Fishing this past week has really picked up, sturgeon and salmon fishing have been fair to excellent and there are still a few steelhead around for those of you who prefer to walk and wade the rivers, fly fishing for trout has been good but mostly smaller fish being caught. We dropped by Gibbs/Delta lure plant and picked up some new hot lures and we spent some time down at our Delta Hotel location fishing the lower river for sturgeon. Overall looks like fishing is really picking up and the next two to three weeks is going to be excellent. Steelhead fly fishing begins on May 1, see below for more detailed report.

This Sturgeon measured 136cm with a 60 cm girth, looks like he has found some Eulichons to feed on.

Fraser River Sturgeon – Last week we saw the water rise with lots of debris, this week the water has leveled off and most of the debris is gone. Tides on the lower Fraser are favoring an early morning bite and late afternoon, The best tide this week is starting in late afternoon but by the weekend the morning bite should start to really produce. Nice to have Tom and Thomas back on the water after a long winter, talk on the dock is a bit different these days, instead of talking about Friday night on the town, the discussion is about diapers and how much sleep Toms getting, lol.

Good number of sturgeon between 3 to 5 feet are being caught daily with some bigger fish in the 6 to 7 1/2 starting to show up. By the looks of their stomachs I would guess that there are good numbers of Eulichons in the river. Best baits have been Eulichon and Lamprey eel and we are getting a few on salmon eggs. As I mentioned above best bite has been early morning then late afternoon but that will chance as tides move forward 30 minutes each day. A reminder that if you are using or have Eulichon in your possession you must have a receipt of where you purchased it from.

Over the next 3 to 4 weeks we can expect the same good fishing even if water levels increase. Typically the last week in April and first 2 to 3 weeks of May are best for sturgeon . We still have some good availability for May so just give us a call and we will get you out.

Vancouver Salmon – Fishing has been fair to good for salmon in the Vancouver area, some nice Chinook salmon in the 10 to 15lb range with the odd fish over 20 taken this week. Fishing has been best on the early morning high slack or again at the low. Most anglers are fishing the south end of Bowen Island and trolling outside of the Harbour near the QA.

Over the next few weeks we should see quite an improvement in the Vancouver salmon fishery as more fish move through our area, the Gulf Island are producing some good results so we will begin doing charters over to the island by early May. Our Delta Hotel Location is great for getting on the fish without allot of travel and if weather is bad we can offer guest the alternative of fishing for sturgeon out of the same location.

Speaking of Sturgeon fishing out of the Delta Hotel, this past week we have done 3 charters out of this location with some great results. If your staying in downtown or just visiting for a short time, this location makes it quick and easy to access this world class fishery without having to rent a car or drive out to the Valley. We offer daily shuttle from Vancouver Airport and Canada Line from downtown is fast and easy.

Gibbs/Delta Tackle is one of Canada’s largest lure manufacture established in Vancouver in 1908 by Rufus Gibbs. 105 years later they are still hard at work perfecting lures and tackle for us West Coast guides and anglers. Some of the top producing lures and tackle for both freshwater and saltwater are made at their manufacturing plant right here near the Fraser River in Delta. Last week I had the opportunity to tour the plant as see all the new changes they have made. More importantly I was able to get my hands on some of their newest lures and tackle.

These flashers show above are the hot ticket when fishing the Vancouver area, local guides have worked closely with Gibbs/Delta to develope the perfect flasher for both local and West Coast waters. The above flashers are some of our favorites.

Some of the newest products that are producing results are shown above, those big spoons are mostly West Coast but do work locally when the big Chinooks are around. The G-Force spoons have been knocking them dead both locally and on the coast. These are Hot Lures and a must to have on board your boat.

G Force spoons are doing well out in Vancouver Harbour and West Coast, not a bad idea to have a few in your tackle box, even better, on the flasher in the water!

Vedder River Steelhead fishing has been fair to good, STS guide Breaden Szlabon has been knocking them dead this past week with shrimp and roe. On May 1st the Vedder river above the crossing will be closed to all fishing until July 1, the lower river will remain open for fly fishing only. If weather stays cool we should have some great water conditions for opening week.

