach anglers getting into fish, with one or two leaving with their limit.
Looking ahead to this week has mid-day low tides and by Thursday we will see higher than average temperatures. This should look good for anglers fishing from West Vancouver right up to the estuary of the Squamish. We should see the start of the Indian River run along North Vancouver and up into the Indian Arm this week, so we will be spoilt for locations.
In summary, we should see the numbers of pink salmon bump up considerably.
Fishing on a low tide to passing schools of pink salmon is what memories are made of. For gear anglers, use small pink spoons (¼ to ½ ounce), size 3 pink spinners, small pink buzz bombs, and pink jigs (3/8 to ½ ounce). For the fly anglers, use a 6 to 8 weight flyrod with a pink fly in size 4 to 8. A good all-round line to use is a full intermediate line or intermediate tip. Remember to pinch your barbs!
Pacific Angler has some great pink salmon flies tied by our resident creator, Andre. If fly tying is your thing, check out the Pacific Angler YouTube videos for pink salmon patterns. We have a wide selection of fly, saltwater gear, and freshwater gear in the store.
Jordan Simpson
Capilano River / Ambleside Fishing report
Andre has been out on the water this past week and has been catching fish. He has seen a few pinks off the beach but more coho right now. Here is his brief but info packed update on what he saw yesterday.
Arrived at 9:00AM, an hour and a half before low tide. On the 10th cast and I hooked a coho. I saw a ton of fish by the marker.
Overall, I spent about one and a half hours on the beach. I got two more grabs but couldn’t stick them. Again, under bright sun, others were there from 5:00 am and didn’t catch much.
The Neon Neal fly with homemade eyes in reddish/brown with Raid zap worked for me. Here is a link to a fly-tying tutorial on the fly I was using.
Andre Stepanian