Pacific Angler Friday Fishing Report: April 18, 2025

OUTLOOK 

Happy Long Weekend!    It looks like a great long weekend across the board and we are looking forward to taking some time out of the shop on Monday to hit the water.  

CLASSES AND COURSES 

INDUSTRY EVENTS AND UPDATES 

Pacific Angler 2nd Annual Smitty’s Oyster Run 

We’re thrilled to announce Round 2 of our epic Pacific Angler Smitty’s Oyster Run! 

It’s back – the SFI of BC’s Big Spring Raffle!   Support the excellent work that the SFI does in our province and have the chance to win some great prizes. 

Check out all the details and purchase your tickets here!  

FRESHWATER FISHING REPORTS 

Chilliwack/Vedder River Fishing Report 

The past week has seen some remarkably pleasant weather; a nice break from the normal springtime showers that we’re all used to for sure. The high daytime temps are triggering some snowmelt, but despite this the river has been dropping, albeit slowly, and is running with great levels of visibility. There are still decent numbers of fresh fish being caught, though the vast majority of this year’s winter steelhead are already in the system; and many of those fish are in the now-closed upper section of the river. The current 7-day forecast is predicting a change in the weather on Saturday, after which there’s a lot of cloud cover, with the potential for some rain.  

Assuming the river stays in shape, the lower and mid-sections of the river will still be worth fishing, as there are still some fresh fish moving into the system.  Floating bait, blades, yarn, beads, worms, gooey bobs or jigs will all be effective, as will swinging spoons or flies. Just be sure to adjust your presentation to suit the conditions. There will be more than a few dark fish hanging around in the system, so remember to handle any coloured fish you happen to encounter with care. Land them as quickly as possible, practice proper fish handling practices and get them released as gently as you can.  Many of these fish will be getting close to spawning, so following the correct fish handling procedures will give them the best chance of spawning successfully, returning to the ocean and returning as large “two-salt” fish in a few years.  

Remember that the upper section of the river, from the Tamihi bridge to the fishing boundary, is closed to all fishing and has been so since the end of last month. The mid-section of the river, from the Vedder Crossing bridge to the Tamihi bridge, will remain open until the end of this month, after which it too will close to all fishing. The lower section of the river, from the confluence with the Sumas River to the Vedder Crossing bridge, will remain open for the month of May, albeit for fly fishing only, and with a mandatory “release all Trout” stipulation; which includes hatchery cutthroat and hatchery rainbow under 50cm.   

Most of the crowds are long gone, so now is a great time to get out there if you’re looking for some relative peace and quiet, while still having a decent chance of catching fish. The weather can be hit or miss, but who cares... that’s what rain jackets and waders are for.  

Taylor Nakatani 

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Squamish River Fishing Report 

The past week had a variety of conditions, but overall, the Squamish River was looking fishy! There was a brief spike in water Wednesday, but it quickly settled right back down by Thursday. We'll likely see the levels continue to spike with the warm weather coming up and gradually hold at a higher average level as we approach freshet. It is going to come fast so if you're looking to get out there for some spring action, now's the time!  

It's been a mixed bag of reports. From those I have spoken with it seems to be nearly 50/50, with efforts paying off for some and other days requiring a bit more patience. Fish seem to be holding in unusual spots and require a little bit more creativity and cycling through different presentations.  

  A nice bull from this past week.  

By this point in the season, any steelhead have pretty much seen it all. If you're swinging flies, it might be time to switch things up and reach for classic closers. Think small, subtle patterns - especially if the water's running low and clear. Browns, olives, and other understated colours can work wonders when the fish are wise to the usual big, flashy intruders. Don't be afraid to size down, anywhere from a 2 to a 10, depending on the conditions.  

Tight lines,  

Jake Comrie 

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Cutthroat Fishing Update 

North of the Fraser fishing has been decent. The rivers and estuaries are on the low side allowing good walk and wade access. Fry have been schooling around creek mouths and structure with trout following suit. Fry patterns have been the big producer with nymphs and smaller streamers still finding their way in-to the fly boxes. This fishery can be slightly technical with long casts to spooky fish. I prefer fluorocarbon leaders in the 9-12 ft range and a floating line. Clear intermediate sinking lines are also a good option when fishing deeper sections of water. I like to try and get out first thing in the morning… this might be important if it’s a bright sunny day. If you have access to a small boat, you will be able to duck into little coves and side channels that might not be accessible to the bank angler. If you choose to walk, make sure you can find your way back to where you started. The channels and woods can be tricky to navigate if your new to the area. Also, we have bears waking up this time of year so be bear aware and carry bear spray.

Coastal fisheries have also been decent.  The small nomadic pods can be intercepted on most of the North Shore or sheltered Vancouver harbour beaches. Similar fly tactics and patterns will work in the salt, but I like to include some top water patterns for aggressive hunting fish. Poppers or gurglers are great to prospect potential water. Once you get a strike and locate the fish it's wise to switch up to the standard fry pattern for continued success.

The large coastlines and sprawling estuaries can be intimidating pieces of water for new anglers.  Remember, these are fish on the move, so you need to cover water. Thankfully there are plenty of natural signs to help you find fish.

• Inflowing creeks and fresh water sources bring food in-to an area.  Drop offs and deeper water around creek mouths is excellent for cutthroat hunting.
• Look for diving birds: Mergansers, King Fishers, and Cormorants.  These birds on the hunt will help you locate salmon fry.  

• Seals are a pretty good indicator that salmon fry and trout may be around…  

• Structure can be a lot of different things. Fallen logs in the river, pilings in the salt.  

Anywhere small fish seek shelter the cutthroat will be close by. 

Cutthroat can be a tricky fish to find but very rewarding. Keep the rod in the back of the truck for that little stream nearby or make an effort to fish the beach before work… and you might just get lucky. 

Eric Peake 

STILLWATER FISHING REPORTS 

BC Interior Lake Fishing Report 

With all the lakes that are off and all the opportunities that come with it, it’s hard to believe it’s only mid-April.  The lower elevation lakes in Region 3 that came off in the last week of March are now around 50F and are seeing consistent daily chironomid hatches with good fishing.   

The hatches on lakes that have been off for 3 weeks now are in full force and the bobbers are dropping! 

Roche is now off and turning and should be cleaning up as we go into the weekend and early next week.  6 Mile is now stable and seeing good chironomid hatches and fishing is good.  So, use those 2 lakes as a reference when looking at other lakes to fish and their elevation and where they are in that Spring fishing cycle. 

The weather has been interesting, it’s actually been quite cold out at night, so that is keeping some of the lakes fairly cool.  There is going to be some nice heat in Region 3 on Friday, so that will help, but after that it gets cool again.  In the big picture this is a good thing as it stretches out the Spring season. 

Heading up into the Cariboo, some of the lowest elevation lakes like Simon have been off for about a week now.  The water is still very cool, low 40’s, and it will be a week or two before it gets up to around 50 and the chironomid hatches start happening consistently and with more intensity.  Most of the nights up there are still well below freezing, so that will keep the lake temps down.  For now, it will be an early season leech and blob game, but things are looking good for some excellent chironomid fishing later in April and the first two weeks of May on the lower lakes and mid to late May for the higher elevation lakes. 

In summary, it’s still early days and a lot of lakes are off but in turnover and things are looking really good for later in April and early May in both Region 3, Region 5, and Region 8.  In the meantime, focus on those lower elevation lakes if you are looking from some chironomid hatches and have your ice off tactics ready in case you are a bit early. 

See you in the shop or on the water, 

Jason Tonelli