OUTLOOK
It’s a big weekend for fishing and fishing gear! This weekend is our annual Fall Salmon Sale. Everything is on sale so you won’t want to miss it but we know that you are not here just for sales, you’re here for the report. Matt has the report video out – bear with us as it was a late night filming after some serious sale prep and the audio is not the best but there is some great info on our fall fisheries, a sneak peek from Andre that you will want to see along with a quick chat about politics and the Jill Bennet show that Jason was on earlier this month. Check out the video here:
On the fishing front we are in for more rain this weekend but it is not quite as bad as last week so we should still see good fishing on the Vedder Squamish and Harrison. Details on all of those are below. we have info on all the rivers below.
Jason has a saltwater update which focuses on some important info on how to fish at the Capilano mouth.
Check out the sales list below for all the deals and on to the report!
INDUSTRY EVENTS AND UPDATES
The time is here! Our Annual Fall Salmon Sale starts tomorrow! If you missed seeing our full sale list yesterday check it out here and we’ll see you in the shop this weekend!
Sale Hours
Saturday September 21 | 9AM – 6PM
Sunday September 22 |11AM – 5PM
CLASSES AND COURSES
Join us for our some of our most popular classes this month! Call the shop today at 604.872.2204 to sign up!
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.
Dates: Seminar Sep 24 seminar & September 29 casting
Seminar Time: 6:30pm – 9:30pm
Casting Time(s): 10am – 1pm or 1:30pm -4:30pm
Cost: $150.00+GST
Fall Salmon River Fishing – sold out – call the shop to be added to the waitlist
This 3hr evening seminar covers float fishing, spinner fishing and spoon fishing; the three most productive techniques to catch BC salmon in a river. Upgrade your seminar to include a fully guided day on the water, putting into practice your new knowledge with a Pacific Angler guide.
Dates: Seminar: Sep 23 Guided: Sep 28, Sep 29, Oct 12 or Oct 13 (custom trip dates available) SOLD OUT!
Seminar Time: 6:30pm – 9:30pm | Guided: Full Day
Seminar Only Cost: $50.00+GST
Seminar & Guided Walk’n Wade Cost: $275.00+GST per angler, minimum of 2 anglers per guided day on the water.
FRESHWATER FISHING REPORTS
Chilliwack/Vedder River Fishing Report
Fishing has picked up significantly after the rain we had. While the water bumped up it did not get too coloured and there have been lots of fish spreading out in the system. A good number of chinook are now in and occupying the deeper slots, while the shallows are absolutely loaded with pinks. Coho numbers have increased a fair amount too, with a bunch of them already making it to the hatchery. We are starting to enter the prime time for this river so now is a good time to get geared up. Roe has been the ticket for chinooks and coho. They can definitely be taken on other things in the right water but right now roe is absolutely king. The pinks in this river are notoriously tight lipped at times (for pinks) so if you plan to fish for them, I would focus down low where they haven’t seen much yet and fish small.
Alex Au-Yeung
Squamish River Fishing Report
Well the Squamish blew out earlier in the week and it looks like it is starting to settle again but it also looks like there is more rain in the forecast for this weekend. Really keep an eye on the river levels if you are thinking of heading out that way. When the river rises to anything over 3.2, I start thinking about staying home instead. Anything over 3.5 don’t bother. We have fished this river enough over the years to know what to look for and sometimes it’s better to save the gas money and come into the shop for our sale this weekend.
If the river holds the bulltrout fishing, I feel will be decent. The blow out should have pushed a bunch of eggs and dead pinks around. The coho aren’t quite here yet but should be starting to trickle in. Nymphing beads and swinging streamers are a go to this time of year. Drifting single eggs and floating blades and jigs are also a great tactic when the water is dirty and high.
We just got a fresh shipment of trout beads in the shop, including a couple of new colours, as well as some amazing twitching jig components that need to be seen, available in 1/2 and 3/8oz.
If you head out this weekend be safe and conscious of the river levels. If you decide to stay home, come on into the shop and stock up for this year’s river season at the sale!
Zach Copland
Capilano River Fishing Report
The Capilano has seen some ups and downs this past week, especially in the river.
As many of you know, the fish that are already in the river can be tough, with most anglers always hoping for fresh fish. With all the rain we’ve had, the river bumped and a handful shot in. Opening the dam also played a role, and many anglers found success.
These fish can be caught using a variety of methods, including gear and fly. Fresh fish can be encountered with more aggressive techniques such as spoons, spinners, and blades. For the fly angler, small to medium flash flies can be the ticket. Once laid up, these fish will become tough to move. Short-floating wool and small beads or Bob’s can be a good idea, as well as small drab flies such as Andre’s Cap Bugger.
On the beach, there are still waves of coho showing up, with a few odd pinks mixed in as well. As for gear, all the same flies and lures talked about in earlier reports will still be the ticket, but remember that tides play a big role. This weekend sees the start of some favourable tides, allowing anglers to get out to the sand bar where they can access the main trough.
Remember to give your fellow angler space, and to always pick up any garbage you may come across. One thing that a lot of Scandinavian anglers are doing is a thing called “Plastic in the Basket”: any garbage or plastic encountered is picked up and put in their stripping baskets where it is properly disposed of at the end of their session.
