British Columbia Fishing Blog

The river fishing has been awfully slow this winter. In contrast to the spectacular returns of steelhead in the past three seasons, most rivers in the Fraser Valley have been void of fish. Since I consider myself a fair weather fisherman, this certainly does not motivate me to get out and hunt for these elusive ironheads. At the same time, the cabin fever is brewing up nicely and I needed to find an alternative to cure it before spring arrives.

British Columbian anglers take pride of our Pacific salmon fishing, both in salt and freshwater. In Vancouver, salmon can be caught almost year round. In the winter months, chinook salmon are caught in the ocean just outside of Downtown Vancouver by trolling. The availability of productive salmon fishing means most people are unaware of what other species can be caught when the salmon are not biting. Alternative species are in fact widely available, and they make up an introductory fishery which anyone can find it enjoyable.

Before coming to Canada in the mid 90’s, I was able to enjoy a variety of fisheries available in Asia and Australia. Unlike BC’s recreational fisheries, most of these fisheries focus on catching smaller species with bait. Whiting, trevally, snapper, flounder are just some of these species which will never hesitate to peck on a baited hook. After focusing so much on catching salmonids in the past decade, I seem to have forgotten these bread and butter species.

Earlier this week, I was invited by Rick Clark to hop into his boat for a morning outing. Rick is an avid angler in Vancouver, who focuses on the local saltwater salmon fishery as well as the freshwater fisheries in the Fraser Valley such as sturgeon, salmon and steelhead. As a regular blogger on World Fishing Network, he also produces a variety of videos on YouTube to share his experience with other anglers. Before heading out, I pitched the idea of fishing for some of the underrated saltwater species instead of the usual salmon trolling to him. With an open mind, we spent the morning exploring what sit on the bottom of Burrard Inlet.

Like most other January days, Vancouver was blanketed by dense fog as we launched the boat from Ambleside Beach. The fog makes trolling for salmon almost impossible, but it was not a concern for us because the fish we wanted to catch are closer to shore. We had one minor setback at the start.

Because bottom fish are generally not very mobile, fishing from an anchored boat is required to keep the bait stationary. I made the mistake by assuming that Rick was aware of this. When I arrived at the boat launch, the first thing I asked was, “So you brought an anchor right?” The answer was of course, “No.”, which could have changed our plans but some improvisation saved the morning. Rick used his cannon balls for trolling to slow our drift down and the weak incoming tide also assisted.

We first dropped the crab traps at Rick’s favourite spots. For our crab bait, I marinated some old salmon fillets with Pautzke Bait’s Crab & Shrimp Fuel™ for 24 hours. The extra scent should draw in more crabs during the soak time. Winter crabbing is excellent due to the absence of commercial openings.

Once the traps were dropped, it was time to fish. The target species which I had on my mind were starry flounder, English sole, Pacific sanddab, Pacific tomcod, greenling, spiny dogfish, sculpin and possibly the odd perch. All of these species can be found from the sub-tidal zone down to the depth of 100 feet where the bottom is sandy and covered in Kelp at places.

They are not too big, so I chose rods which are light enough for them to put up a fight, but heavy enough to handle the weight needed to reach the bottom. Shimano Clarus rated 8 to 12lb were my choices. The tip of these rods is sensitive so bite detection was not compromised.

The bait of choice were herring strips and shrimp which I purchased from a commercial harvester in Steveston prior to the trip. The strong scent being released from these baits brought on the bites almost immediately. I think Rick was a little surprised when he felt the first taps. After a few misses and some adjustment on the bait presentation, he had the first hook-up. It was a large starry flounder, which we decided to dispatch for dinner.

The second fish, which was also brought in by Rick, was an English sole. Despite of its name, an English sole is in fact a flounder. True soles are only found in Europe and they are identified by the absence of a pronounced tail. Starry flounder and English sole, are two of the most common flounder species found in the inshore waters of British Columbia.

After a couple more small starry flounders were brought in, Rick connected with something slightly bigger. The line peeled off the reel slowly, almost made us believe a salmon was on the end of the line. The fish surfaced a minute later, it was a spiny dogfish, which is another common encounter when fishing with herring strips.

While Rick was hauling them in, I seemed to be attracting the wrong attention. The shrimp on the hook brought nothing up except one dungeness crab after another. Eventually I was able to find a starry flounder or two, plus a lonely sculpin.

