OUTLOOK
There might be some sun on Friday but, it looks like another wet week coming up. This is going to put us on river levels watch once again. As the forecast stands right now, we anticipate there will be some pockets of time where you can get out on the water so be sure to keep an eye on the weather and the river levels.
When the rivers were not too high last week, we had good reports. Lots of folks got out coho fishing and though it is tapering off in systems that have an earlier coho run, there are still lots of fish coming into the systems that have later runs.
We have more details on all the major systems in this week’s freshwater fishing report section, so be sure to have a read of that while you are keeping an eye on the river levels.
On the industry side of things, if you haven’t checked it out already be sure to check out the Sport Fishing Institute of BC’s website for their current raffle and mark your calendars for the 2021 Annual Policy Conference! More information on this in the Industry Events and Updates section below.
On to the report!
INDUSTRY EVENTS AND UPDATES
Big Splash Raffle
There is still time to get your tickets to The Sport Fishing Institute of BC’s Big Splash Raffle! You can’t go wrong with this raffle and a chance to win a Kingfisher boat with Yamaha power and Scotty downriggers, or one of 4 fishing adventures to destinations along the BC coast!
Visit their website for more details and to purchase your tickets!
Also, mark your calendars now for the annual SFI Policy Conference on December 2, 2021. More details will be available in the coming weeks for this virtual conference and there will another amazing auction for you to participate in. Keep an eye on this section or the SFI’s website for more details in the coming weeks.
We’re Hiring – Join Our Team
2021 is almost wrapping up and we are looking forward to a busy holiday season and a great 2022. With that, we are looking to add to our team! We currently have full time openings for both an Inventory Manager and a Retail Sales Associate.
https://www.pacificangler.ca/join-our-team-today-were-hiring/
Read more about each of these positions here and send your resumes to kathryn@pacificangler.ca
CLASSES AND COURSES
Fly Fishing Egg Patterns
This course is designed to teach you the secrets to one of the most productive presentations in the BC fly fishermen’s arsenal; nymphing egg patterns. This deadly method can be used for different species of trout, char, and salmon. During a 3 hour evening seminar, we will teach you key concepts, strategies, and gear that will give you a well-rounded foundation during the seminar portion of the class. Then you will put those skills into practice during a fully guided day on the water.
Zoom Seminar: Nov 17, 2021 Guided Portion: Nov 20, 2021 1 SPOT OPEN
Cost: $275.00+GST
Zoom Seminar Time: 6:30pm – 9:30pm
FRESHWATER FISHING REPORTS
Chilliwack/Vedder River Fishing Report
We are over the hump and on the downward trend for the Chilliwack. With chum being closed, the sole target species left is coho. Historically we still see decent pushes until about Remembrance Day though for this coming week your main combatant is going to be the water conditions.
A lot of rain over an extended period of time is inbound and this will probably keep the river very high or blown for a few days at least. This will make it very tough fishing but as long as it isn’t a total blow-out it is still possible to find fish. Focus on the edges and any slower water you can find. Larger presentations and short leaders will be key especially if the water is murky. We will more than likely have at least one more push once the water starts dropping again.
Alex Au-Yeung
Capilano River Fishing Report
We are nearing the end of the fall salmon season for the Capilano. Most of the fish that would have pushed up would have already by now. Coho will definitely still be hanging around for the next few weeks but do not expect to find hordes of chrome fish. At the time of writing, the river is at a high 3.2m and on the rise. We are expecting rain throughout the week and unfortunately, the river will flood. Once the river drops, fishing can improve in the upper canyon pools. Anglers can catch coho in the canyon pools into December. While most fish are stale by then, it is still possible to entice them with flies.
Please be reminded that any Steelhead caught in this system, regardless of presence of adipose fin, must be released with care.
Gavin Lau
Squamish River Fishing Report
Just like the last few weeks, the Squamish and its tributaries have seen a mix of ups and downs.
