Its been a while since we posted a detailed fishing report, the weather is beginning to improve so it’s just about that time to break out the boats and get back out on the water. Speaking of boats, STS Doug Elias has upgraded his 19ft North River to a beautiful new 22ft Thunderjet . The BC Fishing & Hunting Show is this weekend, drop by and say hello, STS will have a booth in Hall A, also if you like Doug’s new boat Thunderjet will also be at the show..

Speaking of new shinny jet boats, Vic didn’t get himself a new jet boat but “Twice as Nice” did get an overall and will be ready to hit the water in a few weeks. Also if you are in the market for a new boat or have purchased a new boat in the last few years and would like to learn all there is to learn about the Fraser River, Jet Boats and Jet Boat handling, we still have a few seats on our March 31 Jet Boat Seminar, cost is $195 for the full day.

This seminar is a full day on the Fraser River with Vic Carrao of STS jet boating 240km from Mission to Hells Gate and Back. This seminar is for anyone who already has a jet boat or is thinking about purchasing one. Vic will show you how to navigate the Fraser River, run whitewater, surf a jet boat in big water, read shallow water, anchoring techniques, jet boat control and much much more.

Cost: $195 per person
Date(s): Saturday March 24, and March 25 are both SOLD OUT, we have a few seats available for March 31.
Registration: Register by emailing us at sts

Spring Sturgeon Fishing

Spring Sturgeon fishing is just around the corner, our next peak period is only 4 weeks away so we are really looking forward to some great weather and fishing. The next 3 weekends we will be traveling from city to city attending Sportsman Shows. This weekend we will be in Abbotsford and Red Deer Alberta. We have some great SHOW SPECIALS that you can save hundreds of dollars so drop by and say hello. You can also take advantage of our SHOW SPECIALS by calling us at 604-671-3474 or send us an e-mail.

STS Guide John Popowich and guests with a 10ft Fraser River Sturgeon caught in 2017

Salmon Fishing Report

If you are wanting to catch a few salmon there is only one place to do that during winter months. Vancouver area offers some decent winter Chinook fishing in around the Harbour and around local islands such as South Bowen, Howe Sound and Tungstall Bay. To catch these fish you need to troll with flasher/hoochie or spoons and use downriggers to get your gear near the bottom. The best rods and guides are all using GibbsDelta Guide Series Flashers and a variety of their popular spoons and hoochies. You can visit their website at http://www.gibbsdelta.com or drop down to the show this weekend and visit their booth.

Steelhead Report

Steelhead fishing has been fair to good this past month, looks like the last week has produced some great results for local angler who put in the time. Yes I know everyone says that but it’s true, you need to put in your time, cover lots of water and hunt these elusive fish just like you would a Trophy Elk or Moose. The saying “90 percent of the fish are caught by 10% of the anglers” applies to steelhead fishing more than any other species. Paying attention to the finest details is what separates the average angler from the top rods on the river. You can improve your chances by talking to local pros and dropping into your local tackle store for updated information. You can also hire a local guide for a 4 hour walk and wade seminar which would greatly reduce your guess work.

Hope you all have a great weekend, hope to see you at the local shows.

Best Regards

Vic Carrao

604-671-3474

It’s that time of year again when we begin planning our fisheries for our 24th straight season. For 2018 we are expecting a large run of sockeye to return to the Fraser River beginning in late July running through until early to middle of September. Peak fishing for this fishery would be between August 15 & September 15 but exact dates will not be known until the fish begin moving into the Fraser so it is a bit of a gamble on when to book. If the numbers show, the fishing will be great throughout late summer. Day trips start as low as $450 for 4 hours or a full day for $700.00

The Chinook fishery on the Fraser has been showing poor results for the past few years but the Harrison River Chinook run that begin returning in early September has been a bright spot in our fishery. These fish are larger than the Fraser Chinook and make for some great action and battles on light tackle rods. Best time to book to take advantage of this fishery is September 15 to October 10.

During the same time period as the Harrison Chinook we also fish for Coho, Chum salmon and Harrison River Sockeye. These fish can be caught using many methods including spin fishing, bar fishing, plunking spin n glo’s and fly fishing. Overall our salmon fishery on the Fraser is best from August 15 to November 15. Don’t forget that all of our salmon charters also include sturgeon fishing if you wish. The Sturgeon fishing during summer and fall salmon season is nothing short of amazing so great time to book a combination salmon/sturgeon trip. Our most popular packages for this fishery is our 4 night 3 day package starting as low as $900.00 or our 2 night 2 day package starting at $575 per person.

