OUTLOOK
April is upon us and with that we are getting ready for all of our favourite spring fisheries.
This week we have reports to help get you dialed in for your next outing – from local lakes and rivers to interior lakes, we have all the details below.
Locally, more lakes were stocked this week and this is a great fishery if you only have a half day or want to take the kids out to get their lines wet. We are keeping an eye on the weather forecast here in the Lower Mainland to see what the rain predicted for the latter part of the weekend will bring for our local rivers. In the Interior, things are looking warmer and drier over the weekend and into early next week – and the stillwater season is officially underway!
In the shop we have a great lineup of courses coming up for April and May so if you’re thinking of signing up be sure to do so as these Spring courses often sell out! We also have an amazing deal on Scientific Anglers Absolute Leader and Tippet both in store and online, read more about that sale in the Industry Events and Updates section below and we’ll see you in the shop or on the water this weekend.
CLASSES AND COURSES
We have a great line up of courses set for this Spring. Check out all of our upcoming March and April courses below and our full course listing here and sign up today online or over the phone at the shop - 604.872.2204!
Pacific Angler Course: Winter Steelhead on the Fly
Fishing for winter steelhead on the fly (single hand or Spey) is arguably one of the most challenging and rewarding fisheries in BC. Let our steelhead gurus help you unlock the mysteries of these magical fish with their decades of steelhead guiding knowledge. This course consists of a 3hr evening seminar and 1 full day of guided fishing on the water. In the seminar we will go over rods, reels, lines, sink tips, flies and reading water and swung fly techniques. The fully guided day on the water we will be work on casting, reading water and swinging the fly.
Seminar Only Cost: $85.00+GST
Seminar & Guided Walk’n Wade Cost: $375.00+GST per angler, minimum of 2 anglers per guided day on the water.
Dates: Seminar: April 8 Guided: April 12 or 13
Seminar Time: 6:30pm – 9:30pm | Guided: Full Day
Sign up here
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Pacific Angler Course: Contemporary Chironomid Tactics
Chironomids can account for 2/3 of a trout’s diet in BC lakes and on many days, it is all they will eat. If you want to catch the biggest fish and the most fish, you need to know how to effectively fish chironomids. Your instructor, Jason Tonelli, has been fishing BC interior lakes since he was 5 years old, and in recent years he has been extremely devoted to chironomid fishing. We finally convinced him to share some of his very productive techniques and insights using today’s contemporary rods, fly lines, tippet materials, fly designs and electronics. Here is what he will cover during the course.
- Life cycle of chironomids and their importance to trout and anglers.
- Boat selection, setup, rod holders, anchors, oars, electric motors.
- Rod, reel, fly line, leader and tippet selection.
- Floating line indicator setups, floating line “naked” setup, sinking line “dangle” setup, and when to use them.
- Understanding and utilizing todays electronics (sonar and GPS) including High CHIRP and Forward-Facing Sonar (Live Scope Plus, Active Target 2, Mega Live 2) with recommendations.
- The steps to properly assess a lake and subsequent boat positioning and fishing techniques.
- Contemporary fly design and fly choice (dark flies, bright flies, dark beads, white beads, etc).
- Chironomid fishing seasons and elevation.
- Course booklet.
- 10% off all in store purchases on course night.
Cost: $100+GST
Date: April 15
Time: 6:30 – 9:30pm (At the store)
Sign up here
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Pacific Angler Course: Introduction to Fly Fishing
INDUSTRY EVENTS AND UPDATES
Scientific Anglers BOGO Sale – Absolute Leader and Tippet
If you missed it on our social media feeds, earlier this week, we have Scientific Anglers Absolute mono and flouro leader and tippet on a Buy One Get One Free Sale for the month of April! Don’t sleep on this one – these will sell out.
The BOGO sale is available in store and online! If you’re shopping online the BOGO discount will show up in your cart at checkout! ______________________________________________________________________________________________
DFO Research Validates Anglers’ Position on Chinook Non-Retention
We encourage you to take some time this weekend to have a read of the latest article from Tom Davis written for Island Fisherman Magazine.
In this article, Tom goes over the data from the 2023/2024 Reference Fisheries and how the results reaffirm recreational anglers' positions on early season chinook opportunities and lack thereof.
Check out the full article here!
FRESHWATER FISHING REPORTS
Chilliwack/Vedder River Fishing Report
The C/V system has been slowly dropping over the course of the past week, but is still running at a nice level, with good viz... despite the lack of precipitation. I’m pretty sure the high daytime temps have been resulting in a minor amount of snowmelt, which has kept the river from getting too low and clear. There’s a potential for a not insignificant amount of rain in the coming week, so it’s hard to say how long the river will stay in shape, or if it’ll even go out of shape at all.
