OUTLOOK
The leaves are turning, temps are dropping and salmon fishing is picking up everywhere. The Vedder River started fishing well this week and we heard a number of good reports. Alex was out at the river and Sam hit the water yesterday. Check out the Vedder report for more details
Saltwater has been good. Sandheads fished well on Saturday last weekend. Matt was out on Sunday and they had a good flurry of action in the morning with chum, coho and chinook all being caught but then the whales came through and killed the fishing. We have had very good Capilano/North Shore reports from the last couple days. Eddie had a good trip yesterday so it is well worth the trip out to Sand heads or the North Shore depending on time, tides and weather. Check out Jason’s Vancouver Saltwater Report for more details.
The Skagit is still fishing well. As long as the weather holds, it will be a great option for some late dry fly fishing. We have had good fishing right into the 2nd week of October. Matt’s Skagit report below has the latest report from the river.
Andre was out scouting the Harrison area and though it is still early the river is coming into good shape and if the fish show up we should have good river levels. Check out what Andre has to say about his scouting trip in this week’s Harrison report.
The Squamish River is picking up. Though the river is still dirty, she is dropping and fish are already in the system. Clarity is always an issue and we need cold weather but we have heard of quite a few fish being caught. Matt has some more info in the Squamish Rive report below.
Interior lake fishing has been awesome and if you are debating heading out before it gets too cold now is the time. Check out the Interior Lake report for some up-to-date info.
Last but not least local lakes get one last stocking of fish this time of year and provide a great fishery for rainbows. This is one that is good for the kids as well as anglers who may not have time to drive farther afield. Alex has all the details on how to take advantage of this cool local fishery.
REGULATIONS UPDATE
Subject: FN1029-RECREATIONAL – Salmon – Region 2 – Harrison River: Non – Retention of Chinook Salmon
Effective immediately until further notice, you may not retain chinook salmon
on the Harrison River in Region 2.
The 2016 forecast estimate of terminal abundance to the Harrison River is 33,000 chinook. This value is well below the escapement goal for this stock which is a range of 75,100 to 98,500 spawners. Harrison River chinook are one of the few stocks that have an escapement goal under the Pacific Salmon Treaty.
Variation Order Number: 2016-424
Notes: Anglers are advised to check http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/rec/index-eng.html for fishing closures and other recreational fishing information.
For the 24 hour recorded opening and closure line, call toll free at 1-(866)431-FISH (3474).
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Barbara Mueller
DFO Lower Fraser Area
Tel: (604)666-2370
Email: barbara.mueller@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
FRESHWATER FISHING REPORTS
Vedder River Fishing Report
I was out on the Vedder yesterday and hooked up with a few fish. The Vedder has been extremely low and clear for a while now and with little to no rain in the forecast it will make for some interesting fishing as we come into the first week of October. With that said, I saw a decent number of coho and chinook salmon and heard reports of a couple chum in the mix.
Alex with a Vedder white spring.
While it is possible to hook fish throughout the day, many anglers are experiencing great fishing for the first half hour of daylight, so set your alarm clocks for an early rise! Getting to the river for first light has been crucial for a good bite as this narrow window is when the fish are most active. For the drift anglers, pro-cured roe has been king but downsizing to a single jensen egg or a bead could work wonders in these clear conditions. Spoons, spinners, and twitching jigs have also been producing for the spincasters. Fly anglers focus on small muddler minnows or flash flies on a sink tip. Most of the coho are holding in slack water while the chinooks can be found under some faster but deeper current.
Tight lines,
Alex
Capilano River Fishing Report
Things have been quiet on the Capilano River. The water came up a little bit once again this week but we have only heard of marginal success. A few fish were taken on spinners, jigs, and small muddlers early in the morning. This has been an exceptionally tough fishery this year but it can be incredibly rewarding catching such nice fish so close to the city. We are waiting for that next big rain storm; when it comes it will be game on!
