British Columbia Fishing Blog

This morning, I had intended to get up early to be on the rocks making my first cast at 7:30am. When I opened my eyes and looked at the clock, it said 8:00am. I immediately phoned my friend Mark, who was already down by the river since 6:30am. Lots of fish rising he reported, but nothing at the end of everyone’s line apparently. It was nice to get another hour of sleep and find out that I hadn’t missed much.

I quickly packed the car and arrived at the spot at 8:30am. Gotta love pink salmon season when one doesn’t have to travel far to find fish. A few dozen people were already trying their luck, but overall it seemed to be pretty quiet. A few risers could be seen in the far horizon at times.

My chosen lure for the morning was a spinner that I have made. After catching one a couple of days ago with it, I decided to stick with it and see if it would produce more. I’ve always used “the spoon” in the past and had great success. This year, since Fraser River’s water clarity is poor, I had lost confidence on it. A spinner may just do the trick instead, so I thought.

We cast and retrieved for another hour without much success. Meanwhile, a few fish were being caught further away from us. Slightly frustrated, I decided that there had to be a change. I decided to move to a different spot, just 50ft from where I was, because I thought the pylons in the water nearby are making a difference on how fish were travelling. I also decided to switch back to my spoon. By this point, at 9:30am, fish were rolling on the surface consistently. There was definitely a good push of fish in the system now.

I made a few cast and adjusted the retrieve speed during every cast. Finally there was a good take, and the sight of that bent rod was a big relief. It felt like a fairly heavy fish, which stayed pretty deep down during the entire fight. Based on the way it was fighting, I thought it was another male at first. It then proved me wrong by making a giant leap in front of me, it was clearly a female fish, a rather big one. Mark ran over and assisted me with the netting. It took a few attempts due to the steep and slippery terrain that we were standing on, but the job was done at the end.

When I unhooked the fish, I was shocked to find this. It’s hard to believe how this hook was staying in the fish during the entire fight.

As if it was orchestrated, the phone rang. It was Nina asking how the fishing was and of course she was not pleased about staying home and missing the action. When she hung up the phone, I made another cast and I felt another soft take instantly. I set the hook hard and the rod was bent to the cork once again. Once again, Mark ran over to be the netter. It was another good sized female fish that fought even harder than the first one. It took several long runs that almost made me question if it was actually a sockeye salmon. After tiring it out for a few minutes, Mark was able to scoop it up successfully again.

After the second fish went into the cooler, the school seemed to have gone by. I decided to pack it up by 10:30am and save more better fishing for later on. It was not a bad morning excursion after all. With confidence regained on the good ol’ spoon, perhaps the next few weeks will be just as productive.

Over the course of this most Wonderful Season, I had many occasions to witness members of my Crew weigh in qualifying fish for the Ukee Ladder Derby. Being a guide, I of course had not given any thought towards doing the same for myself…

A week ago, my Father wandered up from Idaho, and we had two Fantastic days out on the Big Pond together. Been nearly two years since we had such an opportunity, as our schedules have been incredibly hectic. So it was extremely satisfying to me to get out with my Mentor, share some wonderful stories while catching up, and of course to revel in the Bounty the Mistress Pacific so willingly provided for our entertainment. I thought nothing could top that Very Special Time being with this Special Man I so much admire!

Halfway through the first morning, one of the rods went off with a vengeance! Line ripping off the Islander at a rate that was more than a little concerning! Pa asks How many fish have YOU played this season? None, was my honest reply. I’m in the business of providing FUN for my Crews, and of course that means they work all the fish. Not this time sez he, as he points at the wildly bucking rod – Get Eem! Yeehaw!

As I yanked the rod from the holder, I stared in disbelief at the spool. Mere feet of mono left, meaning that Monster was out there OVER 300 YARDS! EEK! Pa instantly cleared the other side, and turned the big rig for me so I could possibly manage to gain some of that back! Every time I did manage to gain a few yards, this Beast would run again, stripping dangerously close to the backing over and over! Then, a Savage leap far into the sky, and we instantly realized this was no common fish! “Huge!”, mumbled Pa. “Holy ****” was my reply!

