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Fishing for salmon and sturgeon continues to produce some great results, the chum salmon are starting to take over many of the rivers in the Fraser Valley but there are still some Coho around as well. Our canyon tours are finished for the season but if someone is looking for a private tour we still have a few dates available over the next few weeks. See below for more detailed report.

Sturgeon fishing on the Fraser has been fair to excellent this past week, numbers of fish caught are down a bit from last week but still some great days with fish over 7ft being caught on a daily basis. Fresh Chum roe has been the best bait for us but lamprey and stink bait is also producing some good results.

Guest John Shadbolt visiting us from Manitoba landed this canyon beast measuring just under 8ft with a 45 inch girth

Notice the long nose on this fish, canyon fish are a bit different than lower river fish as they must navigate much faster water in the canyon, this fish are brutes to land.

Salmon Fishing has been fair to good for both Chum and Coho, last week the Harrison River was fishing really well as was the Vedder, Dewdney, Stave and main stem Fraser. This week there was quite a bit of pressure on the Harrison, with all the boats roaring up and down the river fish are being spooked to the shoreline and back channels. The Mainstem Fraser has been fishing very well for Coho using bar fishing or casting spoons and spinning , Vedder is still producing some good Coho and fresh Chum.

Here is a beauty harrison River Chum Salmon caught on jig fished under a float.

If you are looking to catch some chum salmon, float fishing with jigs can be deadly. We like to use Pink/Purple jigs tied from maribou on a lead headed jig. You can also add some chartrueses for some added brightness. The key to fishing these jigs is getting the jig close to the bottom and allowing the jig to dead drift. Once the jig starts to come across the current, reel in and cast again.

Casting Spoons and spinners are working well for Coho as is fly fishing, the key to sucess is the slow retrieve, if you think you are retrieving slow enough, slow down a bit more. As mentioned in previous posts, the Gibbs Ultra Lure or Gibbs Crocs are the two best lures for Coho. Colorado blades work well for those who prefer to cast spinners.

As I was writing this report,a text came in from the river with a beautiful sturgeon caught by our guests from Nedco with STS Guide Braeden Szlabon, this fish measured 103 inches to fork.

As you can see by the picture above, there are still plenty of big fish to be caught this season. November is one of our favorite months so if you have not booked yet for this season it is not too late.

Hells Gate Tours are finished for the season but we are still offering private group trips until mid November. The water is big and cold so not a time for getting wet but the scenery is spectacular during Fall. A few more trips up the canyon then off to Costa Rica to fish for Roosters, Sail Fish and Mahi mahi.

Hope you all have a great week, see you on the water.

Fishing for salmon and sturgeon continue to produce some great results, coho fishing has been excellent this past week with both hatchery and wild fish being caught on all of our salmon trips. Sturgeon fishing is a bit more challenging for the larger fish as they are starting to get full but we are still landing large fish over 6ft on a daily basis.

Sturgeon fishing remains good throughout the Fraser River, this past week we have seen some very large fish caught with one over 10ft landed by an associate guide near Mission. The Fraser will continue to produce good sturgeon fishing well into November so still lots of time to book your trip with us. Sturgeon baits are starting to switch over to fall baits with Chum roe and stink bait producing best results, lamprey eel is also producing good results.

We have noticed that sturgeon are not moving far to eat so lots of drops is required to find the fish, once you find them, the bites come shortly after you scent the area. If you are not having success, keep your drop time to 15-20 minutes then move to new location until you find them.

Salmon fishing is quite good right now and should last into the middle of November which can be some of the best salmon/sturgeon combo trips of the year. We are currently casting spoons and spinner for Coho, float fishing for Chum and fly fishing for both Coho and Chum. Best lures have been Gibbs Delta Ultra Lures and Gibbs Crocs on Hammered Brass/Red Firestripe.

Vancouver Salmon fishing continues to produce great results for Coho and Chinook as we are fishing for the same salmon that are migrating up the Fraser. If you are looking to try some saltwater fishing we are still offering daily charters out of Granville Island Location.

Have a great week on the water and Happy Thanksgiving.

I guess it is my turn this week to land a couple big fish, yesterday an 8ft 1 with 45 in girth and today an 8ft 11 with a 47.5 inch girth. Both fish were in mint condition , scanned and tagged with a Pitt Tag. Great to see lots of big fish this year with no tags, I guess is shows there are still lots of virgin sturgeon lurking the might Fraser River.

Neils Thomsen visiting from Norway landed this 8ft 1 inch Canyon Fish yesterday while fishing with friends Michael, Peter and Brynjar.

The Sturgeon fishing has slowed the past few days but as you can see there are still some great fish out there to be caught. These fish have been feeding on Pink Salmon for over a month and are getting full. The good news is that they will turn back on as we get closer to November and we should experience some great fishing between now and mid November.

This 8ft 11inch sturgeon measured with a 47.5 inch girth, what a great fish for the boys from Spruce Groves Western Trucking

Coho Fishing was also amazing today with over 26 fish landed between two groups, lots of Coho being reported both on the Vedder Canal, Fraser and Harrison River area as well as Dewdney Slough area near confluence with Fraser. Most popular methods have been fishing with Gibbs/Delta spoons and casting colorado blades with split shot. I find that Gibbs Crocs and Ultra Lures work best in Harrison and Colorado blades work best in Vedder or Dewdney slough.

Here is a beauty Coho caught by Brynjar guided by Tom Pearce.