OUTLOOK
Let’s start with the shop update. We are Open …. ish!
The doors to the retail shop are closed to the public but we are taking phone and email orders Monday – Saturday from 10AM – 5PM. Give us a call at the shop – 604.872.2204 or email us at sales@pacificangler.ca to place your order. You can pick up your order via contactless curbside pickup or we can mail it out to you.
We’ve been having a ton of fun taking your calls and then doing the shopping for you. So, call in! From texted pictures of lure options to long lists of fly-tying materials or even a private facetime shopping session we can work with you to get you want you need. With a shot of hand sanitizer, we will “hand” pick your order, take payment with a credit card over the phone and prepare it for pickup or shipping.
We thank everyone for working with us on this creative way of getting gear into your hands in a safe and responsible manner.
Ok with that out of the way let’s talk fishing! We all know that fishing is a great way to get out, get some fresh air and maintain your mental health, especially if you are not used to being inside so much! That said any outing right now comes with a responsibility to loved ones and the greater community. Please only go if you can maintain social distancing and fish by yourself or only with those who are in your immediate household. If your spot is crowded, move on and find another spot (this is already a no brainer for experienced fisherman). Pack supplies so you don’t have to stop for food or coffee! Bring hand sanitizer and wipes and use them when/if you need to stop and by gas.
So now that we have the logistics out of the way let’s talk the actual fishing. Reports have been good and the weather looks great. At least for fishing. We will see overcast and rain this weekend. This is what the river fisherman have been hoping for. The nighttime temperatures are also good so we should see rivers that are very low right now bump up.
We are keeping this week’s report brief. With overcast skies and relatively warm evenings it is time to start your hunt for cutthroat on the Harrison. The Squamish, though low, could be very good over the next week if rain bumps up water levels and we have also had some more good steelhead reports off the Chilliwack. On the saltwater front Jason has an update if you are planning to head out on your boat this weekend.
In the video report this week Matt goes over all the fishing but he also has a Fisherman’s Couch Potato Guide. There are a number of great fishing videos as well as fly tying videos out this week so if you want to sit back, relax and think about something other than these challenging times, check out the video report here:
CLASSES + COURSES
We’re working to retool our courses offering and have some great courses coming up next month that you can take in from home! To sign up for a course call the shop at 604.872.2204 between 10AM + 5PM (Monday – Saturday).
Introduction To Fly Fishing
Seminar will be taught online! Casting will be confirmed at a later date
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; an evening seminar and a 3hr casting session. The dates below show the seminar date first and casting date second.
Dates: Seminar April 15, Casting Date To Be Determined
Seminar Time: 6:30pm
Casting Time(s): 10am – 1pm or 1:30pm – 4:30pm on to be determined date
Cost: $150.00+GST
Introduction to Chironomid Techniques
Seminar will be taught online! Watch and learn from the comfort of your own home!
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. Content is for beginner to advanced.
Date: April 20
Time: 6:30pm
Cost: $50.00 GST
Introduction to Fly Fishing Lakes
Seminar will be taught online! Watch and learn from the comfort of your own home!
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!
Date: April 28
Time: 6:30pm
Cost: $50.00+GST
FRESHWATER FISHING REPORTS
Chilliwack/Vedder River Fishing Report
Reports this week continue to be good for those who got out. We heard of a number a steelhead as well as some bulltrout and rainbows on the system. Though the Chilliwack is not known for its resident trout, when we get the first warm weather of the spring, fry start hatching and all the fish in in the system wake up a little.
The river is still very low but with a substantial bump of water in the weather forecast coming Saturday we expect this to change. We may see the water dirty up but if it holds some visibility the fishing could be very good after the rain.
Bring large presentations if you are out after the rain – Colorado blades, spinners and spoons are also a go to this time of year.
Good Luck!