Back and forth the battle raged, and my arms were starting to tremble when the Monster sounded directly under the boat! 45 plus minutes of sheer abandon, the fish doing his absolute best to wrench the offending hook from his maw! Then, a mistake on his part, out from under the boat at speed, the start of another great run. Only this time Pa was blocking his escape route with the net, and with a swoop the beast came onto the deck! Rebel Yells across the water, and Father & Son doing a Wild Dance Of Joy!!

Back to the weigh-in station, where the Beast topped the scales at a mere ounce shy of that magical 40 pound mark! Not the biggest to my rig this year, but certainly big enough to secure my spot on the impending Derby Fish Off!

And of course it happened with my Finest Friend aboard! I am so thankful that He and I are still able to get out and Enjoy Life in the way we always have, and damn pleased he was along when this happened! Doesn’t get any better in my books!

Matt Stabler, Spirit Bear Fishing Charters

Matt Stabler of Spirit Bear Fishing Charters is an experienced saltwater angling guide on the West Coast of Vancouver Island. Spirit Bear Fishing Charters is located in Ucluelet. For a comfortable guided fishing trip on a Grady White Sailfish for salmon and halibut, please phone them at 1-855-9-SALMON or email info@spiritbearsalmoncharters.com.

Here is the latest video feature that we just finished for the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC.

In the past couple of weeks, fishermen have been parking their cars by the Tidal Fraser River from Steveston to Mission. They, myself included, stood and searched for fins on the surface. On most days, it has been pretty dull. Occasionally, our heart missed a beat when we spotted a rise, but yet most have not found a tug at the end of their line. We know that they will come as they always do around the Labour Day long weekend, yet we choose to look for them well in advance. This madness takes place once every two years in late August. It is the anticipation of Fraser River’s pink salmon season.

What could possibly cause these irrational behaviours? It is pretty simple really. For two to three weeks, anyone with a fishing rod has the opportunity to catch dozens of pink salmon every day without having to travel very far. There are not many places where you can enjoy this pleasure. While pink salmon are not desired by most foodies, they are very popular among anglers. They return in masses, at least 17.5 million fish in this year’s forecasted return, and they are very willing to bite a lure.

So if you live in Vancouver and enjoy fishing, be sure to experience this fishery at least once in the next few weeks. Below is a list of pointers that I think you should know before wetting your line for pink salmon in the Tidal Fraser River.

1. Make sure you have a valid fishing licence! If you are fishing in the Fraser River anywhere downstream from the CPR bridge in Mission, then you need a valid tidal water fishing licence. If you want to keep a pink salmon, you also need to purchase a salmon conservation stamp.
2. Know the daily quota. There is a daily limit of pink salmon that you can keep. It is four per day this year in the Fraser River.
3. Know the regulations. There are some general fishing regulations that you need to know when fishing for pink salmon in the Tidal Fraser River. Make sure your hook only has a single point and barbless. You can read the rest on this page.
4. Identify your catches before killing them. Among millions of pink salmon, there are two species that you need to know and release when they are caught. These two species are coho salmon and steelhead. During the pink salmon season, endangered coho salmon and steelhead will make making their way into the Thompson-Nicola region. Fishery managers are working hard to conserve these species while ensuring that our fishing opportunities remain available. As anglers, we need to work with them to minimize our impact on endangered species.
5. Time your fishing outing with the tide. This fishery is very influenced by the tide. The magic hours are the last three hours of the incoming tide. During this time, fish will follow the tidal current into the river. There’s no such thing as the “best spot” on the Fraser River. All fishing spots can be good as long as there are fish moving through them during the incoming tides.
6. Bring a cooler. The weather can be fantastic for fishing in late August and early September, but it is too hot to keep your fish in the river. The best way to preserve the freshness of your pink salmon is by having them in a cooler that is filled with ice.
7. Bring a landing net. Majority of pink salmon lost are lost just before they reach the angler. Having a landing net can improve your catch success significantly. The rocky shorelines along the Fraser River can be steep and slippery at times, so a landing net can also make sure you do not fall in by trying to grab your fish by hand. Personally, I prefer to carry a landing net that has a soft mesh, designed for catch and release. This allows me to release my fish with care when needed.
8. Respect other users. When taking part in this fishery, you will most likely be fishing among other anglers. Treat others like you would like to be treated so everyone can have a good experience. Some considerations include to avoid casting over other people’s lines, avoid talking loudly, pick up some garbage on the river bank and help others when they need a hand.