Skagit River Fishing Report
The Skagit is still fishing well. We have had some colder days and this can condense the hatches into the mid afternoon. We are getting some more warm weather this weekend with temps predicted near 19 in Hope on Sunday. I expect to hear more good reports as long as the weather holds. I have had great fishing into the 2nd week of October.
The hatch reports we from this week were of yellow caddis and small grey mayflies. Do not be scared to throw big dries even if nothing is coming off. Larger grey/brown extended body mayflies are always top of my list this time of year. Prince nymphs, golden stones and a smaller epoxy back stone took fish this week. Use 5lb leaders in mono for the dry fly fishing and 5lb fluorocarbon when nymph fishing. Come down to the shop we have all the flies in stock you need to be successful on the water this week.
Matt
Squamish River Fishing Report
It’s getting colder! This is what we are looking for, but we are still a little ways off from the frosty overnight temperatures. It looks like the weekend will be a bit wet but also cool so we are definitely headed in the right direction. Cool nights clear up the snow melt making the river water clear. Guys are catching fish were they can find clear water. Looking at the long term forecast it is starting to cool down the back end of next week and though temps are still a little high at night we could see the river get into shape the latter part of next week.
If you are heading out, fish big chartreuse, purple or green and blue flash flies. Look for side channels and inflows where the water will be clear and hike hard. Even if the river isn’t in a good fishable clarity the report are telling us that the levels are low enough to scout and cover water.
A nice early season Squamish coho.
If you are a gear fisherman or a fly guy that likes a second option this is a great time to throw large spoons and spinners. Again chartreuse, copper and large fire stripe spoons are great for dirty water.
Float fishing will pick up when the river clears. Then we will be looking at Colorado’s and big purple jigs.
Good luck!
Matt
Harrison River Fishing Report
I went scouting last week to see how the river is shaping up and so far it is on the drop, which is good to gain shore access. The river level was at 9.2 m so only the small part of golf course side was fishable but unfortunately I didn’t see any coho rolling. As soon as it drops under 9.0 m it should be easy to walk and wade on both sides of the river.
The Harrison is a clear and slow moving river, which is totally different than our other local rivers. If you are fly fishing you need to use a clear sink tip line or a clear full sink line to have a chance at these coho as they spook really easy specially on brighter days. Small sparse flies are the ticket in this river and keep changing you offering as a pod of coho get bored of the same fly and lose interest very quickly. For leaders use 10-12 lb flourocarbon around 7ft from the clear tip, if it is too long then the fly will not sink at the same rate as the tip. Vary the speed of the fly as you are stripping it; try small quick or long slow pulls to see which one works for that time of the day. My favourite choice of rod is a 7wt for coho but if you want to have a chance to land a chum as well an 8 weight is better over all rod.
This fishery is just starting and usually ends by mid November and keep in mind that there is also nice cutthroat trout chasing sticklebacks and other fry until the winter months.
Andre
STILLWATER FISHING REPORTS
Local Lakes Fishing Report – Lower Mainland Stocked Rainbow Trout Overview
Summer is over, but the inclement weather is not a reason to hang up those trout setups! If anything, these more frequent chilly temperatures will make for some hot fishing in the Lower Mainland lakes from now through to the end of November. This Fall fishery for local rainbow trout is often overlooked as it coincides with fisheries for much larger gamefish but it can be a great way to kill a few hours on the water.
A local stocked trout.
