Deans Dino Blog

Fishing Report for Chilliwack to Vancouver – April 5, 2019

Posted by:

Fishing Report for Chilliwack to Vancouver – April 5, 2019

Hi and welcome to the GRFA fishing report updated on the 5th of April  2019.

Days are getting longer, trees are starting to bud and the fish are biting. Spring is finally here! And with it fishing opportunities continue to open.

WM3

STURGEON:
Fishing for sturgeon has remained incredible as of late. Not only have the numbers to hand to be good but were starting to see bigger fish in the 8’ plus category plus plenty of 6’+ thrown into the mix.

The Fraser has bumped up a little with the recent warm weather we’ve been having. Water has colored up with the bump; however the river is still quite low. With the low visibility it is more important than ever to watch for gravel bars and other obstacles as you run the river, especially with any prop driven boat.

WM2

Eulachons are in the river now in decent numbers on their annual spawning run. These are small bait fish (candle fish) that migrate up the Fraser from the saltwater to spawn at this time of year. With the arrival of the eulachons sturgeon will start moving out the extreme depths and into some shallower water looking for these tenders morsel. Obviously this is the bait of choice at the moment; however lamprey and single salmon eggs have also been extremely effective. Keep your offering size down to the minimum as larger baits at this time year are often ignored or the sturg will often “lay” down on it to save it for later; this results in foul hooked fish as the motion of the fish telepaths to the rod like a bite.

WM11

The salt water designated portion of the river, downstream of Mission, has continued to produce good numbers of fish and has started to show some decent fish as well. From the Vedder River to Mission has also been very good for numbers and the average fish seams to be little larger. Keep moving around, trying different anchor locations until you find them, once you start getting bites stay close as they tend to pack up in the spring and often ones does not have move much to get into consistent action.

WM10

What better way is there to spend a spring day than sitting in a comfortable covered jet boat waiting on another bite from the almighty sturgeon.  With limited fishing pressure on the river this is a great time of year to get out and experience these dinosaurs of the deep. We offer half and full day outing’s via jet boat with nothing but the finest in guides and tackle. We pride ourselves in ensuring your day is as comfortable, safe and enjoyable as possible. Whatever your speed, we will cater to your needs. Call or email today. rstahl@greatriverfishing.com


 

WM9

STEELHEAD:
The Vedder River, along with most all other Fraser tributary’s have come up somewhat but stayed surprisingly low with the heat wave we went through. The last few days we’ve seen some rains and the rivers finally got a bump of much needed water. This will get the fish moving, especially the ones that have been holding low in the rivers, and the upper portions of the rivers should start producing well.

WM6

Hows that for your first ever steelhead! 36″ Beauty, on the fly and fishing with your mom… does it get any better.  Congrats Arron and guide Landon.

With the conditions starting to rise look towards slightly larger offerings like jigs and plastic worms, particularly in low light conditions. Of course small bags of roe or skeined chunks always work.

For the fly guys, this is the time to get out there. With the rising water also comes slightly warmer water which can really induce steelhead to chase and and attack your offering.  Fly sizes and colors can vary greatly and water conditions will dictate what you run just keep in mind that salmon smolts are starting to pop and minnow like flies can be the key. Remember that you want to be running very heavy sink tips and if your not touching bottom every once in a while, your just practicing casting.

WM8

GRFA is once again offering float trips on the Vedder/Chilliwack River and the time is now! April finds the Vedder River at its peak for steelhead numbers, water temperatures are up and flow is perfect. Want to knock old square tail of the bucket list? This is your best opportunity…We will be primarily float and/or fly fishing for the chrome beauties and will use the raft primarily to offer ease of access to the water and most fishing will be still be done from shore. If this is something that interest you please drop Rick a quick email for more info. rstahl@greatriverfishing.com


 

IMG_4707

LILLOOET RIVER CHINOOK
April sees one of the last returns of true Spring run Chinook left in BC traverse through the Lillooet River! This is one of the best opportunities to wrestle one of these super special chrome fish. They are free rising and love to smash a swung fly or chase down a spoon. Along with opportunity of hooking a giant slab there are still lots of Bull trout in system as well as Cutthroat to keep you interested in between chinook grabs.

 

Banner Right 1

The Lillooet is one of our premier trips and when you get there you will see why. This is a remote fishery that gets very little pressure and requires a skilled jet boater to reach the best waters. The shear beauty and majestic scenery coupled with miles of perfect fishing water makes this one of those bucket list kind of rivers… want to get it out of your bucket? Contact Rick for more info rstahl@greatriverfishing.com


 

Pitt B

UPPER PITT RIVER
With this warm weather are attentions starts to drift towards late spring and early summer and the fishing opportunities to be had. The Upper Pitt River is one of these special fisheries and for good reason, big bull trout living in one of the prettiest places around. The beginning of May starts this special fishery and it continues through the summer but having said that typically the best Bull Trout fishing is during freshet. No explanation why, just know that the numbers do not lie. Bigger fish and numbers. Great River Fishing Adventures guides have many years’ experience fishing the Upper Pitt River watershed and are knowledgeable about the area and effective techniques to target all species. As Jet Boats and experienced boat handling skills are required to access and fish this river, you rarely see other anglers, and more importantly this area is not over fished. It is truly an adventure that is easily accessible within a day from Vancouver. For a free personalized quote please drop Rick an email at rstahl@greatriverfishing.com


 

FVSS Logo Trans

NEWS, BITS & BITES
The Fraser Valley Salmon Society is having its 34th annual AGM meeting on the 25th of April at the Evergreen Hall here in Chilliwack at 6:45 PM (Doors open at 6 PM). There will be many key speakers and the opportunity to rub shoulders with fellow anglers from all over. Non-members welcome!! Come voice your thoughts, continue your support and have a chance to win one of the many door prizes and also a chance to win a guided fishing adventures for Salmon or Sturgeon. *Restrictions apply – you must be a FVSS member to win the guided fishing adventures – or sign up at the meeting.

riverkeeper

We would like to throw a quick THANK YOU to all of those that showed up for the annual Fraser River Clean Up back on the 23rd of March. Over 700 people showed up to lend a hand to keep our river pristine and beautiful by removing several tonnes of garbage. Great Job!! Special Thanks go out to Fraser River Keeper who, with the help of Woodtone, the late Andy Rotzetter of Rotz Disposal, and our partners in the Fraser Valley Illegal Dumping Alliance organized this great and very important event. Also, as a special call out, Kevin Raffle from Woodtone has been instrumental in making this annual event come together and our hats go off to him and his crew for the incredible work they have done.

That’s it for now. Conserve our waters and here’s to great fishing, forever…

Comments

comments

0
              Social Chat Live NOW! Subscribe Send us a note
 
Thank you for subscribing!
 
Thank you! Your message has been submitted to us.