OUTLOOK
We are just past the middle of July and though we had a lack luster June weather wise, the weather in July has made up for it. It looks like we are in for another beautiful weekend. The concern now is going to be water levels and fire risk. There is good news there too. If we look at the 14-day forecast, there could be some rain coming for the end of the month. Time will tell but, we could use a little moisture to keep things damp and the rivers cool.
July is an amazing month to be fishing in Vancouver. We have updates on several fisheries well worth looking at if you are thinking about heading out.
First off is the river trout fishing. Matt was up last week and has details on the Skagit and the Thompson. The short version is fishing was great and well worth the trip. He shares some of his observations and a few tips if you are headed out.
We also have a lake update. Though lake fishing is not a focus in July because water tends to get warm, and fishing becomes more challenging if you are heading to the interior, Jason will have some tips for how to be successful in the warmer stretch of the season that we see from July to August.
Another fishery that is going strong is the Chilliwack chinook fishery. Taylor has details on what we are hearing and some tips if you plan to head out to the valley.
For the fly tyers we have a cool fly this week to provide a little inspiration if you are sitting down at the vice this weekend. This fly will play well with the abundant coho we are seeing in local waters. Jordan has tied up some of his custom Gurglers. This is a very versatile top water fly that is the go-to up north for getting coho and, to a lesser extent, rockfish that eat on the surface. With the coho numbers we are seeing, these could work locally if the fish continue to stack up. Check it out! If you’re not a tyer come on by the shop – we have some in the bins for sale!
Finally, we have a sturgeon fishing and saltwater update. Both fisheries are going strong and the chinook and coho fishing in the saltwater continues to be great. Jason will talk about both in this weeks report!
Last but not least Matt has tuned in this week with a summary of all these reports as well as updates from his river trout fishing trip so if you want to sit back and listen to the report check it out on YouTube here:
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: September 18 & 22
Cost: $180.00+GST
Seminar Time: 6:30pm – 9:30pm
Casting Time(s): 10am – 1pm or 1:30pm -4:30pm
FRESHWATER FISHING REPORTS
Chilliwack/Vedder River Fishing Report
The summer chinook fishery is pretty much in full swing on the C/V system, as is to be expected- it’s mid-July, and this fishery tends to go 0-100 quickly. The river is continuing to drop at a steady rate and is now getting to be a bit low for my liking. Unfortunately, being low means that the fish are only stacking up in a few spots, and those spots are extremely busy as a result. Another downside of this is that it kind of negates the “cover water to find fish” advice that I usually give, since a vast majority of the fish are in obvious spots that are guaranteed to have other anglers in them already. Most of the fish are being caught in the lower, which is to be expected given the low water… though I’ve heard a few reports of fish being caught in the mid/upper river as well.
The standard presentations that I’ve been talking about every report are all producing fish; no surprises there. Unfortunately, there’s a lot of snagging/flossing going on already, which is severely detrimental to the real anglers who are looking for bites- the sound and disturbance caused when snaggers rip their lines over/into fish are sure to spook fish and kill the bite almost instantly. In addition to this, many fish- including sockeye- end up with significant hook wounds in their bodies from less-than-successful flossing attempts… wounds than often result in significant post-release mortality rates. Remember, the Vedder Crossing area was closed to all fishing for a few months last year due to the disgusting amount of snagging that was going on there, and DFO will not hesitate to do the same thing, at the very least, this year if people can’t behave themselves.
In addition to the chinook, there are also a bunch of sockeye around, which is nice to see. Although you aren’t allowed to target them, sockeye can-and do- bite and are often encountered as bycatch while targeting chinook. These sockeye are members of the Chilliwack Lake population, which spawn in the upper Chilliwack River, above the lake, and in the larger tributaries of the lake. This is an endangered run, which explains the no targeting/no retention regulations. Sockeye are rather fragile fish that do not tolerate stress or handling very well, so be sure to land them quickly, keep them in the water and practice proper fish-handling practices to maximize their odds of post-release survival. Don’t hesitate to kindly educate other anglers if you see them mishandling fish before releasing them, as a majority of those who mishandle fish simply don’t know any better and have no idea that they’re killing fish.