Squamish River Fishing Report
The river is as low as we have ever seen her but with a spring storm on the horizon this could be what are waiting for. We are not sure if the forecasted rain will blow out the river but we expect the river to finally get some water. If it is too much water we can expect poor conditions with dirty water Saturday – Sunday but if it doesn’t go “out” we could be in for excellent fishing conditions as all the fish in the system wake up and more fish push in.
Larger fry patterns and larger white, olive or pink streamers should be in the kit and for the gear guys, rubber worms, Colorado blades and spoons should all be ready to go.
Watch the river levels and good luck!
Harrison River Fishing Report
The Harrison is low and takes some time to rise. With rain and overcast skies for the next week we expect the cutthroat guys to find some fish. The water should remain clear with the rain so stick with skinny fry patterns and cover ground.
We have not heard of anyone out this week so if you go be sure to give us a ring with a report.
Stave River Fishing Report
We have heard some cutthroat reports from the Stave as well as steelhead reports so it is well worth a look if you are doing a cutthroat circuit or you are looking to get out for a couple hours.
With the rain you will want to wade safely. The reservoir is low, but they still might open the dam this weekend so be careful and be smart when wading out to islands in the middle of the river.
Good luck out there!
SALTWATER FISHING REPORTS
Well I don’t have a heck of a lot to report. Our charter operations are shut down and our store doors are closed, but we are accepting phone orders and email orders and then shipping them out or allowing curbside pick-up. More details on that in the outlook and on our website.
I did decide to go check on the boats yesterday on my day off, turn the engines over, check on the heaters, and spray off all the bird poop. I even went out on a brief solo mission, released a few undersize chinook and a small hatchery coho and headed back to the docks. That’s about all I have to report first-hand, but I have received a number of reports from my network of friends and fellow guides who have gone out by themselves.
Let’s talk about that for a minute. I know a lot of us are off work and going stir crazy but getting together with a fishing buddy or two and heading out on your boat is not a great idea. Leaving straight from your house and going to your boat and wiping down door handles and such on your way is one thing but getting the boys together for a fish just isn’t what we need right now. We need to stay singular and practice social distancing. To put it into perspective, this wasn’t being adhered to in Washington State and they decided to shut down all fishing period. I think it had to do with quite a few people fishing, especially in the parks for steelhead, and also there are enforcement issues that come along with that. So, do you part to practice social distancing and hopefully this gets better sooner than later.
If you do choose to head out this will be your last weekend shot at keeping a chinook as we are anticipating seeing non-retention of chinook regs as of April 1st. I wish I could tell you it’s been hot, but it’s been pretty slow out there. Yes, there have been a few good catches here and there but for the most part, it has been very slow. The fish are there, we can see them on the sonar plain as day, but they are off the bite. This happens this time of year because of the algae bloom, which is in full force right now. They can’t stay off the bite forever, and when they come back on it is usually red hot. Hopefully that will be this weekend or before April 1st!
If you are fishing in Howe Sound, I have been seeing a lot of suspend fish, as is normal for this time of year and the algae bloom. I usually keep one rod just off bottom and then on the other side of the boat I experiment with depths depending on what I am seeing on my sonar. If you are seeing fish at 150 in 190 feet of water, drop your gear all the way to the bottom for a point of reference, then bring it up from there. Don’t try and guess where you are at. Or next time you are in 150 feet of water, bounce bottom once and look at your cable angle and what your rigger says for feet of cable, then you will know what to do next time you want to actually have your gear trolling at 150 feet.
In terms of where to go, there really are a lot of options. The QA to the Bell is a good close one. It’s also time to start checking out Cowan to Roger Curtis, the Hump starts to produce a few right about now, and there are lots of grumpy fish in Howe Sound that should turn on any day. Earlier in the week I posted on Facebook and Instagram on our Pacific Angler Sport Fishing page, some of my favourite flashers this time of year. Today I will post some of the top spoons for this time of year so make sure you check that out.
In the meantime, stay healthy and safe.
Jason Tonelli