Outlook: 

Pacific Angler will be closed on Monday May 20th for the Victoria Day holiday, but will be open for business as usual on Saturday and Sunday.

COMING SOON!!!  PACIFIC ANGLER ANNUAL SUPER SALE!!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!!

The Vancouver weather forecast is calling for cloudy conditions on Friday, clouds and rain on Saturday and then a mixture of sun, clouds, and rain on Sunday and Monday.  The daily high temperatures through the weekend will range from 17 to 18 degrees Celsius while the daily low temperatures will range from 10 to 11 degrees Celsius.  After the big warm spell we had over the last two weeks things are cooling down a bit which will slow down the freshet a bit.  The Pacific Angler staff have noticed that some river levels have dropped significantly over the past two nights.  However, the majority of rivers are high and not fishable.  The cooler weather shouldn’t have much of an effect on local lake fishing.

For all you lake fishermen the Merritt weather forecast is calling for similiar conditions to Vancouver with the exception of warmer daily temperatures and cooler night temperatures in the Merritt area.

The marine forecast for the Strait of Georgia is calling for south to southeast winds on Friday and Saturday ranging from 10 to 15 knots.  The winds are then forecasted to switch to northwest on Sunday and Monday ranging from 10 to 15 knots.  This is looking like a promising forecast over the weekend but make sure to always check the latest marine forecast as conditions can change quickly on the ocean.

Steve was the winner of the Boxing Week Raffle for a full-day guided trip with Randy Beck of Ultimate Sport Fishing.  Randy delivered and was able to get Steve and Brian their first ever sturgeon.  Check out the picture!

Steve and Brian with their first ever sturgeon courtesy of Randy Beck from Ultimate Sport Fishing.

If you would like to book a sturgeon adventure make sure to call Pacific Angler (604-872-2204) today!

To keep up-to-date with all things Pacific Angler and the local fishing scene check out Pacific Angler Facebook and on Twitter.  You will find our detailed river and saltwater reports below.  If you have any questions please do not hesitate to drop by our shop @ 78 East Broadway, Vancouver or give our friendly staff a call @ 604-872-2204.

Vancouver Stillwater Report:

Working at the shop we setup a lot of anglers for the very first time, particularly during the local lake season in the spring and summer.  So we thought we would share what we have learned about tackle setups for our locally stocked lakes.  Here is a quick overview:

Rods for the stocked lakes consist of 6-7′ft spinning rods, in the medium to light action range. With a reel to match that holds 100 or more yards of 6lb mainline is more than adequate. Most leaders used are 3 or 4lb test with #8 or #6 hooks. Some quality baits are dew worms, krill, single cured salmon eggs, and power bait.

The three techniques to target the trout are:

1) Float fishing: Consists of a bobber/float, weight, swivel, leader and a hook.

2) Bottom Fishing: Sliding weight, bead, swivel, leader and a hook.

3) Casting lures: Leader and the lure

The following lakes have been stocked by the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC:

• Browning Lake
• Whonnock Lake
• Elbow Lake
• Mike Lake
• Rolley Lake
• Deer Lake
• Mill Lake
• Green Timbers lake
• Como Lake
• Gardom Lake
• Lafarge Lake
• Buntzen Lake
• Sasamat Lake

To check the most updated list of locally stocked lakes visit www.fishingwithrod.com.

Click on the link for a detailed map of each lake, stocking report, and location - Freshwaters Fisheries Society of BC Fish Map.  You can also check the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC Facebook page for the most up-to-date information.

Interior Stillwater Report:

Peterhope Lake:  We spoke with Fred of Nicola Valley Outdoors today and he said that some guys have been pulling 28″-32″ out of PeterHope…not a lot, but even one hog like that is amazing!  Fred is predicting ant hatch the next time the temperatures hit 28deg in the merritt area so be sure to watch the temperatures so you can plan accordingly.  Fishing during the ant hatch can be fast and furious…but the next day or two may as well be spent on another lake or tying flies while the trout recover from gorging on this difficult to digest meal.

Englishman Lake: Nestled up in the Kane Valley, Englishman lake has provided many great memories over the years then it began to winterkill almost every 2nd year.

Nice 3lb bow on chrome chronie!

This year we were thrilled to see it did not winterkill.  This means that it has been 3 full years since the last winterkill.  1000catchables were released in here last friday and the fishing ranged from slow/medium to fast depending on which side of the weed island in the middle you were anchored by.  Chrome chronies with copper ribbing #16 were the choice that day or grey #14 shrimp either stripped in or dangled under an indicator.  Fish from 2-7lb are being caught here again!

Here is an account of John Kent’s recent fishing trip to the interior lakes of BC, enjoy!

Hey Bryce,

Was great to meet you and the other guys in the store last week. I left the Lower Mainland
on Thursday morning and travelled to Tunkwa Lake which was to be my homebase. After spending 9 years managing Tunkwa Lake Resort I had a fairly good idea where to expect to find early spring fish on Friday morning. I headed straight for the south tip of Bird Island which borders Farmer’s Bay (named for the Farmer Brothers’ cabin) and sure enough the bay was loaded with fish.

I started out fishing a bloodworm 5’ below the indicator in 6’ of water. Because of Tunkwa’s substrate the bottom 8-10” is dirtied up with sediment and visibility is almost nil.

Managed to fool many smaller trout that topped out at 16” with the most popular pattern being the Redback Chromie pictured above. After an hour of that I made a move to the north mouth of the island, a favourite springtime spot. Early June this spot is void of fish due to the heavy weed growth. Managed another 6 fish here over the next hour and it was time to move again.

I made my way to the north end of the lake and anchored up between Goose Island and “The Knoll”. Sometimes the Tunkwa residents are so keyed into a particular depth that you have to experiment a bit to find the optimum depth. Absolutely no response in 7’ of water so I went shallower and found fish suspended off the bottom in 5’ of water and that is where I would stay for the rest of the day. Managed several trout to 18” with a surface temp. of 61F and little did I know this would be the last sunny warm day of my trip. The pattern illustrated below was the hot pattern of the day.

The next day my fishing partner was in for a treat. I was taking him to a high elevation lake that has a special place in my heart. Not for large fish but as the lake where I taught my two stepsons to flyfish and then a couple years later they discovered girls and that was the end of flyfishing for them. No sense of priority! This lake does not get a lot of pressure as was evident by the 25 trees we had to cut on our way in. Arriving at the lake, it was cold, windy and overcast. The day was anticlimactic as we managed about a dozen fish between us with the largest tipping the scales at 3 lbs. But the next day we were going to Island Lake and the anticipation for larger fish was almost too much to take.

Saturday night the wind just howled and we noticed a lot of smoke over top of the hills to the west of Tunkwa. We wondered aloud if someone was burning slashpiles and what a bad idea that was considering the velocity of the wind. Sunday morning we headed for Island but got turned around before the turnoff due to a raging forest fire that we had seen evidence of the previous night. Apparently the fire grew from a controllable 250 ha. to 850 ha overnight.

On Monday our plan was to hit another high elevation lake, Norman, in the hills above Tunkwa but the strength of the south wind would make it difficult to fish the white marl shoals situated at the north end of the lake. Instead we opted for Morgan Lake as there was some protection to the south and it was a good choice.

An hour after we put our boats in the water the chronie hatch started in an area we call The Narrows, an area at the east end that narrows from the rest of the lake. We were anchored up in 19’ of water and it took a while but found the fish 4’ off the bottom. The strong hatch continued for 4 hours and between the two of us we landed 50+ fish to 22” on various different patterns. The pattern most successful for myself was the One Eyed Jack (photo to the right) and the Interior Special which I don’t have a photo of but is a light ginger with rust brown thorax.

I left for home 4 days early due to the inclement weather and during my nightly conversation with my wife she said it was warm and sunny at home so the next morning I headed home. This morning I went to Swan Lake AB. An hour from my house and arrival at the lake made me very excited. First of all, the boat launch was revamped so I didn’t have to carry my pram down the steep incline. Secondly of all, when I got out of the truck the sound that first came to my ears was deafening! There were 2-3000 Bonaparte Gulls on the lake which means one thing to me……monster chronie hatch!

