British Columbia Fishing Blog

Like just about everyone else on this planet, we have been caught up with the Olympics hype by either gluing ourselves to the television set or walking around Downtown Vancouver. Today we decided to take a break from it by doing some fishing in the valley with Nick Basok from Chilliwack Dart and Tackle. While finishing some filming last week with Nick, he mentioned that cutthroat trout fishing has been good lately and generously offered to take us out as usual. I accepted the invitation with no hesitation since these opportunities do not come often.

Coastal cutthroat trout is one of several popular target species throughout the winter months in the Lower Mainland. While it is quite accessible, it is one fishery that we have not really explored that much.

We were pretty excited about the forecasted 15C sunny weather. Fishing and basking under the warm sun in mid February, what more could one ask for? To our surprise, the northeasterly outflow was strong enough to shake the car around when we arrived in Chilliwack. Nick assured us that it would not be an issue when we met up, or would it?

Snow capped Mount Cheam looked stunning under the sun.

Our chosen spot was somewhere between Hope and Chilliwack along the Fraser River, which is where most anglers target these so-called ghosts. The wind was not easing up, but thankfully we had our waders and wading jackets to stay shielded. Nick steered the boat into a semi-sheltered spot where our lines could actually stay straight.

The anticipation.

Today’s tactics were to use a variety of techniques. We started out flyfishing with small nymph patterns. Soon after starting, I realized that my float line setup was not getting my fly to the depth at where the fish were supposed to be. Meanwhile, Nick was not having trouble catching fish as usual. After missing a tug on his first cast, it took another ten minutes before his first hook-up. It was a small but fresh looking feeding cutthroat trout. The bites were not frequent, but consistent. In the first hour, Nick managed to connect with half a dozen fish while I managed one with my spinning setup after abandoning the fly.

Small but pretty.

We took a brief break by a tiny creek at around 1:00pm. Nick explained that the cutthroat trout fishing is typically slow in the morning and has a tendency to improve in the afternoon, perhaps due to the difference in temperature. That was encouraging.

During our break, we spotted a couple of rises so it only made sense to move into where those fish emerged. The change in location was a good one, because we found a hungry load of fish. I decided to take a break from fishing after the dismal performance in the morning and let Nina do a few casts while I manned the camera. Almost immediately, both Nick and Nina could not keep fish off their lines. Nick continued catching them on the fly while Nina was feeling tugs on her 1/8oz spoon on every single cast. In just a short while, there were many double headers. Although the catches were dominated by overwintering feeders between 10 and 14 inches long, a few larger prespawning fish in the 16 and 18 inch range were encountered too.

A spotty spawner.

Seeing all the action, I could not resist to make a few casts again. Nick handed me his fly rod so I could make a few casts while he switched to a bait rod. It took awhile to get used to the new setup, but I was finally feeling the rod dance again.

Fish on at last!

Among the few dozen cutthroat trout that we managed to connect, there were also several rainbow trout and mountain whitefish. The diversity in species and size range is definitely what attracts anglers into this fishery. There’s always something new to see and learn.

A scaly species in the salmonid family.

The wind died down as we entered the shadow of the nearby mountains. It was time to call it a day because our hands were cold and wet from handling so many fish for once. We arrived home just in time to see the end of hockey game between Canada and Switzerland. It could not have been much better than that!

It has been over one week since we returned from Denmark to Canada. Although rainy at times, the mild weather is definitely a very welcoming  change after weeks of snow and ice on the other side of the Atlantic. It has also been over a month since I connected with my last fish. To fix the cabin fever, I am eager to get out to find a tug or two. Today I briefly visited one of my regular spots, Garry Point Park, hoping to entice a bull trout or cutthroat trout. No such luck unfortunately, even though the water clarity was more than satisfactory. January is always a tough month to find a fish down in the Tidal Fraser, due to the lack of food and colder environment. It was still a rewarding morning, as I saw a large beaver swimming against the outgoing tide and a statue-like heron hunting for fish. News from Chris on the Chilliwack River is suggesting improvement in the steelhead fishing, so we may need to venture into the valley to find a tug and cure the fishing bug.

After a couple of good sea trout fishing trips in early December, I have not had a chance to fish properly. We’ve had snow, rain and freezing weather in the last several weeks. On New Year’s Eve, we decided to give it one last go before the wild celebration since the weather was seemingly nice. We lasted about 30 minutes in the sub-zero temperature before giving up.

The sunny day was not to be wasted, so we drove around the Danish country side and snapped some photographs. The rolling meadows, wind mills and old farm houses make the area an ideal subject for scenic shots.

The clear sky on New Year’s Eve gave me the opportunity to keep putting the camera to work. The 300mm lens allowed me to finally get some full moon shots!

Today the temperature rose from -10C to around 0C. Even though everything is no longer frozen, the snow has started falling again. With our scheduled Trans-Atlantic leap back to Canada next week, it is doubtful that another coast fishing trip will be possible before the departure from Denmark.

There isn’t a whole lot to do beside staying warm inside by eating, eating and eating some more!

Bring on the bull trout, cutthroat trout and steelhead.

Since catching that fine sea trout over a week ago on the Danish coast, I have not been able to get out and try my luck again. Snow has been coming down hard for a few days and with temperature dipping down to -10C, this fair-weather fisherman finds it more enjoyable to stay indoor! To avoid cabin fever, we decided to leave the fishing rods at home and headed to one of the nature parks just outside of Copenhagen. Dyrehaven is a rather large forested park that has three species of deer grazing inside it. With the forest floor blanketed with snow, this was a good photo and video opportunity for us. Enjoy the video below and we wish everyone a happy and safe holiday season!

I stopped by the No. 3 Road Pier this evening to put up a couple of posters for Saturday’s Fish for the Future. While there, Marco stopped by to do a bit of sturgeon fishing so I stuck around and watched for awhile.

The No. 3 Road Pier offers a variety of fishing in the summer, from baiting for peamouth chub to jigging for pink salmon. Pier fishing does not offer solitude, but the social aspect can be very appealing. A chair, some snacks and the right companions can turn a fishless outing on the pier rather enjoyable.

White sturgeon can be commonly caught in the Fraser River year-round. It is a catch and release fishery, which anglers can enjoy from both shore and boats.

Heavy gear is required when fishing for white sturgeon.

Baiting up!

Big bait catches big fish!

A large bar weight and eulachon are tickets to big white sturgeon.

A dozen or so anglers patiently waited on the pier. They chatted to kill some time while keeping an eye on the rods. The wait was not too long. A solid bite on one angler’s rod turned the atmosphere on the pier instantly. The crowd gathered to watch as his reel screamed after a hookset.

Oohs and Ahs came out from the crowd while waiting for the fish to surface.

Its head emerged after a couple of minutes.

To land a big fish, the angler had to guide it into the shallow water.

An evening success!

Gentle release to be fought on another day.