Pacific Angler Friday Fishing Report: January 13, 2017

OUTLOOK

Well we saw another freezing week and slow fishing on the bull trout, cutthroat, and rainbow river fishing front. We did hear of some decent steelhead fishing on the Vedder but cold days are always a challenge.

The big news this week is it was a full moon and there is warm, wet weather coming early next week! Check out the river reports below but you should be getting your gear ready and pick up a day off late next week. We expect excellent river fishing soon!

The saltwater fishing has been a real positive note with river fishing being a challenge. This is a great time to get out in the harbour or up Howe Sound. Our guide boats have been consistently finding good numbers of fish. We are offering a great deal on saltwater trips from now until March 31^st. We are having one of the best winter chinook seasons on record so if you want to get out call us and check out Jason’s Vancouver saltwater fishing report below.

 

CLASSES AND COURSES

Our January classes are all almost sold out.   If you’ve been thinking about taking in one of these classes don’t miss out. Call us today to sign up – 604.872.2204

Fly Fishing Egg Patterns
This course is designed to teach you the secrets to one of the most productive presentations in the BC fly fishermen’s arsenal; nymphing egg patterns. This deadly method can be used for different species of trout, char, and salmon. During a 3-hour evening seminar we will teach you key concepts, strategies, and gear that will give you a well-rounded foundation during the seminar portion of the class. Then you will put those skills into practice during a fully guided day on the water.

Dates: Seminar: Jan 18, 2017     Guided: Jan 22, 2017
Cost: $250.00
Seminar Time: 6:30pm – 9:30pm
Guided:  Full Day

Steelhead Float Fishing
In this fishery, 10% of the anglers catch 90% of the fish. This is your chance to learn from the 10%! Our 3hr evening seminar will educate you on the gear, water types, conditions and other key variables that put veteran steelhead anglers in that 10%. Mastering this fishery will make you the envy of your friends.

Seminar Date:  Jan 23, 2017
Cost: $45.00
Seminar Time: 6:30pm – 9:30pm

Tying Essential Steelhead Patterns
This course is designed for the fly tyer looking to get the best start on tying steelhead patterns. In the 3-hour evening seminar your instructor will cover everything from tying techniques, material and colour choices, size and weight. They will walk you through 3 essential patterns that will build a well-rounded steelhead fly box. If you’re looking to get yourself into tying your own flies for steelhead, this is the course for you. This course is suitable for fly tiers with a basic knowledge. 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: Jan 24, 2017
Cost: $45.00
Time: 6:30pm – 9:30pm

Introduction to Fly Tying – SOLD OUT

We’ve got a waitlist going for this class and may open up a second class so call the shop to be added to the waitlist!

 

FRIDAY FEATURE BRAND – OPST

What is OPST you ask? Well it stands for Olympic Peninsula Skagit Tactics. If you are into Spey fishing you have no doubt heard about this brand. Today we are going to take a look at what they have to offer as their line up has been growing over the last few years and now includes running lines, fly lines, tying materials, tying tools, intruder shanks, and trailer hooks. All of us here at the shop use their products in our flies and in our efforts to catch salmon and steelhead on the fly, so that is a great testimonial to the quality and effectiveness of the OPST products.

When it comes to materials OPST has some great ostrich drabs in barred and dotted patterns that look amazing in intruder patterns.

 

OPST also makes great running lines, fly lines, and hooks. I have been fishing their Lazar running line the last few seasons and love it. Their Commando Heads have become the go to line in the industry for those looking for an ultra short Skagit style line for single hand rods and switch rods. We use these lines a lot when fishing for bull trout and Dolly Varden on our local rivers.

 

Their swing hooks are now my go to hook on all my Intruder patterns and tube flies. It has just the right shank length and bend, it is sticky sharp, and they are extremely strong. They have a slightly up turned eye so they work well as trailers hooks but are also perfect for tubes. I have fished them extensively for chinook and steelhead this past year and was very impressed with their strength and my landing ratio has never been higher.

 

The newest item that OPST has come out with is their new Shank Chuck Tool. This tool fits into any vise and you can now get your OPST shank into the chuck, tighten it down, and start tying, all in a matter of seconds. No more messing around trying to get the shank to sit properly in your vice or having it slip out half way through a tie. If you tie lots of Intruders, this tool is a must!

 

So as you can see OPST has some great products for the angler who loves to chase salmon, steelhead, and trout with the swung fly. We have a full selection of their feathers, shanks, hooks, tying tools, running lines, and fly lines.

All OPST products are 10% OFF from Friday, Jan 13^th to Thursday, Jan 19^th!

 

FRESHWATER FISHING REPORTS

Vedder River Fishing Report

Frozen guides and cold hands have been a reoccurring theme these past couple of weeks. Rain and warmer temperatures are in the forecast for next week. The sudden increase in temperature paired with a few days of solid rain will cause the river to blow out. As soon as the river drops and comes into shape we should be in for some good fishing. Hopefully this high water event will bring in a bunch of fresh fish and rest the river for a day or two. For those who are heading out this weekend there are still fish being caught in these un-ideal conditions. Make sure to have a couple change up baits to show the stale fish something different. With the full moon this week we might have had some fresh fish push in even with a full moon when things are cold and low the fish have trouble moving into the river. It will be interesting to see the reports from this weekend.