Fly Fishing trips on the Pitt River will begin at the end of May. June, July & August are the 3 best months to experience this fishery for both fly fishing and light spin tackle. Most of the trout are between 16 inches and 5lbs but we do get a fair number of fish between 5 to 10 lbs. Regardless of size, the experience itself is one that is not soon forgotten. This is by far one of my favorite fisheries.

I will be off to Costa Rica next week to see if I can find a few Tarpon on the fly, I will keep you updated on my facebook page so please feel free to come back often and see how my trip is doing. If you are looking for more frequent fishing report updates, our facebook page is the place to check. Please feel free to pass along our report.

While I am away I will be answering my e-mails on a daily basis, Thomas will be answering the phones and taking bookings. If you have any questions on scheduling Tom is your contact at 604-807-4819. For bookings please call our office or 604-671-3474

Hope you all have a great week on the water.

Vic Carrao

STS Guiding Service

604-671-3474

Been quite a week for me, seems like nothing can go quite right and every boat I own is having issues. I spend all winter in our shop working a preparing boats for the next season, you would think once spring arrives and boats are in the water, everything would go according to plan, wrong…. I guess the good news is most of the issues were minor, things like bilge pumps, fuses, alternator and a new kicker motor for the KingFisher. Oh well, maybe now we are ready for the season, oh ya, maybe a couple new 150 Verdaos might be on order.

Let’s forget about the boats and talk about fishing this past week.

Lots of talk about a 11ft 6 inch Sturgeon caught by a local angler in the Mission area last week. News spread like wildfire on the internet so fishing pressure was a bit higher than normal in Hatzic Flats area where the big one was caught. I think I can say that Spring Freshet has officially begun as water levels on the Fraser have risen from 3.7 meter on April 3 to 4.5 meters on April 10. On Saturday April 6 we saw a big push of sticks and logs in the river but it has since cleared up and the river was in pretty good shape yesterday.

Fraser River Sturgeon – Sturgeon fishing has been inconsistent for the most part, one day you get 7 or 8, next day 3 or 4. The past few days fishing has slowed, probably due to cold weather front and the rise in river levels, yesterday we fish from Mission to New Westminster with okay fishing but nothing to get too excited about. Walt hooked a big 8ft sturgeon yesterday but unfortunately it was not hooked properly so they got punished trying to let him go. I took a run down to the Alex Fraser yesterday afternoon to see if there was any signs of Eulichons in the river, didn’t see much going on so my guess is that it is still a bit early.

Sturgeon fishing will improve considerably over the next few weeks as weather and water temperatures begin to rise. Watch for pods of seals feeding close to shore and sturgeon breaking surface as these are two good indications that Eulichons are present in the water. Best boats this week have been Lamprey but we have got fish on Salmon eggs as well. Our bookings are sold for the last two weeks of April and most of May but we always have more room to get you out on the water.

Vedder Steelhead fishing has been pretty good this past week, water levels are up but lots of fish getting caught on both fly and gear. As water levels rise, access to the Vedder becomes more difficult so this is probably going to be the last kick at the can before the season is over for most anglers. May 1st and the Vedder will change to Fly Fishing only , the only downside is that water levels are often too high to access the good water.

STS Guide Braeden Szlabon has been working the Vedder hard this week, some great catches to show for it.

April 27 Hells Gate Tour still have 4 seats available, if you would like to join us for this wild and crazy ride, the cost is $129 p/p. The trip departs from Hope and is about 4 hours in length.

Vancouver Salmon Fishing has been up and down this past week, we have seen some good reports coming from QA to Bell Buoy area and South end of Bowen Island should start to pick up in the next week or two. Crab and prawn fishing has been excellent so great time to get those traps out. We do drop crab traps on all trips but prawn traps only on 8 or 10 hour charters. The reason for this is that prawning takes considerable time away from fishing so it just doesn’t make sense to drop them on 6 hour charters.

We have quite a few trips going out over the next two weeks so if you are looking to get on the water, give us a call. Our saltwater boats are moored at the Delta Hotel in Richmond so we are only minutes away from the prime fishing grounds.

Want to get the most up to date fishing reports from the water ? You can either join our facebook page or go to our fishing blog site at https://blog.guidebc.com/ and click on the " follow us" button.

