Fraser Valley Fishing Report as of Jan 6, 2011.
Now that Christmas and New years is over, we can get back to the business of fishing and providing fishing reports. Several of our guides are on the water almost daily fishing steelhead on the Vedder and Salmon Fishing out of Vancouver. We will try our best to keep you up to date, we are currently working on a Blog Page which will make this much easier, Stay tuned.
Vedder River Steelhead.
Water conditions have been low and clear but with the rain the past couple days we can expect the water to rise slightly. I wouldn’t expect the rain to do too much as the snow level is still quite low so most of this rain will accumulate into snow in the mountains.
So far the steelhead season has been excellent, many fish in the 7 to 10 lb range the odd fish over 12 lbs. A bit smaller than average but way more fish this year. STS Guide Thomas Rutschmann has been hitting the water daily producing fish on almost every outing. Dialing the river in is very important early season as this is what makes the slower weeks more productive.
Local Mission Resident Tony Reid with his first steelhead of the season.
As usual, low clear conditions require lighter leaders, smaller baits. If the water does rise and color with the rain, you can up the anti and try some of the larger artificial baits like Pink Rubber Worms, Gooey Bobs and our favorite, Roe Sacks.
If you’re looking to get out on a guided trip, we offer daily guided trips on the Vedder, gear or fly. Our instructional trips are the most popular with locals as our expert guides can teach you all you need to know about reading water, learning the Vedder and most of all, how to catch Steelhead,
Chehalis River
The Chehalis has been fishing well for steelhead and Cutthroat Trout. There are still a few Coho swimming around but they have seen better days and are now mostly post spawn. Most of our local anglers will target Steelhead in the Lower Canyon or Just above the Chehalis Bridge. Both areas have been producing fish. Cured Salmon eggs, Shrimp ( table or sand) are both working as is artificial like wool, jensen eggs and gooey bobs.
Fraser River
The Fraser River is in excellent condition, water clarity is 3 to 4 feet, temperatures are just above freezing. We did see a few ice flows yesterday but they are not large enough to worry most boaters. Just keep your eye out if you plan on boating the Fraser over the next week.
Bridge repairs are underway on the Mission Bridge so please slow it down and proceed with caution. They are currently working on the Mission side of the river but they will be moving over to the Abbotsford side soon.
Pic – Caption – Cutthroat Trout are one of the more beautiful trout.
Winter on the Fraser can produce some great Cutthroat fishing if you’re willing to put in the time. Most anglers who winter fish on the Fraser are fly fishing or casting small spinners. For fly fishing I prefer winter stone flys, small minnow patterns or my favorite; pheasant tail nymph with a bead
head. Try fishing some of the back water just off the edge of the main flow, this is where we do our best fishing.
Sturgeon
We have not been out on the water sturgeon fishing since before Christmas. I have not had any reports of fish being caught as most anglers are now focusing on either Steelhead or Winter Chinook fishing out of Vancouver Harbour. I would expect that there are a few fish out there as like every winter but for the most part sturgeon fishing will play second fiddle to steelhead and salmon.
This was one of the largest Sturgeon caught on 2010 on the Fraser by STS Guide Tom Pearce.
Like 2010 we will begin our 2011 sturgeon season fishing the Mission area during the spring Ulichon migration. This is when these small smelts return from the ocean to spawn in the lower Fraser. The fish are not as large as we see in the summer/fall but the action is steady with many 10 to 20 fish days.
If you’re wanting to fish for larger trophy sturgeon during late spring/ early summer, our sturgeon camp is the place to be. Our new Yurt camp is located near Lillooet, BC, 3 hours drive from Vancouver, 2 hours from Whistler, BC. This region is warm, dry and offers spectacular scenery and fishing.
STS has teamed up with Fraser Canyon Lodging to offer what we believe is the most spectacular sturgeon fishing adventure available anywhere in Canada or United States. When I first visited the Yurt Camp in 2010 I was a bit skeptical, I always believed that lower/mid Fraser was the only place that offered great sturgeon fishing, Wow was I wrong!
After spending 3 days fishing a region seldom fished by anyone I could not wipe the smile off my face. I never saw another boat and spend most of the 3 days chasing fish down the river. I would safely say it was some of the best fishing I have ever experienced. Want to join Vic & Tom for 4 days of incredible sturgeon fishing?
Camp Dates are set for peak fishing period.