With warm and wet weather conditions continuing into the weekend, anglers should have a backup plan in case their favourite piece of water is unfishable.
Fish continue to push into the system, with char and trout also becoming target species.
These fish will key in on decaying flesh as well as the abundant salmon eggs.
With high and dirty water, and during the drop, trout beads and blood dot eggs have always been a great option. Add in a variety of peg colours and you now have a different presentation which can make all the difference.
Spoons and twitching jigs continue to get fish, as do bigger flies when the water is up and high.
Once it starts to drop and clear, small and sparse stripping flies should be on the mind. This goes for spinners and spoons too; dropping down into the smaller sizes of hardware can often do the trick when fish are spooky or pressured.
It has been quite warm lately, even higher up, keeping the bears active and moving. Please be bear aware and be safe.
Jordan Simpson
Harrison River Fishing Report
Here’s to hoping that the river doesn’t rise too much with these projected heavy rains. I don’t think we’re going to get any more pristine water condition days so you may as well go when you can since the fishing has still been quite good. We’re still hearing reports of decent coho pushes throughout the system.
Higher water has meant faster water meaning larger spoons and jigs have been an absolute staple for Harrison anglers. We recently got a few of the larger 1/2-ounce krocodile spoons, which have been doing well on the main flow of the Harrison. Coho will always look for the slowest water so it’s equally important to have a large number of blue foxes and prime weighted spinners in numerous colours. A lot of these fish have seen the same lure over and over in these back channels so it pays to have a few different colours like blue, green, copper, orange, and pink.
Flies have also been great. I’m a huge fan of full intermediate lines or intermediate clear tips on this system. My main go-tos are the Scientific Angler sonar stillwater camo clear, Rio camolux, and the Scientific Angler sonar titan clear tip for the back channel areas. You can throw something like a Rio Predator F/I/S3 too if you’re going to be fishing in a bit quicker water. I use all these lines on the Vedder and up in Squamish so don’t think of these lines as one trick ponies. The main killer patterns are poison arrows, Kelsey’s Hopes, copper flash flies, and christmas trees. You should find at least a few willing takers if you’re fishing those patterns and the fish are around.
Sterling Balzer
Stave River Fishing Report
The Stave has been producing decent numbers of coho over the past week, and it should continue to somewhat consistently produce coho for the next week or two. There are also reasonable numbers of chum around, but this fishery was closed on October 26th, so you can’t target them. Feel free to politely inform anybody who is still fishing for chum of this rule; most of those who are simply don’t know of the closure… but, failing polite education, the DFO’s ORR line is 1-800-465-4336.
The weather forecast for the next few days isn’t great, but while other river systems may blow out and become unfishable, the Stave will almost certainly stay fishable. It’s a dam-controlled river that almost never gets dirty. This means two things- on one hand, it’ll be a safe bet for the weekend, even if everywhere else is blown, and the higher water will probably push some fresh coho into the system. On the other hand, there’s a chance that it could be the only viable option for the weekend, so as such, I’m expecting it to be pretty busy this weekend. The silver lining here is that the Stave is a fairly large system with lots of room to fish, so you can usually go for a walk and get away from the worst of the crowds, and the chum closure has taken some angling pressure off the system.
Float fishing with roe, beads, blades and gooey bobs is usually the best bet for coho, but twitching jigs or casting spoons and spinners can also be productive in the right areas. Keep in mind that it’s usually best to avoid twitching jigs when fish are concentrated in certain areas, as the end result is usually a snagged chum or coho. Both sides of the river have been producing fish, but parking remains an issue on the west side, and I’ve been hearing reports of a rash of catalytic converter thefts on the east side, so be mindful of where you park.
As mentioned, the Stave is a dam-controlled river, so pay attention to water levels if it’s raining- it can come up very quickly and without warning, so always have some sort of safe route in mind when you’re out there.
Taylor Nakatani