The burgundy and gunmetal (Guns n’ Roses) was the hot pattern and has proven itself yet again. This pattern has been in my flybox for 7 years and it never ceases to impress me and is always one of the first few patterns to get tied on.

All in all, a fairly decent trip to meet up with some friends and associates who I only see once in a blue moon.

Regards,

John Kent

Andre’s Lower Kane Report!

Lower Kane Bow!

After a 2 year break I was feeling pretty rusty. The first day with no sleep and tired I hooked 13 of which 3 broke off and 2 of them bent my hook out!  I  got my confidence back despite the fact that I missed over 10 strikes as they were taking the chronomids really lightly. The water temp was only 52 Celsius and the weather was unsettled and cold down to freezing at night. The second day I changed my leaders and was ready for battle.  I started earlier than usual, after a slow morning and moving every ten minutes to find fish, I anchored at 17 ft, set my chronie at 15 ft. where the chronomids where starting to hatch.  Almost immediately the indicator disappeared in a flash and almost my rod as well, the fish came out of the water like a baby tarpon! This is when I have regularily broken off big fish before…but not this time!  After a few long runs I finally netted a LK Lunker which measured 29 inches and another one at 28 inches.

Chironomids in Lower Kane

I hooked another 7 or so and the wind died down early which is really unusual.  I am 100% sure there are 35 inch fish in this Lake!  I have hooked some monsters but have yet to land them. The hardest thing next to the fishing is to take pictures of yourself but I finally managed to get some and quickly released the fish to fight another line on another day!

Until next time,

Andre

Dragon Lake courtesy of Gordie M.

Gordie with a nice Dragon bow!

Arrived at Dragon Lake on the 16th and the Dragon is on fire! Was into 40+ fish today, some smaller fish, but lots of 4-5 lb fish. The indicator just kept sinking!!!  I’m dialed in now fishing at 17 ft with size 12 chromies tied with a blk wrap!  This fly has kicked some ass!

River Report:

The majority of rivers are now in full freshet and therefore not fishable due to very limited water clarity and high velocity river flows.  The one exception will be rivers that are dammed controlled, namely the Capilano River for early season coho salmon and the Stave River for whitefish and cutthroat trout.

The Pacific Angler staff have also noticed that the Cheakamus River level has dropped down significantly over the last 48 hrs.  While the water clarity will be questionable there should be a few bulltrout and maybe even resident rainbow trout hanging around.

A hungry bulltrout from previous seasons!

The river level at this time of year can fluctuate daily due to water being released from the rivers respective dams so make sure to check the water levels before you head out.

Saltwater Report:

The Vancouver tides are looking excellent for the weekend with a beautiful morning ebb tide and then a great afternoon flood tide.  If the weather cooperates it could be one of those epic weekends on the saltwater.

The fishing continues to be good to excellent off the S. Bowen on the “Hump” and also over at Gabriola and Nanaimo.  I was working on the new Gulfstream yesterday down at our dock in Coal Harbour and had the radio on all day.  There were definitely some fish getting caught on the Hump and over at Gabriola and Nanaimo, aka “the other side”.  There was a large pod of Orcas that came through on the other side mid-day and this seemed to slow things down a bit, as one would expect.  I finally finished working on the boats around 4:30pm and decided to take our new Gulfstream out for its maiden voyage!  I phoned my friend Josh and told him if he could make it down in 30 minutes he could come along.  He fought traffic, made it down and after we fueled up, away we went.

Josh with first chinook on the new Gulfstream!

The boat ran great, so we zipped out to the Hump and by 5:30 we had a nice 10 lb chinook in the box on our first tack!  Great way to break in the new boat!  We released an undersized shortly after that and then we got sealed on small chinook.  I was pretty happy with the action and the way the boat was fishing as I wasn’t expecting much on the flood tide.  Josh and I were just discussing what a nice night it was when the line popped off at 117 and a nice fish started taking some line.  Then it started really screaming and I knew we were sealed again.  This fish had some size to it so I decided to chase the seal down and get a look.  The seal was having a tough time as the fish was north of 20lbs.  We chased it around for awhile but eventually the line broke and the fish and gear were lost!

All in all a pretty active 3 hour session from 5:00 pm to 8:30 pm.  The best depths were from 83 to 117.  All but one of the fish came on hootchies, the Yamashita OG140R with a 32 inch leader.  The other fish came on a glow/green spoon with a 6 foot leader.  Flashers were chartreuse glow or double glow.

Eddie is out on the Hump today with clients, fishing the ebb tide, to the bottom of the ebb.  This has been the most productive tide for this area.

We are both out this long weekend, Sat, Sun, Mon, and will be at Thrasher and off the Hump.

The winds don’t look too bad so see you out there!

JT

Fishing Courses:  Due to overwhelming support and interest in our series of fishing courses here at Pacific Angler we have decided to add 2 more courses focusing on Fly-Fishing on local Beaches!  These courses are set up on back/back evenings.  Both these courses were added as we have a wait list for participants already…so do not miss out.  Call NOW to book!

Small chinook on the fly

Fly-Fishing on Beaches:This one night seminar will cover the basic principles needed in order to be an effective beach fly fishermen in British Columbia, such as gear, flies, tides, and other environmental conditions. Andre Stepanian will be the instructor for this course who has been chasing salmon and trout on our local beaches for over two decades. You will be sure to gain lots of valuable information to help you become a effective beach fly fishermen on this once a year seminar.

Date: Tuesday, June 25th from 6:30pm-9:30pm

Cost: $30pp

Tying Beach Fly Patterns: Join Pacific Angler for a night of tying flies specific to catching salmon on our coastal beaches. Without a doubt fly selection and the use of the right fly is one of the major keys to catching salmon on the beach. Your instructor will walk you through each fly step-by-step, as you follow. This course is suitable to fly tiers with a basic knowledge.Date: Wednesday, June 26th from 6:30pm-9:30pm

Cost: $30pp

Pacific Angler is proud to be your source for fishing education. Call Pacific Angler today, 604-872-2204, to book your spot. All classes have limited availability.

On behalf of the Pacific Angler staff we wish you the best in your fishing endeavors 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.

Jason, Matt, Dimitri, Andre, Dave, Eddie and Bryce

Outlook

Well, it is going to happen.  There is a fair chance that the warm weather that is forecasted for this weekend will set off the annual freshet.  Yes, the annual freshet typically marks the end of our local river fishing for steelhead, cutthroat trout, and char for the spring. However, as the rivers rise from the warmer days the lakes in the interior are icing off and turning-over.

River fishing for bulltrout and cutthrout trout has been good throughout the Fraser Valley and Sea-To-Sky Corridor has been good with reports of lots and lots of bait balls making their way down the rivers.  Long leaders and fry patterns have been the ticket for this fishery resulting in some very hard grabs.

A nice bulltrout taken to hand by a Pacific Angler customer.

We expect trout and char fishing to continue to be good throughout the weekend but we do think that the conditions will deteriorate by Sunday or Monday on most systems.  Prepare yourself for low water visibility and rising water.  The good news is that this can be some of the best fishing of the year as the predatory trout are feasting on fry migrating downstream as fast possible.

A nice cutthroat

Winter steelhead fishing is winding down and will pretty much be over by this weekend.  Frankly steelhead anglers are burnt out after a long, cold winter and are now looking forward to focusing on the interior lake fishery.

Photo by Dimitri.

The Pacific Angler staff have also started to hear reports from the interior.  Lake fishing is fully underway and you can only expect fishing to improve as we get further into May and June.

And lets not forget the local saltwater fishing.  This week has had some mix results with the strong northwest winds playing a factor.  Last Monday was better suited to surfing than trolling for salmon.  Although the winds calmed down Wednesday night and Thursday morning it looks like the weather man is still calling for strong north western winds.  When the winds have permitted “The Hump” has been producing some good sized chinook salmon.  We also received the first report of good fishing at “Thrasher Rock”.  Time to get your boat all cleaned up and ready to go for the May chinook fishery!

