OUTLOOK
We are in for a weather change this weekend. It looks as though Friday and most of Saturday will continue to be nice with some rain and wind pushing in Saturday afternoon. It will then be a mixed bag of cloud, sun and light rain into next week.
This is not a bad thing for the province or the fisheries as we could use some cooler weather and some rain. It will mean you need to be watching marine forecasts a little closer if you are heading out saltwater fishing and you might consider some river fishing on systems that have been wanting water.
On the saltwater front, Jason has a detailed report from our guide team. Fishing across the strait continues to be productive and locally we have had to work a little harder for fish so be sure to check out his report below.
For those thinking of sturgeon fishing, we have a quick update from that as well. Our guides have been out, and fishing continues to be excellent. Long story short, fishing is good, so it is well worth booking a trip or getting out on your own.
One fishery that might benefit from a little rain and overcast skies is the beach fishing and Capilano fishery. Eric has an update on what we are seeing on the beach.
Finally, we want to talk a little about a fishery that we sometimes forget about but is a great solution to fishing lakes in the warm months when trout fishing is not all that great. The species in question is carp and you can target these yellow monsters with very simple methods, or you can geek out a bit and really get into it. In the Stillwater section of the report, Matt goes through how you can get in the game quick on your next family vacation or take it to the next level and even break out the fly rods to target these underappreciated fish.
On to the report!
CLASSES AND COURSES
Introduction to Fly Fishing
This course was specifically designed to give the new fly fisher the basic knowledge, casting skills and fly fishing strategies to effectively fish our local BC waters. This course is comprised of two sessions; 3hr evening seminar and a 3hr casting session. The dates below show the seminar date first and casting date second.
Dates: Sept 18 & 22
Cost: $180.00+GST
Seminar Time: 6:30pm – 9:30pm
Casting Time(s): 10am – 1pm or 1:30pm -4:30pm
Fly Fishing for Salmon in Rivers
Fly fishing for salmon is one of the most exciting fisheries in the Lower Mainland. Let us teach you the techniques and the hot spots to catch salmon on the fly in our local rivers. In the 3hr evening seminar you will learn about rod, reel and line, sink tip, and fly selection. Then put the skills into practice during a fully guided day on the water where you will learn how to read water and swing the fly!
Seminar: Oct 16, 2024
Guided: Oct 19, 20, 26 or 27, 2024
Custom Trip Dates Available
Seminar Only Cost: $75.00+GST
Seminar & Guided Walk’n Wade Cost: $325.00+GST per angler, minimum of 2 anglers per guided day on the water.
Seminar Time: 6:30pm – 9:30pm
Guided: Full Day
FRESHWATER FISHING REPORTS
Fraser River Summer Sturgeon Fishing Report
It’s mid-August and the sturgeon fishing on the Lower Fraser River has been outstanding these past few weeks! The bite is on as the fish are in full feed mode with warmer water temperatures cranking up their metabolism. This means lots of bites, some big fish in the mix, and some epic battles with huge fish jumping right out of the water after reel burning runs!
This is a great time to be on the Fraser River fishing for sturgeon, where there is a good chance next bite will be the biggest fish of your life!
To book your sturgeon trip give us a call at 778-788-8582 or boon online at Sturgeon Fishing Vancouver
STILLWATER FISHING REPORTS
Carp Fishing – An Alternative when Trout Fishing is Slow
In the middle of summer, classic trout lake fishing can be a challenge. There are other species that can be targeted and are sometimes forgotten about. I don’t know how many times I have gone to a lake in August and seen families trying to catch trout in warm water with no luck. If they had ditched the trout gear, they could have a ton of fun consistently catching other species. The main species I like to target in the warmer months is carp. In this writeup I want to lay out some simple setups that you can use on your summer lake vacation.
Carp Fishing Basics
We have lots of carp in BC and very few carp anglers. Around the world, carp fishing is sometimes the most popular fishery in a given area but in BC carp are an afterthought. In this quick writeup, I am going to walk you through how I carp fish. From the simplest rigs I use for fun on family vacations, to more involved setups with bite detectors, specific baits even fly rods.
When I first started, about 20 years ago, it was as simple as putting a piece of corn on a hook but there are many techniques and specific gear that make it way more effective. At the end of this write up I will also talk a little about carp on the fly. This, in my opinion, is one of the coolest and most challenging fisheries in BC and well worth the effort.
Keep it Simple Carp Rig
Sometimes we all just want to toss out a line and see what happens. When I am in this low effort fishing scenario all one needs is a spinning rod in the 6-12lb or heavier rating, 12lb or heavier mainline (30-40 braid is best) a 3/4 oz egg weight, a swivel, 18inches of 8lb leader and a small 8-10 size hook. Grab a can of whole kernel corn from your local supermarket and you are in the game.
