OUTLOOK
2021 is already proving to be interesting. At least for this weekend, on the weather front, things should improve. We got smoked all week with heavy rains and the rivers reacted accordingly.
The silver lining is that the rivers are dropping as we write the report and they should fish well over Friday, Saturday and Sunday. There is more rain next week so keep an eye on river levels. We have details on the Vedder and Squamish systems below and if everything comes as forecasted it looks like a good weekend to get out there.
We are still running the “Best Of 2020” fishing picture contest so send them in! Email your entries to info@pacificangler.ca by January 27, 2021. The lucky winner will get a $100 gift certificate to the store and the top photos will be featured in the Friday Fishing Report Video on the 29th of January. Check out the video report from last week for more details as well as some of our best fishing pics of 2020.
We’ll be back next week with a video report and as well as an update from the saltwater end of things. If you are heading out saltwater fishing be sure to keep an eye on the marine weather forecast for this weekend as it might be blustery out there. On to the Report!
CLASSES AND COURSES
Next week marks our first week back to our classes and courses. If you haven’t checked out our classes be sure to do so. The full list can be found here. Many of the courses are sold out but don’t hesitate to add yourself to the waitlist as we often add more dates.
FRESHWATER FISHING REPORTS
Chilliwack/Vedder River Fishing Report
Not much to report on the Vedder/Chilliwack this week. Water levels have been fluctuating dramatically due to the rains, and the river spent a significant portion of the week running high and dirty and at times water pushed into the trees. Having said that, some fish are still being caught, so that’s a good sign for when the river drops.
There are a few “dryish” days in the forecast, so there’s a good chance that the river should be in decent shape for the weekend… it’ll probably still be high, but visibility should be alright. There’s also a good chance that the high water could’ve changed a few spots, so getting out there to do some scouting might not be a bad idea. Don’t forget to bring your 6” pink worms… with how unpredictable the weather has been lately; you never know when you’re going to need ‘em.
Taylor Nakatani
Squamish River Fishing Report
Mother Nature has been relentless to start 2021 and this week is no different. Mixes of rain and snow are in the forecast which isn’t a bad thing and it doesn’t seem like there will be enough rain to blow the rivers out. With the cooler temperatures, I expect water clarity to be pretty good with a touch of colour, so the conditions should be in your favour.
Fishing on the upper river has been tough over the past few weeks from what I have been hearing. There weren’t many salmon that made the journey up top so the trout seem to be more concentrated further down and in the lower stretches of river. Beading has been producing some fish so make sure you have a variety of beads at your disposal that are paler in colour, peach pearl is a favourite of mine this time of year.
My favourite style of flies has been giving anglers success lately as well so make sure that you have some, big nasty white flies ready to go on your sink tips. If the water is clear make sure you lengthen your leaders off your sink tips to no more than 6 feet and if the water is dirty shorten them up to around 3 feet. Keeping a shorter leader off your tips will give you better control of your flies’ depth in the water column. For the gear anglers, float fishing with blades and beads will be the ticket. Make sure to have a variety of sizes for different water conditions: bigger for dirty water and smaller for clear conditions. Keep an eye on the water levels if you are planning on going out this weekend. The levels look good for now but you never know with all the rain that we have been getting lately.
See you in the shop or out on the water!
Zach Copland