The bites was not consistent throughout the morning as I had first anticipated, instead they came in waves which suggested the fish were perhaps moving a bit with the tide.

The fog never lifted in the morning and we decided to end the trip by Noon instead of spending some time to troll for winter chinook salmon. Before departing, we retrieved our crab traps and it was a pretty bountiful haul.

Each trap had up to a dozen crabs, but only a few were over the legal size limit so the rest were quickly sent back to the water. In total, we were able to harvest six crabs, which were more than enough for a good feed.

Many thanks to Rick for this very enjoyable outing, which was a test run of some videos which we plan to collaborate in the near future. In the meantime, be sure to check out his blog and YouTube channel!

November can be a rather somber month for Coastal British Columbian anglers. The air temperature dips below zero for the first time after a long summer, while most of us are still on a high driven by the return of fall salmon. River fishing for salmon usually starts tapering off by early November, but those who enjoy exploring in the frosty mornings can be rewarded with some fabulous fishing.

Last week I decided to give salmon fishing another go before packing away the rods for awhile. The short trip was well worth it as my friend Shane and I were both rewarded with coho and chum salmon. I managed to catch an exceptionally big coho salmon, the biggest one of the season in fact.

This fish had me thinking it was a chum salmon for a couple of minutes while it fought stubbornly by staying deeply in the run. I casually played it, but became rather cautious as soon as I realized what was at the end of the line. This hatchery-marked buck, estimated to be around 12lb, was quite fresh compared to the other fish we encountered that day.

While my friend Shane was not lucky enough to encounter a similar specimen, he managed to connect with an even larger fish. It was a wild coho salmon, as the presence of its adipose fin suggested, so we gently released him back to spawn.

Other coho salmon we found at the end of the line were not as silver, which was not really a surprise considering we are now approaching December.

Among the many chum salmon which we brought in, I noticed a few were exceptionally small. This fish, approximately 3 or 4lb, was much smaller than most chum salmon we usually see. I enquired about this small buck and my colleagues all concluded that it is most likely a 3 year old fish, rather than a typical 4 year old fish. The fish simply returned one year earlier, therefore it has missed out one extra year of feeding, resulting in a smaller size.

In the past two weeks I have wandered around our urban streams in the Lower Mainland. Because we are seeing an exceptionally good return of coho salmon this year, it is not surprising to see these small streams filled with red spawners. My recent visit to Hyde Creek produced these photographs. Both spawning coho and chum salmon can be found along the entire creek. At some spots, hundreds of fish can be seen circling around. These sightings tell us, when given the chance, our salmon populations can thrive, even in the harshest environment such as Metro Vancouver.

While visiting the creek, I stopped by the hatchery to see volunteers from Hyde Creek Watershed Society in action. It is a rather busy time of the year for them, because spawners need to be collected, eggs need to be fertilized, and carcasses need to be counted.

If you have packed away your fishing rods for the season, consider becoming a volunteer at one of many community watershed stewardship groups and hatcheries where help is always wanted. It is a entertaining way to give back to the fishery resource and gain a better understanding on the biology of Pacific salmon.

I began targeting coho salmon in the Lower Fraser River watershed one week ago but unlike other years, success has been hard to come by. On opening day in the tidal portion of the Fraser River, I visited a regular spot. Among 20 or so anglers, I caught, a bull trout, one of three fish in the entire afternoon. Knowing that sooner or later the fishing will pick up, especially with the extremely large incoming tide this week, I have persistently spent a couple of hours each day by the water when the tide peaked.

Today the persistence finally paid off. We gave the gradual outgoing tide in the afternoon a try and the fish were definitely cooperating. My gear of choice was a Shimano spinning setup, a 9′ Clarus spinning rod rated 6 to 10lb and a Sustain 2500 reel. The lure of choice was a 1/4oz fire orange clear crystal Gibbs Croc spoon. This pattern has served me well since I discovered how effective it was for coho salmon back in 1996.

In total four coho salmon could not resist it, but only two were managed to be hooked and brought to shore. They were wild, as the presence of their adipose fin indicated, so they were gently released after a quick photo snap. Only hatchery-marked coho salmon can be kept in the Fraser River, which can be identified by the absence of their adipose fin.

