Pacific Angler Outlook:
The boys at Pacific Angler have seen a lot of rain fall over the last week. As we watched the river levels sky rocket up we shed a little tear and mentally checked out of steelhead season. I am not saying that the steelhead season is over but it is not looking good at this point.
But as one door closes several open for the Vancouver fishermen. Saltwater angler extraordinaire, Jason Tonelli, just hooked into his very first Thrasher Rock chinook this morning. This is what every saltwater angler has been waiting to hear. The saltwater season is officially underway! The other door that has opened for the Vancouver angler is the lake fishing season. We’ve heard the first reports from our customers over the past weekend. This is great news as it is not even the beginning of May. As well, the local lakes are now fully stocked from the Freshwater Society of BC. I will be looking forward to getting out to some of my favorite lakes in the Whistler and Pemberton over the next two weeks.
Another door that is still open is the sturgeon fishing. We’ve heard of some mixed reports from this fishery. Basically some gang buster days mixed with some average days. But it only takes one 8 foot sturgeon to make your day so definitely take advantage of the Fraser River sturgeon fishing before the Fraser blows out from the warmer weather we are expecting in the interior.
Another door that is opening for us is the beach fishing scene. Last night I was down at our docks in Coal Harbour doing some minor repairs to the Salty Dawg (the PA guide boat). There were a TON of fry on the surface of the water just bouncing around. It was pretty amazing to see so many fry in the water. Well, the predatory fish will be chasing around those fry. Now is the time to start thinking about getting to your favorite beaches for cutthroat fishing. I am looking forward to some early morning outings in search of these ocean going trout.
The forecast for the weekend in Vancouver is looking good. You can expect some sun, clouds and a high of 12 degrees Celsius for Saturday and 14 degrees Celsius for Sunday. Enjoy the predicted sun on the weekend because on Monday the rain will be back and persist throughout the entire week. That is at least what Environment Canada is predicting.
Please read below for the Marine Forecast.
Friday and Saturday:
“Wind southeast 15 knots increasing to 15 to 20 late this afternoon then diminishing to southerly 5 to 15 late this evening. Wind becoming northwest 5 to 15 Saturday evening”
Sunday:
“Wind northwest 5 to 15 knots”
The store has been gearing for the amazing spring & summer season ahead of us. Pacific Angler has got you covered, whether you need lake fishing or saltwater gear, or just some old fashioned helpful advice.
Local Saltwater Fishing:
The Salty Dawg had been out fishing a couple of times this past week and Jason will be out for the next three days. We’ve heard some very mixed fishing reports. A few guys are getting fish on the odd trip but as mentioned before Jason just got into his first chinook off Thrasher Rock. Yes, this is what we’ve been waiting for. Expect this fishery to heat up as we get closer to the May long weekend.
The productive areas for this time of year are along the QA, Bell Buoy, the Hump, Tunstall Bay, Cape Roger Curtis, and Pt. Cowan (Bowen Island area). If you are thinking of sticking more locally then QA and Bell Buoy are probably your best bet.
Our guides are running 4 rods out of the boat. Two rods are typically fishing anchovies with teasers, and the other two rods are fishing spoons. Favorite spoons are the Cop Car and Knight Rider. Popular flashers are the original Green & Glow and the Kinetic Green in Glow, Purple Haze, and of course the Purple Onion. Make sure to run your rods at a good spread as you are searching for pods of chinook at varied depths. Popular depths have seemed to be 70 to 90 feet, but that can vary a lot depending on where you are fishing.
The crabbing locally has been quite good. Even if you have a small canoe you can get out there and drop some traps for big dungeness crabs.
BC River Fishing Report:
The river fishing has taken a bit of a beating this past week with the high water levels, resulting from heavy rain fall. Could this be the end of the steelhead season? Make sure to check your water levels. This is where knowing the water levels will really pay off for you.
While the Vedder River is looking like it will be done for the steelhead season there are still some opportunities for cutthroat around the Harrison/Stave area. We’ve also heard of the first reports of coho being caught on the Capilano River. This is a great local fishery.
Also this can be a good time of year to hit the Whistler area, such as the upper Cheakamus River.
BC Lake Fishing Report:
Pacific Angler got it’s first really good fishing report this past weekend. It seems like the lower elevation lakes around the Merritt area have opened up. We still have a long way to go for the interior lakes. If you are keen to get out there here are our recommended lakes:
- Jacko Lake;
- Morgan Lake;
- Courtney Lake;
- Kidd Lake (maybe);
- Logan Lake (maybe).
There are some great local lake fishing opportunities as well to be had. Here are our recommendations:
- Bunzten;
- Sasamat;
- Rolley;
- Mike lake (nice hatches),
- Alta Lake (Cutthroat – woolly buggers and fry).
We’ll keep an eye on the ice off in the interior and make sure to update you next Friday. If you have any questions as well please do not hesitate to contact us. Our store is stocked with tons of lake fishing gear for the discerning lake fisherman.
Have a great weekend I’ll see you out there,
Dave