Keep it tight,
Jordan Simpson
Harrison/Chehalis Fishing Report
One of the few systems to retain pink salmon in the Lower Mainland this year is the Harrison. It is a big river and while it can be fished from shore, the best bet right now is by boat. This is the perfect place to fly fish for pinks or to twitch/float jigs for them. Pinks tend to travel in shallow water so a heavy sink tip or jighead is not necessary. Small and bright is the name of the game when picking your presentations and anything pink, orange, or chartreuse will get their attention. Keep in mind that retention is only permitted below the highway 7 bridge.
We will start to see the Harrison white springs coming in too. These are some of the biggest springs in the Lower Mainland so if you plan to fish for them make sure you have heavy tackle to “tackle” these monsters. They can be caught float fishing roe, swinging large spoons, or with big intruder style flies on a fly rod.
The Chehalis has been quiet. As with the other North Side rivers we won’t start to see good numbers of coho trickling in until mid to late October. Now would be a good time to go scout your water as this system changes frequently with each blow out.
Alex Au-Yeung
STILLWATER FISHING REPORTS
Interior Lake Fishing Report
Weather is looking solid for the next week or so for the interior, highs of 20 and lows of 5 in the night.
We’ve been getting flooded with constant great reports from seemingly everywhere. Kane Valley, Roche Lake park, Pennask, Hatheume, Sheridan, Tunkwa and more. If there’s a secret lake you know of, chances are it’s fishing well.
Most often you’ll be picking up fish on some kind of structure. Stripped leeches or attractor patterns off a shoal or drop-off is a sure bet anywhere. Be sure to check the gofishbc.com website for detailed charts of nearly every lake. Knowing your depths even before you get on the water will increase your chances of having a successful day.
We have about a month before water temperatures drop too low and the fish go to the bottom of the lake, so now is the time to get on the stillwater and hook some lunkers.
Aidan Munro
SALTWATER FISHING REPORTS
Vancouver Saltwater Salmon Fishing Report
Well its official, its Cap Season. The Capilano chinook are stacking up off the mouth of the Capilano and fishing has been pretty consistent this past week. The on and off rain caused a lot of fish to stack up off the river mouth and some fish did go up the river, but there are more to come. We usually see the bulk of the fish show up over the next few weeks. As many of you know, these fish respond well to a flasher and bait setup fished closed to the bottom.
Can’t beat fishing this close to home!
There are a few messages I am going to pass on to the angling community. The first one is steer clear of incoming and outgoing commercial traffic like freighters, tankers, and cruise ships. When you see these vessels leaving the Narrows or coming towards the Narrows, you don’t want to be out in the shipping lane or even close to the Green Marker off the Cap Mouth. Keep your eyes open and troll west up towards the yellow QD marker well in advance of these vessels entering the area. If we don’t do this, the Port Authority will have the evidence they need to shut this area down due to safety concerns. They have cameras on the bridge and they are observing our movements. The key wording here is well in advance. This has been the Port Authority’s main request. They don’t want us waiting until the last minute to head west and then camping out at the Green Marker. Rather they would like to see the fleet of boats migrate west towards the yellow QD Marker well in advance of having larger commercial vessels in the area, then we can head back towards the Green Marker once they have left the area.
The second thing is the Green Marker off the Cap Mouth. It is closed past this marker. This is a DFO area closure, so if you are trolling east of that, you are trolling in closed waters. It is also a fairly tight area from the Green Marker off the Cap Mouth to the opposite shoreline. So if you are out in the middle or offshore a bit, trolling past the Green Marker, you are smack dab in the middle of the shipping lane. This has been observed on numerous occasions by the Port Authority already this season, and sometimes there are boats in this area even when there are ships approaching the Lions Gate Bridge. This is exactly the evidence they need to shut this whole area down. So don’t be that guy or gal!
The last thing I am going to talk about is boat rotation. The accepted practice for this location utilizes the same rule that most anglers follow up and down the coast. It is called “right rod to the rocks.” This means that if two boats meet along the coast, generally off a piece of structure like a rock wall, ledge, or kelp bed, the boat with his right rods to the rocks will hold position along the structure and the other boat will move out into deeper water to give way. In doing so a spot will get a rotation so everyone has equal time along the “hot spot.” The Cap Mouth is no different. Troll east on the outside of the pack. As you get close to the Green Marker, prepare to turn to your port side heading towards shore. Time your turn so when it is completed and your bow is now facing west, that you are not past the Green Marker. Now you will be in line with the other boats to come up along the ledge from the Green Marker up towards Ambleside, likely in 90-100 feet of water. Once you have trolled sufficiently west, you can again turn to your port side, out into deeper water, and troll east back towards the Green Marker, making your turn again to port so you don’t go past the Green Marker. So in short, don’t try and troll east and take the inside, coming down into the pack of boats, you will likely get an ear full! It is critical when you are trolling east, on the outside of the pack, that you keep an eye out for commercial vessels. Don’t go out into that area when they around. You need to time you turn and when you can be out there as you are temporarily in the shipping lane. Keep trolling west when the commercial vessels are around, once they pass, you can turn out, come back down towards the Green Marker, make you turn to the inside and repeat. If we all follow these practices this fun and productive, urban fishery will be around for years. If we don’t we are going to lose it.
If all this is too much for you, I will keep it simple, go to the South Arm. There are lots of white chinook around there, headed for the Chilliwack and the Harrison rivers. There are some hatchery coho showing up as well.
Last but not least if you missed a follow up discussion I had host Jill Bennet on her show earlier this month – have a listen here – our chat starts at 29:01.
Time for me to get down to the docks, so I am going to end it there today.
See you in the shop or on the water,
Jason Tonelli