Outlook:
Well the rain has shown up and the river levels have been spiking during the day then falling again with the cold nights. At the same time, the water levels are getting higher and some more fish have pushed into the local rivers. The weather will continue to be wet over the weekend with some potentially nice days towards the middle of next week as you can see by the pictures below of the forecasts.
If the weather this weekend is keeping some of off the rivers then remember you can still get your “fishing fix” in by visiting the BC Boat & Sportsmen Show at the Tradex center in Abbotsford. Hours and details available in the link provided above.
Fishing in the local salt is still “average” for this time of year with undersized being the most commonly caught if only shy of legal by just 2-3inches. Hopefully this fishing will continue to get better into the middle and end of March.
FEATURE EVENT @ PACIFIC ANGLER
Date: Monday, March 10th
Time: 630pm – 830pm
Place: Pacific Angler Retail Store
Cost: $25pp
Limited space available so call us (604-872-2204) to reserve your spot!!
JK will be tying a few of his favorite chironomids and as he is tying he will explain his reasoning behind his chironomid creations, how to fish them and other valued nuggets of information for you to use during the 2014 stillwater fishing season. You will also have the opportunity to ask JK questions and for tips regarding tying and lake fishing.
We will be able to supply you with a list of materials that John likes to use tying his patterns. Our first batch of JK flies will be showing up in mid-April just as the first few ice-off reports are expected to trickle in. This will help you be ready to stock your chironomid box with some proven deadly patterns!
This will be a one-night event and is the only night that we have available to book JK while he is in town. Join us for this memorable evening and be ready to take a few notes that will benefit you for the upcoming and all future lake fishing trips!
Pacific Angler Feature Courses:
Our newest course is the “Sacred Coast Photography Workshop” taught by Aaron Goodis. This is the first of its type here at PA and from what we understand, first course of its type taught by anyone in the fishing industry here in BC! This is not simply a “photography” course as Aaron has designed it to also include teaching you how to capture a “memorable” fish picture when you get that prize catch. How do you hold the fish? Lighting to be aware of and of course how to take the picture so that when you release the fish it will survive.
Sacred Coast Photography Workshop © 2014
The Sacred Coast Workshop is a photography class helping photographers from all levels learn how to create and capture unique and dramatic images worthy of a frame and wall space. Aaron is a well published photographer from Vancouver shooting primarily fly fishing, nature, landscape and active outdoor lifestyle. Aaron leads this class through a series of slides aiming to showcase proven techniques in order to help students understand the fundamentals of photography.
We encourage those who are interested in photography at all levels from beginners to advanced to take this workshop. All cameras welcome from phone camera from point and shoot to pro DSLR.
Class Size: 20 (10spots left)
Cost: $40per person
Seminar Date: Tuesday, March 11th / 6:30pm – 930pm
Topics include:
- Cameras and lens selection (point & shoot versus pro dslr)
- Camera settings that help you achieve the look your after
- Shutter speed, Depth of field and ISO
- Framing and Composition – Make your images stand out
- Packing your gear – keep your camera dry
- Proper fish handling for catch & release photography – fish first every time
TYING EPOXY FRY PATTERNS – Andre S.
Epoxy fly patterns were developed here on the west coast to capitalize on the large fry emergence every spring. Pacific Angler will help you unlock the secrets to applying epoxy, which can be a very tricky material to work with. During the course your instructor will teach you how to imitate the different salmon fry species, the different methods to shaping bodies, adding eyes, and other important techniques. Course is suitable for intermediate/advanced tiers. Students are required to supply their own vise, tools and materials. A 10% discount is available on materials and tools purchased for the course.
Class Size: 7
Cost: $40.00
Dates: Mar 4 (SOLD OUT) or Mar 26 (6spots left)
Time: 6:30pm – 9:30pm
NOTE: If your course is SOLD OUT. CALL TO BE PUT ON RESERVE LIST FOR NEXT CLASS – customers on reserve list get contacted first for new courses.
To review the rest of the current courses that are upcoming please view them by downloading the Pacific Angler 2014 Course Schedule PDF.
Hawaiian Bonefish!
Remember those “teasing” reports from Hawaii that we got from Jordan in January? Well, it seems like the those bones that eluded him were just saving themselves for Jasper! Kudo’s to Jordan for doing some long distance “guiding”!
Jordan: Love getting emails from guests who I’ve helped be successful on the water.
Here’s Jasper with a 7-8lb Hawaiian bonefish from Molokai that he hooked and landed with the rod and line I suggested and set up for him, as well as with the fly I tied for him!
Staff Pick by Jordan: Simms Fly Box
With the cold weather of Winter slowly tapering off into Spring, most anglers will find themselves tying up a storm in preparation for the upcoming lake season, as well as for the timely fry hatch that we so often look eagerly forward to.
With the water and weather predictably starting to warm up over the next month, anglers who successfully target early cutthroat and spring bull trout always have an assortment of fry patterns to mimic this highly sought-after meal from predatory fish.
