OUTLOOK
Rain this weekend might put a damper on outdoor plans but at least things are warming up. We will be seeing more seasonal temps throughout then next 14 days and it looks nice early next week for fishing.
In this week’s report we have some interesting articles on kokanee fishing, interior lake fishing and post spawn bass fishing.
In the Fraser River sturgeon report Ethan shares his go to combination sturgeon bait that he has been doing well within the heavier water caused by accelerated snow melt.
We are also starting to look at snow levels and water levels for making predictions on future fisheries like the Chilliwack (July 1 opening) as well as the July/August trout fisheries. In the video version of the report Matt has started his deep dive on predictions for some of these upcoming fisheries and access due to last year’s storm damage is going to play a big factor if you are a trout fly fisherman. Check out the video report for some of the latest info on the Skagit fishery as well as other July fisheries that rely heavily on snow pack levels.
Last but not least we still have a few spots left in some upcoming June courses. Our Introduction to Fly Fishing course is a great place to start if you’re looking to get into fly fishing this year. We also have our Introduction to Fly Fishing Trout Stream course running at the end of the month which is the perfect course for the upcoming summer season. More details on these in our classes and course section below.
The video version of this week’s report is 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: (Jun 15 & 18), (July 12 & 17), (Sept 20 & 24)
Cost: $150.00
Zoom Seminar Time: 6:30pm – 9:30pm
Casting Time(s): 10am – 1pm or 1:30pm -4:30pm
INTRODUCTION TO FLY FISHING TROUT STREAMS
Stalking trout on mountain streams defines fly fishing. In this course we will teach you the fundamental techniques for fly fishing trout streams; dry fly fishing, nymphing, and streamer fishing.
This Introduction to Fly Fishing Trout Streams course will get you as close to being Brad Pitt (A River Runs Through It) as you will ever be! This course is comprised of one 3hr evening zoom seminar.
Date: June 28, 2022
Cost: $50.00+GST
Zoom Seminar Time: 6:30pm – 9:30pm
FRESHWATER FISHING REPORTS
Fraser River Water Levels Outlook and Sturgeon Report
The Fraser seems to have finally woken up. Over the past week the river has risen substantially which was expected but it has been a slow rise compared to years past. We expect this rise to continue considerably over the next little while as the freshet started quite late this year. As always if you’re boating the Fraser be very cautious especially during this time of the year as a considerable amount of debris is coming down river, couple that with higher water and tug boat wakes bad things can happen quick.
As for the sturgeon fishing side of things the fishing seemed to have turned back on again. I’ve noticed a lot more consistency the last week. As mentioned in past reports timing your tides and a good mix of baits can be the difference maker. A bait combination that I find works quite well is a eulachon plus dew worm combo. I prefer to rig my eulachon using a 1-3 half hitches depending on the size of the eulachon I’m using. I then thread a 3-5 dew worms on to my hook and secure them with spider thread. Spider thread is an elasticized thread that doesn’t require a knot to secure bait to a hook. All it needs is a good pull and it secures the dew worms to the hook quite well. Dew worms in a large spawn sack is also a viable option. Same idea as a roe bag just using dew worms instead. Spawn sacks can work excellent as well but typically, I prefer to have them secured straight to the hook as it is more of a natural presentation. Dew worms added to any typical sturgeon bait has worked quite well for me but the eulachon with dew worm combo has been a consistent producer as of late.
My go to bait combination
Although freshet is coming into full force it’s still a great time to get out for sturgeon. As per usual using fishing the near slack tide on both the rising tide and falling seem to be most productive especially during freshet. If you have any other questions, be sure to stop by the shop.
Ethan Da Silva
STILLWATER FISHING REPORTS
Local BC Kokanee Report
Local Kokanee fishing has been quite good lately, as expected for this time of the year. This year’s lower temperatures and unseasonably damp weather have had a couple benefits- water temps are lower, the wakeboarders aren’t out in droves yet, and you’re much less likely to get a sunburn when you’re wearing rain gear.
It’s been a productive week on the water.
Lower temperatures mean that the fish will generally be shallower, as the thermocline won’t be quite so deep yet. It also means that the fish will be more willing biters throughout the entire day as the hot, bright midday sun will be less likely to put them off the bite especially when it’s cloudy. A lack of water-skiers, wakeboarders and tubers is also incredibly welcoming… it’s nice to be able to fish without getting constantly waked out or nearly run over. The reduction in engine noise and surface commotion from that crowd will also help the fishing.
Downriggers can turn a good day into a great day.
