OUTLOOK
More epic weather on the way! We have some great weather this weekend and when we look at the 14-day trend we are going to see weather that falls smack dab on the seasonal average. This means warm but not too warm. There is no rain in the forecast and this could pose problems farther down the road but as it stands, we should see some great fishing conditions over the next week.
This week we have our first official Squamish update of the season and reports of pinks in both the river and the Howe sound area are coming in. They are still not great reports but it is well worth the trip and we have more intel in the river section below.
We sometimes overlook lake fishing this time of year but we are still hearing good reports. With this in mind, Aiden has an update on mid-summer lake fishing that you will want to look at if you are a beginner heading to the interior.
The Skagit continues to be good. We have been getting reports all week and Jordan was out yesterday. They struggled mid-day but waiting it out and had a great hatch at the end of the day. See his report below.
The Capilano ironically had a bump of water last week that provided a flurry of good fishing but she is back to low and clear. Check out Alex’s report and note the river levels in your log because the bump last week was classic. If you see the same levels happen in the future, you know what to do …. GO FISHING.
Last but not least Jason has his saltwater update at the end of the report. Fishing continues to be great if you can get out of the harbour and though fishing has not been hot in the harbour it has been very consistent. See all the details below.
INDUSTRY EVENTS + UPDATES
Vancouver Chinook Classic – 2019
Have you registered yet? – This year’s Vancouver Chinook Classic is almost sold out! The Vancouver Chinook Classic is the premier, nonprofit catch and release salmon derby fundraiser for the Pacific Salmon Foundation & Sport Fishing Institute. Need a boat? We have you covered – charter a boat today (details below)!
Date: Sat Aug 17th & Sun Aug 18th 2019
Venue: Pacific Gateway Hotel & Deckside Marina
3500 Cessna Drive Richmond
Prizes: 1st place $15,000, 2nd place $7,000 3rd place $3,000
Entry Fee: $350 + GST per person (max 4 anglers per team)
Registration: Register online here: https://www.decksidemarina.com/registration-form
Registration Includes:
- Entry into 2019 Vancouver Chinook Classic
- Complimentary moorage
- Breakfast Saturday & Sunday morning
- Dinner Saturday night
- BBQ and awards ceremony Sunday afternoon
- Drink tickets
- Discounted room rates at the Pacific Gateway Hotel
Need a Boat?
Experience the Vancouver Chinook Classic on one of our Grady White boat’s
outfitted with the best tackle and fully guided for $1,000 per day
(non-inclusive to angler fee).To inquire, please contact
Kathryn at Pacific Angler at 778-788-8582! We’ve got two boats left!
Trout School
| A win-win for you and salmon! |
| We’re excited to share a special offer that is being made available to friends of the Pacific Salmon Foundation From now until labour day, when you enter the promo code “PSF” at purchase on the Greystone website here you will receive 10% off the price of Trout School by Mark Hume and Greystone Books will donate $2 from every sale to the Pacific Salmon Foundation. Buy Trout School now. About Trout School Trout School is the newest book from awarding winning environmental journalist and author Mark Hume. Among fly fishers, the Kamloops region in British Columbia’s Thompson-Okanagan is known as one of the best places in the world for catching trout. It owes its reputation in part to Mo Bradley, a man of humble origins now known as a pioneer of fly-fishing culture. In Trout School, Mark Hume passes on what he’s learned from his countless hours on—and off—the lake with the master. Drawing from more than twenty years of fishing and friendship, Hume distills the best of Mo’s essential knowledge, including tips and tricks for catching Kamloops trout year-round, detailed instructions for tying thirteen signature flies, and advice for a more respectful and ecologically conscious approach to fishing. Read more. |
CLASSES + COURSES
August is just around the corner! Our Introduction to Fly Fishing Course is filling up for August so if you’re thinking of getting started on fly fishing or honing your skills be sure to sign up today!
