All posts by Roadside

May 16 Fishing Report Update

May 16, 2018 Roadside

I guess this next couple weeks is going to tell the story, while eastern BC is on flood watch, the Fraser Valley is holding on tight, hoping for the best. Local rivers are running very high and near record levels. The Vedder River in Chilliwack is about as big as we have ever seen it, the Fraser River is rising and is now at 5.6 meters at Mission Station and 9.2 at Hope Station. These are serious levels and by the looks of it, it’s going to get higher before it begins to recede.

Although water levels on the Fraser are extremely high we are still fishing for sturgeon on the Fraser, Salmon out of Vancouver and we are getting ready for our fly fishing season on the Pitt River and our West Coast Salmon and Halibut Season.

Fraser Sturgeon has been fairly good considering the high water, not as many fish as last week but some very healthy fish over 7ft were caught this past week. Best bait for this time of year is Lamprey Eel , Salmon eggs and Salmon Bellies. I’m sure other baits will work but these would be your key baits for consistent catching.

Fishing out of the main flow will be critical for fishing and safety while out during high water. Most fish move into the side channels where flow is less so if your targeting sturgeon, we would suggest doing the same. Fish the side channels and back eddies where debris and flow is less. Also keep in mind that travel will be limited due to high water, bridges such as Kilby Train Bridge, Barrow Town Pump Station and even Mission Train Bridge will be dangerously close to high water levels so safe passage under these bridges may be limited.

Vancouver Salmon fishing has been good to excellent this past week. Chinook Salmon has been the main target fishing around Vancouver and Nanaimo area. South end of Bowen Island, Tungstall Bay and Thrasher rock have all been producing good results. Best method has been trolling close to the bottom using the GibbsDelta Guide Series Flashers with G-Force Spoons, some guides are also trolling larger 4.0 G Force Trailhead, Bon Chovy and No Bananas and 4.0 Irish Cream and Homeland Security Silver Horde seem to be matching up well to the 5 inch herring in local waters!

Our Pitt River Fly Fishing trips are just starting up, we are doing a few scouting trips over the next week or so and then we will begin guiding on this river. Our main target will be sea-run Bull Trout for the month of June then as the sockeye and chinook roll in we will begin seeing some salmon action on those fly rods and light spin tackle. June is the best month to target those larger sea run fish so great time to book a trip.

West Coast Salmon and Halibut is also near start up, we will be moving some equipment over to the island in early June so we are ready for our first group of anglers by middle of June. We are almost sold out for 2018 but we still have June 30 – July 5 available and we can take one more group between June 21-25 . If you’re interested in some amazing salmon and halibut fishing, this is the trip to do.

Our Fraser Canyon Sturgeon Adventures/ Hells Gate tripsare almost full for the summer. STS Guidings founder and past owner Vic Carrao and deckhand Renee Coghill will be spending another summer fishing and jet boating in the Fraser Canyon. We still have a few dates available in August and September but dates are getting thin.

There is one Sunday still available on August 12 and another on Sunday September 23, these are the last two weekend dates available. We still have a few weekdays in late August and early September as well.

Fraser Canyon trips include; 132km round trip from Hope to Hells Gate, Sturgeon Fishing, Barbecue Lunch and skeet shooting if time permits. This trip has it all, incredible scenery, big white water, beautiful canyons and some amazing sturgeon fishing. Vic is one of the only Jet Boat Pilots that consistently runs this section of the Fraser so you don’t need to worry about safety. Vic can take up to 12 passengers so this makes for a great Corporate or family outing.

Hope you have a great weekend and please feel free to call or e-mail us with any questions

Your Team at STS Guiding.

April 27 Fishing Report Update

April 27, 2018 Roadside

The fishing has been nothing short of amazing this past week, double digit days have been common for sturgeon and some great salmon fishing going on out on the ocean out of Vancouver. Trout fishing has been fair to good so looks like we have turned the corner and spring fishing has finally arrived.

April is coming to an end but the great fishing is just getting started, sturgeon fishing is on fire with some great days out on the Fraser. Best baits have been Eulichon, Roe and Lamprey. With spring freshet arriving we are now fishing some of our main haunts that can produce some big fish this time of year. May is a great time to get out and we have plenty of room for a last minute trip.

Salmon fishing has also been very good out in the open water out of Vancouver. South end of Bowen Island and Thrasher Rock are both producing some good results. May is a great time to fish both salmon and sturgeon so you can do day trips or we can offer a 2 day trip where you fish salmon one day and sturgeon the next.

May through to October offers some great fishing, if your looking for that trip of a lifetime, look no further. We fish 365 days a year and offer one of the strongest teams of guides anywhere in the province. Come join us for the 2018 season.

Hope you have a great week.

Vic Carrao

www.guidebc.com

sts

604-671-3474

March 27 Fishing Report Update

March 27, 2018 Roadside

Its that time of year again when anglers and jet boaters begin to dust off the gear and prepare for the upcoming season. Local rivers like the Harrison, Fraser, Vedder and Chehalis are all coming alive with salmon fry migrating downstream heading for the open waters of the ocean. This past weekend we ran the entire Fraser from Mission to Hells Gate, it was encouraging seeing the birds feeding on migrating salmon fry which is the first indication that spring has arrived. See below for more.

For those of you interested in fly fishing or catching trout on the big water of the Fraser or Harrison rivers, this would be a great time to venture out. I spotted at least 4 big balls of fry heading down the Fraser over the weekend which is exactly what you want to see when fishing for trout in the spring. The Harrison is also a great place to fly fish for trout so dust off those rods and get out there while the spring fry migration is happening. One of my favorite fly patterns for spring is the Rolled Muddler or the Epoxy minnow , both these patters can have their days. Here are the patterns if you would like to tie. http://guidebc.com/flypatterns/rolledmuddler_cutthroat.asp http://guidebc.com/flypatterns/epoxyminnow.asp

Sturgeon Fishing has been fair to good, a few seals starting to hang around Mission area which is usually an indication that the Eulachon run has arrived. Sturgeon love these little smelts and feed heavy on them throughout the month of April. This is a great time to get out and fish the Fraser for sturgeon with many great days on the water. If your looking for a trip on the Fraser give us a call, we have some special spring pricing that we can pass along and you will be helping us tag sturgeon for the Fraser River Sturgeon Conservation Society.

Here’s a nice little 4 ft sturgeon caught yesterday by Al and son Garret while fishing with STS. The rain is not letting the fun stop, all our boats are covered and heated if needed. Now more than ever it is important to fish and handle sturgeon correctly. As more anglers take to the water in search of that trophy pic, anglers need to take the time to ensure they are using strong enough tackle and understand the rules and regulations around the handling of sturgeon. If we don’t, the future of this amazing sturgeon fishery will be at jeopardy.

On April 7 & 8, STS is putting on our spring sturgeon seminar, there is no better place to learn all about sturgeon and how to catch them, handle them and care for the future so the next generation of anglers can also enjoy this amazing fishery. The cost is $195 for the 6 hour seminar, this is on the water fishing seminar with one of our experienced guides. We will also be tagging sturgeon for the FRSCS on this day so you will also learn all about the Mark recapture study currently taking place on the Fraser.

I would like to thank everyone who came out this weekend and spent the day with us on the Fraser for our 10th annual jet boat seminar. Hopefully we have saved you some time and money learning how to handle these powerful jet boats. I know how much I enjoy sharing my experiences with all of you. I am selling my Humminbird 1198 Side Imaging unit if someone is interested, call me at 604-671-3474