OUTLOOK

Cool weather with a mixed bag of sun, cloud and a little rain is the trend for this weekend for almost the entire province.

The cool weather is not a bad thing for a number of fisheries. We tend not to look too closely at rivers in May and June but, with low snowpacks and the cool weather keeping run off to a minimum, looking at water levels and planning a river trip is not out of the question.

Most anglers are looking to lake fishing and the cool weather is great for our local lakes. When things get hot in the Lower Mainland, our local lakes really slow down but with cool temperatures in the forecast well into next week, they should fish well for a few more weeks. We have details in the local lake section below.

With regard to the interior lakes things will be cool as well. This could play havoc with hatches. Jason has been up in the interior and covered a lot of ground and Matt is up there as well so we will have a detailed interior lake report next week.

The last lake related report we have this week focuses on bass fishing. This is a fishery which fishes well when we see stable weather. With small fronts constantly moving through over the last 10 days things have been inconsistent. We expect the post spawn fishing to pick up when we get some stable weather. Check out all the details in Taylor’s report below.

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

INDUSTRY EVENTS AND UPDATES

Sport Fishing Institute of BC – Big Spring Raffle – EARLY BIRD RAFFLE DEADLINE!

LAST CALL! Get your tickets before Midnight tonight to be entered into the early bird raffle. The draw for 2 Okuma Cavalla bottom fishing rods and lever drag reels valued at $1299 and a beautiful custom Duncanby Lodge Islander TR3 reel valued at $899 will be drawn Saturday at noon.

More details on the rest of the Big Spring Raffle and the good work the Sport Fishing Institute does below

Its back!  The Sport Fishing Institute of BC’s Big Spring Raffle.   There’s an amazing lineup of prizes to be won, including a KingFisher Boat package, a trip for two to Langara Island Lodge, tackle and even a guided trip with Pacific angler! 

At only $20 a ticket it is a great deal! 

If you are not familiar with the Sport Fishing Institute of BC, they represent the interest of hundreds of thousands of anglers, work together with community and industry groups across the province, are dedicated to protecting, preserving, and promoting the sustainable access and opportunity to the public fishery on BC’s west coast. 

By buying tickets to their raffles not only do you have the chance to win great prizes, but you are also supporting activities that strive to protect and enhance sustainable access to public fisheries for British Columbians, Canadians and visitors to BC. 

Get your tickets here and good luck!  

FRESHWATER FISHING REPORTS

Capilano River Fishing Update:

Conditions have improved on the Capilano with the spring rains moving those blue backs upriver. This next round of rain will move fresh fish in the system and provide cover for anglers.

Smaller beads and bait presentations under a float have been good where the river has good flow. Flies and hardware have been able to fool fish in the calmer pools.

If you’re new to this system check out last week’s deep dive article on the gear tactics and timing for the Capilano or stop in the shop to get the details in person. We have all the gear you need to catch these early salmon.

Last week, I noticed the little tuffs of cottonwoods drifting on the breeze. The late great Dave Steele used to say, “If there are cotton woods in the air, there are fish in the Capilano.” These little natural signs are great indicators for anglers. The fish are there.

Cheers,

Eric Peake

Squamish River Fishing Report

We usually stop reporting on the Squamish this time of year due to high water. With cooler temperatures in the forecast, it is still worth keeping an eye on.

We don’t have any detailed reports off the water from the last few days, but we just wanted to jump on here to say that the water levels are high but not too high if you want to make a late run to the Sea to Sky system!

STILLWATER FISHING REPORTS

Local Lake Fishing Report

This past week saw anglers finding continued success at the various local stocked lakes throughout the Lower Mainland and the Fraser Valley.

With most stockings taking a small pause as we head into the warmer summer months, anglers will want to try their luck at a handful of various lakes as the temperatures, as well as quantities, change.

