OUTLOOK
We have passed the midway point of September and Fall is in the air here in the Lower Mainland and with that we are enjoying many of our Fall fisheries!
On the saltwater front, we are still seeing excellent fishing off the mouth of the Fraser, and we have seen other areas around the harbour have some solid fishing as well. This is very typical for this time of year with different “runs” of coho and chinook pushing toward the river mouths. Jason has details on what he and our guide team are seeing on the water and where you should be heading if you are hitting the water this weekend.
We’ve got some positive news coming from the test sets! We are seeing record numbers of salmon moving through the lower Fraser. The Albion test fishery saw low numbers in August, but September has been setting records. We have seen this reflected in the amazing saltwater fishing and we are starting to see these fish hit the valley rivers now.
Taylor has details on what is happening on the Chilliwack and while the water levels are low the fish are moving in, and we expect excellent reports over the next week.
Aside from keeping an eye on the test sets, another thing we keep a keen eye on is the weather. We are still hoping for rain for our rivers but understand that a big rain will move more fish up and affect the ocean fishing.
Earlier in the week, we had a lot of rain forecasted for Sunday but, as of writing of the report, it is much less than was earlier forecasted. If you are river fishing next week you will want to keep an eye on how much we get. Fisheries like the Capilano River should be on your radar if we see a jump in water levels.
The last thing we have seen related to the weather is that the Interior Lakes’ water temperatures are starting to cool. We had good reports last week and we expect it to only get better as the cooler nighttime temperatures clear up the lakes that have algae and get fish feeding. Jason has details in the lake section of the report.
CLASSES AND COURSES
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 Call Store to be WAITLISTED in case of Cancellations – Course FULL
Cost: $75.00+GST
Seminar 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 2 SPOTS AVAILABLE
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
Chilliwack/Vedder River Fishing Report
Fishing has continued to improve on the C/V system, as is to be expected for mid/late September. The number of chinook and coho in the system has been increasing daily, though the miserably low water levels are continuing to make the fishing tougher than it should be. The rain that fell last week was nowhere near enough to cause a meaningful change in river levels, and the current forecast looks to be more of the same.
There are good numbers of chinook around, with fish spread throughout the system, though the largest concentration of fish is in the lower river. There are reasonable numbers of coho around as well, though their numbers will start ramping up as we get closer to the end of the month. Bait, beads, blades, yarn, and even jigs/spinners/spoons are producing fish, with smaller, more subtle presentations being the best bet. First/last light are the most productive times, but fish will bite all day if they’re not experiencing heavy angling pressure. I’ve talked about this a lot in the past, but it’s worth repeating- chinook are big, strong fish and will take the best holding water in each run, pushing other fish out of the best areas in the process. As such, you’ll often find the chinook in the deeper, faster parts of a run, while other fish- such as coho- get chased to the shallower water closer to shore or in the tailout. Keep this in mind when thinking about how to approach a run.
Access is still an issue in the lower river due to “construction”, feel free to read my detailed report on what’s going on here if this is news to you.
The number of chinook being counted in the past week at the Albion test fishery have been the highest they’ve been in over a decade, so the number of fish headed for the Lower-Mainland rivers, including the C/V, is incredibly high. As such, I’m expecting the number of chinook over the next few weeks to be incredible. Adjust your angling techniques and presentations to suit the conditions, and you’ll get fish. Don’t be a snagger/flosser, though… that’s painfully uncool.
Squamish River Fishing Report
The reports we have heard this week continue to be slow. Water colour on the main steam system remains milky and last week’s slide in the upper river has not helped. We have heard of some coho being caught on tributaries of the Squamish, but the numbers are not quite there yet. It is still worth a scout and anglers that have found success were fishing large spoons and spinners that can be seen in dirty water.
Continue watching temperatures. Right now, the long-term forecast is still showing double digit nighttime temperatures, so good fishing conditions are still a little way off. Historically we see a shift in the first week of October but if things remain warm it can push well into the middle of October before the main stem Squamish clears up and good numbers of fish push through.
Harrison River Fishing Report
It is still early season for waters North of the Fraser, but we are seeing signs of life in the Harrison. Test sets in the Fraser show fishing moving so this fishery will pick up in the coming weeks.
The lower reaches below Kilby are wide and slow so it is better suited to covering water with spinners and spoons. Fly anglers will have luck with clear intermediate lines or clear sink tips. These fish can be spooky so a delicate presentation may be necessary. Small flies can be deadly when the water is clear. Further upstream the river narrows making it suitable for float finishing. Jigs will be a popular throughout the river where coho are holding off the main current.
Keep an eye on the tides… Waves of fishing will push up the Fraser and hold in the lower section until higher water allows them to move up towards their natal rivers. If you have access to a boat, you would be able to anchor up inside the confluence with the Fraser off the Harrison Knob. This will give you the first shot at staging fish entering the system.
The last few seasons have produced some excellent opportunities for bank anglers due to the low water conditions. It’s not dead low, but if the rains hold off, we may also see opportunities to walk and wade some of the braided estuaries along the west side of the river. A word of caution here as the topography is varied and can be difficult to navigate. This is also an extremely popular bear feeding area in the Fall so expect increased bear activity as the season progresses.