The Vancouver weather forecast is calling for sun and warm conditions over the weekend and into next week.  The daily high temperature will range from 18 to 23 degrees Celsius, while the daily low temperature will range from 6 to 11 degrees Celsius.  This spell of warmer weather is going to melt a lot of snow pack and raise the river levels.  I hate to say it but this could be the true start of the freshet, which would mark the beginning of the end for the winter steelhead fisheries.

The Merritt weather forecast is calling for sunny conditions over the weekend and well into next week.  The daily high temperatures will range from 21 to 29 degrees Celsius and the daily low temperatures will range from 3 to 11 degrees Celsius.  It is going to be an amazing weekend to be on the water in Merritt and Kamloops.

The marine forecast for the Strait of Georgia is calling for northwest winds over the weekend, ranging from 15 to 20 knots.  This will put a bit of a chop on the water, making things difficult on the ocean.  Make sure to check the latest marine forecast as conditions can change rapidly on the ocean.

To keep up-to-date with all things Pacific Angler and the local fishing scene check out Pacific Angler Facebook and on Twitter.  You will find our detailed river and saltwater reports below.  If you have any questions please do not hesitate to drop by our shop @ 78 East Broadway, Vancouver or give our friendly staff a call @ 604-872-2204.

Vancouver Stillwater Fishing Report: 

The following lakes have been stocked by the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC:

• Whonnock Lake
• Elbow Lake
• Mike Lake
• Rolley Lake
• Deer Lake
• Mill Lake
• Green Timbers lake
• Como Lake
• Gardom Lake
• Lafarge Lake
• Buntzen Lake
• Sasamat Lake

Fish Stocking: Go Fish BC posted on their FB page that the Clearwater Trout Hatchery is stocking Paul, Pinantan, Jacko, Logan 7 White in region 3 on May 1st and also has trucks going into region 5 for Kokanee and Rainbow releases all week at Chimney, Horse & Bridge Lakes.

To check the most updated list of locally stocked lakes visit www.fishingwithrod.com.

Click on the link for a detailed map of each lake, stocking report, and location - Freshwaters Fisheries Society of BC Fish Map.  You can also check the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC Facebook page for the most up-to-date information.

As always please feel free to get rigged up for the lake fishing season at our shop.  The friendly staff are excellent at explaining not only what gear you need but how to use it!

Interior Stillwater Report: 

Interior Lakes Ice-Free as of May 2nd:

• Peterhope
• Pass
• Jacko
• Roche
• Edith
• Courtney
• Stump
• Kane Valley

Winter Kill:  Brian Chan reported that there was some winterkill on Pass Lake this year.

Why Bathymetric maps give you an edge: When preparing for your lake trips this year I strongly recommend using bathymetric maps to help prepare you.  These maps will give you a visual of the contours of a lake, the depths, drop-offs and other information that can help you select great starting places on a lake you have not fished before.  The link to downloading these maps is here: http://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/fidq/bathyMapSelect.do

Example of a Bathymetric Map for Stump Lake

You simply input the name of the lake you are targeting or the region to see if there is a bathymetric map available for your lake.  I print these off and keep them with me when heading to new lakes!

Brian Chan was talking to Jason on thursday and gave this report:

Kane Valley lakes are all ice-free.  Kid Lake has been good. Stump is done turning, is clear and could be good if not too windy.  Roche is still dirty and will be 4-5 days at least before it clears. It has been super windy so that has caused lakes to turn and stay dirty. They haven’t had two days of warm weather in a row. He said it will all change this weekend with the nice forecast and it should get good!

Our friend Fraser was driving up to the Kane Valley on Tuesday this week and was suprised by old man winters last breath of 6″ of fresh snow in Merritt.  Fraser reported slower fishing in Lower Kane but Englishman provided some good fishing on some red/black chromie chironomids he had picked up at Pacific Angler prior to heading out fishing.

Nice Rainbow from Englishman courtesy of Fraser Adams

Water temps on Courtney were 48-50deg on Wed and a few fish were caught in the 6-10ft of water on chronies.

Princeton: In the Princeton area there are no reports of lakes being ice-free above 3800ft.  Pike Mtn has had good reports and we heard people did well on Kump last week.  Osprey Lake has also been fishing well with trout in the 1-3lb range.

For a Laugh: The Chironomid Shuffle, Courtesy of www.flyguys.net  I swear, some of those chromies are in sync with the beat! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsjR9hn9ZN8

Remember to follow the popular posts/forums on http://flyguys.net/, http://www.flyfishbc.com/forums/content/ for additional lake conditions & reports.

BC Brothers Stillwater Report:

The notorious month of  May is here as well as the heat now. The interior Kamloops/Merritt region will be seeing some serious weather this weekend and into the following week. Turn over will be accelerated faster than the slow and steady pace with moderate weather.  Lundbom, Roche,  Peterhope, Sheridan, and most lakes around that 3400ft elevation level should be going through or just finishing turn over.

Stump, Jacko, Morgan, White and all other lakes that have had a few weeks of ice off, will be in good shape for stillwater chronimid fishing in regular depths.

Try different chronimids like darker and lighter ones if you’re starting on a new  lake you don’t know too much about. Vary your depths and don’t be afraid to get up and move spots. Look for popping (surfacing) chronies. Take note of their colour and match them to as close as you can.

Also, if you haven’t invested in rod holders for your rig, do it! It would be a shame to lose your tools and I’ve seen it happen.

Kidd Lake was fishing slow yesterday, as it usually does. Water temp was 48′ and chronies were slow to come off. We’ll be up in Merritt this weekend to get a better idea of what’s going on and have an up to date report.

Good luck and don’t take your eye off the indicator..

Jay & Der

P.S. Call the guys at Pacific Angler and book one our Guided Stillwater Trips!  There is nothing better than being coached and learning AS YOU hook up on the lakes!  Here are the details to get you excited!

BC Brothers Guided Lake Fishing 2013!

To view full BC Brothers Guided Lake Fishing 2013 details in our blog click here:  http://pacificangler.ca/blog/bc-stillwater-guided-fishing-spring-2013/

Vancouver River Fishing Report:

Squamish/Cheakamus Rivers – With the high temperatures coming this weekend the squamish will potentially blow out with spring freshet.  The cheakamus, being dam controlled will likely rise, but still be fishable.  Go online to the BC Hydro Graph for water levels before you go.  Here is the link that lists all the stations you can view: http://www.wateroffice.ec.gc.ca/text_search/search_e.html?search_by=p&region=BC

Capilano River – Waiting for the coho!

Seymour River –  No reports available

Fraser River –  Freshet is in full swing on the Fraser as of the posting of this report.  You may be able to find some cutties in the lower tributaries where you will find these aggressive trout hammering any salmon fry they can find.  Reports have been good on sturgeon fishing and if this is of interest to you, we have the gear and can also set you up on a guided Sturgeon expedition!

Chilliwack/Vedder River – 

The river is still in prime condition, and there are fresh fish moving in. We are looking at about a weeks worth of hot weather coming up and this will most likely raise the river and put it into freshet. The river is fly fishing only as of May 1^st, from the vedder crossing bridge to the highway 1 bridge. With the warm spring conditions, and higher water temperatures lighter sinktips and un-weighted flies are a great option. The fish are active and willing to chase and grab at a variety of different bugs. Fish with confidence, and cover water, the rewards are there to be had.

Dimitri continues to tag the Steel

Chehalis River – The river is closed to fishing from May 1^st to 31^st.

Stave River – I have heard of few reports from customers that there is still cutthroat slashing fry.  It is still worth while check out the Stave River as levels don’t fluctuate that much, due to the dam. There is also whitefish that are fun to fish for if you are willing to practice your dry fly fishing.  Use tiny midges or mayflies and a very light tippet and you will have your 3 weight bent with some of the larger fish.  Again make sure to only park on the east side were permitted.

Harrison River – The river is rising steadily and will continue as this weekend the temperatures are above 20 degrees Celsius.  The water level is right up to the banks of the river which makes for hard wading to get to your usual spots. There is a chance to fish at Kilby Park area still but you will have to hope that the fish are there.

If you are willing to drive to Harrison Hot Springs and launch your boat from there you might find Cutthroat on the beach or in the bays.  There is still a lot of fry to be had by these fish so don’t hang up you light fly rods yet.