My other companions also did well, by plunking roe on the bottom. This method yielded two adult coho salmon and a coho jack. Jacks, matured males which return one year earlier than their brothers and sisters, do not grow much bigger than a foot long. These smaller fish, possibly due to a lack of life experience, will always find roe or any other bait irresistible.

Lower Fraser River’s coho salmon fishing is just starting to pick up and will remain productive for at least another month, so be sure to take advantage of this fishery.

When we work on a video feature, it usually takes hours of filming and editing to get it all together so it is presentable. More often than not, we run into challenges. The weather may turn sour, the fish sometimes just don’t want to bite, and when they do, they occasionally fail to stay on the hook, and if they stay on the hook, the camera might fail to capture what’s needed.

Last Friday, we ventured out with Gibbs Delta Tackle and Bon Chovy Fishing Charters, hoping to take advantage of either the Fraser River mouth chinook salmon fishery or the Howe Sound pink salmon fishery. A couple of chinook salmon cooperated, but the anglers failed to perform. Howe Sound’s pink salmon were absent unlike last week. Despite of the lack of results, it was a fantastic day. The weather was gorgeous, the scenery was breathtaking, and the company was awesome.

Here is a short compilation of video footage from the trip for you to enjoy. We shall attempt this again soon.

Since our son Elliot arrived last November, I have been trying to figure out how we can bring him along to our interior lake trips in the spring. Earlier this year, we have already attempted a couple of trips to the West Coast of Vancouver Island. Although manageable, it was rather stressful and we quickly learned to plan ahead so we can avoid any surprises.

Planning a trip to a lake is much more challenging, since the boat and its accessories are now included in the equation. In my pre-baby life, I envisioned that you’d be all set to go on a trip once the baby is tossed into the vehicle with a few diapers and bottles. Such Utopia would exist, if naps, spit-ups, tantrums don’t come with the baby. We have realized, if we want to go somewhere, we need to plan ahead of time, way ahead of time.

Last week, we decided to venture to the Thompson-Nicola region for the first time as a family. Our destination was Red Lake, located just Northeast of Kamloops. To get there from Kamloops, the drive is 40 minutes along a well maintained gravel road. Knowing that there would be no services of any kind once we leave Kamloops for the lake, I made sure that we were fully prepared. Enough food, water and clothing were packed, fishing and boating gear were double checked, and the car was serviced.

I invited Dean and Nat and their kids along to the trip. Dean is the assistant manager at the Fraser Valley Trout Hatchery. Nat was also a staff at the hatchery until their little ones arrived in this world a few years ago. Both are familiar with the fishery because they are responsible for stocking it, and it was a good opportunity for all the kids to enjoy the outdoors together. Unlike most lake fisheries where only one species is stocked, Red Lake is stocked with both rainbow trout and brook char. Having both in the same fishery makes it more exciting, as you never know what you may catch and your options are not as limited if one species does not cooperate.

We stayed at two lovely lakefront cabins, which are perfect for families. With a fully equipped kitchen, bathroom and two bedrooms, this place made our lives a lot easier so we could spend more time by the water. Both satellite TV and wifi internet were also available, so it was perfect for the wired city folks like me who like to stay connected.

  

The pristine surroundings are what we were there for beside the fishing. Watching the morning mist rolling across the flat lake from the patio, listening to the song birds, roasting a marshmallow over the fire while wetting a line or scooping up insects off the floating dock, it is impossible to get tired of these simple yet pleasurable activities.

The fishing was, frankly, not too productive. Prior to our trip, we had been told that fishing was fantastic as expected in May and early June. We knew fishing would taper off as we approach the end of June, but were still optimistic. There was a slightly algae bloom, so the fish were just not cooperating. Beside Dean’s Pennask rainbow trout which put up an acrobatic fight on the first day, the chironomid fishing was just not happening. Instead, I decided that it would be just as entertaining by casting a small Gibbs Croc spoon off the floating dock. I was able to connect with several brook trout, ranging between 1 and 2lb. The odd lunkers could be seen thrashing around on the surface nearby, but those were spared to be caught on another day.

Despite of the lack of fish, the trip was very rewarding. Being able to see the kids interacting with each other outside, getting familiar with nature was worth all the effort we put into preparing for this trip. Gone are the days when we could sit in the boat for eight hour straight, but this was just as satisfying.

