A WORD ABOUT FISHING FROM OCTOBER -DECEMBER

Too many people associate Canada's fall and winter months with extremely cold weather and lots of snow. People are misinformed and have the misconception that we live in -30C weather and are covered by 10ft of snow. Yes, Canada is referred to as the "Great White North", but in this part of Canada, it's far from that! On the contrary, our mild coastal climate allows us to fish year-round. We rarely see snow at the lower elevations (snows up high in the mountains), and our November day-time temperatures average 9C (48F), with some days as high as 16+C (60+F). Don't be fooled by what you hear! Take advantage of our mild coastal climate and experience some of the best fishing of the year. This is prime time for salmon and sturgeon, so don't miss out on this great opportunity!!!!!!!!

Spring Sturgeon:

During the Spring months of April and May, small smelt-like fish called "eulachons" arrive in the Fraser River for their annual spawning. Sturgeon seem to be aware of this annual trend, and many fish migrate down to the lower sections of the river for this first BIG feeding period of the year. After the lean winter months, sturgeon start to feed heavily on the eulachons, providing some great spring fishing opportunities. The bites are aggressive, and with the increasing water temperatures, the fish, once again, start to put up exceptional fights with aerial displays and powerful runs. Hooking up to 15+ fish in an 8 hr outing is not uncommon during this time.

Fall Sturgeon:

From August until early December, sturgeon fishing is at its best. During this period, they feed aggressively on migrating and dead salmon, stacking up for the lean winter months when food is less abundant. Exceptional fishing is available, and it is not uncommon to hook 20-30+ fish/boat in one 8hr day. Although BIG fish are available year round, it is during these times when you have your best chance of hooking that trophy fish of a lifetime. The warm river water increases their movements and activity, providing strong takes and explosive runs when hooked. During the fall months, a sturgeon will quite often jump right out of the water when first hooked. There is nothing more exciting than seeing a several hundred pound fish come right out of the water trying to shake the hook. We hook fish of all sizes ranging from only a few pounds to 10'+ monsters that can weigh in excess of 500+lbs!

From late July to late September, the majority of our sockeye runs enter the Fraser River system with their massive numbers totaling in the millions. With such a high concentration of fish moving up the river in a relatively small time frame, fishing is nothing less than spectacular. Hooking up to 30+ salmon/person/day is not uncommon. The warm summer weather, breathtaking scenery, and world-class fishing can make your next vacation the trip of a lifetime. Sockeye salmon average 5-10lbs and pound for pound are considered one of most acrobatic and hard fighting fish. While fishing for sockeye salmon, we also hook big Chinook (king) salmon that average 20-30lbs. These chrome freight trains can spool 150yds of line off your reel in a matter of seconds. Jumping into the boat and chasing them downriver is a regular procedure in order to avoid this. Springs in the Fraser can weigh as much as 60+lbs.

Fall months offer some of the most amazing salmon fishing one can experience. During this period we start to concentrate on fishing for salmon in the tributaries of the Fraser River and several other coastal rivers. The salmon enter these rivers enroute to their spawning grounds by the 100,000's and in some cases, by the millions, and October/November offer the best times to hook chum, coho and big Chinook salmon.

Chum Salmon fishing is at it's best during these months and anglers can experience hooking up to 40 fish/person/day. We intercept them while they are still in their prime fighting conditions. They average 8-15lbs, with quite a few pushing the 20+lb mark. They are the second biggest salmon species, and are excellent fighting fish with aerial jumps and line peeling runs. They are quite easy to catch using both fly and terminal tackle.

This is also prime time for Coho salmon. Coho are renown for their aggressive strikes and acrobatics. Most fish average 6-10lbs, but many big fish of 15+lbs get hooked each year. Second to the sockeye, the coho are very popular amongst local anglers for their rich red meat and superb fighting abilities. They can be caught readily using a wide range of methods, including fly-fishing, casting spoons and spinners, and using natural and other artificial baits.

Certain runs of big Chinook salmon also move into the tributaries in Oct. and Nov, and can offer anglers excellent sport fishing opportunities. They're big and powerful, and pull extremely hard. It is not uncommon to hook 20+ fish/person/day, but your arms and shoulders will be sore by the end of the day. Most fish weigh around 25-35lbs, but many fish in the 40-50lb get hooked as well. There are 60-80lb fish in the rivers. With all these salmon available in the same rivers at the same time, this is paradise for any avid angler in search of salmon. Quite often we will do a combined salmon/sturgeon trip on the same day, upon the clients' request.

The Pink salmon swim up our local rivers every 2 years on the odd year (2005,2007,2009 etc). These runs are usually enormous, and can exceed 20 million fish. Just like the sockeye, this is one of the most consistent and exciting fisheries. The pinks are the most aggressive of the salmon species, and will chase down most of the presentations offered. It is a great fishery for family outings, for people who want to catch lots of fish, or for anglers who are interested in learning how to fly fish. With so many fish around, YOU WILL catch fish. It is quite common to see 5+fish chasing your fly as you strip it in. You can catch these fish all day long until your arms fall off:. The pinks are the smallest of the salmon species and average 4-8 lbs, but bigger fish are around. What they lack in size, they sure make up in numbers.

While most anglers put their rods away for the winter, die-hard river anglers brave the winter/spring elements in search of the awesome steelhead. For many river anglers, finding, hooking and landing a big steelhead is the ultimate experience in river fishing. Fishing on beautiful rivers amongst snow-covered mountains, in search of the elusive steelhead is quite an experience. It is a challenging fishery that can put any angler to the ultimate test. Being able to cast with precision and knowing how to read water are definite assets. It does require wading and covering water.

For those seeking to experience the thrill of hooking and landing a winter run steelhead, we fish 4 different rivers depending on water conditions. These months (Jan-April) offer excellent Steelhead fishing opportunities. Most of the fish we hook are 8-15lbs. We do hook fish on most outings when using natural baits. Getting a winter run fish on the fly is a little more challenging, but patience and persistence can pay off.