This past week we have seen just about every type of winter weather you could image, snow, rain, ice rain, gale force winds and today clear sky’s. Even through all this, some of our guides are still on the water catching fish. Crazy but I guess that is why they are considered some of the best rods in the valley.
Steelhead
Steelhead fishing has been "off the hook" according to STS Guide Thomas Rutschmann. Sounds like this week might be a good bet to get out there. See below for Thomas’s on-river report.
Hey Vic, Fishing was off the hook today with 12 hook ups between me and Chris it was amazing to say the least, I had a fish eat my float in the middle of the drift only to hook it the next cast…. We missed easily as many fish as we hooked… with a rare double header. The river came into great shape after going to mud the day before. We hit it perfect with 6 fish in the first 2 runs. We braved snow sleet rain and wind but that’s what it takes to catch steelhead. The river should stay in great shape with the cold and the mountains getting a good coating of snow.
That is one incredible day of steelhead fishing. As long as air temperatures stay cool, local rivers should stay in shape. If we get heavy rain or temps begin to warm, we will see some clouding of water clarity.
If you are looking to get out Steelhead fishing, the Vedder, Chehalis and Stave Rivers are your best bet this week. We have heard some good reports from the Chehalis as well as the Stave River. Salmon eggs and Sand Shrimp are both working well for guys who like to fish bait, if you’re like me and prefer artificials try using gooey bobs or single jensen eggs. For fly try using larger streamer patterns in orange, pink, purple or black.
Steelhead Seminars – Instructional guide trips are available all winter for only $250 for a private one on one instructional trip or 2 anglers for $175 per person. This includes 6 hours of instructional fishing for steelhead with fly or terminal tackle. Trips are available weekday and weekends throughout Feb & March.
Vancouver Salmon
Vancouver is one of the few places in British Columbia that you can catch salmon 365 days a year. Right now and through the winter you can catch Chinook Salmon in Vancouver Harbour and surrounding region, most of the salmon are between 4lb ( shakers) to 12lbs ( Keepers) with the occasional Chinook in the 16 to 20lb ( Slab) range. Vancouver Harbour offers fair to good winter salmon fishing from Jan through until the spring runs begin to show up. Crab and Prawn fishing is also very good in winter usually producing limits on every trip.
This past week as been very difficult to get out on the water, high winds have kept most anglers on shore. If you’re cabin fever is setting in, your best bet is to try some winter steelhead fishing on local rivers. You might also try some fly fishing on the Fraser or Harrison River but be careful as there is some ice chunks moving down river.
Fraser Sturgeon
No reports this week, the Fraser has been locked up with ice so not much going on. I am looking out my office window at Hatzic hole and it looks like ice chunks are starting to melt so it won’t be more than a couple days before the Fraser is safe to boat again.
We still have some seats available for our April Sturgeon Seminar and Fraser River Jet Boat Seminar. Both seminars are in April and are done in one day. You can e-mail us for more info or chekc out our website at http://www.guidebc.com
1. Mark Pendlington host of TV Show SportfishingBC, battling a monster Fraser Sturgeon while filming a show for the 2012 season. Keep an eye out for this show.
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3. New Sturgeon Article – Last July my wife, two daughters and I packed up our back packs and went on an adventure of a lifetime. 5 countries in 5 weeks with 2 weeks traveling Africa and Mosambique. Anyway, had my small lap top with me so during my spare time I wrote a long overdue article on sturgeon fishing. I’m not a writer which not too hard to tell, anyway, hope you enjoy it. http://guidebc.com/articles/strategiesforsturgeon.asp
Hope you all have a great week, and keep those lines tight, and ears warm.
Please feel free to call or e-mail us with any questions or concerns.
Vic Carrao
STS Guiding Service
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sts
Local 1-604-671-3474
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