Introduction To Fly Fishing
This course was specifically designed to give the new fly fisher the basic knowledge, casting skills and fly fishing strategies to effectively fish our local BC waters. This course is comprised of two sessions; 3hr evening seminar and a 3hr casting session.
Cost: $150.00
Dates: Seminar Aug 20th & Casting Aug 25th
Seminar Time: 6:30pm – 9:30pm
Casting Time(s): 10am – 1pm or 1:30pm -4:30pm
FRESHWATER FISHING REPORTS
Capilano River Fishing Report
The water is low and the fish are tight-lipped. However, you want to keep an eye on the forecast and on the water level because guess what? During that rainstorm last week they opened the dam, the fish came up, and the bite was on! We had quite a few lucky anglers come in and recount their tales of success. The window was short; maybe two days. It is over now, but lots of fish are in the river and for those that like to get technical it can be a fun fishery.
It is still worth a look if you can get up early and hit the river at first light. The bait ban is starting on August 1st so for those of you who like getting messy with roe and shrimp, get out there before next Thursday. Truth be told bait is not the most effective method with these conditions, with lures and flies being a lot more effective. We are still stocked up with lots of good flies and lures for the Capilano so come see us if you want to take advantage of this local fishery!
If you’re interested in what’s going on in the area on the beach check out this week’s beach fishing report at the end of the saltwater report.
Alex Au-Yeung
Squamish River Fishing Report
It has been a while since we have spoken about the Squamish but every odd number year, we get an early run of pink Salmon. We are starting to get some good reports in Howe Sound around hole in the wall and some other areas about pinks being caught. I have also seen some photos from buddies that have been getting the odd fish in the Squamish River as well, so now is the time to start thinking about getting out for pinks before the crowds get crazy. Looking at the river graphs, the Squamish is at a very fishable level at the moment. We have been hearing some reports from customers that the bull trout fishing has been decent and I expect that to really start picking up as more Pinks start to show up in the river.
The best pink fishing will be in the lower part of the river on the incoming tide. Spots like Fisherman’s Park and the mouth of the Mamquam are going to be the best areas to hit as Pinks don’t generally run super far up the river. It usually takes the fish about 45min to 1 hour after the tide change to get to these spots so plan your day accordingly. With these fish being so fresh from the salt they have a lot of jump in their step and are a lot of fun to fish for on lighter tackle. 7′ – 8’6″ medium action spinning rods are always a good choice for pinks and tossing pink spoons, spinners, jigs, and buzz bombs are a definite must in your tackle box. For the fly fishing guys, you can’t go wrong with any 9′ 6-8 wt rod. For flies the same rule applies for colour, anything pink works well but I would also have a small assortment of chartreuse and blue flies in my box as well for those times when the fish are pickier. We have a full assortment of gear to get you ready for this exciting fishery. If you are new to fishing for Salmon, pinks are the best way to get into salmon fishing as they are quite eager to bite and fairly easy to catch. Come on in to the shop and let us get you set up!
Zach Copland
Skagit River Fishing Report
The Skagit River has definitely dropped a few inches in the past week making most spots cross-able in the usual places. On Wednesday it was a mix of sun and cloud with a few showers here and there. During the cloudy and drizzly periods, nymphing was the way to go. It wasn’t until the later afternoon that the sun and bugs came out, making for some excellent dry fly fishing to end the day with. There weren’t a lot of bugs coming off, but there were small grey and brown mayflies here and there. In the evening during twilight hours, small dries to match seemed to be the ticket, making for some exciting action.
Small hare’s ear, prince, girdle bug, and stonefly nymphs all seemed to get fish as long as they were drifted properly.
With temperatures moving in the right direction, pretty much the next seven days will see good weather, especially for dries, with the exception of Saturday where it looks like rain. Other than that, it looks great.
No bull trout were encountered on this trip, but they are found in the system.
If you’re going to target them, small streamers are usually the key, but don’t
be surprised if they eat your dries and nymphs- it happens more often than not!
Cheers,
Jordan Simpson.
