OUTLOOK
It looks as though we are going to get a decent dose of sun this weekend and everyone is excited! With temperatures almost reaching double digits, river levels coming down from last week’s rain and optimistic saltwater reports rolling in, we expect it to be a good weekend for fishing. Before you head out on the water be sure to check out our 10 Year Anniversary Sale! This is the perfect time to stock up and get ready for the upcoming season. Come down to the shop and enjoy some of the best deals we have ever had. All of the details including a link to the full sale list including all the AWESOME giveaways we have in store for you is in the sale section below.
On the rivers we have had some good steelhead reports from the Vedder and with warmer temps coming it is still not too late to get out. Check out all the details in Sam’s Vedder River fishing report below. Jordan and Ryan have been out on the Squamish over the last week and had good bulltrout fishing with fry and sculpin patterns. More info and pictures in the full report below.
On the saltwater front, reports were a little slow this week but with good weather coming we are hopeful for better reports and it looks like a good weekend to get out. Check out the details in Jason’s saltwater overview at the end of the report.
Just a friendly reminder that licenses expire today. If you are heading out you will want to get your new license online. Click below on the appropriate link to renew you BC fishing licenses.
Freshwater License
Saltwater Fishing License
We’ll see you in the shop this weekend for our sale!
PACIFIC ANGLER 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY SALE
Our biggest sale in 10 Years is almost here and we have amazing deals all weekend long to celebrate! Find the full list of everything on sale HERE and don’t miss out on the great giveaways we have in store and online throughout the weekend!
Sale Dates + Hours:
Saturday April 1 – 9AM – 6PM
Sunday April 2 – 10AM – 6PM
CLASSES AND COURSES
April is not even here and some of our classes for the month are already sold out. If you missed getting a spot in this month’s Introduction to Fly Fishing Course or the always popular Mastering Local Saltwater Salmon Course feel free to call in and be added to the waitlist as we may open up additional dates. These courses are also offered throughout the spring and summer so sign up now to get your spot.
Introduction To Fly Fishing Lakes
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! This course is comprised of one 3hr evening seminar.
Cost: $45.00
Dates: Apr 18 or May 30
Time: 6:30pm – 9:30pm
Instructor: Matt Sharp
Introduction to Chironomid Techniques
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. This course is comprised of one 3hr evening seminar. Content is for beginner to advanced.
Cost: $45.00
Dates: Apr 19 or May 2
Time: 6:30pm – 9:30pm
Instructor: Trevor Welton
FRESHWATER FISHING REPORTS
Vedder Fishing Report
The Vedder was on the drop this past week and even though it was a little on the high side anglers were able to connect with fish. In the weather forecast there will be some rain and warm weather that will keep the river coloured, but hopefully not too coloured. It is critical to fish fast and cover water especially in these higher water conditions. Anglers who cover the most are rewarded with fish. With a month left in the season let’s hope the river will stay in shape for all of April so we can get some t-shirt steelheading in this year.
We have some very cool worm jigs in stock that are some colors that are not commonly used. It is always important to have some odd ball presentations in your arsenal late season to find something the fish have not seen. We have also heard reports of good fishing with trout beads and as always were heard reports of anglers hooking up with roe bags. Come down to the shop we have a good selection in stock for our sale this weekend!
Another fish fooled by the worm!
Sam Graham
Squamish River Fishing Report
It looks like a promising weekend to get out on the Squamish. We should see some decent temps, some sun and with good reports coming in from the week, I expect good things this weekend.
Last weekend saw some very good bulltrouting in the upper river and a few steelhead reports from the lower river. The fry are out in numbers on both the upper and lower river. The river rose and coloured with the heavy rain but it did not go as high as we expected. On Thursday we had reports that the Cheakamus was high and coloured and the main river was coloured but not unfishable. We expect both to settle into the weekend.