Skagit River - CLOSED

Vancouver Saltwater Report:  

Well, it is May and that means one thing.  The spring chinook are here and it is time to get out in your boat or book a Vancouver salmon charter for some of the best chinook fishing of the year!  The sunny days bring on the NW winds that can be annoying when trying to get out to S. Bowen or Gabriola, but those who have made it out have been getting into some fish. Many of you have seen or heard of the 31lb slab caught on Soloway in the back end of April, off the Hump.  We also heard reports yesterday of a fish of similar size somewhere over at Gabriola, so there are some pretty big slabs out there right now which of course adds to the allure of Vancouvers local salmon fishing!

The chinook salmon fishing at the Hump off S. Bowen has been decent of late.  The best depths seem to be in the 80-110 range with some chinook being taken as shallow as 60 and as deep as 160, but most around 100-110.  The algae bloom is in full force and the heat we are going to get this weekend will get the Fraser River freshet going.  So expect the water colour to be dirty in our local waters.  That means glow flashers, glow teaser heads, and glow spoons will all be working well.  We have good stock on all the top glow flashers, including double glow flashers, a huge selection of glow teaser heads, and of course all the top glow spoons like Irish Cream, Glow/Green, Yellow Tail, and Homeland Security.  We also have good stock on anchovies right now, including some nice 5.5 inch ones.  Some of the nicer ones I have seen in awhile.

The North Shore Fish and Game Club Derby is this weekend so if you want to enter give Derek Hardy a call at 604-444-9117.  This is a great event with some awesome prizes and lots of good company.  Unfortunately I am out of town this weekend so I won’t be able to enter, Eddie is guiding all weekend on the Salty Dawg so he won’t be able to enter either.  Hopefully the winds won’t be too strong and some nice chinook get caught.  Last year the fishing was excellent!

I was out last Saturday and the wind was brutal and the pursuit of a good chinook was tough.  A sharp contrast from the fishing I enjoyed a few weeks before.  We had to hide in behind Bowen for a little while but we did manage to spend a fair amount of time on the Hump but were unable to find any fish.  A few other boats were out that day and the odd fish was taken but it was a little slow.  Eddie has been out a few times this week and has found a few chinook at the depths and lures mentioned earlier.

Things seem to be picking up over at Gabriola right on schedule.  There have been chinook taken offshore in 800-1000 feet of water and 120-180 on the downriggers.  The usual hootchies and spoons are working; Irish Cream, Glow/Green, Yellow Tail, Night Rider, Kitchen Sink, Homeland Security for spoons with a 6 foot leader to your flasher and for hootchies, the glow green or glow blue spatter back are working well with a 30-34 inch leader to  your flasher.

Eddie will be guiding on the Hump this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and I am out of town for a week so I won’t be heading to Thrasher, but can’t wait to go there when I get back!  Our days are filling up fast for this exciting fishery so if you want to book a day over at Thrasher Rock on Gabriola Island, for some of the best chinook fishing of the year, you should give us a call right now!  You can view all of our rates and salmon charter options at our Vancouver Salmon Fishing Charter website:  www.vancouversalmonfishing.ca

See you on the water,

Jason & Eddie,

On behalf of the Pacific Angler staff we wish you the best in your fishing endeavors 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.

Jason, Matt, Dimitri, Andre, Dave, Eddie and Bryce

INTRODUCING PA’s NEWEST TEAM MEMBER

We want to take this opportunity to introduce a new member to the PA team.  Bryce Franks is in the process of taking over the reins from Dave as the PA Marketing & Operations Mgr. His passion for fly-fishing has taken him all over BC’s rivers, beaches and lakes and he has fished Belize for bonefish, tarpon and permit, Boston for stripers and Florida for bones and redfish. We are thrilled to add Bryce to the team and welcome you to come in, say hello and see what tips and secrets you can share with Bryce.

Now that we got Bryce out of the way…on to the important information!

Outlook

**Pacific Angler will close at 5pm on Saturday, April 27th so we can attend and support the King Fisher Banquet who in turn supports many convservation projects around BC**

End of April is here and we are finally experiencing some true Vancouver spring time weather.  The arrival of those sunny patio days means that the transition from our local river fishing to the interior lake fishing is upon us while the saltchuck is picking up momentum.  This time of year is great for the ADD fisherman as the choices or limitless on where to wet a line and land a slab.  The staff do not expect the rivers to hold up much longer particularly with the warmer weather on the way.  However, having said that we have received some good steelhead reports over the last week.  While we are on the brink of the freshet you can have some of your best days steelhead fishing, particularly on the fly.

The local Salt scene has been great if you hit the right tide and we hold high expectations in the 5-10days ahead especially for chinooks around Thrasher Rock. There was a 31lb chinook landed this past wednesday at the Hump!  The marine forecast for the this weekend is calling for S, SE and NW winds ranging from 15-20knots.   Make sure to check the latest marine forecast as conditions can change rapidly on the ocean.

Ready for lake fishing?  We are very close to getting into full gear!  The long-distance weather report for the Merritt/Nicola is fantastic…if (big if) the forecast holds true the temps in this area will dip a bit around April 28-29th but on May 1 the temperatures will stabilize with low’s of 5deg to highs of 14-20deg seeing mostly sun mixed in with an average isolated POP of 30-40%.

The river systems will be fishable for another 10-14days before the warmer temperatures catch up and freshet begins ending another season of great river fishing!

To keep up-to-date with all things Pacific Angler and the local fishing scene check out Pacific Angler Facebook and on Twitter.  You will find our detailed river and saltwater reports below.  If you have any questions please do not hesitate to drop by our shop @ 78 East Broadway, Vancouver or give our friendly staff a call @ 604-872-2204.

Vancouver Stillwater Fishing Report: 

The following lakes have been stocked by the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC:

• Whonnock Lake
• Elbow Lake
• Mike Lake
• Rolley Lake
• Deer Lake
• Mill Lake
• Green Timbers lake
• Como Lake
• Gardom Lake
• Lafarge Lake
• Buntzen Lake
• Sasamat Lake

To check the most updated list of locally stocked lakes visit www.fishingwithrod.com.

Click on the link for a detailed map of each lake, stocking report, and location - Freshwaters Fisheries Society of BC Fish Map.  You can also check the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC Facebook page for the most up-to-date information.

As always please feel free to get rigged up for the lake fishing season at our shop.  The friendly staff are excellent at explaining not only what gear you need but how to use it!

Interior Stillwater Report: 

Bryce fished Marquart on April 17th and saw the fisheries truck drive to Lundbom to do the stocking.  Even with Marquart 75% covered in ice, Bryce managed to hook several fish on microleeches and shrimp.  The takes were on the active twitch or strip. Lundbom and Marquart are fully ice free as of April 23rd.

Kane Valley lakes (elevation 1100m) should all be ice-free and fishable by May 1-3rd.  Courtney lake has been fishing great (use chromies) with some double digit days being had and fish in the 6-8lb range to the hand!  Fred at Nicola Valley Outdoors is a great person to check in with before your trip for last minute updates on the fishing.  Come in to PA and get stocked up on tippets, new lines, flies and anything else you may need!

Remember to follow the popular posts/forums on http://flyguys.net/, http://www.flyfishbc.com/forums/content/ for additional lake conditions.

Interior Lakes Ice-Free as of April 26th:

• Peterhope
• Pass
• Jacko
• Roche
• Edith
• Courtney
• Stump

We will keep you tuned on when lakes come free to help you plan your trips accordingly.

These interior lakes have been stocked by the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC:

• Lundbom – April 17
• Salmon – April 17
• Jacko – April 11
• Morgan – April 11

BC Brothers Stillwater Report:

Harmon Lake as of April 24th

Vancouver River Fishing Report:

Squamish/Cheakamus Rivers –

We have been out on the river lots over the last 2 weeks with good results. The river has been fluctuating from medium to low with combination of melt and rainfall. We have had difficulty with the combination of clear water and bright Sun. This has put the fish “down” in the middle of the day but before and after the peak sun hours we have been hooking fish.

