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Fishing Report for Chilliwack to Vancouver – September 3, 2020

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Fishing Report for Chilliwack to Vancouver – September 3, 2020

Hi and welcome to the GRFA fishing report updated on the 3rd of September 2020.

Fall is right around the corner and as the days shorten it’s a great time of year to be enjoying the great outdoors; and what better way than chasing finned fish with rod and reel. Here’s what’s going on…

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Sturgeon:
With salmon numbers in the Fraser building every day the sturgeon fishing has been very good, especially for larger specimens. They have definitely switched gears and are actively searching out salmon pieces now. With Sockeye and Red Chinook in the system sturgeon have keyed into the bright red flesh of these beautiful fish. Having said, that please keep in mind that salmon fishing in the Fraser itself is closed at the moment and you will have to purchase some from local grocery stores or fish one of the tributaries that are open for them. Many boats are still reporting activity on other baits like lamprey and coarse fish but this seems to be a day to day phenomena rather than the norm. Having said that it’s still worth having a rod fishing something other than salmon meat, particularly pike minnows.

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Fish have been found in all sorts of water and one really needs to move around to find the schools. Sometimes a hundred feet can be the difference between hooking up or just staring at your rods. Fish any where’s from 10 to 40 feet in depth and remember that the fish have been feasting and are getting fairly full. Most specimens are bulging with salmon in their bellies and they may “play” with your bait for some time before committing to it.

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The Fraser River has come down fast over the last few weeks and is at its traditional level for this time of year. Keep in mind that there are many gravel bars above the mouth Vedder River and one needs to be more careful when running the river, especially with a prop propelled boat. Also, tides do reach past the mouth of the Vedder and it’s a good idea to know them as the river can drop a foot or two on a dropping tide possibly making the route you took one way too shallow to run on your return. Best bet is to look at the New Westminster tide charts and add 2 to 3 hours.

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The Canyon portion of the river has been phenomenal over the last few weeks with numbers of fish coming to hand simply stunning.  With the water dropping fast; the fishing is getting faster, with good numbers of above average fish coming on every charter. If you are thinking of running this special piece of water keep in mind that is very “heavy” water and not for the timid or unexperienced jet boater. Please be very careful!! The canyon is a high water fishery and the sturgeon haunts are not always obvious as the water levels tend to hide the really good spots. If you’re interested in trying your hand at biggest of the big in one of the most spectacular venue’s in the world drop Rick a line and he’ll be more than happy to help organize one of our Ultimate Fraser Canyon Sturgeon trips with you. rstahl@greatriverfishing.com

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What better way is there to spend a warm autumn 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.

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Salmon:
Even though we are experiencing high numbers of Chinook; far better than expected, the Fraser River remains closed to salmon fishing and will most likely remain so for this season. Sockeye returns are in trouble and September finds the much depleted Thompson and Chilcotin steelhead entering the system and they will trigger a complete shutdown of salmon opportunities for the recreational angler on the Fraser River.

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Other tributaries of the Fraser, such as the Vedder, Harrison, Stave and Nicomen Slough to name a few, most likely will remain open and offer the sport angler some decent opportunities as we move into September. For quota regulations check out https://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/rec/fresh-douce/region2-eng.html

Fly-Fishing on the Upper Pitt River

Most of the news on salmon numbers has been quite positive as we are seeing larger than expected numbers of Chinook and Coho in the saltwater than first anticipated. In fact the Coho and Chinook numbers are better than what we’ve seen in many years! This bodes well for those planning their Fall River fishing from late September through November but will not help us out much in the short term until salmon start moving out of the Fraser and into their natal streams. If you are at all interested in trying your hand for some salmon latter this season the time to book your excursion is now as dates are starting to fill up and space is limited. For more info on salmon fishing with GRFA please contact Rick at rstahl@greatriverfishing.com

How can you Help?
We encourage everyone to write letters to ask for a recreational opening on the Fraser River. It is a shame that the largest user group, which has the least amount of impact on the fishery and brings the highest dollar value to the fish on a per piece basis, has to sit on the side line while other sectors are given opportunities. These are outdated policies that need to change and without a loud and unified voice we, the recreational angler, will always play second fiddle to political interests. Please write your concerns to:

Hon Bernadette Jordan Minister of Fisheries  min@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Hon John Horgan Premier  premier@gov.bc.ca
Doug Donaldson Minister FLNR  doug.donaldsonMLA@leg.bc.ca
Terry Beech DFO Parliamentary Sec. terry.beech@parl.gc.ca
Todd Doherty Conservative fisheries critic Doherty@parl.gc.ca
Rebecca Reid RDG  DFO  rebeccareid@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

To all of those who have written letters, thank you so very much – the future of our Fraser River fishery depends on each of you and your efforts.

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

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