OUTLOOK
The great weather that was predicted last week is coming! We are going to see the first mid 20 temps of the year this weekend and it should make for some great fishing conditions.
The good weather covers almost all of the province so if you are sticking close to home or heading out of town, bring the sunscreen!
In this week’s report, we look at the Capilano River in the Rivers section where things are picking up. We also look at bass fishing because we are expecting the warm weather to really get fish moving.
We also looked at the Interior lakes. This wave of warm stable weather should kick off a diverse range of hatches and in the high elevation lakes chironomid fishing should really get going. JT has some specific strategies for how to fish mayflies that you will not want to miss if you are heading up to the Interior.
Last, we have a saltwater report with some great tips for targeting coho as well as some good tips on how to quickly release chinook because we still cannot target this species in our local waters.
On to the report!
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 4 & 8), (July 11 & 15), (Sept 18 & 22)
Cost: $180.00+GST
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 seminar.
Dates: June 19, 2024
Cost: $75.00+GST
Time: 6:30pm – 9:30pm
Check out the full course listing here and give us a call at the shop (604.872.2204) to sign up today!
FRESHWATER FISHING REPORTS
Capilano River Fishing Update:
The Cap was fishing well with the wet weather last week. The ideal conditions of rain, river rise, and a strong high tide made for some excellent fishing when the pods pushed upriver.
Roe and small beads are still catching the majority of fish, with a few being taken on small crocs and flies. The river levels have stabilized at a conservative level. We have a mostly sunny outlook for the weekend so keep your presentations small and stealthy. With these conditions, I can see more opportunities for the fly anglers. I find flies can sometimes out fish gear when the water gets low. Some favorable am tides might encourage some fish up the system even in lower water conditions.
Keep changing your tactics if you know fish are in the pool. Having a natural bait, a bead, and a lure presentation can make a significant difference. Do not be afraid to move around… the fish will be moving up and can be intercepted in a variety of spots. If you can find some unpressured water, you may be rewarded with an eager pod of coho.
Remember to pack out whatever you bring down the canyon. Stay safe.
Eric Peake
STILLWATER FISHING REPORTS
Local Bass Fishing Report
It looks like we’re going to be getting some appropriate late-spring weather for the next week or two. As a result, I’m expecting bass fishing to pick up again as water temps come back up and fish get more active.
Some of the smaller local ponds have been fishing reasonably well, even with the weather over the past few weeks, but the larger bodies of water- such as Pitt Marsh- have been fishing rather poorly; I’d be inclined to say this is mostly due to the larger waterbodies being a few degrees cooler than the smaller waterbodies… and a few degrees can make a huge difference for all gamefish, including bass. Thankfully, with some much more stable, seasonable weather in the forecast, I’m expecting the larger waterbodies to warm up and start fishing a lot better.
They can’t all be hogs, I guess
Slow, semi-finesse presentations were king last week; I managed to sneak out to a small local pond for 45 minutes and the trusty wacky-rigged senko produced several small-ish fish. Having said that, I did fish a frog for a few minutes and did rise a fish on it, and I would expect top waters to become even more viable as the water warms up. Crankbaits, jerkbaits, swim jigs, spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, top waters and faster, more aggressive soft plastics will all start to fish better as the water temps rise, so be sure to have a variety of gear on-hand if you’re heading out.
Taylor Nakatani
Interior Lake Fishing Report
Bring on the heat! Finally, we are going to get more than one or two days of nice weather in a row. May was moody for sure, and a day of nice weather was often followed by multiple days of cold weather, in some cases record setting cold temperatures. This up and down on the weather certainly made the fishing up and down. Most lakes had tough fishing last week, with very few exceptions. Some lakes also had some nasty winds, Sheridan in particular, with some dock and boat damage being done. Hopefully, June has some nice weather in store for us and some equally nice and steady barometer readings with good fishing.
If you are heading into the Interior in June, make sure you have your mayflies, damselflies, and caddisflies (sedges) ready to go. There has been a definitive switch off the chironomids onto these other food sources in the past 2 weeks and in particular last week. Of course, this varies dramatically, as some lakes are known for June chronie hatches and not all lakes get caddis or see good mayfly and damsel hatches. Each lake will be different, but overall, it sure seems the mayfly fishing has been quite good this past week on a lot of lakes.