Some of these local lakes will fish better during low-light hours- either first thing in the morning or at dusk as the sun sets. This is due to the light levels and water temperatures getting too high. This also can create wary fish. On the other hand, some lakes that are shadowed or receive less light may in fact fish a little better once the water warms up a bit and the fish ‘wake up’.

Having a plan in hand helps make which direction to head a little easier: do you have a list of lakes that fish better if the forecast calls for blazing sun? What about if the weather turns and it’s supposed to be overcast or drizzly instead? Making a plan for various situations can help maximize your angling time, as well as your success.

Hicks, Deer, Rice, Sasamat, Como, and Lafarge are all popular options, but aren’t the only ones.  Mike, Browning, and Daisy are also popular destinations, with many more being found at www.gofishbc.com 

You can also find your licenses at the above website as well.  One trick I always encourage is to put your Angler Number into your phone as a contact (‘Fishing License’ or ‘Angler Number’) and put the number into the Phone Number Field. Saved to your Cloud or Drive, you’ll always know where this number is when you need to purchase any future licenses or stamps. 

Small spinners and spoons are your standard fare for lures while targeting these fun catchables, but don’t forget about the float and bait! Krill, single salmon eggs, Powerbait, and Dew Worms are all great options to dangle under a float or sit on the bottom. 

When fishing weighted bait off the bottom, using slip-sinkers (either Bass Casting/Bell or egg-shaped) are preferred as it allows fish to pick up and move with the bait without them feeling it, as well as helps reduce leverage that the fish can use to shake hooks.

When flicking feathers and fur, small bugger-style patterns are common, such as BMW’s and micro-leeches.

Fishing these stripped at various speeds and depths can be the ticket, but don’t forget to dangle the balanced leeches if the wind picks up or you notice the fish are at a consistent depth.

Small nymphs are also great options, whether the trout are eating them as such or not. Small mayfly nymphs, damsel nymphs, and scuds are also great options that are small-mouth-sized and perfect for these local fish. 

These fish are also a lot of fun on lighter fly rods, such as 2wt and 3wt rods often reserved for small blue-line creeks and streams. 

Remember to do your best to keep the lake cleaner than when you arrived, and to wade, float, or drift safe!

Keep your tips up and your lines tight,

Daisy Lake Dangler – Jordan Simpson

Local Bass Fishing Update

To say that the weather we’ve experienced this past week has been “unsettled” would be a massive understatement, and it has been having an effect on the local bass fisheries. The warm weather we had earlier in the year meant that most of the fish in the small to medium-sized ponds started spawning early; I was hearing reports of fish on beds in mid-March. The weather was warm enough for long enough that most of those fish have long since spawned and are now post-spawn, though some fish in the larger, colder bodies of water may still be in the late stages of spawn or early stages of post-spawn. Post spawn can be a tricky time to target bass, as they usually won’t be very active- though they can still be coaxed into biting, just not as easily as pre-spawn or during spawn. 

This cooler weather means the fish that are already somewhat inactive after spawning will be even less active due to the dip in water temps… and the constant weather fronts moving through won’t help the matter, either. There will be exceptions to this, and the possibility for some great bass fishing does exist… it’s just not going to be as consistent or easy as it would’ve been when the weather was more settled. 

There are a few upsides to the abrupt reduction in sunlight, one of which is that weed growth in most ponds will be slowed- this is a good thing when one remembers that some ponds can get so weedy that they become nearly unfishable by July. Another upside is that the cooler weather is keeping water temps from getting excessively high, as often happens by mid-summer. 

The best options in terms of gear can change from day-to-day depending on conditions, so it’s best to have a variety of presentations to cover as many bases as possible. As a very general rule, slower, more finesse-style baits such as senkos, creature baits, reaction baits and other plastics will work when fish are less active, while topwaters, swim jigs, spinnerbaits and other more aggressive presentations work when fish are more active. Fish around structure and cover and be sure to stay mobile- much like steelheading, covering water is the best way to find bass. 

Taylor Nakatani

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