The fishing has been decent but is slowing down, as it to be expected for how late in the season it is. There will still be fresh fish moving into the system all month, but a vast majority of this year’s fish are already in the system. Keep in mind the upper river (from the Tamihi Bridge to the fishing boundary 100m below Slesse Creek) is now closed to all fishing; the lower and mid-sections remain open for the month of April. The mid-section (from the Vedder Crossing Bridge to the Tamihi Bridge) will close at the end of this month, and the lower river (from the confluence with the Sumas River to the Vedder Crossing Bridge) will switch to fly-only for the month of May, before closing completely for the month of June.
With it being so late in the season, the river is probably as quiet as you’ll ever see it... So, if you don’t like crowds, now is the time to get out there. There are still good numbers of fish around, and it’s nice to get out there and enjoy the nice springtime weather.
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Squamish River Fishing Report
The rivers have been holding relatively steady from the bits of rain throughout the week and the consistent warm temperatures. Neither the rain or warm weather have been dramatic enough to bump the rivers up, so the past few days have been a slow and gradual drop. The slow drop in water levels is great as it often keeps some of the high-water colour around for a bit longer compared to when temperatures drop off rapidly and the rivers go gin-clear overnight.
Sunday is forecasted to have around 40mm of rain, so the consistent levels and colour we've been seeing could change pretty quickly. 40mm offers potential to blow some of the systems out, but they could hang in there. We'll have to just wait and see. Until then, make sure you're set up for whatever the conditions throw at you.
A nice bull trout caught on a fry pattern.
If the rivers do hang in there, the water colour is still almost guaranteed to darken up a bit. If you're planning on swinging some flies, I'd recommend making sure you've got some bright coloured presentations with large profiles, so you have a better chance of catching their attention in the coloured water. For the gear anglers; spoons, spinners, and blades will be winners. This could also be a time that floating huge soft beads can be very effective. When the visibility is low, don't be afraid to go BIG.
Tight Lines,
Jake Comrie
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Harrison River Fishing Report – Cutthroat Trout
While most people mark April 1st on their calendars to stay alert for April Fool’s pranks, to local anglers it’s the day we renew our fishing licenses. With the beautiful weather we’ve been blessed with, I can see no better way to break in a new license than by chasing some of my favourite little anadromous beauties!
If you don’t have any experience fishing cutthroat, the vast network of Fraser River tributaries and expansive local beaches, the idea of hunting blindly for a fish the size of a cutthroat can be very intimidating. These are active fish and will move wherever it is they can feed, so I recommend doing a little bit of homework and establishing a game plan centered around a general area with multiple different opportunities and a small selection of proven patterns. Removing doubt and guesswork from the equation makes it a little easier to finish a slow day of fishing and remain optimistic about future trips!
An unlucky one of many millions of salmon fry feeding our local cutthroat.
Rather than casting blindly into the turbid waters of the mainstem, you can increase your chances of success by targeting backchannels and slower, clearer water. An ideal beat would have a mix of deep water and structure to provide cover and relief from river flow and to provide schooling fish a position from which to ambush fry and sticklebacks, with a transitional zone with a gradual slope and small stones. I have found a stretch with both and in and out flow to be more productive but have had some absolutely electric days when I’ve stumbled across a school of fish crushing trapped fry in a dead-end channel. One of my favourite elements of cutthroat fishing is that these fish feed and move very conspicuously, so keep your eyes and ears peeled feeding and traveling fish and be ready to position your feet and presentation to properly intercept cruising fish.
In terms of tackle, a well-equipped fly angler would have a floating and a clear intermediate in a 5 or 6 weight and some fluorocarbon leaders on hand, as well as a fly box with some fry/stickleback/general baitfish imitation patterns. It’s also a very good idea to carry patterns that have a range of sink rates, so anglers hitting the bench to tie their own bugs would be wise to incorporate beadles, brass bead, and tungsten bead variants. Epoxy minnow patterns are a mainstay, as are muddler minnows in natural, browns, and olive tones, but if you ask me a cutthroat box without a smattering of Clouser minnows and Poison Arrows is only half-filled!
These small attractor patterns are quick and easy to tie and are great for a variety of species. Tucked into the back left is my personal favourite, all white with a red tungsten bead.
Gear anglers should be fishing a light and supple mainline and fluorocarbon leader for better casting and stealthier presentations, with small spinners and spoons being the most popular lures. Remember these are small fish, so something much larger than 3/16thsoz. might elicit strikes but would likely be a missed opportunity for all but the largest fish.
Jay Awrey
STILLWATER FISHING REPORTS
Local Lakes Fishing Report
Local lake fishing is in full swing! Get out and enjoy the start of spring fishing.