We think the saving grace for the bull trout and rainbow fishery has been a new bump of fry coming the down the river. You will find that the chum fry are quite large now (2-3inch) but a wave of smaller fry hit the river late last week and are coming down in good numbers. They seem to be coho fry and are in the 1inch range. 

Steelhead - we have hooked a number of fish in the last few days while guiding. Last week we had some slower reports from the lower river but we are hearing of fish being caught from the low end all the way up.  Matt’s tip? Get out on the water -  There are probably only a few weeks left!

Capilano River – The river has been relatively low for a past few days but there have been some steelhead reports.  We have heard whisperings of the first coho showing up in the hatchery but there are no numbers to report yet. The fishing should pick for coho over the next month. We will be keeping a close eye on the river so watch for the reports. When the fish show up we will post a detailed report.

Seymour River –  We haven’t heard anything from the Seymour but there are fish in the system and as the heat picks up there should be some aggressive fish.

Fraser River – Freshet has started so the main stem of the this mighty beast is coloring up and slowing down fishing.  Look for side channels and sloughs for cutties.  Sturgeon fishing has been on and off but should start to heat up as the Eulachons are beginning their migration into the system and sturgeon love them!  We have heard of people having success using spinners and spoons with the Dollies so this is another good opportunity in this system.

Chilliwack/Vedder River – The full moon and good water flow has definitely brought in some final chromers for the season. Fishing was good for a couple days and should be good for the last few days of the season.

As of May 1^st, the Chilliwack/Vedder system turns into a fly fishing only river from the Chilliwack/Vedder Crossing bridge to the mouth. The river is in great shape, but the fish are a little wary. Clear water requires us to tone down our presentations. Think of baits the size of a nickel or quarter.

Dropping flows also means there is a need to scale down your terminal tackle. Smaller floats, split shot or small pieces of pencil lead, black hooks and lighter leaders were the key to success. There are lots of fish around now, its just a matter of getting them to bite. Small roe bags, pieces of natural roe, deli shrimp, Jensen eggs and small dick nite spoons are all great options.

Chehalis River –  There hasn’t been much to report on for the Chehalis. The river closes May 1^st. There is a lack of anglers due to the lack of fish. The fish that are in the system are taking refuge in the canyon. Brave anglers will tempt its depths and sheer faces to catch these secluded fish. With steelhead season winding down, the cutthroat fishing has been another fishery that guys are starting to target.

Stave River – It is worth checking the river for cutthroat accessing by foot or coming into the river by boat as the levels and clarity always almost consistent. I checked the river out last week as I was driving back from the Harrison and there were a couple of fisherman on the island who used inflatables rafts. Park on river right and you can access the back channels also.

Harrison River – The river is a little bit high to walk along the shore. The graph is showing that it is dropping but the lower part of the river is now starting to flood as the Fraser river rises. There is still cutthroat around and the water although high it still remains clear. Lots of coho fry near the shore and getting pretty big. If you have a boat you can cruise around until you see rises and cast to them. With the high temperatures this week you can be sure that there will be lots of hatches so take your dry flies with you.It is getting close to the end of the season for cutthroat so get out there if you have a chance to catch a few of these beautiful fish.If you are at Kilby park walk to the right until you get to the logs, you might find them there.

Skagit River - CLOSED

Vancouver Saltwater Report:  

Guests from the Pacific Angler Salmon Course with a good haul.

On behalf of the Pacific Angler staff we wish you the best in your fishing endeavors 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.

Jason, Matt, Dimitri, Andre, Dave, Eddie and Bryce

Outlook: 

The Vancouver fisheries have been solid over the past week.  Living on the west coast we are in no short supply of fishing opportunities.  You have the choice of river fishing for steelhead, trout, char or sturgeon, saltwater fishing for winter chinook salmon, crabbing and prawning, or lake fishing for kokanee or trout.  In April you can expect all of these fisheries to be fairly productive.

The winter steelhead fishing is still going strong and should remain to be productive over the next two weeks when the freshet occurs.

A chrome steelhead taken to hand by Dimitri.

Fly fishing has been good for cutthroat trout and char as well with the warmer water temperatures and the abundance of fry.  Due to the cooler weather we had this past week the river levels have dropped back down nicely, making for great fishing conditions.

A beautiful cutthroat trout taken on the fly.

The ocean fishing really turned around this past weekend.  Jason was out teaching the Pacific Angler Mastering Local Saltwater Fishing course and was able to hook into several large winter chinook salmon over at the Hump.  Jason was pretty excited to say the least!

The lake fishing scene locally has also been good.  Our locally stocked lakes should continue to be good until the beginning of June, depending on when each lake was stocked.  These lakes are a great place to take the family or friends new to the sport of fishing.

Lake fishing in the interior has also been pickup up with lakes icing off every week. It’s going to be an awesome lake fishing season.

The Vancouver weather forecast is calling for a mixture of rain, sun and cloud today, rain and cloud on Saturday and then sunny conditions on Sunday.  You can expect up to 10 mm of precipitation.  However, the weekend and going into the next week is looking dry.

The marine forecast for the Strait of Georgia for the weekend is calling for northwest winds ranging from 10 to 20 knots.  Make sure to check the latest marine forecast as conditions can change rapidly on the ocean.

To keep up-to-date with all things Pacific Angler and the local fishing scene check out Pacific Angler Facebook and on Twitter.  You will find our detailed river and saltwater reports below.  If you have any questions please do not hesitate to drop by our shop @ 78 East Broadway, Vancouver or give our friendly staff a call @ 604-872-2204.

Vancouver Stillwater Fishing Report: 

The following lakes have been stocked by the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC:

• Whonnock Lake
• Elbow Lake
• Mike Lake
• Rolley Lake
• Deer Lake
• Mill Lake
• Green Timbers lake
• Como Lake
• Gardom Lake
• Lafarge Lake
• Buntzen Lake
• Sasamat Lake

To check the most updated list of locally stocked lakes visit www.fishingwithrod.com.

Click on the link for a detailed map of each lake, stocking report, and location - Freshwaters Fisheries Society of BC Fish Map.  You can also check the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC Facebook page for the most up-to-date information.

As always please feel free to get rigged up for the lake fishing season at our shop.  The friendly staff are excellent at explaining not only what gear you need but how to use it!

Interior Stillwater Report: 

Spring temperatures are getting closer to where we want them and the ice on the lakes is receding.  Lakes around the 3,500 foot elevation are on their way. Stump, Six Mile, & White Lakes should be turned over.  Jacko, Courtney and Lundbom Lakes are all fishable. Peterhope, Dragon, Harmon and the Kane Lakes (which had 20 feet around the edges off) will all be fishable next week.

I’ve been fishing most patterns under an indicator between 3 to12 feet just off the bottom.  This allows hungry trout to grab on. Soft takes are common due to energy level and water temperature just after ice off.

Look for murky water and floating pieces of bottom to give you indicators of the lake going through “Turnover”. If so, find a lake in another elevation to key in on until that lake has finished balancing its oxygen levels.

We hooked some fish on Courtney Lake this past week.  Dragonfly nymphs, chironomids and black & maroon leeches worked well in 6 feet of water.

Good luck,

Jay and Der

Vancouver River Fishing Report:

Squamish/Cheakamus Rivers – Over the past two weeks the Squamish Valley has seen some unstable water levels.  However, the river has been in good shape over the last 5 days.  The Pacific Angler staff have heard reports of anglers doing well for bulltrout and rainbow trout with fry patterns and sculpin patterns.  This is the time of year where you can also expect to catch a steelhead on a fry pattern.

Steelhead will be distributed throughout the entire river system at this time of year.  So where you fish will be a choice of personal preference.  If you are targeting steelhead make sure to have a good selection of flies in the medium sized range in orange, pink and black and blue.  Anglers often favour the all white fly as well.  This is a great colour for steelhead and big bull trout.

- Dave Fauquier

Capilano River – The Pacific Angler staff have heard of the odd steelhead being caught float fishing the Capilano River.  This is a great time of year to fish the “Cap” before or after work as there are no crowds, you have a chance of hooking into a steelhead, and it gives you the opportunity to learn the river for when the coho start entering the river at the end of May and beginning of June.

