OUTLOOK
Opening weekend is here! You are going to have to wait until Sunday but on Sunday the 1st we can finally fish almost all of the local waters around Vancouver for chinook. This week, we have a detailed report from Jason. He looks at where and the how to target chinook, plus some important regulation mapping for the areas that remain closed. We also have a video where you’ll find Jason in the saltwater section at the store and he shares his favorite flashers, teaser heads and bait combinations. If you are heading out, you will not want to miss it. The link to that video is in this week’s saltwater report.
Another fishery that hinges on the salmon coming to the Fraser is the sturgeon fishery. The fishing on the lower river has been great the last week and if you want to head out this weekend for some bank fishing or fire up the boat, it is highly recommended. We have a sturgeon report in the freshwater section.
We also have news on the upcoming Chilliwack salmon river fishery. It is still too early to really get out and sink your teeth into the fishing but there will be some closures due to the river flood work repair. You will want to this information carefully if you are planning to hit the river this September.
Last, in this report we also look at the Capilano and the beach fishing plus in the video version of the report, Matt talks about a number of fisheries worth considering if you are heading out this Fall – be sure to check that out below.
If you’re heading out this weekend and need to pick up some gear for your day on the water, we are open regular hours all weekend long and closed on Monday for Labour Day. The retail team will be out on the salt that day, so we’ll see you out there!
Labour Day Long Weekend Hours
Friday August 30 | 10am-7pm
Saturday August 31 | 10am-6pm
Sunday September 1 | 11am-5pm
Monday September 2 | Closed
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
Fall Salmon River Fishing: Floats, Spinners, & Spoons
This 3hr evening seminar covers float fishing, spinner fishing and spoon fishing; the three most productive techniques to catch BC salmon in a river.
Seminar: Sep 24, 2024
Cost: $75.00+GST
Seminar Time: 6:30pm – 9:30pm
Introduction to Fly Tying
There is no greater satisfaction than catching a fish with a fly you tied yourself. This Introduction to Fly Tying course was specifically designed to give you the fundamental skills needed to tie proven fly patterns used here in BC for trout, salmon, and steelhead.
This course consists of 3 sessions; each session is 3hrs.
Students are required to supply their own vise, tools and materials. A 10% discount is available on fly tying materials and tools purchased for the course.
Dates: Sep 25, Oct 2, 9
Cost: $125.00+GST
Time: 6:30pm – 9:30pm
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 Sturgeon Fishing Report: Fall Fishing in Vancouver for Giant Fish!
The great fishing continued this past week with multiple hook ups on big Fraser River white sturgeon! Looking back at the past few weeks, the fishing has been nothing short of fantastic. As good as it has been, we know some of the best days of the year are about to happen over the next few months as Fall approaches.
The recent cooler weather is a sure sign that the prime Fall feeding time has begun. This is when the sturgeon really pack on the pounds before they settle in for a long and cold winter. This makes for some excellent fishing for numbers of fish and also BIG fish! The big ones know they need to get some food in their belly while the water is warm and the salmon are plentiful, so this is one of the best times of the year to hook a giant!
Give us a call at 778-788-8582 to book your fall Fraser River sturgeon adventure, where the next bite could be the biggest fish of your life!
Chilliwack River Fishing Report
If you’re a member of any local fishing group on any social media platform, then you’ve probably heard of the Provincial Government’s plan to remove a huge amount of gravel from multiple locations in the Vedder River as part of flood recovery work; to say this plan has been poorly received by pretty much everybody would be an understatement. This project has raised several valid concerns from various environmental and user groups, but I’m going to focus more on the effect that this project will have on us anglers.
The City of Chilliwack originally announced that there will be several trail and parking lot closures between August and October as a part of this project. You can see the full extent of the work and closure areas in the closure map published earlier this week. To put it simply, access to the Vedder River between the crossing bridge and the Highway 1 bridge will be a challenge this season. One thing to remember is that these will be rolling closures- they aren’t closing all of these areas until October; they will be closing certain sections as work begins and re-opening them when the work is done. The challenge will be that it could be difficult to determine which areas are open and which are closed at any given time, though the City of Chilliwack has included a QR code on the map. Scanning it should show up-to-date trail closures. I’m sure the forums and social media platforms will also have anglers sharing updates as well on openings.
For more details see the map below as well as the project page on the City of Chilliwack’s website:
They say that the following parking lots will not close at any point during the project:
- Vedder Park
- Peach Road
- No. 3 Road
- Browne Road
- Herron Reserve
All other parking lots (Lickman Road, Bergman Road, Keith Wilson Road, Hopedale Road, etc.) will be closed, either for the duration of the project or for periods during the project.