Vancouver Fraser River Sturgeon Fishing Report
We have been out on the jet boat this past week and sturgeon fishing has been great! Fishing for these huge fish, only minutes from Vancouver, in this hot and sunny weather, is a great way to spend a summer day. The jet boat has a nice top to get a break from the sun when needed and lots of room on the back deck for doing battle with these powerful fish.
We will see excellent fishing from now until the fall months, but fishing sturgeon this time of year is highly recommended. The water is warm and the fish are very active. This means you can expect blistering runs and big jumps out of the water.
Our Fraser River sturgeon fishing trips depart out of Richmond, only a few minutes from downtown Vancouver and our hot fishing spots are anywhere from a min to 30 minutes away from our dock. If you are in town and love to fish, you need to try fishing for sturgeon, it is truly a world class big game fish experience. If you are a local who hasn’t tried it yet, now is the time to go!
Give us a call at 778-788-8582 to book your sturgeon excursion today or visit us online at Sturgeon Fishing Vancouver
Trout Stream Update
I was lucky enough to spend an extended weekend on the trout rivers this last week. It was fun to get back to the Skagit and explore a couple other systems.
For those heading out, the water levels are coming down nicely. Skagit is crossable but still a little dicey in areas. For the guys and girls hiking the river, it continues to drop. As predicted, we should see those “perfect” hiking water levels this week into next. The Thompson is still a little high for those who are not drifting but it is still well worth a trip and there is lots of water to access.
On the Skagit, we didn’t see any major hatches, but the fish were hungry. The 3-year break has obviously made the fish a little less educated than they were before the closure. Prospecting with dry flies was more productive than I have seen in the past. We fished dries and nymphs through the runs. We were still catching 15-25% more fish when we could present a nymph properly – but it was interesting – When looking at records before the closure, I would say this number was closer to 50% more fish on nymphs when a hatch wasn’t motivating fish to look up. If you are a dry fly addict and don’t see fish rising don’t worry. At least last weekend, it was still well worth covering water with the dry even if a hatch was not coming off.
There were quite a few anglers out on the water, and I expect the fish to get educated fast so make sure to practice good release techniques and follow the regulations. This system is single barbless only, bait ban, 100% catch and release. Also respect other anglers on the water. The general rule for those who are new to this system is if you see another angler, keep moving and don’t fish the same run. It’s a good rule to head in the opposite direction if you see anglers working a given section of water. It will make things more pleasant for both you and the other anglers. You will probably catch more fish too.
Another note is on the lake, or lack thereof. If you are planning on launching a boat at Ross Lake, you won’t be able to. They have dropped the lake levels to record lows, and the river goes over the border. This has made for some new interesting water to explore as the river extends a low way into what was once the lake, but lake access is limited.
Lastly, on flies we fished the standard issue patterns and they all worked. Golden stones and grey Perdigon style nymphs were my top producers and a classic grey wolf style mayfly pattern in a relatively large size was productive if you wanted to catch fish on the surface. We also ran into some bulltrout. Swinging medium sized white, black or olive streamers worked well.
We hope everyone can make it out, respect you fellow anglers, respect the fish and enjoy!
Matt Sharp
STILLWATER FISHING REPORTS
Interior Lake Fishing Report
It’s hot out and that means most lake anglers are now waiting for the cooler temperatures of September and October. It has been over 40C in Kamloops and Williams Lake this past week, so most lakes have surface temps pushing high 60’s F or even seeing temps in the lows 70’s F. This makes for tough fishing for the fish and the fisherman who need to deal with the sun and heat.
If you are going to head out, the best bet this time of year is to head to higher elevation lakes where the water will be cooler. Lakes that are 4500 feet or higher will often fish well in July and even into August. If you are going to fish lower elevation lakes, try early in the morning or late in the evening when the water is cooler and the fish will potentially move up into the shallows to feed.
Some lakes will see a summer chironomid hatch, often larger ones called “bombers”, but most lakes the trout will be focusing on the staples. Shrimp, leeches, and dragonflies are all go to food items in the summer. Trolling these flies in the deeper water can be productive or casting and retrieving them on the shoals late in the evening can also work well. If you are indicator fishing, bloodworms are a good choice this time of year, as are leeches or blobs.