Cast this rig out into 2-6 feet of water, reel back a foot or two to straighten out your presentation and then set the rod in a lawn chair…. Or better yet a rod holder. Don’t forget to back off your drag on your reel so that the whole mess doesn’t get dragged down the bank if you are not paying attention.
Taking Carp to the Next Level
The above simple rig has caught lots of carp for me but there are several ways we can make it way more effective. The first thing to look at is a proper bank stick setup and a bite detector. They are not expensive; they are easy to use, and you will be shocked at how many bites you were missing before using one. One thing that sometimes gets overlooked is you will need a drop off chain indicator. This simple device puts tension on your line to hold it in the bite detector. It reduces line slip and missed bites. Yes, you can use a beer can and a multitool to make your own, jaut ask us at the shop and we can show you how, but the purpose-built indicator is much more efficient and easier to use.
This bite detector setup changes the game and using it with the simple corn rig above is very productive but if we want to level up one more time, we want to look at the rig. There are many ways to make this rig more effective. I would say the most important is the hair rig. This puts the bait behind the hook, so the fish does not feel it when he picks up the bait. You use a “knotless hair rig knot”. This puts a tag of line off the back of the hook. On this tag you tie a simple small overhand loop. We then thread the corn or other bait onto this line with a bait needle. There are a few diameters of bait needles that will work best for different baits. For corn you want just a simple thin hook needle. For other baits an open clasp needle and a drill is better. When the bait is threaded on, you anchor it with a hair stop. A hair stop is a little plastic dumbbell that goes through the loop after the bait and secures it in place. We have a good selection at the shop of both needles drills and stops. Come down and the guys will show you how to use them, so your bait doesn’t fly off.
Level 3 Carp Fishing
What I do – I would call this an “advanced carp rig” but many dedicated carp anglers consider what I am doing still basic. I use a dedicated rod with 40lb low vis braid. I then use a bait feeder. This is a spring coil that goes above the swivel. In this spring I pack a mix of oatmeal, cornflakes, nuts and fruit flavouring (Kool- Aid powder works well).
Now before I get any farther, I want to note that when I first saw this rig, I thought it was illegal. In BC we are not allowed to bait/chum an area. As I learned more about the setup and the carp fishery, I realized that you want your hook to be buried in the ball of oatmeal. This makes it one bait presentation. This is legal on the technical front, but I also think it holds true with the intent of the fishing regulation. The intent is to stop anglers from spreading large quantities of possibly harmful baits into a water system to attract fish. If the bait gets spread out or you repeatedly cast to an area with the intent of baiting the area, which is illegal, the carp stop biting because they get full. You want a small amount of the bait with your hook right in the middle of it to be the most effective.
Below the bait feeder I use a swivel, a spacer then a very short 6-inch leader of 15lb sinking leader line. To this I have a size 8 hook hair rig and my bait of choice. I won’t get too into baits today, but we have a good selection of corns and boilies at the shop to try. Cast it out, reel tight, set your drag to loose and make sure the bite detector and chain indicator are set. Then the waiting game begins.
Fly Fishing for Carp
For many anglers the above style of “sit and wait” fishing is not their jam, and I get it. I love all kinds of fishing, but I prefer active fishing. There is no bigger challenge for the active angler than catching a carp on the fly. This is coming from a guy who has a half dozen permit under his belt and has spent thousands of hours chasing steelhead with dry flies.
First off you will want a 6-8wt rod. (I use a 7wt)
Set up the rod with a good floating line. I recommend a fly line with color changes to gauge distances before you cast. I use a Rio Gold but there are many good ones so long as they are a balanced line and not too punchy. When fishing open areas or from a boat, I use a 10ft 8-10lb fluorocarbon tapered leader, but I also carry a 5-6ft 8lb fluoro tapered leader for tight bank fishing. The shorter leader when scrambling through bull rushes and high bank grass with short “chip shot” casts is a game changer for getting your fly to the fish.
On the fly side of things, we have several cool patterns specifically for carp in the store, but I have had fun tying my own in a variety of weights and sizes. Come down to the shop and we can show you some options that have worked for me.
The most important part of the equation is location. First off you need water where there are carp. The second thing you need is depth and water clarity to see the carp and third you need room to cast to them. Sounds simple but 80% of my carp fishing is spent hunting for spots, or scouting access. I won’t give away spots but look to any slough in the Lower Mainland. Figure out what direction the sun hits the water throughout the day as you want the sun at your back to see into the water. Then put boots to ground and eyes to water. Polarized glasses are a must. Yellow lenses are my favorite for our often-cloudy skies but brown works too. Grey is not great for most conditions.
