Pacific Angler Friday Fishing Report: February 21, 2025

OUTLOOK 

The first noticeable large dump or rain is coming this weekend.  The key is we will also see relatively warm temperatures during the forecasted storm.  This is a great news for the river anglers.  All our rivers have been at record low levels.  Interestingly, they continue to fish well even in challenging low conditions.  With the numbers in the forecast, we will see rivers rise.  If anglers can catch it at the right stage of the rise or subsequent drop it could be some of the best fishing conditions, we have seen in a while.  We have details on the major systems in the river section with specific details on what we think the rain will do and how to plan time on the water over the next week.  

We also continue to see excellent winter chinook fishing.  The staff made it out on the water last Monday and both the fish and the prawns cooperated.  Jason will have details in the saltwater section at the end of the report.  

In the shop we just received large shipments of Smith, Maui Jim and Suncloud sunglasses.  

You may have caught our post on Instagram (@pacificangler) about choosing the correct sunglass lens color for different fishing applications.  We have a short article expanding on those tips that Matt shared.  If you are looking for a new pair of sunglasses, look at these tips and come down to the shop so we can help you get the correct pair for your fishing application.  

Finally, we have our Stillwater Fly Tying Jam Session coming up on February 26th at the shop.  It is a free event, but you need to sign up.  Sign-ups have been coming in all week, and we are almost full, but there are still a couple of spots left.  Come down, tie some bugs for the upcoming season, watch, ask questions and learn from other tyers. Make sure to get your name down on the guest list here! 

On to the report!  

CLASSES AND COURSES 

Pacific Angler Course: Introduction to Fly Fishing

SPECIAL FEATURE 

Do You Have the Wrong Sunglasses for Fishing? 

The above title is a bold statement. Any quality polarized sunglass is an amazing advantage when out on the water, both for protecting your eyes from the elements and making it easier to observe mother nature and pick up on those beautiful nuances that are both stunning and key to fishing success. 

There are a few things you might be missing out on if you are rocking your standard “around-town” sunglasses, even if they are a good quality polarized lens. 

The way the human eye picks up on detail can be changed dramatically with different color lenses.  Here are some solid guidelines for what we have seen out on the water in many different fisheries and how you can choose your lens colors to give you the advantage. 

Saltwater Trolling 

In optometry studies polling large sample sizes, gray or blue lenses are the “easiest” on your eyes.  They do a great job at cutting out unnecessary light, reducing glare, and are best for allowing an angler to stay focused when staring at the horizon, looking for other boats, all the while keeping an eye on riggers and rod tips.  They also provide good contrast with the mix of dark blues and greens of the ocean and a mix of direct sun and clouded shadows on an average day on the water. 

Drawbacks: They are not great in classic West Coast rain or low-level heavy cloud cover.  They are not the best for seeing details on the ocean bottom or penetrating the water column when we are in shallow water. 

River Angling
Even if you are not trying to see fish, picking up on structure cues for wading and fishing is important.  River anglers also tend to not care about rain, so we want a lens that can brighten up the shadows of boulder cover riverbeds while still being wearable on an overcast rainy day.  For this and debatably the best all-around lens color, we turn to brown.  Manufacturers have different names for this color like Copper or Polar Brown, but they can be lumped together as a great sight-fishing lens that will also keep eyes relaxed and focused over a wide variety of conditions. I will run these when river fishing, lake fishing and warm water fishing.  They are solid when out on the ocean salmon fishing.  

 
Brown lenses are probably the best all round option  

Specialty Lenses
If we had to choose one pair for fishing, it would usually be one of the two above colors depending on your fisheries focus, but there are specific situations where other colors of lenses really shine. 

Sight Fishing and Bad Weather
They are polar opposite conditions, but there is one lens that I really love for both.  This is a yellow “Low Light Yellow” (Smith) or “High Transmission” (Maui) lens.  As the two brand names imply, they are very light-colored lenses that brighten the world around us and provide exceptional contrast for seeing fish in the shadows of a river bottom or on a bonefish flat.  For the warm water anglers, this might be surprising because the flats are one of the “brightest” fisheries we encounter.  However, if you have ever been chasing a bonefish or a big permit when a small cloud moves across the sun, you will understand.  The shadow of the cloud turns the flats dark, and the shadows become very hard to see into.  With the light-yellow lens, you have hope to pick up the edges of that fish versus the irregular bottom.  When you experience this for the first time you will also realize than even in clear skies the yellow lens brightens all the shadows cast by the structure of an irregular bottom and even if in full sun this is my go to for seeing fish.   

The top lens in this photo is rose, the middle the the Smith Low light Yellow and we also have them with bifocal options from Maui Jim to make knot tying easier.  

Since I learned this concept on the flats, I will not leave home without them in my pack whether I am lake fishing, river fishing, or flats fishing.  I might not wear them all day long, but the second I want to see bottom or lots of clouds roll in, they are coming out of my pack. 

Drawbacks: You look a little like Bono (The Rockstar) in these lenses and they probably won’t double as your around-town sunglasses. In extended periods of heavy direct light, your eyes do get tired. 