I will be busy saltwater salmon fishing in the coming weeks, so I won’t be on the lakes this month or in August. I already have my September trips planned for the fall chironomid hatches that occur once the water starts to cool off, and the way this summer is flying by, it will be bobber down before I know it.
See you in the shop or on the water,
Jason Tonelli
SPECIAL FEATURE
The Gurgler – A Top Water Pattern for Coho // Rockfish // Cutthroat and Beyond
Fishing gurglers for coho can be a lot of fun and can provide exciting action when these acrobatic fish are feeding near the surface. With that said, surface-feeding rockfish can also be taken with regularity when they are feeding on small surface baits when wanting to fish some lighter rods for these often-competitive fish.
This versatile popper can be great from the beach or boat. The ones we have in the above picture are coho/rockfish sized but going smaller for cutthroat and estuary focused coho are well worth putting in the box.
The addition of an eye on the bottom is cool way to add a trigger point. We are not sure if it makes a big difference, but it doesn’t hurt and looks just like a wounded fish swimming sideways on the surface.
To fish gurglers, I like short, stout leaders that can help turn over their foam bodies and sometimes awkward shape. Often, I’ll fish just a short, straight piece of Mono, but when presentation is needed a good saltwater leader can help. Saltwater leaders are different in that they are usually stiffer and can help drive flies through strong breezes or wind. They are also usually a little more abrasion resistant which helps when fishing near kelp beds.
Fished with a variety of stripping patterns, finding out the coho-code can be very rewarding. Sometimes they want quick, short strips that push small wakes. Other times they may want longer, more aggressive strips that can push and spray water. This pattern can do both.
I will fish them with a very erratic, no-reason strip that is a mix of every which speed and/length you can imagine. I do this so fish won’t just follow or get ‘mesmerized’ like they sometimes do.
Remember to not ‘trout’ set when you see that mouth open behind the fly- wait until you feel the weight of the fish. With buoyant flies, often the fly is never in the mouth as the fish comes up and pushes the surface. Wait until you feel the fishes’ weight before strip-setting.
Stay buoyant,
Jordan Simpson
SALTWATER FISHING REPORTS
Vancouver Coho & Chinook Fishing Report
The great coho fishing in local waters continued this past week. Most of our efforts have been off South Bowen but there have also been reports of coho from Point Atkinson all the way down to the Cap Mouth.
The fish off South Bowen were a little deeper this week with productive downrigger depths being 25 to 35 feet in the morning and 55 to 65 feet later in the day. Gibbs or Oki flashers in Green Onion Glow and Purple Onion Glow were working well with white UV hootchies.
Chinook fishing over at Gabriola has been productive since it opened July 15. There are lots of coho in the area as well, and lingcod and rockfish are also open for retention. Well worth the run across with all that opportunity! Hopefully the winds stay relatively calm so we can get over there as much as possible in July and August.
Crabbing in local waters has slowed down due to sustained effort from the commercial fleet, as per normal this time of year.
It’s a great time to be salmon fishing in Vancouver, so if you want to book a trip don’t wait until the last minute as availability will be limited with many days already being sold out. If you have your own boat, it’s time to get out there and enjoy another awesome July of coho and chinook fishing in Vancouver. Stop by the shop for the latest report and hot gear.
See you in the shop or on the water,
Jason Tonelli
Beach Fish Gear & Update
The local beaches had some good early morning low tides this week. I saw a few fish caught and had some encounters of my own. All the action was early in the morning just as the sun crested the mountains… golden hour.
Gear has been the most productive with most fish falling to spoons, and spinners. Fly anglers can still find fish on Andre’s beach patterns or similar flashy small coho patterns. The fish are pressured so I like smaller presentations and fluorocarbon leaders. If you’re fishing closer to shore, go with lighter lures to prevent hanging up on the shower flats.
Most of the fish I saw were moving in small pods. Keep your eyes peeled on the water and look for any disturbance. You may see a V shaped wake, nervous bait, or a quick flash of silver moving surprisingly close to shore. Be ready to make a cast and get in front of those fish!
Bait has also been present at many beaches so you might get lucky and find some actively feeding fish. We have had some surprise reports of chinook and coho from shore on Bowen and up Howe Sound.
Cheers
Eric
