Fraser Valley Report for Dec 3 / 2002: Steelheader.net- Steelhead, Salmon and trout fishing

Fraser Valley report for the week of December 3 /2002

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Fraser River

The Fraser River has been dropping steadily since the last heavy rains. Water temperatures are beginning to drop but overall it’s still very mild for this time of year. Visibility is between 3-4 feet, which is plenty for any type of fishing you might want to do.
Although we are already into December there is still some salmon out there to catch. If you’re after salmon I would suggest fishing the lower bars on the Fraser between Dewdney and Chilliwack or some of the larger tributaries confluences like the Harrison. Your catch will mostly be chum salmon but there are always a few straggling Coho or early steelhead to be caught.

Cutthroat fishing has been fair to good this week on the main stem Fraser. Reports of good fishing have come from a few of the local fly fishers who have been mostly drifting glo bugs or other egg imitations.

Cutthroat fishing on the Fraser can be excellent during the winter months. Winter stonefly’s, searching patterns and egg patterns are the best producers. Shallow gravel bars like Queens Bar, Gill Rd or Wellington are perfect choices for targeting Cutthroat. Try fishing the tops of the bars where you find the faster riffle water and work your way down. As long as this mild weather continues, you should be able to find a few fish willing to take a well-presented fly.

Sturgeon
Sturgeon fishing continues to be good although it has slowed some over the past week. October and November were two incredible months for Sturgeon anglers. I’m not if I have ever seen so many large fish being caught on a daily basis. Even yesterday when fishing was slow, we managed to land a 5’, 4’ and 6 ’3” in only 4 hours of fishing. I say slow because the first 2 hours we didn’t even get a bite.

Brian, Kevin and Robert Bosma of Burnaby had one special day last Sunday. We started off in Mission at 9 AM, headed up river for what was supposed to be a 6-hour guided sturgeon trip. To make a long story short, we sat for over an hour with out a bite, one pull on the right rod resulted in a battle they will never forget. 1-½ hours later we had to call in our guide Tom with his boat and crew for help (my guys had tired arms). 1 hour later with 5 grown men passing off the rod, we managed to land a monster sturgeon measuring over 260 cm (9 ft) with a 137 cm (54in) girth. It’s difficult to estimate the weight of a fish of this size but when 6 grown men can’t lift it 6 inches you know that it’s big. We estimated the weight to be between 300- 500 lbs.

Dewdney / Stave

Salmon fishing is pretty much over for the Stave although there are still some colored up coho and old chum that could be fished for. If your shaking with fishing withdrawals and need a quick fix, try fishing the side channels on the east side of the river. Try to avoid casting at spawning fish, there are still some that are just holding that might be willing to co-operate.

The Dewdney slough has been producing the odd late Coho in the upper reaches near Norish Cr and near the confluence of the Fraser where there are still a few anglers trolling lures. Norish cr itself had fished well the past week but as the water dropped so did the fishing. We are still expecting a good push of late coho to come up the Norish, all we need is some rain. If we get a heavy rainfall over the next week, you might want to give it a try.

Vedder River

The Vedder River is in good condition, visibility is good and the water is perfect. Unfortunately it’s a bit too late as most of the migrating salmon have spawned. There are always a few anglers who manage to hook into a fresh late run Coho or early Winter Steelhead in December. This usually sets the rumor mill into full swing and gets anglers off the couch and on the river. Don’t expect too much from the Vedder until mid January.

River fishing/Steelhead seminar
Great Christmas Gift Idea
Once again we will be offering our 3- day river fishing /steelhead seminar which will be held in late January. This seminar is very popular and has sold out when offered. This year’s seminar will be held once again at Hub Sports in Abbotsford. The classroom sessions will be from 7-9 PM each night, the fish out is from 8 AM – 2 PM.
You can read more about this seminar at http://www.guidebc.com/floatseminar.asp

Available dates:

Next Available Seminars
Hub Sports January 20, 22, 25
January 21, 23, 26

Win a guided sturgeon trip for 2 persons on the Fraser River:
Come and spend a day fishing the Mighty Fraser River with Vic Carrao of STS Guiding Service. The winner will be announced in our WINTER NEWS LETTER.
To enter Just send us an e-mail with "Fall News Letter contest" in the subject line

Chehalis River

The Chehalis River finally got the water it needed. Most anglers are reporting lots of coho but most of them have already started to turn dark. There should be a few bright fish still to come but overall most of the fish you will catch are either ready to spawn or have spawned. Steelhead don’t really start showing up in this river until mid to late January so it’s probably best to wait until after New Years.

Harrison River
The Harrison River is still producing a few fresh Chum with the occasional Coho. Most of the action is down near the Fraser confluence where these fresh fish enter each day. The upper river is still chalked full of chum and springs but these fish are trying to spawn and should be left alone. If your wanting so action but don’t plan on keeping fish, this river is still worth the effort.

Trout and Char fly-fishing
Trout fishing has just begun to pick up now that the majority of the salmon have spawned and died. The Fraser has fished well for Cutthroat this past week with good numbers of fish between 8-14 inches. Our best winter fishery is just beginning to heat up. Good numbers of Bull trout, Rainbows and Cutthroat can be caught all winter. We not only offer guided jet boat trips but also guided raft trips on rivers seldom fished by anyone in the winter. We are now taking booking for winter/spring steelhead and trout fishing on one of our more remote river adventures. Space is limited so don’t wait until it’s too late.

Remember to conserve your catch
Tight Lines and we will see you on the water
Vic Carrao
www.guidebc.com
sts@guidebc.com
604-880- FLYS(3597)
604-671-FISH (3474)