Speaking of salmon, we also fish for Chinook and Coho salmon on the west coast of Vancouver Island as well as Halibut and Ling Cod. Our Quatsino Sound Lodge Packages include accommodations, meals, 8-10 hrs of fishing each day and transportation to and from Coal Harbour. The advantage to choosing to fish our location is the flat calm water that is often found off winter harbour and Quatsino sound. Many of our best days are fishing as close as 1 mile from shore.

Our most popular package is our 4 night 3 day all inclusive for $2195.00 per person based on 4 anglers sharing 2 rooms, 1 boat/guide.

Sturgeon fishing has become one of the most popular fisheries on the Fraser. Anglers from around the world converge on the Fraser both in spring and fall to catch these amazing prehistoric fish. Anytime is a good time to fish for sturgeon but like most species there is a prime season when fishing is just too good to be true. That time is April/May or August through to late November. Similar to our salmon you can purchase day trips for as low as $450, overnight packages starting at $575 per person for our 2 night 2 day.

One of my favorite places to fish is the Upper Pitt River, this fishery is mostly light tackle spinning or fly fishing, we target Bull Trout in June, Sockeye and Bull trout in July and first half of August. Although we don’t target Chinook on the Pitt we do usually catch a few during middle to late July through early August. If you’re looking for a remote fishing experience with incredible scenery I highly recommend booking a day or two on the Pitt River. Day trips on the Pitt start at $850 per day, only full day charters are available.

Last but not least we also fish the Vancouver area for salmon year round, this fishery is not like the west coast but we do have some amazing days out on the water. This fishery offers a great opportunity to experience salmon fishing without having to travel great distances, also we can combine a Fraser River spring sturgeon trip with some early Chinook Salmon fishing out of Vancouver.

To sum it up, we fish year round and can always find the fish, whether you’re looking for a last minute trip or planning that trip of a lifetime, give STS a call and let us show you why STS has been the leader in the industry for over 24 years.

Hope to see you out on the water.

Best Regards

Vic Carrao

STS Guiding Service

www.guidebc.com

sts

Local 1-604-671-3474

Toll free- 1-855-223-5453

Celebrating 23 years of Guiding Fishing Adventures: 1994-2017

STS on Social media:

Join our mailing list – http://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/d.jsp?llr=vi9yq5bab&p=oi&m=1101609593109

The Vancouver Boat Show begins tomorrow, Jan 17 and runs through until Sunday Jan 22. Although STS does not have a booth this year, we do have several sponsors that will be at the show and STS Guide Doug Elias will be at the show representing Pure Fishing (Penn, Abu Garcia, Fenwick). If you’re looking for a specific product drop by and see Doug at the Harbour Chandler Booth or Stevenson Marine. Doug will be rotating between these two booths.

Speaking of trade shows STS will be attending several shows in Alberta, USA and our own Abbotsford Boat & Sportsman Show. Drop by and say hello and meet some of our newest guides and of course our veterans like Tom, Thomas, Doug and Vic. Hope to see you at one of these shows.

If you’re looking to upgrade your electronics, this is a great time to find some discounts on the latest and greatest. For those of you who fish the Fraser for Sturgeon the new Humminbird Helix has really taken off. This unit offers amazing detailed bottom structure reading and side scan sonar. Drop by and see Don at the show, Humminbird will have most of the new 2018 models on display at the Humminbird booth.

We have not been out on the water fishing this past week but we have been out working the Fraser using our side scan sonar for various projects that we are involved in.

These fish will begin to move around and look for food once the water temperatures begin to warm in early spring. This is also a great time to get out on the water and take advantage of these hungry feeding fish. The Eulachon ( small bait fish) will begin to migrate into the Fraser by mid to late March with peak migration around middle to the end of April.

Steelhead season has had a slow start, the Vedder River is producing some nice fish but anglers are really having to work for each and every bite. Hopefully this fishery will pick up over the next few weeks. If your looking to get out on the water and catch a few salmon, our Vancouver winter saltwater fishery is in full swing. STS Guide Doug Elias has been ut several times over the past few weeks and has produced several nice fish. Although this fishery is a bit inconsistent, we do have some great days out on the water in January through to March.

Over the next few weeks our 2018 bookings will increase substantially, we still have some great dates available for both salmon and sturgeon charters so if you are looking for that adventure of a lifetime, please give us a call or shoot us n e-mail.

Hope you all have a great week.

Regards

Vic Carrao

STS Guiding Service

604-671-3474