The sloughs are a similar story with the lower reaches holding fish earlier in the season when the water is low in the upper section. Fish will be pushing up on the tides, but I usually do not focus on these systems until later into the Fall. Notwithstanding, it might be worth your time to give these spots a scout after a good rain.
Remember chinook and chum are off limits to target in the Harrison so keep your presentations “Coho Oriented”. If you encounter a chinook or wild coho be sure to practice good fish handling skills and keep those fish wet for a safe release.
Eric Peake
Capilano River and Beach Update
The beach had plenty of action this week with fish moving close to shore. This is typically the busiest time of the year for the shore fishery as the peak migration of coho and chinook are waiting in the salt to push upriver. We have had reports of gear and fly anglers landing fish on spoons, spinners, and small flies. It should also be noted that we have seen some large hatchery fish taken. Make sure you have leaders in the 12lb range and check your terminal tackle often to ensure its up to the task of landing these fish. Hot baits have included: pink spinner hoochie rigs, pearl finish buzz bombs, and small pink and white flash flies.
Anticipate some dramatic tide movements due to the full moon a few days ago. The tides will be extremely low at dawn, and quickly rise through the am. With a maximum number of fish staging offshore, this might be the perfect storm for beach anglers looking to get in on some salty action.
River anglers might be disappointed with the lack of rain. I do not think we will see enough precipitation over the weekend to make a significant difference on the river front. Conditions will remain low, clear, and tough until some serious weather materializes.
Eric Peake
STILLWATER FISHING REPORTS
Interior Lake Fishing Report
Fall is most definitely in the air locally and in the Interior as well. We are seeing single digit evening temps in lake country and in some of the higher elevations we are now getting frost. This is causing some of the lakes that still had algae to clear up and water temps are dropping down to the low 60’s or high 50’s on many lakes in Region 3, 5, and 8.
There has been some good Fall chironomid fishing on some lakes, while others still have fish hiding out in the 30 feet, yet others have fish feeding on scuds in the weed line. Some lakes have had good water temps but fish that don’t want to feed yet, while others have had high temps but feeding fish! That is the thing about this time of year, you never really know what to expect and need to keep an open mind. The fishing will vary dramatically from lake to lake and of course the elevation of the lake is a huge factor.
Your electronics (sonar) plays a critical role in seeing the fish this time of year as well, and I can’t imagine approaching a lake without it. The newer forward-facing sonar that allows you to scan the shoals (that a traditional downwards facing sonar can’t do) is a tool that is really changing the game in the early spring and fall when fish move up into the shallows. There is no more guessing if the fish are between you and the shoal with this technology. I’ll dig into this more in future reports for those of you thinking about getting setup with forward facing sonar for next year. If you want it now, no problem, call me at the shop.
For now, I am focusing my efforts on lakes I know have good chironomid opportunities in September as we still have October and even November to hit the shallows. I am prepared though, with a full selection of lines in the box as well as all the usual fall staples (leeches, scuds, dragons, baby damsels, blobs, boobies) in case the chrons aren’t poppin’.
See you in the shop or on the water,
Jason Tonelli
SALTWATER FISHING REPORTS
Vancouver Saltwater Salmon Fishing Report
So far, the rains have held off and that means we have had a fantastic September off the mouth of the Fraser fishing for chinook and coho! We did have a full moon on the 17th and those big tides always trigger some fish to head up the river, as does any rain. Luckily the rain for Sunday has been significantly downgraded compared to earlier forecasts, but the low pressure and these big tides will thin out some of the fish lounging around T-10 and South Arm (Sand Heads). The good news is there are still more chinook and coho on the way!
As I mentioned in last week’s report, we often see the peak of in river migration of fall chinook from the 16th to the 22nd. The excellent fishing and the test sets in the river would indicate that this year is no exception. We had multiple boats down at the South Arm this morning (Friday morning) and fishing was great. If you can get out there this weekend, I would recommend it as the numbers of fish will potentially start to back off a bit in the coming weeks. That doesn’t mean fishing won’t be good, it just means it might a touch slower than this past week. In years past we have had some great chinook fishing in the back end of September and into October. The coho numbers will really start cranking right about now as well and will remain strong into October. The boats were into quite a few nice hatchery coho this week, some pushing 12 pounds!
Closer to home we have had some success for coho off South Bowen, Point Atkinson, West Van and the Cap Mouth. Usually, we would have seen a good push of chinook into the Cap Mouth area this week, but so far, the chinook fishing there has been slower than we would expect. It only takes one flood tide for the fishing to really get going in this area, and we are overdue, so I am thinking there should be a wave of chinook showing up any day now. The run often peaks there late September and the fishing can be good until the second week of October if there is no rain. It will be interesting to see how the next few weeks play out off the Cap.
I hope you have a chance to get out there the next few weeks and fish for some of the biggest fish of the year. If not, then perhaps we will see you for the winter chinook fishery, which is right around the corner. Until then…
See you in the shop or on the water,
Jason Tonelli