This past fall saw epic returns of chum and coho, as well as the usual armada of pink salmon that entered the Fraser and Squamish River systems. With such a high return of fish this past season we can expect lots of fry to start emerging soon which will have the fish keyed in on them specifically.
With this in mind, the Simms Foam Fly Box will play a major role in keeping your small to medium sized flies organized, as well as keeping your big uglies in place for those days where the fish want something just a little bigger.
Made with a durable non-absorbent, high density EVA Foam exterior with ultra-durable micro-slit foam, the Simms Foam Fly Box has a textured outer surface that is easy to grip and hold on to, even with wet hands, and boasts room for up to 336 (YUP- 336!) flies.
Even though it has incredible gripping capabilities, and measures in at only 6’’x4’’, it slides easily into a shirt pocket for those days that you forgo a vest or pack and take the minimalist approach, while only weighing 3.2 ounces.
On cold days where one might drop and shatter a plastic fly box or case, the Simms Foam Fly Box is made from durable light-weight foam that can take the rigors of those who fish hard.
Lacking metal hinges that could rust out or plastic clips that could snap or break, the Simms Foam Fly Box is held shut with four incredibly strong yet small magnets that create a tight hold.
Six rows of micro-slotted foam hold all your flies tight and in place in an easy to organize box that comes in the trademark Simms orange as well as in grey/steel- making box identification easy and painless: one colour for streamers, the other for dries. Or one for fry and one for midges.
The Simms Foam Fly box is a must have for this upcoming season and you’ll be sure to see lots of anglers using the many unique features of this fly box in the days to come as the season continues.
Tight lines and loops,
Jordan
Freshwater Reports
Harrison river:
I went out scouting on Monday for the first time since the fall. I could not believe how low the river was with both boat launches closed with lots of snow on the river banks, you could almost walk across from one side to the other. There were no fry or cutthroat to be seen. On the bright side the river level is rising slowly and we are going to nice warmer temps with sunny skies to get the fry hatching and the cutthroat excited.
Make sure to have lots of coho and pink fry in hand as last year the we had a great salmon run. To start the season the river level is much lower than last year which is good for walking and wading the river otherwise at 9.2m and up the river is into the trees. Get your tackle ready and start checking out the river as these fish move around a lot and one day to another makes a huge difference in spotting fish.
The Vedder:
The Vedder river is done for a while as the snow melt with the rainfall has coloured up the water. The visibility is down to 6 inches making your offerings impossible to see.
Cheakamus:
This river is the best bet right now if you are chasing steelhead, bulltrout and rainbows. The river levels and colour is in great condition. This is when the majority of the steelhead come in to the system so fishing the river itself and below the confluence though out the lower Squamish is a good bet. These fish are wild and crazy as they come in from the ocean so swing your flies and wait for the aggressive takes. As the fry come out and you want to target bulltrout fish with a floating line and fry patterns as these fish will key in on the fry. It is really exciting to see these fish come up and smash the fry on the surface.
Squamish River:
Matt was on a guided trip yesterday and had some surprising results.
“We hooked about 8 fish and got a coho?? River was rising but still a clearish with about 4ft visibility. By later in the day the cheakamus was quite high and coloured but in the morning it was not blown out. Not sure where it is now. No fry were seen and the sculpin where the ticket.”
If there is a specific area that you are looking for a report on, please feel free to contact the store to see if we have any news or reports that we may have received after this report was sent to you!
Saltwater Reports
Todd Sweet:
Went out on Sunday and tucked in behind Bowen Island at Tunstall bay to avoid the nasty outflow. Fished the early part of the ebb tide and hit 6 undersize spring in 3 hours ranging from 20-23 inches. Most were right on the bottom but interestingly enough we hit 2 at 150 ft in 180-200 feet of water.
Action was on both the irish creme and kitchen sink spoons. We rounded out the day with 150 prawns and 10 crabs.
Eddie Matthei:
I was just reminiscing the last trip I had a week ago with calm waters and sunshine but a few new weather fronts have changed all that and it’s been very wet and unsettled. Due to the weather I did not get out on the water as planned so I am unable to provide you with any fresh fish photos. Some boats did made it out and I did hear of another decent fish taken. It was caught off the backside of Bowen Island earlier in the week.
3.5″ to 4″ spoons especially the Irish Cream, Green Glo, Kitchen Sink, Army Truck, Cop Car, Yellow Tail just to name a few are a good bets. Once you find the spoon the fish like I usually double them up. I have even ran all the lines with the same spoons or hoochies and had pretty good action. At this time of the year it also a good idea to try lines at in the 1/3 to midway up the water column. A lot of the bait balls I’ve seen lately are in that range especially around the slack tides. I like to run a spoons with no flashers 20′ to 30′ above the bottom lines. It’s a good way to try new spoons and a great way to fight fish, especially the bigger ones.
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, Andre, Max, Eddie, Jordan and Bryce