I could write an entire book on carp behavior and how to cast to different fish but my most successful scenario is when carp are rummaging around on the lake bottom. If you observe this behavior, wait until they have their head down feeding and place a cast 1-2ft in front of them and a couple feet past them. I then “slide” the fly as it drops with a long slow retrieve to try and land it on the bottom of the lake right in front of the fish. Sometimes they react right away but if they don’t either spook or jump on the fly, wait a second to make sure the fly is on the bottom then give it a couple short bump strips. If they react, continue with a long slow strip to get tension to feel a bite. If they don’t react, stop and wait. If the fish is in the area after 3-5 seconds, try a couple short strips to get the fishes’ attention. Rinse and repeat. You will miss 90% of carp so after a half dozen refusals don’t give up, just keep the flies in front of fish and it will happen.
Good Luck!
Matt Sharp
SALTWATER FISHING REPORTS
Vancouver Saltwater Fishing Report
Here is your report for salmon fishing in and around Vancouver for mid-August!
Locally we have been fishing along the West Van shoreline from Point Atkinson down to the Mouth of the Capilano for chinook and coho. We have had to work for our fish this past week locally with things being quite dynamic with some chinook around one day and not the next.
Most of these fish are Fraser River bound chinook that get pushed over to West Van on the flood tide. Peak chinook migration into the Fraser isn’t for another week to week and a half, so more fish should be showing up soon. We will also start to see more chinook that are destined for the Capilano River showing up in the coming weeks. The end result is we should have better fishing off West Van for chinook in the coming weeks and more Capilano coho should be showing up as well. Productive depths for chinook and coho in the area have been 45 to 75 on the riggers and bait (anchovies or small herring) seems to be slightly more productive than spoons and hootchies. No surprise there, as these mature Fraser chinooks are always gluttons for bait.
There have been a few coho off South Bowen, but it has slowed down dramatically compared to the red-hot fishing we had from mid-June to the end of July. A lot of those coho were likely headed to WA and have headed south. There are still a few around and few Cap coho, but you must work for them. Productive depths have been 50-80 on the riggers.
Fishing in the Gulf Islands has been excellent. There have been lots of chinook, coho and lingcod fishing has been very good for this time of year. Porlier, Thrasher, Entrance and Five Fingers are all producing well. We have been fishing Thrasher to Entrance on the days we can cross, and the fishing has been outstanding each time. Lots of fish and smiles! This fishery usually continues all of August and into September.
Remember that September 1st the Fraser mouth will open for chinook, 2 a day, so there will be a big shift in effort to that area. The Bell Buoy down to the Mile Markers, Iona Jetty down to T-10 and of course the South Arm, Sandheads, will be producing well September 1. Remember about the SRKW sanctuary off the North Arm, that is a no fishing zone. We will post more specifics next week just before it opens up. A heads up the DFO announcement has already come out that it will open, so it’s officially a go.
See you in the shop or on the water,
Jason Tonelli
Capilano Beach Fishing Report
Last week the salt had some good morning tides and anglers were out to make the best of the ideal conditions. The rain never materialized, and the cloudy cool mornings were a welcome change from the heat of the day. The tides won’t be as good this week, but we still have a long outgoing morning tide to produce fish. The weather shows more mixed sun and cloud with some increased chances of rain. I encourage anglers to use the cloud cover to their advantage and fish the grey days.
Gear anglers are taking most fish on spinners spoons and hoochie/spinner combos. Regulation changes took place last week, opening the retention of chinook at the mouth of the Capilano. You will start to see more salmon boats cruising the shore. This also presents a unique opportunity to shore cast for chinook. It’s still a little early for springs to be stacking up but it might be worth your time if you have a heavy casting rod and a few extra-large buzz bombs.
Fly anglers are still in the mix and finding fish on Andre’s small beach patterns. If you want to improve your beach casting experience, we have still have a broad selection of floating, clear, and shooting head style saltwater fly lines to get after these fish. Do not forget a striping basket to keep that line out of the rocks and barnacles… one bad miss step and its game over for that new fancy line. We also have some re stocks on our favorite flashy beach materials and quality saltwater hooks for those looking to tie up some beaching ammunition.
This week we see a small chance of rain in the forecast. If the rain materializes, we could see some increased action in the river. The river graph has flatlined to conditions continue to be tough with few new fish pushing in.
The beach fishing will continue to be the main source of excitement for shore bound anglers the next month or two, so get out there and try your luck. A friendly reminder to pack in whatever you pack out and be courteous to your fellow anglers.
Cheers,
Eric Peake