Of course, this will have a significant effect on river access for anglers. I’m expecting some serious crowding in the vicinity of the few parking lots/trails that aren’t closed… the number of anglers on the river won’t decrease, but the amount of fishable water will. It’s worth noting that the closure affects trails and parking lots, so walking along the river will still be possible, if you don’t enter a work zone. Please stay out of the work zones, angler/construction worker conflict isn’t going to do anybody any favours.
My recommendation would be to use the QR code to check closures the day before you plan on heading out so you can get an idea of what trails you can and can’t use, then formulate a plan based on that. Fishing will start picking up around the second week of September and will remain strong until the end of October. So, in short, plan ahead and make the best of the access!
Taylor Nakatani
Capilano River Fishing Report and Beach Fishing Update
Timing is everything on the Capilano. We had reports of beach anglers finding coho on the morning tide changes and river anglers intercepting a few fish after the rain earlier in the week.
Beach fishers can capitalize on the rapidly descending morning tides this weekend. The quick tide change can hold up fish schooling up in the shallows and make for decent fishing. The cooler mornings will also help keep fish in casting range. Keep a verity of presentations on hand: I like having a few spoons and light spinners to fish shallow and some heavier buzz bombs to bomb casts to the deep stuff offshore. We had a recent shipment of weighted spinners by prime lures if you need to re-stock.
Fly anglers will find fish following the tide out and fishing smaller presentations. We still have a few of Andre’s killer coho patters for those looking to make a connection on the fly. In contrast to the small and subtle flies you can get out and throw heavier weighted clouser and baitfish patters for those elusive cap chinooks. You may want to rope up with heavier leaders and change to sinking lines to have a shot at these fish moving further offshore.
If you find yourself on the beach or the river, make sure to be courteous to your fellow anglers, and leave your fishing spot cleaner than when you found it.
Cheers
Eric Peake
SALTWATER FISHING REPORTS
Vancouver Saltwater Salmon Fishing Report
This week we have been catching chinook and coho off Point Atkinson and the Cap Mouth. These areas will continue to produce over the next few days and into September as more chinook and coho roll in.
Although there has been some decent fishing off Point Atkinson, I think everyone is eagerly awaiting Sunday, September 1st! This is when the chinook regulations in Vancouver waters go back to two chinook a day, 62cm or greater, hatchery or wild.
The regulation changes will allow us to fish off the Fraser River Mouth where there are lots of chinook staging before they head up the river and in general fishing is very productive for chinook and coho all of September.
One thing to note is the Southern Resident Killer Whale (SRKW) North Arm Fraser River Mouth Closure. This area is closed August 1st to September 30th to all fishing. Supposedly this closure gives the SRKW a sanctuary to feed on chinook salmon. For the cumulative minutes (yes minutes) the SRKW are in that area over two months, it is ridiculous to have such a closure.
These large closures look good on a map though, and that makes the government, and environmental groups feel like they are making a difference. The reality is fishing activity in this area has little to no impact on SRKW foraging activities and certainly none compared to the lineup of huge tugs in that exact area, towing massive log booms up the N Arm. Regardless of the efficacy of this closure, it is in place once again this year and you will want to steer clear of it as DFO will be patrolling the area for sure.
Here is a map of the closure on an updated Navionics chart off the Navionics App (on the left) vs the closure notice distributed by DFO (on the right). A good way to look at the closure is to stay N of the Bell Buoy and S off the Iona Jetty. If you do this, you will be out of the closed area.
Okay, so let’s get to the fishing! Now that you know where you can’t go, let’s talk about where you should go. Typically, anglers will fish the Bell Buoy to the Mile Markers if they want to keep it close to Vancouver. This is a great place to fish, especially if it is windy and too rough to fish further S off the Fraser. If the winds are cooperating, then a lot of anglers will head to the Iona Jetty and fish S of there down to the T-10 Marker. Even further down is the South Arm of the Fraser. All these spots will hold chinook and coho in the coming weeks and the hot spot will change day to day as the fish hang around the Fraser Mouth and get pushed around by the tides.
The most common technique to catch these fish is to fish a flasher with a 6-foot leader to a piece of bait, usually an anchovy or herring that has been brined with salt and put in a teaser head. Flasher choice and teaser head choice will depend on the depth of water your gear is at. We generally fish from 25 to 75 feet for these Fraser chinook (downrigger depth) and we go from chrome and UV flashers and teaser heads all the way to glow flashers and teaser heads. I did a short video on some of our top producers, which you can check out below:
We have a good supply of flashers, teaser heads, bait and salt at the shop right now. Come down to get stocked up and get the latest report on where the fish are at and what depth.
Good luck this weekend and we will see you out there!
Jason Tonelli