Float fishermen do best on the “Cap” with the usual lures (ie. pink worms, gooey bobs, single eggs, etc.).  Remember that all steelhead, wild and hatchery, must be released.

- Dave Fauquier

Seymour River – Similiar to the “Cap”, this is a great river to go for a walk before or after work to decompress, make a few casts, and maybe hook into a chrome steelhead.  After all, sometimes it just feels good to get your line wet.

The Seymour River is more fly fishing friendly with some nice pools in the mid-section.  I will often fish the mid-river if I can only manage a half day on the weekend.  By the end of the fishing session my brain is recharged and ready for another work week.

- Dave Fauquier

Fraser River – The Fraser continues to have good to great sturgeon fishing with lots of fish being caught in the lower river from Mission down on eulachons.  There has also been some good fishing around Chilliwack on eulachons and lamprey.  The fish have been feeding pretty heavily on eulachons so we would recommend this as your first choice of bait.  Steve Kaye has been getting fish over 6 feet on most trips, pretty much every day!  This is great time to go sturgeon fishing if you haven’t tried it before.  These fish pull hard and rip line off your reel and come flying out of the water!  Nothing like seeing a 6 foot sturgeon come leaping completely out of the water!  If you are interested in doing a trip give us a call at the shop.

We have heard of very few cutthroat reports from the Fraser itself as most of the cutthroat anglers have been hitting the Harrison and Stave.  We probably have 2-3 weeks before the river really starts to rise as the warm weather sets in and the river rises up and enters freshet, so get out there now if you are thinking of fishing for cutthroat.  The salmon fry are out in full force so most of the sloughs and side channels should be fishing well right now.  We have lots of Andre’s epoxy fry in stock and he has being doing very well on his guided jet boat and walk and wade cutthroat trips.

- Jason Tonelli

Chilliwack/Vedder River – A dropping and clearing river leaves us with one piece of the puzzle, the fish. We are in the last 2 weeks of the season, and most of the fish to come in the river this year have arrived. There will be small pushes of fish right into the first bit of May.

From top to bottom, the entire Chilliwack/Vedder River has fish throughout. As mentioned in all our prior reports, covering as much water as possible and giving the fish the opportunity to taste test a few different baits is usually the ticket to catching steelhead. Clear water requires us to tone down our presentations. Think of baits the size of a nickel or quarter. Dropping flows also means there is a need to scale down your terminal tackle. Smaller floats, split shot or small pieces of pencil lead, black hooks and lighter leaders. There are lots of fish around now, its just a matter of getting them to bite.

- Dimitri Roussanidis

Chehalis River – There hasn’t been much to report on for the Chehalis. The river seems like a barren wasteland most days. There is a lack of anglers due to the lack of fish. The fish that are in the system are taking refuge in the canyon. Brave anglers will tempt its depths and sheer faces to catch these secluded fish. Remember to always let someone know where you are going, when you will be back, and if not, where they might find you. We are all out there to have fun and get away, but be safe doing so.

- Dimitri Roussanidis

Stave River – The river looks great but due to the limited access and parking I have not been able to explore nor have heard any reports from others.  If you like to drift down or come up with a boat into the river you might have a great fishing day with less fishing pressure due to limited access. This a great river to fish as it always stays clear and fishable when other rivers go into freshet.

- Andre Stepanian

Harrison River – With the rain last week the Harrison river came up and made fishing of the banks very limited.  Now that the river level is dropping it is an excellent time to get out there and try cutthroat fishing.  The fish are starting to migrate downwards with the salmon fry to the Fraser River so concentrate more on the lower section of the river.

This is a great time as well to practice your dry fly fishing with the March browns.  They will be hatching more frequently now so make sure to have a few in your fly box.  Cutthroat trout can get picky now so try to change your fry patterns until you find the one that works at that time.  Cutthroat usually show themselves so if you don’t see any surface activity keep walking and covering more water until you see them.

- Andre Stepanian

Skagit River - CLOSED

Vancouver Saltwater Report:  

There has been some decent chinook fishing this week, with some excellent fishing last weekend.  Most of the action has been off S Bowen on what is known as the Hump.  This fishery has lived up to its typical random nature as some boats were fortunate enough to find fish while others had little to no action.  This is a large open water fishery so it is pretty easy to not get on top of fish, only to have a boat in the same general area do much better.

Saturday and Sunday were our lucky days as we had charters on both days and were fortunate enough to find some fish.  On Saturday we put 4 fish in the boat, a 20, 18, 17 and a 12 lbers, and lost 2 others.  All the fish were marbled chinook and all were taken rather deep at 143 to 163 on the riggers in around 500-575 feet of water off the Hump.  The most consistent producing gear was a glow or double glow flasher in green or chartreuse blade, a 6 foot leader to a Glow/Green or Irish Cream spoon, or a glow green/chartreuse teaser head and 5.5 inch anchovy.  All the fish were examined at the cleaning table and all had herring in their stomach.  Mostly a few 4-5 inch herring, although one of the fish had 13 herring of about 3-4 inches each in its stomach!  So these are aggressively feeding fish, the key is finding them and figuring out the depth.

Jason Tonelli with a good catch of winter chinook salmon.

Sunday was a similar story with 7 hook ups and 4 fish hitting the boat deck.  The fish were smaller for us on Sunday, around 10-13 pounds.  Two were marbled springs and two were red springs that were hatchery.  The same depths seemed to work well, our shallowest fish was 127 but most of the fish were 140-160.  The glow theme continued, glow flashers, spoons, teaser heads.

We were back out again on Tuesday, first thing in the morning and fished until 11:00 am and got skunked.  We trolled for about 4 hours and not a bite through the high slack which was around 9 am.  We did get some reports that the fishing picked up on the ebb tide.  The Seastar was out in the afternoon and put two nice chinook in the boat and a fiend of Preston put 3 in his boat.  It seems as though the ebb tide is producing right now for this fishery.

We expect there to be good fishing here for about the next 3-4 weeks and we are hearing whispers of some fish over on the “other side” from Nanaimo down to Gabriola, although we haven’t been over there ourselves.

Eddie is out on Saturday for a charter and he will be heading out to S. Bowen/Hump area.  I will probably be back out mid week for some charters and some personal fishing and then back out for charters again on the 27th and 28th.

We have all the items discussed in today’s report in stock.  If you would like to book a charter, please give us a call at the shop and you can book a day with Eddie or Jason.

- Jason Tonelli

On behalf of the Pacific Angler staff we wish you the best in your fishing endeavors 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.

Jason, Matt, Dimitri, Andre, Dave, and Eddie

Outlook: 

Well, we are into the final long haul of the steelhead season.  At least that is what it can feel like for a lot of steelhead anglers after a long January, February and March of slogging it out in the cold, hoping for that float to go down or your line to pull tight against your fly rod. While some anglers are suffering from steelhead burnout, others are anticipating some of the best fishing of the year over the next two to three weeks.

The key over the next few weeks for steelhead and cutthroat anglers will be to keep your eye on the river levels.  This past two weeks the rivers have been going up and down like a yo-yo.  If you have a flexible schedule try to get out on the river during a drop in the river level.  If you do not have a flexible schedule then make sure to adapt your outfit to the conditions.  Having the ability to do this will make the difference between hooking up and not hooking up.

A beautifully chrome steelhead taken by Dimitri on a pink worm.

The local saltwater fishing scene is starting to perk up.  The staff at the shop have heard a few reports of anglers catching some nice winter chinooks within the Vancouver Harbour and Howe Sound.  Our saltwater guides expect the first good waves of winter chinook salmon to start coming through the Vancouver Harbour and Howe Sound area over the next two weeks.  Crabbing and prawning has been good and will continue to be good until the commercial fishery opens later in the year.  This is a great side activity to trolling for salmon and very tasty.

The local lake fishing has continued to be good, especially on those sunny west coast days.  The Pacific Angler staff also expect the lake fishing in the interior to pickup as well for pre and post turn-over lakes.