STILLWATER FISHING REPORT
Interior Lakes Fishing Report
Interior lakes have been consistent throughout the past weeks. Largely due to the temperate weather that the province has seen. But looking at the forecast for some of the most popular locations, It’s about to heat up. Now is time to diversify your fly box. I suggest packing a good selection of bombers, chironomids ranging from sizes 12-8, Leeches, Mayflies, Damselfly Nymphs and your favourite slump-busting attractor patterns – I suggest boobies.
Next up is location. Lots of solid reports from both Tunkwa and Lundbom, but they seem to be spotty at best. Roche is still fishing well, for both gear guys and fly guys. Hatheume is another great choice, it’s high elevation keeps the water temps below average, extending its season. Try lots of different techniques when you get on the water, as the fish could be feeding on scuds in 5ft of water, or cruising at the bottom of the lake waiting for a tasty snack.
And remember, going into the full heat of summer, some of the most successful fishermen live under bridges
Aidan Munro
SALTWATER FISHING REPORT
Vancouver Saltwater Salmon Fishing Report
Well, it’s that time of year. The coho are showing, the pinks are showing up, some Fraser chinook are showing up, but the large schools of aggressive feeding chinook we enjoyed all of April, May, June are thinning out. This last week of July is what I like to call “transition week” for the reasons just pointed out. The good news is the coho and pink fishing should only get better this coming week. The chinook fishing will also pick up as more and more Fraser fish start to show up and linger off the North Arm and get pushed into the harbour on flood tides. You need them to get pushed into Area 28 so you can keep one, so make sure you know where that line is and what the regulations are. This was covered in detail in previous reports.
A reminder these mature Fraser chinook travel shallow. Expect to get them from 30-65 on the rigger for the most part. Bait is key for this fishery. Hootchies and spoons work well April, May, June, but for these fish bait is the ticket. 5.5-inch anchovies in a Rhys Davis teaser head work well. Chrome and UV finishes on your shallow rods and glow finishes on your deepest rods. For flashers the same is true. I will run a Betsy on my shallowest rod, then a Green Onion, then some more glow, like a Salty Dawg, on my deeper rods. If the winds aren’t too bad and burning some fuel is in the budget, there are still some good numbers of chinook being taken around Gabriola, and Nanaimo. Totally different fishery here, the chinook are deep. The hot depth will vary depending on how many feet of water you are fishing, but the best depths on the riggers have been 175 to 255 for us. Hootchies are hard to beat for this fishery and the hot combo for us has been a Yamashita Blue Splatter Back on a 32-36 inch leader. For the flasher, a Gibbs Madi or Oki Purple Phantom has been deadly when paired up with this hootchy. Unlike the Fraser chinook, these fish are actively feeding and are looking for herring. The herring is on the bottom or close to it, hence the deeper rigger depths. Find the bait and you will find the fish.
There has been some decent action for pinks off South Bowen as well. For pink fishing, I would call it average at best. That can change in a hurry though, so I will reserve judgment on the run size until a later date. These fish are Squamish and Indian River fish. The Fraser pinks don’t show up for another 3 weeks. The pinks and coho for that matter have been fairly shallow, usually 35-75. Try shallower in the morning and deeper as the day progresses, especially on sunny days. We have covered our top choices for coho in detail in past reports, so check out the June reports if you want some specifics on what to use. The coho gear works well for pinks and you can also put on a pink hootchy and they won’t be saying no to that.
See you in the shop or on the water,
Jason Tonelli
Beach Fishing Report
On the beach fish front, the tides are looking good for the weekend and early next week. The early low tides could bring some great first light fishing.
The coho are around but it seems that they aren’t showing themselves as much this year. There have not been many jumping fish so the schools can be hard to spot. In shallower water keep an eye out for surface disturbances and finning fish.
The sun will be out so remember to scale back your presentation and use lighter leaders as once the sun rises above the mountains and there is direct sunlight on the water, the fish will be very spooky. We still have a great selection of Andre’s beach flies so come get them while they last! And for the gear guys, we have you covered for buzz bombs, spinners, and spoons!