Fraser Valley Report for December 15 /2002: Steelheader.net- Steelhead, Salmon and trout fishing

Fraser Valley report for the week of December 15 /2002

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Fraser River

The Fraser River is in excellent shape, visibility is still very good with water temperatures stable in the mid 40’s. Salmon fishing is pretty much over for the Fraser for this season but what a season it was. We had an incredible year of fishing starting with the early run of Chinook right through until the last week where we were still catching chrome Chum salmon. Next season should be much the same, but add another 6- 15 million fish, as next year is a Pink Salmon return year.

Christmas gift ideas
It’s hard to believe Christmas is just around the corner. The weather feels more like September so it’s hard to grasp the fact that December 25 is only 10 days away.
Buying Christmas gifts can be frustrating when you’re buying for that angler that seems to have everything he needs. We have several seminars and guide trips that are tailored for this time of year. We offer gift certificates for both our annual 3-day steelhead/river fishing seminar (January) our annual 3-day fly-casting seminar (March/April) and 4, 6 & 8 hour guide trip for salmon or sturgeon. All these gifts can be purchased on-line through e-mail or you can call us at 604-671-FISH

Cutthroat fishing continues to produce good results in the Chilliwack to Agassiz area. Why I mention this area is because we don’t fish for Cutthroats much below Chilliwack. Anywhere that you will find spawning salmon you will find a few opportunistic Cutthroat. We spent a few hours fishing Queens the other day with 6 fish in only 30 minutes of fishing. This is exceptional fishing so our hopes are that this will continue as long as the weather patterns remain the same.

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Sturgeon
Sturgeon fishing was fair this week with good numbers of fish between 3- 5 feet and the odd fish over 6 feet. Our guests Jon, his wife and 9 month baby from the UK had a great day of fishing landing 3 large fish in just 4 1/2 hours of fishing. Jon managed to land the biggest one on shore so we could get a great picture for his friends and family back home.

Sturgeon fishing will slow somewhat over the next few months but as long as this mild weather continues and your fishing the right tide, you should still be able to catch a few nice fish. Our next peak fishing period is in the spring when the Eulachon migration occurs.

Dewdney / Stave
Same as last week
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 flowing high right now after the heavy rains this past 48 hours. As of 9:30 the upper river above the clay banks is still fishable, the lower river has less than 12 inches of visibility. If this warm weather and heavy rains continue, the river will blow out quickly. I would suggest calling your local tackle store for current and updated reports before you head out.

Steelhead fever has already begun. A few nice fish were caught this week but don’t get too excited quite yet. We still have a good month or so before it really gets going. If this seasons salmon runs are any indication, we can expect some larger than average fish and possible late runs. Most of our salmon runs peaked about 2 weeks late so there is a good chance that our steelhead runs will follow suit. I guess all we can do right now is wait and see what happens.

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

Our morning report has the Chehalis high, colored but fishable. There is lots of colored up Coho still around but those fish should be left alone. Steelhead season doesn’t really get going on this river until mid to late January although you hear of a few fish being caught every couple of days. If your wanting to catch steelhead I would recommend staying on the Vedder system until at least mid January.

Harrison River
Believe it or not, the Harrison is still producing some chrome Chum salmon. Our guide Tom Pearce was out a few days ago and landed some very nice looking fishing. We also found a few Cutthroat and even Dolly Varden feeding on salmon eggs. If your wanting to target trout, be sure to carry a few egg patterns along with you. If your heading out in a small boat be careful, the winds have been strong and the waves large.

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)