If you have any questions regarding Steelhead fishing on the Chilliwack/Vedder River please feel free to swing by the shop or give us a call.  Or join Jason and I in the upcoming steelhead float fishing course.

Sam Graham

 

Squamish River Fishing Report

The weather in Squamish this week has been very cold and it looks like it will continue with sub zero temperatures into the weekend. This is not good for fishing. As we discussed in last week’s report bull trout have a very slow metabolism and shut down in cold clear water.

The silver lining is things are going to change and change in a big way. We have a major storm coming shortly after the weekend and temps are going to warm back up to seasonal norms if not a little warmer. This is what we have been waiting for! The river will probably blow out. This may make fishing hard for early next week but the blow out will disturb eggs from the gravel, warm the water temps and colour the water. As the river drops we can expect excellent fishing.

This week we are still on super light gear and very pale eggs but if and when the blow out comes we can break out heavier gear, brighter beads and even some sculpin patterns.

We moved my egg fishing course from this week to next and though I do not want to jinx it I think it was a good move. We still have some spots available so if you want to get out I have my fingers crossed that we should see some excellent conditions when we are out on the water the following weekend. Call the shop if you want to learn more!

Matt Sharp

 

Capilano River Fishing Report

The cold, dry winter weather we have been experiencing in the lower mainland has not missed the North Shore. As a result, the Capilano has been extremely low and clear for over a month. When the Capilano gets low, things tend to shut right down. With warm rainy weather in the forecast; we should see some water being let out of the dam, and possibly even blow out the river. Between now and the end of March, the odd winter steelhead can be encountered in the Capilano. The run of winter steelhead is quite small in this system, but it can be worth a look if you have a couple hours to kill or want to stay local. You may use bait on this system from November 1st to July 31st. Float fishing is the most effective method to target steelhead in canyon water. Natural baits such as roe and prawns are good choices. Natural baits can be combined with artificial baits such as gooey bobs, jig, and spin n’ glos to add more presence in the water. Colorado blades and spoons are also effective.

You must RELEASE ALL STEELHEAD in the Capilano, which means hatchery fish must be released as well as unclipped fish.

This is a very small and sensitive run of steelhead, so please take this into consideration and handle fish with the utmost care and attention.

Max Stickel

 

Stave River Fishing Report

It’s been chilly out there but there are fish to be caught! The Stave River can be an awesome little alternative to some of the bigger and more popular rivers in the Lower Mainland. While it is short, there is a nice variety of fish to encounter including cutthroat trout, rainbow trout, mountain whitefish, and steelhead. These fish can be taken on many different presentations. If you like drift fishing then think about eggs (singles and clusters), colorado blades and jigs. If you would rather cast and retrieve lures then Blue Foxes, Rooster Tails, Gibbs Crocs, and B.C. Steels are good bets for covering water. Last but not least they can also be taken on the fly; eggs under an indicator can work well at this time of year in addition to fishing wooly buggers, muddler minnows, and egg sucking leeches.

Alex Au-Yeung

 

SALTWATER FISHING REPORTS

Vancouver Saltwater Fishing Report

The trend of good fishing continues once again with multiple trips this past week producing some nice chinook and prawns. For the most part, the fishing has been very consistent, with only this past Saturday being a little slow for some reason. That didn’t last long though, as on Sunday the fish were back on the bite and we were landing nice chinook into the low teens.

The fishing has been good both in Howe Sound and Vancouver Harbour. That has given us plenty of options on both the flood and ebb tide or if it there is too much wind in Howe Sound. These winter chinook move around a lot, so it should be no surprise the fish are spread out over multiple locations. On one trip this week we hit fish in Howe Sound and then tried some spots in Vancouver Harbour on the way home and hit fish there as well.

As our regular report readers know, keeping your gear close to the bottom is critical for catching these fish. Troll a little on the faster side, so at least a 45 degree angle in your downrigger cable. This will allow you to cover more ground and these fish are aggressive so a faster presentation works well.   Although you can use bait, we prefer to use spoons and flashers. Some of our top producing flashers this week have been the Salty Dawg, Green Onion Glow, and Chartreuse Glow. We have been using 5 to 6 foot leaders to spoons in the 3.5 to 4.0 size. There are so many good spoons on the market today, but some of our favorites are the Pesca and Kingfisher. There are quite a few good colours to choose from but it seems the ones with some green, chartreuse, and glow on them have been the most productive these past 2 months. We have a great selection of flashers and spoons for winter chinook at the shop, so if you want to get dialed in on the right gear, come down and take a look.

If you are interested in booking a charter, now is the time. The fishing is good and we also have a special promotion right now for our 8 hour trips.

1-2 Guests $699        3-4 Guests $799        5-6 Guests $949

To reserve your date give Luis a call at 778-788-8582.

See you in the shop or on the water.

Jason Tonelli