After three days in the beautiful countryside, it was time to go home, but little did we know that our adventure, or should I say misadventure, was about to begin. Dean, Nat and their kids left the cabins ten minutes before us. We began our bumpy ride to Kamloops at around 1:00pm, so we could be home by 6:00pm. Fifteen minutes into the drive, I took a quick glance at my dashboard and was shocked to find the temperature at its highest. I instantly stopped the car and white smoke began shooting out from under the hood. Not knowing what happened, our priority was to get everyone out of the car as fast as possible.

Once the smoke cleared, we looked on with disbelief. I’ve always been aware of the slight chance of being stranded in the middle of no where during our travels, but I just never thought it would actually happen. Standing by the gravel road helplessly with no cellular phone connection, Nina and I looked at each other with ideas running through our heads. The good news was that we had just passed the neighbourhood of Tranquille, so the likelihood of people driving by was rather big. Ten minutes went by and the first car approached us. The two gentlemen were heading up to Red Lake so we asked them to stop at the first house on their way to phone a tow truck for us. Once they left, we realized that there was no way to find out whether a tow truck would actually come or not. We didn’t want to be sitting blindly, but we also didn’t want to ask every car to phone for a tow truck.

Another ten minutes and few cars went by, we decided that more needed to be done. I wanted to walk to the nearest house, but didn’t want to leave Nina and the baby alone. Finally another pick-up truck stopped and a young guy was concerned and eager to help us. Dusty lives not too far from where we were, and he offered to drive us to his home if needed. I suggested that we should drive to the nearest house to find out if a tow truck was coming or not. We did just that and found out it was already on its way. Since Dusty was on his way to Kamloops, he offered to give Nina and Elliot a ride when the tow truck arrived. Finally at 3:00pm, we began the long slow journey into town. We are very grateful for what he did, because without his assistance I’m not sure how we could have gotten down to Kamloops together.

At 4:00pm, the car was towed to the nearest mechanic, who determined that the upper coolant hose had cracked. We thought a replacement and refill would have done the trick so we could be on our way home before dark. Five minutes before the shop was closing at 5:00pm, the mechanic returned with the bad news. Coolant had gotten into the oil during the spill, so the head gasket had cracked and the repair was now expected to be very lengthy and expensive. The cost of repair was way beyond the value of the vehicle, which has served us well in the past 16 years. It was time to let it go. At this point, with most of our stuff piled up outside the garage, I scrambled to find a motel room to stay at, as well as a rental car so we could get to where we needed to go. Because of the approaching long weekend, most rooms were already booked, no rental cars were available. Finally I was able to find a room and called a cab so we could be out of that stressful situation for the night.

That night, I pleaded for help on Facebook to see who can come to our rescue. Renting a car to get home was not exactly the best solution, because my boat would be left behind. I needed to either find someone in town who I could leave the boat with, or find someone who could come up from Vancouver to bring all of us and everything home at the same time. Finally, our friend Jake came to the rescue. He left his home in Coquitlam at 4:30am so he could reach us at 8:00am. We first transferred all our belongings from my car to his so I could watch my beloved car being towed away with $60 in my hand. Finally at 11:00am, we left Kamloops and began the long drive home. With a few food and diaper changing stops, we reached our doorstep at 5:00pm with a big sigh of relief. Without Jake’s help, we would probably still be in Kamloops. He joked that one day when he gets stuck in Prince George during his hunting trip, I can repay him by driving up to get him.

Our trips rarely turn sour. I don’t define bad fishing trips by the lack of fish being caught. This particular trip is going to be one of the more memorable ones. The days spent at the lake were so full of joy, followed by probably the most stressful 24 hours in our life. Now that we have rested up, we can already chuckled a bit about the experience and always have a good story to tell. Several lessons were learned from this. The car, although regularly maintained, could probably have been let go earlier. The cracked hose was probably the result of a flying rock, but it likely wouldn’t have happened if it was newer. A back-up plan and more preparation for those “what if” moments should always be done when venturing off-road. Social media tends to get a bad reputation, but in this case it became our life saver. With one message sent out to all the friends, it solved the problem a lot faster than what a phone or even email could accomplish ten years ago. We’re also overwhelmed by the assistance we received when we were stranded. The fishing community is always tight and It’s fantastic to see that fishermen will come to each other’s rescue when needed.

So this week we will begin looking for a new vehicle so we can get out there to bring you more videos!