July 8-11
July 11-14
August 5-8
August 8 -11
Maximum of 12 guests per date, to see cost and Itinerary, please see link
During the summer months sturgeon fishing can be very good in the Chilliwack/Mission region. The salmon are now migrating up the Fraser at full speed and the sturgeon are following along for a feed. Once the salmon season is in full swing, so is the sturgeon fishing, typically this will take place in early to mid August when the sockeye salmon are migrating up the Fraser River.
If your wanting to fish for salmon and sturgeon in the same day or multi-day trip, August through to November is best. 2011 is a Pink year so fishing will be very good for large sturgeon from early September through to until end of October.
Whether you are looking to spend a day or a week, family vacation or take your best client or a corporate retreat with 5 star accommodations and service, STS Guiding is the leader in sport fishing on the Fraser. Our quality fishing adventures are second to none, not sure, see what our many guests had to say http://www.guidebc.com/testimonials.asp
Vancouver Saltwater Salmon fishing
Winter Salmon fishing has been fair to excellent the past week. Good numbers of Chinook are being caught in Vancouver Harbour with a fair number of keeper size Chinook. Finding the biat fish is the key, find the bait and you will hook fish. Hoochies, Spoons and bait fish have all been producing fish, trolling near the bottom has worked well. Our new 265 Express is geeting rigged and almost ready to hit the water, If your looking to get out and catch some salmon, February is a great month.
Vancouver Saltwater Fishing with STS
For the past 10 years STS has offered saltwater charters out of Vancouver. Most of our saltwater fishing charters have been sub-contracted to associate charter operators out of downtown Vancouver. Well that is all about to change.
STS has partnered up with Delta Airport Hotel and as of Feb 1, 2011 we will be operating our own Saltwater division based out of Vancouver Airport Hotel. Daily charters will be available as well as overnight stay packages. We are currently rebuilding our new site www.fishingvancouver.com with official launch date of Jan 15.
Delta Airport Hotel is located 2 minutes from the Vancouver Airport just off the north Arm of the Fraser River. With our own private marina we will have quick and easy access to Vancouver Saltwater Fishing Hot Spots, Gulf Islands and the Fraser River. Some of our packages will include salmon and sturgeon combo’s as well as Vancouver Island & Gulf Island Salmon Fishing.
Although our marina is not right in downtown Vancouver, we believe our strategic location will give us a huge advantage. Within a few short minutes we can be fishing all of Vancouver’s Hot Spots not to mention our close proximity to the Gulf Islands. To make your journey to us easy, we offer FREE hourly shuttle to and from Vancouver Airport, for those coming from downtown we offer free shuttle service to and from Vancouver’s Canada line.
All Vancouver Ocean Charters with STS Include:
· Free Airport and Canada line shuttle service
· 6, 8 or 10 hours of Guided Salmon Fishing
· All charters we drop crab and prawn traps when in season
· Private Guide and Transport Canada Certified boat
· All fishing tackle, fishing license and catered lunch
· Fishing Hot Line for Quick Reservation
· Souvenir for each guest.
· Continental or Full Breakfast can be added for an additional charge.
Check out our new 27 ft Grady White, this fishing machine is equipped with the best in tackle, saftey and navigation not to mention one of the best guides teams in the Vancouver Saltwater Scene.
Want to win a 6 hour Saltwater Guide Trip with STS? Just send us an e-mail with “enter me to win” We will post the winner on our new website www.fishingvancouver.com on Jan 15.
To celebrate the Jan 15 launching of www.fishingvancouver.com we will be giving away a Saltwater Fishing ROD & REEL combo valued at over $250. To enter just visit www.fishingvancouver.com on Jan 15, and find the link, “enter free draw” we will draw the winner at 5pm on Jan 15.
Join our team of 8 professional guides for the 2011 season and see why STS is considered #1 in the valley.
STS Guiding Service is committed to providing current and future clients with the highest level of service and quality angling experiences at the lowest price possible. We pride ourselves on our personal and friendly service, our ability to catch fish on 95% of our guided charters. We are fishing the area 12 months of the year. For us fishing is a year round commitment, not just a summer job.
To Book Your next guided adventure, call us Toll Free 1-866-771-3474
Remember to conserve your catch
Tight Lines and we will see you on the water
Vic Carrao
http://www.guidebc.com
sts@guidebc.com
GuideBC 