Fly fisherman should be looking at olive or white intruder style patterns as well as a selection of fry patterns for targeting rainbows and bulltrout. We have also had some good late egging reports so it is worth packing them in your kit as a changeup presentation. Make sure you have black and blue and pink or orange patterns in your box for steelhead and get out and cover water. I use 4ft 12lb Maxima leaders for steelhead, and then lean to 5ft 8lb leaders for sculpin imitations and longer tapered 7lb fluorocarbon leaders for fry patterns.
If you are gear fishing, now is the time that you want a wide variety of float fishing lures in your gear vest. We have some very cool worm jigs in unique colors that are very popular late season on the Squamish system. Purple, white, red and black combinations as well as the standard pink worms are great after river levels have been high. Colorado blades are also a go to this time of year with fry moving in the system. Lastly the good old standard gooey bob with some chartreuses wool or a selection of trout beads catch a ton of steelhead this time of year.
Good luck out there!
Matt Sharp
Capilano River Fishing Report
There was lots of water this past week coming down the Capilano, which should hopefully have brought in a few more steelhead into the mix. The forecast is calling for some sunnier weather in the next 3-5 days so we will see some nice conditions coming up, especially for drift fishing. Thus, think about fishing bait, pink worms, colorado blades, popsicles, and intruders since there will be some river current. If you do plan to try this fishery please keep in mind that this steelhead run is relatively fragile so treat all fish with care and remember that is strictly a catch and release fishery.
Good luck!
Alex Au-Yeung
Stave River Fishing Report
The Stave can be a great place to drop by for a few hours if you are out on the North side of the Fraser. This river supports steelhead, cutthroat, and whitefish fisheries and since it is a very short river, it is very possible to come across all these species and more in one trip. There are a lot of different lures, baits, and flies that will work here. A good starting point would be a spread of shrimp, worms (both real and fake), trout beads, spinners, spoons, egg sucking leeches, and intruders, but don’t be afraid to experiment. Good luck!
Fraser Valley Cutthrout Report
The cutthroat season has officially started. I was scouting yesterday on the Harrison River and saw a lot of fry in all the systems. The river level was at 9.3 meters and both the golf course and French Creek side were wadable. The day was finally a pleasant one after all the rain that came down the last couple of days and the temperature was around 10 to 12 degrees, perfect for the fish to be happy and move around chasing fry.
There were also a few bugs hatching as well so make sure you always have some dry flies on you and not just fry patterns. As I was there the water levels were dropping which will open up more walk and wade areas on the river. Hopefully the weather will be stable for the rest of the month. Unfortunately there was not a single fish to be seen or even a rise but this could change in 24 hours as I have experienced many times.
Andre Stepanian
SALTWATER FISHING REPORTS
Vancouver Saltwater Salmon Fishing Report
Not much has changed since last week, the fish are moving around a lot and that means hit and miss results. We had some wet days earlier in the week, which made for some cold days out on the water, but these past few days were pretty nice and Eddie was out on a few charters. Lots of bites these past few days, with double digit encounters, but not a lot of big fish. There does seem to be a lot of just under fish around, so that is promising for the future and hopefully they stick around to feed on all the bait we are seeing this year.
The guests were all smiles yesterday with the flat calm seas, sunny skies and lots of chinook bites.
The next few weeks will be interesting. Typically we see some great chinook fishing out of the Hump starting around April 15th and it usually lasts for about 4-6 weeks. Last year the Hump was slow as there were a lot of anchovies along the shorelines of Bowen and into Howe Sound and it seemed the chinook rolled into these areas to feed on the massive balls of bait. Time will tell if we are going to get a traditional Hump fishery this year or if the bait and fish will be a little further into Howe Sound. We will keep you updated as things progress.
For tackle not much changed. The usual glow flashers and spoons have been producing well. For details read previous reports as our top favorites have been featured many times. If you need to gear up, this is the weekend to do it as we have our 10 Year Anniversary Sale this weekend. The saltwater section is stacked with goodies right now, as we have received all our spring shipments. This is a great time to stock up for the season and save some money while doing so. Check out the full sale list HERE.
See you in the shop or on the water.
Jason Tonelli