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Vic Carrao

STS Guiding Service

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This is the report everyone is waiting for, enjoy the read and feel free to e-mail me with any questions.

Lots of great news to report, we have just finished up with our spring fishery meetings for both Federal & Provincial Government as well as our Sturgeon technical and community working groups. Throughout our report I have provided you with 2013 pre-season forecast as well as some seasonal timing information. This is the report everyone is waiting for, so enjoy.

Trade Show season is in full steam ahead, I am heading to Edmonton on Monday for the biggest and best fishing show of the year. Quite a few changes at this year’s show as they have joined with Fish’n Hole. Not only will the Fish’n Hole have a large retail booth in Hall B but all the tackle manufactures will be there as well. I will be in Edmonton & Red Deer for a couple weeks then heading to GP so if you’re looking for a fishing partner, I think I might have a few days to spare.

Bookings for 2013 are very strong, if you’re wanting to fish primetime with us you need to book early especially if you are wanting to fish with us in September of October. The spring sturgeon fishery is approaching fast so give me a call and we will do our best to get you on the water.

Our booth location has changed this year from booth number #375 to #370 & 371. We are in the same isle as past years but further north on the main isle way.

If you have trouble finding please call me 604-671-3474.

After spending 6 hours on a sturgeon working group conference call yesterday I had the itch to get out, went out for an hour last night and landed 3 fish.

Sturgeon fishing is starting to warm up, I was out last night for an hour and hooked 3 fish. Tom and Walt are out on the water right now doing a couple trips, Tom just text me and reported the fishing as "Stupid" ?, I think that is slang for really good, lol. Tom texted me at 10:30am, they had landed 4 fish over 5 ft and a few smaller ones so looks like the season is starting a bit early this year. The Spring fishery is our next peak season with April 1 to May 30 being best for action. We have some great deals on right now " Fill the Boat" special so good time to take advantage of the great fishing opportunity.

Lots of talk about Eulachon this year as they are considering listing them under SARA and there will be no fishing for them on the Fraser which means you can’t use Fraser Eulachon for bait. what does this mean for you the sturgeon angler? At our local SFAC meeting on March 7 we received an update from C & P officer Doug Cliff. Officers on the water will be checking anglers for the usually violations but this year they will also be looking for "proof of purchase" for any Eulachon found on your boat. The only place that still harvests Eulachon is in Alaska so you must have proof that they were purchased from this region.

Sturgeon update – speaking of sturgeon, lots of encouraging news the past few days, population has increased to 49,313 from 44,713k with a good portion of those fish being from the 140 to 180 class range which is 4-6 footers. These fish could be potential spawners for upcoming spawning season so great news for sturgeon population. Another notable good news story is that the growth rates in 2012 were above average which means fish are happy, feeding well and growing faster than normal.

Sturgeon handling is still something that we as anglers and guides need to improve on. The Sturgeon Best handling Practices was designed provincial fishery managers with help from local fishing reps including myself. These guidelines ensure that sturgeon are being handled correctly with least amount of harm and that this world class fishery can continue for years to come. Please take the time to review the latest Best handling Practices at http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/fw/docs/ws_guidelines.pdf

This is a great example of how sturgeon must be handled, any fish over 1.5 meters must remain in the water at all times.

(except when they are tailing talking of course)

Salmon fishing in Vancouver area has been fairly good the past few weeks, best action that I have heard of is coming from the Ladner region near the south arm of the Fraser in front of the Delta Ship yards. Heard of a 10 fish day recently and fairly consistent fishing producing 2 or 3 fish each time out. The freighters around Vancouver Harbour are also producing fish and south end of Bowen should start to produce good results soon…

Our 28ft Kingfisher is ready to hit the water, we offer daily charters from the Delta Airport Hotel located across the street from the Vancouver Airport and only 15 minutes from downtown Vancouver & 2 minutes from downtown Richmond.

Fraser River Chinook Salmon pre-season forecast was released a few days ago, overall it is very encouraging but we still have issues with our early spring & summer Chinook stocks returning to the Fraser. Fishing for Chinook will be much the same as 2012 with no fishing opportunity in the Fraser River until July 16, then slot limit from of 1 fish under 77cm until August 1. These numbers are still subject to change based on the in-season test fishery at Albion but very likely this is what we will be looking at. The Summer 4.1 Chinook ( late south Thompson) return is expected to below 2011 but enough to allow for sport fishing opportunity. The Fall Chinook Runs look promising for both Chilliwack & Harrison with a pre-season terminal abundance of 66k.