It definitely seems like the lake fishing season is off to an early start.  The weather forecast in Merritt is calling for daily low temperatures above zero and highs up to 16 degrees Celsius.  This means that the ice should be melting at a good rate.

The Vancouver weather forecast is calling for rain and cloudy conditions on Friday and Saturday and then sun and clouds on Sunday and into the following week.  You can expect the daily high temperature to range from 8 to 14 degrees Celsius while the daily low temperature will range from 4 to 6 degrees Celsius.  This means that the rivers will likely receive small bumps in the water level throughout the day from snowmelt.  Overall, though these are good conditions for steelhead fishing and is what we can expect for the next three weeks until the freshet begins.

The marine forecast for the Strait of Georgia is currently calling for southeast winds on Saturday and then turning to northwest winds Saturday afternoon and for Sunday.  Currently there is a strong wind warning in effect.  Make sure to check the most recent marine forecast and conditions can change rapidly on the ocean.  Typically, northwest winds are the worst for saltwater anglers as these winds push up big white-caps within the harbour and make it dangerous to cross over the Strait of Georgia.

To keep up-to-date with all things Pacific Angler and the local fishing scene check out Pacific Angler Facebook and on Twitter.  You will find our detailed river and saltwater reports below.  If you have any questions please do not hesitate to drop by our shop @ 78 East Broadway, Vancouver or give our friendly staff a call @ 604-872-2204.

Vancouver Stillwater Fishing Report: 

The following lakes have been stocked by the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC:

• Gardom Lake
• Lafarge Lake
• Como Lake
• Rice Lake
• Green Timbers Lake
• Mill Lake
• Mike Lake
• Rolley Lake
• Buntzen Lake
• Sasamat Lake

Since out last report Gardom Lake has been stocked and Pat, Morgan and Kilpoola Lakes should have been stocked by the end of this week.

Click on the link for a detailed map of each lake, stocking report, and location - Freshwaters Fisheries Society of BC Fish Map.  You can also check the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC Facebook page for the most up-to-date information.

As always please feel free to get rigged up for the lake fishing season at our shop.  The friendly staff are excellent at explaining not only what gear you need but how to use it!

Interior Stillwater Report: 

Vancouver River Fishing Report:

Squamish/Cheakamus Rivers – The Squamish and Cheakamus River levels have been up and down like a yo-yo over the past week or so.  A combination of unusually warm weather and some heavy precipitation have brought up the water levels, which in hindsight was a great thing as the river was fishing low all winter.

We are now getting consistent reports of bull trout taking fry patterns off the surface with a floating line.  This is an exciting fishery, as the fish really stack-up in certain holes, making for a fun day.

The staff are also getting the odd steelhead report throughout the entire system, although as typical the Cheakamus River is the more productive system for steelhead.  For gear fishermen the mighty pink worm has been producing as well as the gooey bob.  For fly fishermen swinging flies, unweighted or slightly weight intruders in pink, orange and black and blue can be effective.

For this time of year it is simply a matter of getting out and getting good river time.  The days are nice and long.  Make sure to take advantage of the first and particularly last light conditions as this is when the fishing can really turn on.

The Steelhead Society of BC will be hosting a river cleanup in the Squamish Valley on Sunday April 21st.  This is a great event and worthy cause, particularly if you enjoy fishing in this amazing valley.  For all of the details click on the link – SSBC Squamish River Cleanup.

- Dave Fauquier

Capilano River – the Pacific Angler staff have heard of the odd steelhead being caught on Capilano River.  There won’t be much happening on this river until the spring coho start coming through at the end of May and beginning of June.  So stay tuned!

Remember that all steelhead, hatchery and wild, must be released.

- Dave Fauquier

Seymour River – The Seymour River blew out this past Tuesday so it might be worth to swing a fly or drift a float through your favourite holes.  This river sees a very minimal return of winter run steelhead so do not have high expectations.  Enjoy the fact that you can swing a fly within a 20 minute drive of downtown Vancouver and if you get a chrome fish, it’s just a bonus!

- Dave Fauquier

Fraser River – As the Fraser River has been coming up every day, the sturgeon have been getting more and more active.  Sturgeon fishing has been good to excellent this month.  The warmer water temperatures have made these fish more active and put them on the feed.  Anglers are using lampreys as well as oolichans.  Fish can be caught through out the Fraser Valley, but favourite spots are around Chilliwack at Island 22 and Mission, around the Stave River outflow.

As usual we haven’t heard much from the cutthroat anglers on the Fraser Valley but due to limited water visibility I would hazard a guess that the cutthroat fishing is coming to an end. Maybe if we get a little cold snap the Fraser River will clean up a little but it is looking doubtful at this point.

- Dave Fauquier

Chilliwack/Vedder River – High water has plagued us this last week, and the river continues to flow high. However, with rain and high water will come fresh fish.

Dimitri with a nice steelhead.

From top to bottom, the entire Chilliwack/Vedder River has fish throughout. As mentioned in all our prior reports, covering as much water as possible and giving the fish the opportunity to taste test a few different baits is usually the ticket to catching steelhead. Higher water required larger presentations.  Think of baits the size of a loonie, rather than dime sized. High water also allows the angler to get away with larger terminal tackle in order to land the fish in the increased flows.

- Dimitri Roussanidis

Chehalis River – Unfortunately there haven’t been many fish showing up in Chehalis this last half of the season. But that shouldn’t stop anyone from going. It still has the 2^nd largest run of winter steelhead in the lower mainland, and in years past the last two weeks of April have been very productive.

With a large canyon, the fish are generally targeted better with a gear rod, where the more meandering lower river fishes much better with a fly rod. As there has been little to no rain this week you can expect the conditions to be fairly low and clear. The warmer weather should raise the river with some welcomed snow melt. This bump in the water level will bring in the last few steelhead for the remainder of the season.

- Dimitri Roussanidis

Stave River – the staff at Pacific Angler have not heard of any recent reports on the Stave River.  However, a couple of weeks ago we heard that this river was on fire.  You can expect to have a chance of good cutthroat trout fishing using fry patterns at this time of year as well as the odd steelhead.  The stretch of water is very short, so if you have a slow day on the Chilliwack or Harrison Rivers it is always worth a try to check out the Stave River.  You never know what you are going to get.

- Dave Fauquier

Harrison River – The Harrison River is high and just about at it’s bankful width.  This is unfortunate as the Harrison River usually fishes well for cutthroat trout until mid-April.

A nice cutthroat trout taken on the fly.

If we get a cold/dry spell over the next few days the river level may drop back down making it fishable.  But if we do not it won’t be until the coho season in the fall until this system is fishable again.

- Dave Fauquier

Skagit River - CLOSED

Vancouver Saltwater Report:  

On behalf of the Pacific Angler staff we wish you the best in your fishing endeavors 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.

Jason, Matt, Dimitri, Andre, Dave, and Eddie

Outlook: 

Vancouver almost experienced an early summer over the long Easter Weekend.  For a while the Pacific Angler staff almost thought we would experience an early freshet.  We had many concerned river anglers calling in asking if the steelhead season was over.  The boys simply smiled and said, “it is just beginning”.

A winter steelhead caught with Pacific Angler guide, Dimitri, in the Fraser Valley.

While the warm temperatures from last week brought up the river levels throughout the Lower Mainland, the cooler temperatures over the last week have helped to suck the levels back down.  Overall, this trend will improve the fishing conditions for steelhead moving fresh fish into the river systems and re-distributing the fish that were already there. The one thing that can foil the plans is the expected weather over the next few days.  If we get more than what is predicted than a good portion of the rivers will blow out.  If we do get the expected forecast is just less then I think the rivers will just stay in shape and colour up, fishable though.

For the fly angler April is the month to be on the water as there are generally good numbers of winter steelhead in most systems and the conditions (increased water temperature) are most favourable for the swung fly technique.

As well, for the cutthroat and bulltrout anglers the increased flow will help to push fry out of the backchannels and into the mainstem of the river.  On certain rivers, high water conditions can result in some of the best fishing of the year.  Pacific Angler still has availability for prime-time guided trip dates for sea-run cutthroat trout in the Fraser Valley with Andre.  Click on the link for all of the info – Sea-run Cutthroat Trout on the Fly

The local lake fishing season officially kicked off last weekend with the excellent weather Vancouver experienced.  We received good reports from all of the locally stocked lakes which is great to hear.  The staff also heard of some good kokanee reports from the Fraser Valley area.  You can expect these local lakes to keep producing through April and into May.

