SPRING FISHING REPORT

Our Spring fishing report of Vancouver BC focuses on our three local trips; fly fishing for trout and steelhead, saltwater fishing for salmon and fishing on the Fraser River for white sturgeon. You’ll find some excellent opportunities for a variety of trips during March, April and May. You don’t have to travel far, there’s ample fishing within an hour of Vancouver and great salmon fishing right from the city! Below you’ll find a monthly Vancouver fishing report for the months of March, April & May…

March fishing is always depending on what kind of Winter we are emerging from. Warm Winters usually make for better Spring fishing. With cold Winter conditions rivers levels will be low but March can change all that. The warming temperatures the Winter’s snow begins to melt and river levels begin to rise. You can expect fly fishing on the Squamish, Harrison and Vedder rivers to improve every week throughout March. Once Vancouver area rivers begin to ‘green up’, meaning the start getting some colour and height, winter-run steelhead are more interested in entering from the ocean. Saltwater salmon fishing is good, there’s some solid action near Bowen Island and Howe Sound. Chinook salmon in the 6-12 pound range are the norm and Spring months offer consistent salmon fishing.

The March sturgeon fishing report is improving river conditions on the Fraser River is making for better catch rates. By mid March the lower elevation areas around Vancouver are in full Spring and Fraser River sturgeon are becoming more active by the week.

One of our favourite months for fishing around Vancouver and the south coast of British Columbia. In April you’ll find the best Spring river conditions, bigger salmon on the ocean and some serious sturgeon fishing on the Fraser River. The salmon fishing report focuses on fishing Howe Sound and the southern Gulf Islands for chinook salmon in the 8-20 pound range. Hooking multiple keeper fish each day is common in April and only gets better as we move into May. Daily temperatures are comfortable, making for extra pleasant days on the water. April sturgeon fishing is getting better each week of the season. The Fraser River is on the rise and sturgeon are becoming increasingly active, on the feed after the cool Winter months. Some quick notes and a full April fly fishing report below…

As for the fly fishing report, April is definitely a great month for hitting the rivers near Vancouver. The Vedder River east of Vancouver is seeing the most consistent numbers of wild and hatchery steelhead. Local lakes usually have their ice coming off and trout fishing for rainbows and cutthroats is turning on. The Squamish & Cheakamus rivers near Squamish BC are seeing the peak run of winter steelhead in April. This is a small run of fish, certainly a quality fishery, not a quantity fishery. Keep in mind river levels do fluctuate throughout April, as day time temperatures can reach the low 20’s, higher elevation snow begins to melt. The best scenario for perfect river conditions is warming days and cool nights. This ensures river levels rise gently over an extended period of time. To conclude, April has it all, many fly fishing options, very good saltwater fishing and an upswing in sturgeon fishing as well.

Lots to report for fishing near Vancouver in the month of May. Saltwater salmon fishing is usually excellent all month long, with bigger chinook salmon being caught in great numbers. Fly fishing on local rivers will be solid until rivers “blow out”, more on that below and sturgeon fishing starts heating up. May’s best bet for a fun local trip is a saltwater Vancouver fishing charter. The southern Gulf Islands and Thrasher Rock will offer the best salmon fishing in BC at this time, with bigger chinook salmon (10-20 pounds) foraging heavily on anchovies and herring. The best part about May is how nice the weather is, we’re at Summer’s doorstep and daily temps are in the 20+ degree range!  More info on fly fishing and sturgeon fishing in May below…

As for a fly fishing report you can expect good fly fishing as long as the local rivers keep in good shape. As we move into May the temperatures on BC’s south coast are warming by the week, meaning more snow is melting. That snow melt goes directly into the rivers and they can rise quickly on warm days with high freezing levels. With low freezing levels the rivers are staying in fishable shape much longer and extending the river fishing season. Bull trout and steelhead are both being caught in May and when some of the bigger local rivers, like the Harrison and Squamish get too high, which usually happens in mid May, their smaller tributaries will have nicer conditions. Sturgeon fishing is good all of May, but the Fraser River is on the rise. Best to be fishing from Chilliwack or Agassiz during this time, the sections of river in this area offer the most forgiving fishing through high water conditions.