Rose Lenses
The last color that I like to bring out fishing is a rose lens.  If you are running a boat in lousy flat light conditions (fog, heavy snow), walking a snow-covered riverbank, or are on a flat when the sun is directly overhead, things become “flat”.  The rose lens is best for these flat light situations. Paired with the yellow lens, you can use the yellow all morning and afternoon and then in the middle of the day with the sun right overhead, you can give your eyes a break and run the rose lens.  Again, we learned this from fishing with some of the best flats guides in the world.  There is about a 2-hour period every day when things get “flat”.  If you switch to the rose lens for this period, you will see way more fish.  I have taken this from the flats to both river angling and lake angling, plus they are great for poor driving light whether you are driving a boat or a truck. 

This article is quite involved, and you do not need to go out and purchase all of these lenses.  If   I am taking only one lens, it will usually be brown as it is the jack of all trades and can work in almost all our fisheries.  If you are an avid warm water angler, I highly recommend checking out a light-yellow lens, and if you know you are going to be spending lots of time saltwater salmon fishing, the darker lens is the way to go. 

Everyone’s eyes are a little different and you need to see the differences, no pun intended.  Come down to the shop, try the different lenses, and see for yourself.  We have a bunch of models in stock right now and though some brands do not allow online sales; Smith and Suncloud are up on our online store so you can check out the Low Light Yellow lens that has been a game-changer for my eyes when out on the flats or in classic West Coast rainy scenarios. 

Check them out here

FRESHWATER FISHING REPORTS 

Chilliwack/Vedder River Fishing Report 

Well, the weather has finally gone back to normal for the Vancouver area... grey skies and rain.  Now, it’s not like that’s an entirely bad thing; the local rivers desperately need rain, and it looks like they’re going to be getting it over the next week.  The C/V, in particular, has been running at near all-time lows, so the rain will be a very welcome thing for sure.  As of writing this report, it has already rained a bit, and the river has come up a small amount but is still running very low; I expect that to change over the weekend as the rain starts to ramp up.  With double-digit temperatures in the forecast, I’m expecting the combination of rain and snowmelt to put the river out of shape, probably sometime early next week if I had to guess... but when the river comes back into shape, the fishing should be very good; the bump in river levels is guaranteed to get fresh fish moving into the system.  

Bring an assortment of different presentations if you’re planning on heading out this weekend, as I’m expecting the river conditions to transition from low/clear to not-so-low/not-so-clear, potentially quite quickly if it rains hard enough.  Be careful if you’re wading to islands or gravel bars, as the C/V can come up quickly, which can- and has- resulted in anglers getting stranded and requiring a Search and Rescue response. Additionally, the presence of multiple unstable clay banks on the system means that viz can drop dramatically in a very short amount of time during heavy rainfall, which can make wading challenging or even dangerous... it’s hard to wade a river when you can’t see where you’re going.  

Keep an eye on the water levels and short-term weather forecast if you’re planning on heading out there.  Stay safe, and make sure you bring your rain gear.  

Taylor Nakatani 

Squamish River Fishing Report 

The Squamish is up from last week with more weather on the way.  It's hard to say what this will amount to up the valley.  Day time temperatures are forecasted to hover around 5-6 degrees.  In my opinion, this will result in a lot of snow in the alpine and only some rain.  This may add some colour to the low conditions… a good thing if you are heading out in the next few days. 

With a little cover, fish will move about more and be easier to target.  Swung flies with medium and light sink tips are one of my go-tos to cover big water effectively.  We have a massive selection of steelhead and trout streamers re stocked from Rio… its almost unfair. 

Steelhead and Bull Trout snacks

I also employ a light float setup to dredge the deepest runs that the flies struggle to cover.  Standard float gear will do the trick with lighter fluorocarbon leaders.  Are you fishing float jigs?  We are re-stocked on our small PA Custom Jig heads.  These are deadly when combined with a small steelhead worm or tied up with marabou. 

Steelhead float jig gear

The past week was very frozen in the upper, and hiking was difficult.  Felts won’t do much on the snow and ice so it's best to have a few studs installed for your hike in.  As with all winter fishing, be ready for changing conditions.  Roads will be challenging in the upper if it stays cool.  You should have winter tires and solid clearance if you are heading up the valley. 

Have fun, stay warm & cover water. 

Eric Peake  

SALTWATER FISHING REPORTS 

Vancouver Winter Chinook Fishing Report 

The cold is gone and has been replaced by a few weeks of rain but we will take it.  The snow is off the docks, day time temps are much more agreeable, and we have been out chasing down winter chinook and prawns.  So far, so good, with some decent fishing in Howe Sound and some very good fishing in the Gulf Islands. 

The store was closed on Monday for the holiday so the retail staff got to join Jake for some winter chinook action on Salty Dawg.  Fishing and prawning were great! 

Howe Sound and the Gulf Islands will continue to fish well into March.  The big question will be if we see some good chinook numbers offshore of South Bowen like we did last mid to late March.  Based on the number of chinook we have seen so far this winter, the chances are good in my opinion. 

I am happy to report crabbing and prawning has also been productive and we are dropping traps on all our charters. 

For expert Vancouver salmon fishing advice and for all your salmon, crab and prawning needs, visit us at the shop with free parking right our front. 

No boat?  No problem, our 4 guide boats are standing by ready to get you out on the water for some winter chinook and BC spot prawns. 

Visit our guiding company at Vancouver Salmon Fishing for more information on our Winter Chinook Special Rates. 

See you in the shop or on the water,

Jason Tonelli