The interior lake fishing season is also just underway.  The staff are expecting to hear of the first reports from this weekend.

The Vancouver weather forecast is calling for cloudy conditions with rain.  The daily high temperatures and daily low temperatures seem to be dropping this weekend and into next week, ranging from  10 to 13 degrees Celsius and 6 to 8 degrees Celsius respectively.  The cooler temperatures will slow down melting the snowpack melt throughout the Lower Mainland.

For the saltwater angler the marine forecast for the Strait of Georgia is not looking favourable.  Currently there is a Strong Wind Warning in effect, with southeast winds ranging from 5 to 30 knots.  Make sure to check the latest marine forecast as conditions can change rapidly on the ocean.

To keep up-to-date with all things Pacific Angler and the local fishing scene check out Pacific Angler Facebook and on Twitter.  You will find our detailed river and saltwater reports below.  If you have any questions please do not hesitate to drop by our shop @ 78 East Broadway, Vancouver or give our friendly staff a call @ 604-872-2204.

Vancouver Stillwater Fishing Report: 

The following lakes have been stocked by the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC:

• Lafarge Lake
• Como Lake
• Rice Lake
• Green Timbers Lake
• Mill Lake
• Mike Lake
• Rolley Lake
• Buntzen Lake
• Sasamat Lake

It doesn’t appear that any new lakes have been stock since our last report.

Click on the link for a detailed map of each lake, stocking report, and location - Freshwaters Fisheries Society of BC Fish Map.  You can also check the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC Facebook page for the most up-to-date information.

Need to get rigged up for the lake fishing season.  Make sure to stop by Pacific Angler to get all of the right tackle for this spring.  The friendly staff are excellent at explaining not only what gear you need but how to use it!

Interior Stillwater Report: 

This past week’s temperatures has helped with the ice off conditions.  White Lk,  Morgan Lk and Stump Lk all have had some action for pre-turn over.  Six mile and Morgan Lk are on their way to turn over with murky water brewing.  Fish have been caught, but not in great abundance like the previous week.  White Lk has seen its long-line fishing down deep at 45+ feet on chironomids.  Stump Lk had damsels and chironomids throughout the water columns with fish up to 4 lbs being taken.

Melt off on lakes around the 2500-3000 elevation will start to become more rapid as days progress. Wind with warmer temps will help expedite this with more and more lakes to choose from for ice off  fishing. Fish your way up in elevation as lower lakes will have their time in turn over there shortly.

Target the bigger food sources as well as a chironomids even in pre-turn over.

Good luck,

Jay & Der

Vancouver River Fishing Report:

Squamish/Cheakamus Rivers – We had an interesting week!  The heat wave was nice but after a few days it caught up with us and the rivers. On Sunday and Monday the snow pack gave way and the side hills started dumping mud.  The river was in poor condition on Monday and Tuesday but it is coming back into shape and we are expecting some good fishing with the colder weather this weekend.

Before the high water we had had some great fry fishing for bull trout and rainbows. Andre’s Gold Coho fry did well in larger sizes (the fry I’ve seen have all been large) Fish them on a light to medium sink tip.  I have found a few on standard sculpin patterns.  However, if you see fish slashing at the surface a sculpin pattern will not work half as well as a fry with a light/medium sink tip and 4 foot 6 to 7 lb fluorocarbon leader.

Although the conditions were not good on Tuesday, we had some great spot casting to slashing bulls at the very end of the day. Every fish we saw, we hooked. We used a very short and fast retrieve.

There have been good steelhead reports from both the Squamish and Cheakamus Rivers last weekend.  I am expecting to hear more this weekend as the water comes down. Pink and black’n'blue intruder flies have been the top producers for the fly anglers, while gooey bobs and pink worms have been the most productive for the gear anglers.

Good luck out there and hope to see you out on the water!

- Matt Sharp

Capilano River – We had some solid reports from the Capilino River.  A number of fish came through the hatchery just before all the hot weather. The dam has had decent flows since the heat wave and we expect at least one more good push of fish.  This is a good time to hit the river with float rods.  Watch the water levels and plan around the weather.

- Matt Sharp

Seymour River – Though we have not had any reports we expect guys are hooking steelhead and keeping quite.  There should be a few good waves of fish hitting the river in the next 2-4 weeks.  Again watch your levels, look to the tides and weather, and when conditions are good put in some time on this beautiful river.  Again we recommend float fishing but this river does have some decent fly water so get out and hike.

- Dave Fauquier

Fraser River – The sturgeon fishing on the Fraser has been excellent this week.  Our guides have been doing very well, by that I mean they are getting double digits numbers of fish!  Fish are getting caught from Mission to the Port Mann on eels, lamprey, and eulachons.  Fishing will continue to be excellent until the river blows out with snow melt sometime in May.  We haven’t heard of any cutthroat reports on the Fraser this week as our guides have been concentrating on the awesome sturgeon fishing.  That being said, most of the back waters and sloughs will have salmon fry in them and that means cutthroat will be in the area feeding.

- Jason Tonelli

Chilliwack/Vedder River – Warm weather, warm water, great river height and clear water are all factors to consider for this weeks fishing.  Consistent numbers of fish are being caught throughout the week.

A winter steelhead taken on the float courtesy of Dimitri.

This past full moon brought a good number of fresh fish in the river. From top to bottom, the entire Chilliwack/Vedder River has fish throughout. Versatility is a major factor this time of the year. Different presentations for the conditions is key. Switching from bait like roe, shrimp, roe bags, and dew worms to artificials such as single eggs, small spin’n'glo’s, off colour rubber worms, and wool ties are all great options. Spoons are a great choice with the warmer clear water conditions.

Dimitri getting his client into a winter run steelhead.

As always, covering lots of water and trying to find eager biters always plays a major roll in your success.

- Dimitri Roussanidis

Chehalis River – The run on Chehalis this year has been hit and miss to say the least. Great fishing some days, and spotty fishing the next. The steelhead will continue to run into the river right up until the last day of April. With fish spread throughout the system this time of the year, both fly fishing and gear fishing is a great way to target them.

With a large canyon, the fish are generally targeted better with a gear rod, where the more meandering lower river fishes much better with a fly rod. As there has been little to no rain this week you can expect the conditions to be fairly low and clear. The warmer weather should raise the river with some welcomed snow melt. This bump in the water level will bring in the last few steelhead for the remainder of the season.

- Dimitri Roussanidis

Stave River – The boys at Pacific Angler have not heard many reports from the Stave River, which usually means that fishing has been good.  This short river can be excellent when the fry emerge for cutthroat trout as well as steelhead.

This is the perfect river for the fly fishermen getting into the sport as the river is easily accessible and there is plenty of space for a backcast.  As well, when the cutthroat trout fishing is good a 5 weight rod and floating line can be a ton of fun.  Remember to have a good selection of fry patterns.

For the gear fisherman smaller spinners can be good as well as a fry pattern underneath an Adjust-a-Bubble float.

- Dave Fauquier

Harrison River – The cutthroat fishing has been excellent lately.  The salmon fry are out in full force and the fly fisherman who have been out the last few weeks have rewarded with some entertaining fishing as the cutthroat are feeding voraciously on salmon fry.

A student from Pacific Angler’s Fly Fishing for Sea-Run Cutthroat Trout course with a nice cutthroat trout.

Spin fisherman have been doing good as well with small spinners and spoons.  We have some rain in the forecast but the fishing should continue to be good unless the river rises dramatically.  Expect cutthroat fishing to be good for most of April.  Last year it was good until around the 23rd when the river got to high from snow melt.

- Jason Tonelli

Skagit River - CLOSED

Vancouver Saltwater Report:  

On behalf of the Pacific Angler staff we wish you the best in your fishing endeavors 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.

Jason, Matt, Dimitri, Andre, Dave, and Eddie