As far as gear is concerned, I’ve been running the exact same “confidence lures” that I’ve been using for the past few years, so no big changes there. Trolling small hoochies, spoons, plugs and wedding bands behind a dodger or gang troll is always effective, but anchoring up and jigging bait can also be incredibly deadly if done right… or incredibly boring if you do it wrong. Downriggers are extremely helpful; I almost consider them a necessity… but you can still troll effectively with a diver, although I find depth control to be very important when fishing for kokanee. They are often very stubborn and will rarely move more than a couple feet up (or down) to grab gear; if you’re not dragging your gear right past them, you’re probably not catching as many fish as you could be. Divers, lead line and weights are great at getting your gear down, but it’s almost impossible to tell exactly how deep you are.
Kokanee on the sounder.
The numbers of fish in the specific lake I’ve been fishing seem to be strong, which is good news, especially after the floods… and it has been fishing fairly well, assuming the weather stays mostly stable throughout the day. I’ve heard good reports from the other Lower Mainland Kokanee lakes as well, so it looks like it’s a good time to get out there. Fishing should remain good up until it starts to get exceptionally hot, although with this cool weather it doesn’t feel like that will even happen this year. There is potential for Kokanee fishing to be good straight through the whole Summer if water temps don’t get too high.
Taylor Nakatani
Interior Lake fishing Report
Weather is staying predictably unpredictable this coming week with some days seeing bright sunny days while others are rainy or even scattered thundershowers. Scattered thundershower conditions vary from lake to lake as it’s quite common that one lake will be seeing bright sunny conditions while another lake 15 minutes down the road could be having a downpour. It’s these types of conditions where I find that mayfly hatches can be sneaky good. We’re at the point of the season where almost every lake is warmer than 55+ degrees and there’s quite a few lower elevation lakes that are seeing consistent 60+ degree water temperatures. Mayflies hatch on those cold overcast days where it seems like there’s going to be no hatches. There have been quite a few reports of people getting into those hatches over the past week or two when the chironomid hatch is a little quieter. Expect chironomid hatches to still be going quite strong throughout the interior but it’s always nice to have the backup options for the mornings and afternoons or when the conditions just don’t place nice.
Most mayfly hatches will happen anywhere from 5-17′ of water. I really love hover tip, sink tip, or floating lines with long leaders when fishing mayfly patterns to cover the water depths. You can always fish them under an indicator too but you’ll typically want a decent breeze to help move your pattern up the water column at a natural pace. Mayflies emerge at a shallow angle and will rest after a few short bursts. I use a slower hand roll twist with a few occasional strips to best mimic the action. Pheasant tail nymphs and Hares ear nymphs are the two best patterns to use and I’ll typically have them in sizes 14 and 16 in your standard brown, black, tan, and olive. A neat trick that some people will do to best imitate the predominant Calibaetis nymphs is taking a marker and colouring the topside of lighter patterns as this particular type of mayfly has two tone colour patterns.
Another bug that will start emerging will be your damselflies. I fish damsels similar to mayflies and will still often use a hover tip or an emerger tip to cover the shallower (5-10 ft) portions of a lake. Damsels swim in a consistent motion towards shore and you’ll know when a hatch is on as you’ll see swarms of damsels in the top 2-3 feet of water swimming to shore. Unlike mayflies, they swim to reeds near shore first in order to emerge. In some cases, you’ll know that they’re starting to emerge as you’ll see fish boiling subsurface. BMWs, DLTs, and grizzly damsels are all great patterns to use. The nice thing about these flies too is that they mimic numerous food items including mayflies. Sometimes it’s less about matching the hatch perfectly and more about covering your bases.
Sterling Balzer
Post Spawn Bass Fishing Report
Largemouth and smallmouth fishing has picked up significantly since my last report. Some systems are into post spawn already while most are still in full force spawn.
Dante with his first bass.
Temperatures have warmed up enough to produce really solid topwater action. Frogs, poppers and buzz baits have been stirring up a lot of action as of late.
Bass fishing with top water lures can be some of the most exhilarating visual fishing one can encounter. The right weather and temperature can trigger explosive strikes and takes.
Brandon with a stunning largemouth caught on a weedless topwater frog.
One can find the best open water topwater fishing at dawn or dusk due to low light. Days with overcast make for good topwater fishing too. From late spring throughout the summer, you will find that most largemouth bass will hide in heavy cover away from the sun. Lily pads, logs and brush are all key locations where a weedless topwater lure can shine.
Due to the heavy cover associated with where the bass hide, you need a heavy braid for topwater fishing in cover. 50-65lb braided line is the standard. No leader is necessary as the bass will pick your lure out based on the vibrations transmitted through the vegetation. In fact, seldom will they even see your bait before they eat it, they will feel it. If you are using a braided line that is HI-VIS, and you are concerned about spooking fish, a cool trick is to use a black sharpie and colour the last 6ft of your braid to better camouflage it into the surrounding.
Anglers have been having success with all of your standard spring/summer baits aside from topwater; chatterbaits, spinnerbaits, senkos, craws and crankbaits.
Get out there and enjoy some quality bass time!
Gavin Lau