This chunky Pennask took a mayfly nymph on a full floating line and long leader, cast and retrieved just off the reeds. Notice the rain drops. It is not uncommon to see more prolific mayfly hatches on overcast and windy afternoons vs flat calm and sunny conditions
If you are new to fishing mayfly nymphs, try casting and retrieving them with a floating line, clear intermediate sink tip line (such as midge tip or emerger tip), or even a clear or camo intermediate line. You can also wind drift with these patterns, or if you are on anchor, cast out and let your line wind drift until at the back of the boat and then hand twist retrieve it back in. Yes, you can even hang these flies under an indicator! All these techniques have their place, and the final choice will depend on what you prefer, how deep the fish are feeding and the wind or lack of it. If you want to see some of these techniques in action, simply get on the internet, go to YouTube, and search how to fish a mayfly in a lake. There are lots of instructional videos and TV episodes where you can learn a lot. Here is a good informative piece from the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC with Brian Chan on Mayfly Fly Fishing Strategies.
Up close and personal with a mayfly nymph from a recent trip to a Cariboo lake
Of course, there are going to be some situations in the coming weeks where not much is going on for hatches, so that means bring out the scuds, shrimp, leeches, dragons, blobs and boobies. Either that or try a different lake as there are thousands to choose from! In the final analysis, you need to be prepared to adapt or to move on. With so many lakes and so many
Variables, it can be overwhelming at times, but remember, this lake game takes years to master and in fact I don’t think you will ever stop learning.
I encourage you to keep a journal on each lake you fish, water temps, what was working, and any other details you notice. Over time, you will build up a strong foundation of knowledge and timing, so when you do have some time off work you can make the most of it with some solid lake choices and you will have the right flies and knowledge in place to be successful.
See you in the shop or on the water,
Jason Tonelli
SALTWATER FISHING REPORTS
Vancouver Saltwater Fishing Report
The first week of June is in the books and it’s been a busy one out on the salt. Our boats have been out daily, and the guides have had their work cut out for them DNA sampling the record numbers of chinook swimming around our local waters.
The highly anticipated hatchery coho opening has arrived which has brought a bit more traffic to the popular spots, but still, plenty of room to try various methods for targeting these exciting salmon. So far there hasn’t been overwhelming reports of coho being caught, but they are definitely around, and it seems to be improving by the day. Our guide boats have been running into pockets of coho off South Bowen with reports of other boats finding decent schools throughout the tides.
Smaller Skinny G style spoons tied with a shorter 30lb leader have been doing well along with hoochies. I find using 30lb mono as opposed to 40lb mono leaders gives the spoons a bit more play and erratic action which can be key in getting these opportunistic fish to bite. Running shallower on the downrigger is typically the best play for running into coho, and we can’t say it enough, TROLL FAST. It’s pretty hard to troll too fast for coho. The speed you should troll will depend on your boat’s direction in the current and cannon ball weight, but an easy way to know you’re fishing effectively is to watch your downrigger cable angle. With 15lb cannon balls, a 45-degree cable angle and a bit beyond is a good place to start. Once it starts to get too parallel with the water you may not be fishing the depths you want to be at as accurately.
If you missed it, Jason has a quick video on some of the gear as well as leader setups and notes on speed for targeting coho. Check it out here.
A quick reminder that chinook fishing is closed in our local waters, and I only say this again because it is inevitable that you will run into some while targeting coho. Best practice is to release them at the side of the boat, leaving them in the water. After nearly taking a flasher and spoon to the face during a boat-side seal encounter the other day, it reminded me of the importance and utility of gaff releasing. Releasing fish with a gaff takes a bit of practice but will save you and the fish a lot of time and frustration that comes with trying to use pliers or bringing them onboard. Gaff releasing involves grabbing the leader with the gaff hook and sliding it down to the fish’s mouth where you can then use leverage to pop out the hook. Reel West Coast did a great video detailing how to perform this maneuver. Check it out below, as it could save you some fingers if the seals are lurking, and in my case, the gaff acted as a shield for the leader to wrap itself around instead of getting stuck in my face.
Jake Comrie