When Capilano River‘s water level spiked to the extreme yesterday due to the heavy downpour, I was getting pretty restless knowing that many coho salmon would be making their way up the river. After last month’s licence mishap, I really wanted to catch some coho salmon for dinner. Even though it had stopped raining overnight, I didn’t want to be on the river bank before dawn in case the level had not dropped. It is never good start of a day when you walk to the river in the dark only to find it unfishable.

I woke up this morning and found the river level had dropped to very fishable level, so I was somewhat disappointed, thinking that I may have missed a good opportunity. Nina and I decided to give it a go this evening to see if some fresh fish would move into our favourite spot.

We arrived at 5:00pm. As we walked down to the spot, a lady was walking back up. “It’s a good day to be doing that.”, she said. “They’re jumping everywhere!”

Hearing that just made us even more excited, but at the same time I knew the fishing was going to be pretty frustrating. There have been many trips in the past when I stood by the river watching countless splashes but only to come up empty handed.

When we reached our spot, they were indeed jumping. Not only they were jumping, they were finning and they could be seen moving along in the shallow water in 2s and 3s at a time. Some were so close to where we were standing, I could have scooped them out if I had a landing net with me. Seeing that many fish just made me more anxious to get a line in the water. Because of the bait ban in place between August and October, we were limited to artificial lures. I set up Nina’s float fishing rod with a blade at the end of the line, while I armed myself with the usual spoon on my spincasting setup.

The water condition was perfect. The height was just right, the flow was just at the right pace, and it had a tea colour to it. One couldn’t really ask for a better condition for coho salmon fishing. We tried our offerings for twenty minutes or so, while fish continued swimming by us. These fish were obviously not slowing down to take a peek at our presentation.
Meanwhile, other anglers had showed up at our spot, but they were not as prepared. Lacking a pair of waders when the river is flowing high is never a good idea, our newcomers were limited to fishing at a few less desirable spots.

After not showing any result for awhile, I changed the way that I presented the lure a bit. Instead of casting blindly to where fish were jumping, I decided to cast not too far away from fish’s travelling lane and allowed the spoon to swing across so hopefully one would notice and attack it. That strategy paid off shortly when a small coho jack swam up quickly to hit the spoon just before it reached the shallow water. It was one of the smallest coho that I have ever caught. I brought it in without any problem and gently slipped the hook off so it could go back right away.

Not long after, another fish tapped the spoon while it was crossing the travel lane. The tug was pretty light so I did not set the hook hard enough. It was a much bigger fish judging by the size of the flashes in the water and the bend of the rod. Not surprisingly, the hook was spat out seconds later. I should have brought a stiffer spinning rod.

At this point, Nina wanted to try something else. The blade was just not working. I decided to put a jig with a rubber grub tail on for her. Perhaps something out of the ordinary would trick them to bite.

Within a few casts, her float dove and she was into a good fish. It almost looked like a snag at first as the rod was bending fulling while the fish stayed deep down. After holding its spot for awhile, it finally started running and leaping a couple of times. It was a pretty big fish, but was it a coho salmon? At first, Nina yelled, “Bull trout!” Highly unlikely I said. As it came closer to shore, I assumed that it was a coho salmon judging by its chrome body, but was still not entirely sure. When the fish finally reached my hands, I could see the absence of the adipose fin. I then noticed the fully spotted square tail. “Summer steelhead!”, I said. Nina looked on with disbelief.

What were the odds? With hundreds of coho salmon swimming around, a summer steelhead was the last fish that I thought we would encounter. This is a good reminder that every fish needs to be identified correctly before it is kept or released. In the Capilano River, both hatchery marked and wild steelhead are required to be released. Knowing how precious this fish was, I made sure Nina kept it fully in the water while I fetched the camera out of the bag. After a few snaps to capture the memory, Nina opened her hands and it slowly swam back to the pool.

We fished until dark this evening and watched more coho salmon splashing around. Nina of course was pretty satisfied with her first ever summer steelhead, while I was bummed about my coho salmon as usual. Nina said, “I guess there’s no dinner tonight.”

Overall, it was another fantastic outing, without having to go too far away from home. It’s lucky to be an angler in Vancouver.