OUTLOOK
Welcome to August everyone! Bring on the long weekend! It looks like we are in for some great weather, and it should be a great weekend to get out on the water!
We start it off with some fisheries news. As expected, they have announced chinook retention opportunities locally and long story short is that it is the same as last year with opportunities in Area 28-6 off West Vancouver as of yesterday and in 28-9 on August 12.
The notice also confirms the September 1 openings. As always, we encourage you to read and familiarize yourself with the fisheries notices – check out this notice here. Jason has a few more details in his report this week as well.
On the coho front, we continue to see excellent fishing in the straight and though the beach fishing hasn’t really lit up yet, we are hearing ok reports when anglers can hit the right tide. Eric has details on the beach fishing as well as the Capilano river fishing.
ALERT – On a less than positive note, we saw a massive slide on the Chilcotin River earlier this week. Our best wishes go out to those affected. It will be something to keep a close eye on. It will have major flooding implications when the blockage clears, and the entire system will have fisheries issues going forward.
Make sure to be watching safety alerts if you are going anywhere near the Fraser above Hope and it should be on your radar as you are heading out on the lower Fraser. There is a Flood watch from the slide to Hope and there is a High Streamflow Advisory for the lower river. Click here for more official updates.
For the river trout anglers, the rain put a damper on some of the reports this week, but anglers still had great outings, and we are expecting good things now that the weather has stabilized. Matt has details below.
On the Chilliwack, we had some good reports last week. The rain bumped the river a little and moved some fish, but we expect the summer chinook fishery to taper off and wrap up over the next week. Taylor has details below
Finally, the sturgeon fishing continues to be excellent and well worth getting out; just keep an eye on updates about the slide. We are not sure what effects the slide will have on the lower river or the sturgeon fishery when it lets go.
If you are dropping by the shop this weekend, we are open regular hours all weekend long and closed on Monday for BC Day!
BC Day Long Weekend Hours
Friday 10:00 am – 7:00 pm
Saturday 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Sunday 11:00 am – 5:00 pm
Sunday CLOSED
On to the report!
FRESHWATER FISHING REPORTS
Chilliwack/Vedder River Fishing Report
It’s already August, and the summer chinook fishery on the C/V system is starting to wrap up. There will be a few fish showing up late to the party but as I’ve mentioned before, the summer chinook run is rather short and there usually aren’t a lot of early or late fish.
There was a somewhat reasonable amount of rain that fell during the week; enough to bump the river up a bit- emphasis on “a bit”. The river came up a whopping 0.16 meters, which is obviously not a lot. Having said that, it was enough to get some fish moving- a bunch of the fish that were still in the lower used that minuscule bump in water levels to move up. A few fresh fish also bumped into the system, but it wasn’t the huge push of fish that some people thought it would’ve been. As such, there are fish throughout the whole system, though a majority are in the mid/upper and are getting to be a bit dark.
The month of August is usually quiet on the C/V system- the summer chinook are more or less done, and the fall chinook don’t really start showing up until early September. Having said that, it can be a good idea to get out and scout the river for the fall season, as it is usually pretty quiet, and the low water can be useful for identifying good holding water… which is probably not a bad idea, especially since it’s looking like it’s going to be another low-water year.
Taylor Nakatani
Trout Stream Update
We had a number of friends out over the last week. The rain did put a damper on the fishing, but it was still solid with lots of fish coming to nymphs, dries and streamers. From the reports I got, there were not major hatches this week during the wetter weather, but I am expecting reports of hatches this weekend as things stabilize.
We also heard more bull trout reports on the Skagit. This is common for this time of year as the fish move up the system.
On the Thompson, we are still watching the fire just north of Ashcroft. As we write the report the Highway is open, but there is an alert that it could close again at any time. So, if you are heading to the Thompson, especially the Ashcroft section, make sure to check the most up to date alerts before going.
On the Thompson, we are still watching the fire just north of Ashcroft. As we write the report the Highway is open, but there is an alert that it could close again at any time. So, if you are heading to the Thompson, especially the Ashcroft section, make sure to check the most up to date alerts here before going.
Good Luck!
Matt Sharp
Capilano River Fishing Report
This week, we saw plenty of action on the Capilano. The beach has fished well with the morning low tides. Anglers throwing spinners and spoons have had hookups and the elusive spinner hoochie combo has been claiming several coho. The cloudy cool mornings afforded some cover, so the fishing was better than usual.
The weather shift on Monday/Tuesday also brought some much-needed rain. This was just enough to spark some excitement in the river. I will be honest I didn’t think we would get as much rain as we did. I was one of the many anglers cruising the beach in the early hours of the morning. I covered water with the usual presentations but didn’t see much. As the rain continued to fall with increasing intensity, I decided to change gears and venture upriver to see if the fresh water had encouraged some fish past the weir. The rain was not enough to bump the water levels, but it did add some much-needed colour and cloudiness to the low clear pools. Not long after arriving at my spot, I could see a quick splash in the tailout of fresh fish pushing up. Two casts later, my fly rod was doubled over, and the reel was peeling line. I was fortunate the move upriver paid off. The river also produced a few fish for anglers throughout the week. We had several regulars and new anglers get lucky. Those fresh fish will make for increased catch rates in the days following a good rain.
Last, remember to thoroughly clean and rinse your gear after a saltwater excursion. Waders, boots, rods reel and tackle will benefit from a good rise at the end of the day before hanging to dry… don’t forget to wash your flies! Files are expensive or take time to make so I keep “fished” flies separate from the rest of my fly box to I can rinse them off. Take care of your gear and it will take care of you. The beach will be busy in August so respect your fellow anglers and pack out whatever you bring to the shore.
Eric Peake
SALTWATER FISHING REPORTS
Vancouver Saltwater Salmon Fishing Report
Here is the latest on coho and chinook salmon fishing in Vancouver and the Gulf Islands…
The big news is there is now more chinook opportunity locally! Area 28-6 along the West Van shoreline opened August 1st to one chinook a day. Minimum size is 62cm and max size is 80cm, it can be hatchery or wild. This will remain open until September 1st and on that date, it will change to a limit of two chinook per day, no max size limit.
Also on the horizon is the Area 28-9 opening. This area remains closed to chinook fishing until August 11 at midnight. On August 12 it will open to one chinook a day, minimum size 62cm and no max size limit. On September 1st it will also change to a limit of two chinook per day, no max size limit.
With these chinook openings and low water levels on the Capilano, the West Van shoreline is a great option in August. The Fraser River run of red springs peaks mid-month and lots of those fish get pushed over into 28-6 and 28-9 with the flood tide and NW winds. Later in the month the white springs headed to the Capilano River show up and more coho show up in August as well. With the low water levels, these Capilano chinook and coho will stack up along West Van. All those fish combined with the Fraser chinook that stop in to say hi make for some productive Vancouver salmon fishing. So, keep this area in mind for your August fishing trips!
South Bowen is still producing some great catches of hatchery coho. Recently we have had some success around Cowan Point, but the schools of fish move around a lot, and the fishing can be good anywhere from Cowan to Roger Curtis on Bowen or up to Gower point. Note you can also retain a chinook if you are NW of Gower Point, 62 cm minimum size and maximum size of 80 cm, hatchery or wild.
If you have the boat, the time, and the right marine conditions we recommend heading across the Strait of Georgia and fishing off Gabriola and Entrance Island. We have been heading over on our longer trips and have had phenomenal chinook and coho fishing! The bottom fishing has been good as well! This fishery will produce all of August.
See you in the shop or on the water,
Jason Tonelli
