Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[stumpsjr]

Hello,

I went on an adventure yesterday and checked out the upper squamish, about a couple clicks past the power house.  I was wondering if anyone had any tips to fishing that section. I was going after bull trout and running an egg pattern with a small indicator.  I'm fairly new to fly fishing and very new to nymphing, was hoping you guys may be able to offer up some advice, as I didn't really have any luck. Thanks!

[Dogbreath]

It's tough without a boat since you're often standing where you want to fish and fishing where you want to be standing.

Plus wading can be surprisingly dangerous!

Fish often lie right next to shore if you see a cut bank work it carefully especially the tailout.

[Ian Forbes]

Although there are native rainbow trout and a few cutthroat in the upper Squamish, the main fish species is the Bull trout that can occasionally reach 10 to 12 pounds. However, most Squamish Bull trout average 2 to 4 pounds. Bull trout are notorious predators and anything that looks alive will be attacked. In the murky water of the Squamish the best fly patterns tend to be large, dark and with bead, cone or lead-eye heads. Black, burgundy or purple colours work well in long hair or marabou. Although they very strong fish, Bull trout tend to be lazy and stay out of the main current. They also have great olfactory senses and can smell fresh meat from a long distance downstream. We once cleaned a moose by a northern river and the next day there were 20 Bull trout feeding on the remains.

[stumpsjr]

Thanks for the tips guys, I definitely remember seeing a couple little banks that i could work. Also, I feel the water I was working may have also been a little fast for the bullies and I'll have to search out some slow pools. One last question, I was fishing roughly around the 28 km marker, is it really worth going up further?

[Ian Forbes]

Thanks for the tips guys, I definitely remember seeing a couple little banks that i could work. Also, I feel the water I was working may have also been a little fast for the bullies and I'll have to search out some slow pools. One last question, I was fishing roughly around the 28 km marker, is it really worth going up further?

It depends on road conditions and how much gas you want to use. I've caught steelhead many miles up the Elaho, but not so much in the Squamish above their junction. The run where the two rivers joined used to be very productive, but I haven't been there in many years, and the logging caused washouts during high water tend to change things yearly.

[BCfisherman97]

A lot of the channels were salmon spawn will be holding them. Look for deep, slow channels where left over salmon are slowly roting away. Beads under and indicator with a few small shots is irresistible if presented right behind the salmon. Swinging big sculpin patterns is my favourite, these bullies can be very aggressive and they get big from how much they eat. My two biggest bulls out of the Squamish were on a big sculpin pattern (about 4 inches long) and were around the 8 pound mark.

[stumpsjr]

Wow! I'm excited to get back up there and start fishing again! I actually just bought a couple large sculpin patterns so I'll give those a try and also the egg patterns. Hopefully the day turns out a bit more fruitful than the last. I know you guys has mentioned earlier that the bull trout have an amazing sense of smell. This may be a dumb question, but is there anything you can add to the fly to give it a pungent smell?

[fisherforever]

Wow! I'm excited to get back up there and start fishing again! I actually just bought a couple large sculpin patterns so I'll give those a try and also the egg patterns. Hopefully the day turns out a bit more fruitful than the last. I know you guys has mentioned earlier that the bull trout have an amazing sense of smell. This may be a dumb question, but is there anything you can add to the fly to give it a pungent smell?

No, you can't add any scent. There is a bait ban, page 27 of the freshwater regulations and the definition of "bait" is on page 9 of the freshwater regulations. http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/fw/fish/regulations/docs/1315/fishing_synopsis_2013-15_region2.pdf

[stumpsjr]

Thanks for the heads up, I knew about the bait ban, however I didn't know scents were included in that, glad I asked though.

[Castor]

While we're talking about the upper Squamish, I was wondering how the measurements are determined. I took a few trips up in the fall and was told to go to a couple different mile markers for spots but never saw any markers I know what you're thinking.. went to the fly shop in Squamish and was trading notes with the guy there and he started talking about the old markers or some such. Do you start measuring miles once you get on SVR or once you hit the dirt portion? Also, there's a chunk that says it private property, can't figure out where that ends, after the memorial? Just started fishing the system this fall and found a lot of contradictory info, so I ask....

[mastercaster]

The mile markers have always been a head scratcher for me.  The bridge that crosses the river to head up to the Ashlou was Mile 22, back toward brackendale on the paved road a couple of miles back there is a Mile 20 ranch.   I've used my odometer starting right at the Squamish Valley road and from the highway and neither matches up….too short.  The measurement must have started right from Squamish near as I can tell.

Doesn't matter now.  All the signs have been taken down and replaced with km. markers starting at the end of the paved road which is km. 0