Sockeye pre-season forecast is encouraging, early runs are still a concern but summer run is predicted to be strong with a 50% probability of 4.765million fish returning to the Fraser. These fish are mostly Chilko & Quesnel River stocks contributing 78% of the total return forecast whereas the early runs contribute 9% late runs contribute 12%. I would suggest that anglers who are planning on bb for salmon wait until the sockeye numbers are up and DFO announces a sport fishing opportunity.

Pink/Coho/Chum Salmon Forecast is a bit lower than I expected but still looking good for both recreational angling and sturgeon food supply. Pink Salmon Pre-season forecast at a 50% probability is 8,926,000, almost 9 million with a 90% probability of 17 million. My guess is it will be somewhere in between. Peak run timing is middle of September. The Chum and Coho returns both look to be about the same as 2012 which was good but we will still be looking at a Interior Fraser Coho selective fishery with window closure same as previous years.

Overall I think we are in for a better salmon season that 2012, the good news for STS clients is that we offer salmon fishing in Vancouver and Vancouver island from April to August so even when the Fraser Salmon Fishery is not open, we can still put you on some great salmon fishing. We also offer combination trips for Fraser Sturgeon & Vancouver Island Salmon so be sure to give us a call before making your holiday plans.

Fly & Spin Fishing the Upper Pitt

June 1 to August 15 – is peak fly fishing for sea-run Bull Trout on the Upper Pitt River. These fish enter the Upper river from the lake heading for their spawning ground in Garibaldi Park. These fish are chrome bright and full of fight. Size ranges from 3 to 10 lbs with lots of fish in the 4-6 lb range. Some of the larger fish can reach as much as 14lbs. This is one of British Columbia’s Premier fisheries with limited access and a wilderness experience. Late July the sockeye begin to enter as well as the Chinook Salmon so it makes for some great fishing. Our regular rate is $850 for 2 anglers but we are currently offering $100 off for early bookings.

This fish was caught in early August on the Upper Pitt River.

Our fly fishing adventures begin only 40 minute drive from Vancouver. We fish 7 river systems within 1 hours drive of Vancouver including one of British Columbia’s best kept secrets. Trout fishing is a year round fishery with several peak periods when trout fishing is at its best. Typically winter and spring offer some good fly fishing opportunities on several river systems, late May to June offers spectacular fly fishing for sea-run trout and local resident fish. Salmon fry are just starting to hatch so this is a good time to try your luck at fly fishing for cutthroat trout. We offer daily charters on both Harrison & Fraser River.

Left to right: STS Guides Vic Carrao, Casey Martin, Braeden Szlabon, Tom Pearce, Doug Elias

The BC Fishing & Hunting Show was a great success, I love seeing some of my old friends and past and current clients. Lots of great fish stories and we get to see what is new for 2013. The Berkley booth was by far one of the more active booths in the show, kids were reeling in the big one on our fish simulator while Dad got to check out all the great rods and reels.

Love those pink boots, you go girl.

I was caught off guard on Saturday morning when I was call to the Berkley/Pure Fishing booth for a Pro Staff meeting. I started to think we were all in trouble when Pure Fishing Marketing Manager Chris Hockely started to speak. Turns out that Chris is moving onto a bigger and better position within Pure Fishing as the new USA Berkley marketing manager and I was awarded the Pure Fishing " Ambassador of the Year" award. Thanks to Chris and Harry for their support and I much appreciate them for all they do for our team at STS Guiding Service.

I will be traveling for the next few weeks but we are open for business with Tom and the guys ready to guide you on your next adventure. You can call us on our toll free number 1-855-223-5453 or my cell at 604-671-3474. I will be checking my e-mails twice a day so feel free to e-mail me at sts@guidebc.com

If you have a friend who loves fishing, please feel free to pass along our report or have them join us on facebook or follow us on our blog.

Hope to see you along my travels, tight lines.

Vic Carrao

STS