OUTLOOK

Welcome to the middle of January and with it we are seeing the first hints of winter.  It may have been wet, but we have been blessed with a relatively warm winter up to this point. That is changing.  We are starting to see more classic crisp days and there is more coming. 

 

This is not great for river fishing, and we have seen some challenging fishing for both the egg eaters and steelhead over the last week.  There have still been fish caught so if you are going out, check out the Squamish report and the Chilliwack Report for details on how to handle the clear water. 

Winter Chinook fishing has slowed down to what we would consider more “normal” for this time of year.   There are many things that factor in but one school of thought is it had to do with the full moon and crisp clear skies.  We are still seeing lots of fish on the sounders so with the moon waning we expect things to pick up over the next week.  Check out Jason’s report this week for more details.

Now with less than positive reports why not skip the cold and head down south?  Jason and Matt just came back from Mexico.  It was a family vacation, but they managed to sneak away for some fishing, and they have some great tips on how you might do the same thing if you are going or planning to go to the west coast of Mexico in the future.  Check that writeup below.  They have gear, strategy and guide recommendations. 

If you want to check out some fun footage from that trip plus a full overview of the steelhead, winter chinook and egg eater fisheries, Matt tunes in with a video report this week!  Check that out here: 

On to the report! 

CLASSES AND COURSES

We are just past the midway mark of January.   Some of our January courses are sold out but we have room in our upcoming Steelhead Float Fishing Course. If you’re looking for other course offerings be sure to check out our full course listing here and sign up online today.  

Steelhead Float Fishing

In this fishery, 10% of the anglers catch 90% of the fish. This is your chance to learn from the 10%! Our 3hr evening seminar will educate you on the gear, water types, conditions and other key variables that put veteran steelhead anglers in that 10%. Mastering this fishery will make you the envy of your friends.

Seminar Date: Tuesday, January 21 6:30pm - 9:30pm

Cost: $85.00+GST

https://www.pacificangler.ca/products/pacific-angler-course-steelhead-float-fishing-seminar

FRESHWATER FISHING REPORTS

Chilliwack/Vedder River Fishing Report

The lack of any real rain means that the C/V system has been continuing to drop and is running even lower and clearer than it was last week.  There are still good numbers of fish being caught, but the current conditions are definitely making things a bit more challenging.  With this dry spell forecasted to continue for at least another week, it’s safe to say that these low, clear conditions aren’t going to be changing anytime soon... unless we see an un-forecasted change in the weather. 

While low and clear conditions are never ideal, that doesn’t mean that it’s not worth heading out there- it's mid-January, and there are good numbers of fish spread throughout the system.  I keep harping on this, but you’re going to want to downsize your presentations when dealing with low, clear conditions- presentations that are too large and/or bright can often spook fish in clear water, and I've seen far too many anglers using 18mm fluorescent red soft beads in gin clear water. 

There’s still a lot of time left in this year’s steelhead season; the peak of the run is typically sometime in February/March.  The exceptionally good fishing that we had in December was a bit of an anomaly, though it is a good sign for what’s to come. I’m expecting some pretty good fishing after water levels start dropping following the next bump of rain... whenever that is! 

Taylor Nakatani

Squamish River Fishing Report

It's low, it's clear, winter is here.  No big changes or happenings on the Sea to Sky systems this week.  It's still low and cold and will continue to run this way for the next week based on the current forecast.

Winter is here.

Stealthy presentations and getting technical with your fishing tackle will be the key to winter success.  Focus on the deepest spots and make sure you’re getting your presentation down!   I might fish more weight on my egging setup or move to a drift fishing setup to ensure I am getting down to where fish are taking cover.  Fluorocarbon leaders are needed in the 6-8lb range with small beads (hard or soft) in very pale colours.  If you're tired of drifting beads, try floating a small hawkeye white worm down the run.  Go slow and pick apart the run.

If you prefer to swing flies make sure you cover the best water effectively.  I find myself moving fast through shallow stuff and really taking my time on the deep pools.  Fish might not move far to take a fly, so I fish short but heavy sink tips.  This puts my flies right in the face of fish.  Light coloured flesh flies and sculpin patterns will do the trick.

It’s a surprise for many anglers but we are still seeing old coho splashing around the river. This is a good sign as trout should still be active around the old salmon.  Do your best to avoid catching or accidentally snagging these fish.  If you see those dark shadows in the run move down and fish below them.

We have had some proper winter freeze ups so take care when driving the slick back roads up the valley.  Have winter tires and be prepared for snow and black ice.  Winter conditions can make everything a little more difficult so go prepared with layers, snacks, and a game plan… maybe pick up some hand warmers in the shop.

Stay warm, have faith, the fish will be there.

Eric Peake

SPECIAL FEATURE

If You are heading to Mexico this Winter - A Puerto Vallarta Fishing Trip Overview 

It is no secret that we love warm water angling at Pacific Angler.  We also love our families and they like vacations.  It has been a tradition that when the family wants to do a cool trip to a warm location that Jason and I try to figure a way to sneak out and fish while keeping family time a top priority. 

We have figured a few things out over the years.  What to avoid, what is a waste of time, what will get you in huge trouble with the family and everything in between. 

Puerto Vallarta has been one of our family's favorite vacation spots.  It might not be on our top fishing destinations list but there are some great opportunities if you know what to look for both on a DIY level and if you want to invest in a guided trip. 

We have found the simplest way to maximize time when in PV is to look to an inshore charter.  But don’t do your standard 5-hour tourist trolling exercise.  These tourist trips are fun, and we have done a number of them but what we have found is the coolest, close to shore experience is what we call surf crashing. 