Historically Go Fish BC begins their Fall stockings in the last week of September or first week of October and there are a number of urban waters in the Lower Mainland that receive these stockings. A full list of locations can be found at www.gofishbc.com, but some of the more notable ones in close proximity to Vancouver include:
-Rice Lake (North Vancouver)
-Como Lake (Port Coquitlam)
-Lafarge Lake (Port Coquitlam)
-Sanctuary Pond (Vancouver)
-Green Timbers (Surrey)
-Buntzen Lake (Port Moody)
-Sasamat lake (Port Moody)
There are a few ways to fish these lakes. A simple yet effective method is to use bait. Worms and shrimp under a small float is a great way to target suspended fish, while artificial bait such as Berkley Gulp eggs or Berkley Powerbait dough fished with an egg sinker can get down to the fish hanging out on the bottom. A more active way to catch them is to cast and retrieve a small spoon or spinner; a couple of my favourites are the Gibbs Croc and the Worden’s Rooster Tail in the smallest sizes. Some other lures that are worth a shot are the Bingo Bug by Lucky Bug, the Mepps Black Fury spinner and Dick Nite spoons. These fish can also be fooled by common flies such as wooly buggers and leeches either cast or trolled, so don’t be afraid to break out those fly rods. In general these Rainbow Trout are in the 10-14 inch range which makes it a fun fishery for light tackle. This means that spinning rods with a light or ultralight power rating and fly rods in the 2wt to 5wt category are ideal.
One interesting twist to note about this fishery is that it is not necessarily good fishing immediately after the trout have been stocked. These fish need time to acclimatize to their new environment and may not feed actively for the first few days, which can lead to a frustrating period of time where fish will be showing themselves but not biting. Wait at least a few days after a stocking has taken place as fishing can improve drastically once these fish have settled in.
If you have any questions on gear, locations, or how to set up an appropriate rig, come see us at the Shop!
Alex
Interior Lakes Fishing Reports
The lake fishing reports for the last week have been great both fishing and weather wise. It looks like the stable weather is going to continue for the next ten days or so, so take advantage of this and go lake fishing before the lakes freeze in the near future. Most of the lake temperatures are still hovering around 55 degrees at the 3600 -4000 ft level, which is ideal. Again this week I have had good reports from Roche, Peter Hope, Kump, and Harmon Lakes. At Roche, a majority of the fish were caught on small olive scuds and at Peter Hope many were caught on maroon leeches off the shoals. The lakes in the Cariboo Region continue to fish well and most of the fish are caught on big woolly buggers and Dragon nymphs.
Andre
SALTWATER FISHING REPORTS
Vancouver Saltwater Fishing Report
This past week was a good one. The rains stayed away for the most part, the skies were sunny, and most important of all some big chinook rolled in just as predicted. Those who were lucky enough to be down at Sandheads on Saturday enjoyed some epic fishing for big white springs. I wasn’t out that day (was away for a wedding) but the text reports were rolling in with lots of pictures of big fish. The biggest fish I heard of was a 41 pounder, I saw the picture, and yes indeed it was a hog and was easily a tyee on high thirties to low forties! This was the push of big white springs headed for the Harrison and Chilliwack rivers that we were talking about in last weeks report. I took a look at the Albion test set numbers and you can see there was a good push of chinook that weekend. There are still some decent amounts of chinook being caught in the test sets, so it is still worth fishing this area for sure. The chum numbers really sky rocketed the last 4 days as well, so expect to hook some chums while fishing for chinook. The coho numbers are also starting to build. So if you have the time and the weather is good, head to Sandheads for the last of the big chinook, some chums, and some coho.
Nice chinook from Sandheads last Saturday.
The Cap Mouth has also been good. The rains have stayed away and the run of chinook this year seems to be pretty good for this system. We are having consistent fishing on pretty much every flood tide. The long range forecast looks pretty dry, only a little rain here and there, but not nearly enough to bring the river up to the point where the chinook will go up. So for now it looks like the consistent fishing off the Cap will continue. As mentioned in last weeks report, this is a great time to book a charter. The chinook are only minutes from our dock, the seas are calm, and you can soak up the last of the sun before we head into the rainy season.
Tim with two great Cap chinooks.
As you can see, its not over yet, in fact the fishing off the Cap looks like it will be good for another few weeks and the Fraser coho are just starting to build up good numbers of Sandheads, so there is lots of good fishing still!
See you in the shop or on the water,
Jason Tonelli