Pacific Angler Outlook:
There are lots of things to talk about this week. The boys at Pacific Angler have worked hard in order to put together our 2013 Course Schedule. If interested make sure to call today to book your spot. All classes have limited availability and we often sell out months in advance. The Pacific Angler staff will also be sending out information regarding our 2013 Travel Schedule. So stay tuned!!!
Another exciting bit of news is the Steelhead Society of BC Bonaparte River Fundraiser on Thursday November 29th. The Pacific Angler boys will be there to help raise money for this new project aimed at restoring the Bonaparte River. There will be a live and silent auction, of which Pacific Angler has donated a full day Charter on our 27 foot Grady White, known as the Salty Dawg.
The forecast for this weekend is looking wet. The Vancouver weather forecast is calling for rain, at times heavy over the weekend and into next week. The daily temperatures are looking quite a bit milder, ranging from 8 to 12 degrees Celsius. Because of the cold spell Vancouver experienced this past week and weekend the river levels were dropping considerably. Earlier on in the week this was a great thing as all of the rivers were very high from the massive rainfall we received two weeks ago. However, now the rivers are getting to that stage where the fish have become less active and a bit more aware. I am betting that this milder weather and heavy rainfall over the weekend will push up some fresh salmon into our local rivers making for some great fishing into next week.
Remember how we talked about all of the salmon being late this year. Well, if that trend continues there will be some amazing days to be had in late November and even December. There is nothing better than hooking into a chrome coho in a full on blizzard!
For a detailed look at Vancouver’s river fishing and and update on the saltwater scene please read the reports below. If you have any questions do not hesitate to contact our friendly staff @ 604-872-2204 or better yet, drop by Pacific Angler @ 78 East Broadway.
River Fishing Report:
For a detailed look into the local river scene read the river fishing report below. Check out the coho that one our anglers caught while on a Pacific Angler guided trip last week. Good job Stewie!
Chilliwack River: The Chilliwack has slowed down as we enter mid November. There will be a few chrome chum entering the system but the vast majority of the coho and chinook are very dark and getting ready to spawn. Steelhead are literally only 2 weeks away! Having fished this river for over 20 years for steelhead, I have seen my fare share of tough December steelheading. That being said, the last 3 seasons have seen some good to excellent steelhead fishing for those willing to venture out early. I have no idea if this year will be the same but you can bet we will be out there testing the waters in 2 weeks. If you want to learn the finer points of steelheading this year we have some float fishing and fly fishing classes that focus on steelhead. These classes start early January, they generally sell out, and we always seem to get into some nice fish. So if you want to take a few years off the learning curve, give us a call today.
Chehalis River: The Chehalis has a few chrome coho entering the lower river. If we get the rain that is forecast this weekend that should draw some fresh fish up the lower portion. There are lots of dark fished stacked up in the canyon pools with a few brighter ones in the mix. Spinners, spoons, marabou jigs, and roe are the best choices for the canyon water. As of today the river is pretty clear but this will change with the rain when/if it comes. The fish in the lower river can’t resist a properly presented piece of roe, spinner or fly. These fish are generally very aggressive and it is more a matter of timing than technique.
Harrison River: The Harrison has finally come down and is fishing better this week. There have been some very fresh coho caught, both hatchery and wild, so it looks like we are starting to see that later push. In the clear water try brass or copper spinners and spoons or smaller flies. We have a good variety of smaller custom coho flies available. These flies on a clear intermediate sink tip line with some fluorocarbon tippet, have been the key to success for many anglers. There is still some great coho fishing over the next two to three weeks.
Most of the guides are starting to call it a season so the pressure is dying down a bit and we get a late push of coho. It also gets pretty cold so a lot of anglers hang up their rods and take a break before winter steelhead season. The steelhead are still a few weeks away so if you need a fix in the meantime, try the Harrison for some late chrome coho.
Fraser River: This time of year we start to see the temperatures of the Fraser drop as things get pretty cold up in the interior headwaters. This makes the sturgeon a bit more lethargic so they aren’t running or jumping as much as they were 2 weeks ago. The sturgeon fishing is still good to excellent this time of year with lots of big fish being caught and some good numbers of fish as well. It is not uncommon to have a double digit day this time of year and the river is slightly less crowded as it gets colder and the guides wind down. The best bait is chum roe tied up in a spawn sack and the best fishing is from the Stave up to the Chilliwack. There are also some coho being caught in the back channels this time of year and a few cutthroat as well. One of the most effective ways to explore for coho in the back channels is with spinners or spoons. Silver or brass with some bright colors like fl. red or fl. orange will work well as the water isn’t very clear. Don’t let the dirty water intimidate you. You will be surprised how easily the fish can see the spinners or spoons in the dirty water.
Squamish River: The Squamish is open for Chum retention as of November 15th to November 30th for one chum a day. Most of the chrome chum have pushed in long ago, but there are still some fresh ones coming in each day on the high tide. There are still some fresh coho as well. The Upper Squamish was pretty busy this week as it finally came back into shape. There are lots of old coho around and a few fresh ones but you have to wade through the dark ones to find them. We are starting to see some Dollies push in as well as a few cutts as these fish come in the river in the late fall to feed on the chum and coho eggs.
If you are fly fishing, smaller flies like you would use on the Harrison are the way to go. If you are fishing conventional gear, small brass and copper spinners and spoons are doing well. The water has lots of clarity now so time to scale things down. We will see a few fresh coho enter the system in the next two weeks and then it will come to a close around the beginning of December.
Capilano River: The Cap fish are all very dark by this time of year so most of the angling pressure has dropped off. The pools are full of very dark chinook and coho. Steelhead season is right around the corner as we draw closer to December but for now you are better off spending your time on other rivers if you are looking for chrome salmon.
Stave River: The chum are pretty much done on the Stave but the same can’t be said for the coho. There has been some good coho fishing this week with a mix of old and bright fish. Your classic small coho flies that we have mentioned a few times today are what you want to use. The clear intermediate sink tip is the line of choice as you are casting into slow moving or even still water. Keep an eye out for rolling fish and move around until you get some hook ups or you make visual contact. The smallest of spinners and spoons will also take some fish but keep it to a copper color or maybe brass. The water is clear so you want to keep your presentation small and subtle.
On behalf of the Pacific Angler staff we wish you the best in your fishing endeavours and we hope to see you either at the shop or on the water. To check out the latest Pacific Angler news view the Pacific Angler Facebook page.
Happy fishing,
Jason, Matt, Dave, Dimitri, Andre and Ron