You can do this with any of the guides in PV however you may run into communication and gear issues if you get the standard off the street fishing charter. 

We have found a great guide.  This is key for the kind of fishing we like.  We have now fished with him multiple times over the last 10 years.  His name is Lora.  As far as we know he is the only Mexican national to ever guide in BC.  He fished for salmon back when Jason was up north and with that experience, he understands the Canadian fisherman better than any Mexican guide I have ever had. 

 Guide Lora with a nice tuna!

He has perfect English, an attention to detail, 25 plus years of experience and when you tell him you want to flick feathers and catch and release, he won’t scratch his head.  A big smile will appear on his face, and he will be racing for his own fly rod and well stocked fly box.    

So, whether you are going to book with Lora, or another guide the first tip is try not to leave from the Puerta Vallarta Harbour.  You actually want to depart north of Puerta Vallarta up in Punta Mita.  It is about a 35 min cab ride, but it puts you an hour closer to the fishing grounds and you can kill the 35-40 min in the dark on the road instead of wasting fishing time. 

If I were booking a trip and wanted to DIY shorelines this would also be a recommendation. Book north of PV and then maybe visit the city.  The north around Punta Mita or Sayulita has great beaches that actually have fish on them unlike many of the beaches in PV.

The target species is roosters along with dorado, jacks and spanish mackerel.  It is hard to get a rooster on the fly.  You may have seen footage of guys “Running Down the Man” on the beaches for roosters.  This is super cool. I have done it, but it is freaking hard.  In a week of fishing hard every day if you hook a couple fish you can call it a success.  But on a family vacation we generally can’t put in that time.   

The key to making things attainable in a reasonable amount of time is bait.  Yes, we are going to chum.  Kind of.  The plan is simple.  All along the coastline north of Punta Mita you will find breaking surf lines over rock/reef outcroppings about 100-400meters offshore. These are perfect habitat for predators.  The game is you rip into the surf, try to position yourself ready just where the wave breaks and then Lora or his assistant guide throws a couple live sardines.  If there are predators home, you will see them come out off the rocks.  If you have you casting game on point you have the opportunity to cast at them. Once the fly hits the water you are stripping hard and fast (gloves are a necessity) the entire time Lora has his eye on the horizon for the next wave so he can rip you out of the way before it breaks and circle around for another pass if there were fish on the reef.  If no fish are around, you head off to find another break, that might hold fish. 

This whole exercise is a little crazy but super fun.  Just note if you are not stable on your feet on a boat this is not for you.  It is not unbearable; I have hung ten off the front of a couple skiffs when deep water tarpon fishing and almost gone overboard in big waves. When surf crashing it is not that bad because you can brace yourself against the gunnel of the boat, but it will toss you around a bit and you will feel it at the end of the day. 

Most of the roosters won’t be monsters but they are still a rip even on a 10 wt.

For gear I recommend a 10wt.  You could get away with an eight or nine but a ten punches harder in the wind and when you are bouncing around and need a fast long cast the extra horsepower is nice.  Though rare at the inshore spots, there are big roosters around so the 10 will give you a chance if one of the 30-50 plus pounders wants to play. 

I would also have a spinning rod in the mix.  If you have trouble with the wind or rocking boat, casting poppers or diving lures is very effective and if you strike out on the cast fly, pitching a live sardine into the fray is almost a guaranteed hook up. 

I take my trusty Okuma travel rod and though Lora has good spinning rods most guides in Mexico will not have solid gear for you to borrow.  We wrote an article on these rods a few weeks ago if you want to check it out, we have them in stock.  Check that article out for more DIY strategies and gear recommendations if you are going down. 

Come down or give us a call if you are heading that way.  We can put you in touch with Lora at Fortuna Sport Fishing or just help with gear recommendation. 

Check out this little, short video if you want to get a feel for the fishing and see some fun footage.  

 

SALTWATER FISHING REPORTS

Vancouver Winter Salmon Fishing Report

It’s mid-January and by all accounts it has been an excellent winter chinook season so far with a few more months to go.  Close to home, the fishing in Vancouver Harbour has finally slowed down to what I would call “normal” levels where you go out and get into a few legal fish.  This is still excellent fishing, but we got spoiled for about 4 weeks there with some truly phenomenal success, where quick limits were expected and achieved.  

The “harbour” is still very much a solid choice.  There have been fish taken this past week from the Mile Markers up to the Bell Buoy, in the middle of the harbour around the freighters, and off the Cap Mouth up to the Pink Apartments.   Jake was taking one of the boats over to Lions Gate Marina on Wednesday, did a quick pass in the freighters, and hooked one and saw lots of bait and chinook arcs.  So, there are still some fish to be had.  With all that bait around I suspect more pulses of chinook will show up in the harbour in February, as usual, and we will continue to see some solid fishing there.

We have also spent some time in lower Howe Sound this past week and there are plenty of chinook around there too.  The Gulf Islands have also been producing well.  I suspect the fishing will be good this coming week as the full moon last week made for some big tides and currents.  The fish can also feed at night on those bright nights, so sometimes during a full moon and clear skies, the bite will be slower during the daylight hours.  

A view of the full moon this week.  You can see just how bright it is at night with the clear skies and this can make daytime fishing a little slower.

Prawning has been solid and there a few legal crabs around as well.  If the weather allows or you have the time, it’s definitely worth heading out this week or booking a trip.

For trip info, call us at 778-788-8582 or visit us online at Vancouver Salmon Fishing.

See you in the shop or on the water,

Jason Tonelli