The Lower Mainland has a variety of close to home urban lakes. These lakes are a great place for new anglers and families to learn to fish. Stocked lakes are easily accessible with docks and multiple shore fishing points. Many offer launch points for small boats and personal watercraft. Most lakes have already been stocked with the first Spring catchables of the season. A detailed list of stocking reports is available at gofishbc.com.
Stocked rainbow trout are aggressive biters and can be taken on a wide range of gear:
- Float fishing is effective way to suspend your presentation on a lake. Try using baits with a fair bit of scent like salmon eggs, deli shrimp and worms.
- Bottom fishing works well with floating baits. Power bait (paste or preformed nuggets and balls) are effective in a range of colours. These baits float and produce allot of sent.
- Casting or trolling smaller spoons and spinners works wonders on active trout. Weighted spoons and spinner like Crocs and Roostertails cast well and fish deep. If you are fishing light lures you can always add a few lead weights to help get casting distance or troll deeper.
We have all the gear to get you out trout fishing!
Fly fishing can also be productive but finding areas to fly fish can be tricky. Having access to a float tube or small boat, when permitted, will really help put fly anglers on fish. Look for quick drop offs and shoals to troll or strip small leeches and spratlys. Chironomids and balanced leeches can be suspended under an indicator. Remember to change up your flies or presentations if you’re not having success.
Remember these are meant to be accessible fisheries suited to new anglers and families... so get out there and have fun!
Cheers,
Eric Peake
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BC Interior Lake Fishing Report
Finally, the first week of April is here and some proper warm weather! As of Friday afternoon, it’s 19C in Kamloops and this weekend will see temperatures as high as 24C before it cools off later next week. Quite a few lakes are off now, and we know of some lakes at 3,000 feet that just came off late this week. So, things are progressing nicely and the season is underway.
Nice to see some temperatures N of 20C this weekend!
Up in the Cariboo it is quite a bit colder, as usual, and later next week we are back into single digits for the daytime and freezing temps at night. Despite this, the lower elevation lakes are now ice free, like Williams Lake itself, so you can use that as a reference.
Still a bit chilly in Willy’s Puddle but many lakes will be coming off in the next week or so.
The lower elevation lakes are already seeing chironomid hatches, so make sure you are ready for that. This time of year is a mix of ice off conditions, turning lakes, and then some lakes that are coming out of turnover. So be prepared for all sorts of different conditions. This scenario will continue all of April as more and more lakes come off.
The usual go to for ice off are leeches, blobs, scuds, baby damsels, bloodworms, and boobies, in no particular order. You just never know what is going to be working well, it could be stripping leeches, scuds, or boobies. Wind drifting baby damsels under an indicator. Blobs or chronies under and indicator, you just never know. Make sure to hit the lake with lots of flies and be ready to try different techniques.
We have a full selection of all the flies mentioned above and all the fly lines, leader, and tippet you need. Speaking of leaders and tippet. All SA (Scientific Angler) Absolute leader and tippet is on a BOGO Sale right now. Buy one and you get one free. Yes, fluorocarbon is included as well, so time to stock up while supplies last!
Remember you can shop online and we can have it ready for in store pick up or we can ship it to you. To shop online visit us here Pacific Angler Online Store
With the major chironomid hatches right around the corner, why not sign up for a course to take your chironomid game to the next level. My Contemporary Chironomid Course is designed to do just that, with some very specific details on how to become a top chironomid angler. It looks like this one is going to sell out, so if you want to attend, sign up online now.
See you in the shop or on the water,
Jason Tonelli
SALTWATER FISHING REPORTS
Beach Fly Fishing For Cutthroat
We are very lucky as British Columbians to have access to a criminally underappreciated fishery that we share with Oregon and Washington State: Sea Run Cutthroat Trout. These fish have all the badass anadromous qualities of their larger cousin steelhead but must face the same oceanic and freshwater predators in a much smaller package. They are incredibly strong and resilient for their size and are perhaps even more comfortable making their presence known in the salt than when they’re in freshwater.
Two sizes of Leland Miyawaki’s Beach Popper, in Coho sizes (Left) and Sea Run Cutthroat (right).
I look for similar bottom conditions in the transitional zone in saltwater as I do in freshwater: small stones with a gentle grade that rolls into deeper water, and anywhere even a trickle of freshwater drains into the salt is worth a couple of casts. If you’re prospecting and hunting new shoreline for fish I would recommend attractor patterns like a California Neil or Cat’s Coastal Bugger on an intermediate line, but if conditions allow it (light to no wind, slack surface) throwing a Gurgler or Miyawaki Popper and imitating a dying baitfish is my favourite way to fish the beach. Few things compare to watching an SRC smash a topwater presentation, and if you’re interested in chatting about tying some of your own or having some tied up custom for you, come chat with the friendly fellas behind the counter!
Jay Awrey
