Squamish guided trips, winter Trout and Char

Dean with a nice Bull

This winter has been a particularly good one for Rainbow Trout and Bulltrout, check out some of our recent pictures from guided trips on the Squamish and Cheakamus rivers.

Elaine with a beauty Squamish Bow

Harrison and Pat with another nice Rainbow

Stuart with a chrome Char

The release

Lots of snow, good for Skiing, good for the Fish

The view outside the Whistler Fly Shop, lots of snow everywhere

With all the new snow that we have here falling in our area, it's looking a little different then recent years with lower snowpacks. Thank La Nina. The snow is not only good for the skiing among many other things, but great for the glacial runoff rivers we have here as well, as long as it doesn't all melt at once.
The milder and wetter weather create favorable fishing conditions in our rivers during the mid winter. With cloudy overcast days the norm, the valley temperatures stay on the milder side and fishing is generally good. Sunny, dry artic outflows make for less then desirable days on the water, but a few fish will continue to bite until the rivers or your line guides freeze over. Globugs and fleshflies work really well right now, find the spawning salmon and you will find the Char and Trout.

When you start finding Bulltrout Popsicles, It might be a little cold to fish

Great day to fish the Squamish

Bulltrout love the single eggs

Although the Steelhead are not around yet and there is about 2 feet of snow on the road, there are still fish to be caught in the Squamish, and great scenery to go with it. If you find spawning Coho, egg patterns are a good bet for the trout in the area, otherwise Sculpins and ESL's work well enough. Thanks to a phenomenal Coho run, the trout and Eagle numbers are the highest I have seen in a long while at this time of the year.

Snow and fog in the upper valley

Lots of eagles just hanging out, eating the dead fish

Whistler fishing report December 1st

WHISTLER FISHING REPORT - December 1st, 2010

FISHING REPORT
December 1st, 2010

BIRKENHEAD RIVER-the Birkenhead river is fishing good with some nice Rainbows and Bulls being Taken on single Eggs and flesh patterns.

CHEAKAMUS RIVER (lower)- Coho, Bulls and Bows, use your favorite patterns egg pattern as well as flesh flies and sculpin imitations.

ASHLU RIVER -good fishing for nice Bull Trout and Rainbow trout with egg patterns and sculpin imitations.

MAMQUAM RIVER-decent Rainbow Trout fishing on the upper waters.Still some late run Coho Salmon fishing in the lower Mamquam below the canyon.

SQUAMISH RIVER-river is in nice shape with some late run Chum and Coho to fish for on the lower river as well as Rainbow Trout and Bull Trout(Char).

www.whistlerflyfishing.com

Winter, a great time for Bulls and Bows

As the remaining Chum and Coho Salmon start to die off and the temperature plummets in the Sea to Sky corridor, the trout keep on eating. Generally whatever is left of the Salmon is food for the Trout, like flesh and eggs. The winter is a great time to fish for big Trout/Char but they are not always hanging out were you expect them to be, especially when the temperatures are extreme. For up to date info on were to fish and what to use, drop by the Whistler Fly Shop or give us a shout

2010 Olympic Bronze medalist goes flyfishing in Whistler

After getting Bronze in the Whistler 2010 2 man Luge, Patric-Fritz Leitner had another dream to finish the games in whistler, with a day of flyfishing in BC Canada before he went home to Germany. Armed with a camera Crew and whistler fly fishing head guide, Pat Beahen, Pat had a great sunny day out on the water and even got into some Bulltrout! The trip was briefly featured on a German TV news station. Here are some pics of the day, taken in the upper Squamish valley.

Winter Fly Fishing In Whistler British Columbia

Winter fly fishing is in full swing now in Whistler with good fishing for Bull Trout(Char), Rainbow Trout and Cutthroat Trout in the Squamish and Cheakamus rivers.This is one of my favourite times of year to be on the river as I enjoy the quiet of winter as well as the charm of fishing in the snow. Char fishing is especially productive during the winter months and these fish can reach considerable size in both the Squamish and Cheakamus rivers.

Fish eye view of the Birkenhead

Just thought I would share a video I took a few months ago of a Birkenhead river Bulltrout (Char) fighting just under the surface. The fish was landed a few seconds after the video ends and was quickly released.

Spring on the Lillooet

While the water is low and clear, and the Steelhead are few and far between in Squamish, there are few better places to catch fish then the upper Lillooet river. Between January and April, when the water can be very low, cold and clear, the Lillooet system can be a rewarding place to fish for the day. Cutthroat, Bulltrout and Rainbow trout can be caught regularly on Salmon fry, Alevin and most Sculpin/Streamer patterns, which are the most common food items available for these fish at this time of year. Although most fish average between 14-18 inches, some larger fish are caught on a regular basis. This river has easy access along most of its stretch from the town of Pemberton to the bridge crossing. A great river to fish for a few hours and still be able to catch a few fish, don't overlook the Lillooet the next time your going out on the water. For current river conditions and reports for the Lillooet, give us a call at the shop anytime at 604-932-7221.

Baby salmon make a great snack

The days are getting longer and warmer and most people are getting excited about spring and the sun. I am however getting excited for the imminent salmon fry migration that should be occurring over the next few weeks. With Chinook, Chum, Sockeye and Coho fry due to make (or making) their appearance within the next few weeks, the Bull trout, Cutthroat and Rainbow fishing should be as good as it will get in a long time. One of the best early-season patterns in Squamish is the Alevin Fly. A very simple pattern that uses a bit of colored wool, pearl flash and a couple of stick on eyes to create an incredibly deadly pattern for early season trout. Alevin are very poor swimmers and easy prey for larger fish, the Trout will hang out near small creek mouths, along with the classic water were they gorge themselves on helpless fry caught in the current. These Alevin flies are best fished on a dead drift with a floating line and long leader in order to imitate the helpless, easy meal trout expect.

HOOK - TMC 200r #6-10

BODY - Pearl metallic braid

WING - Natural or Olive Mallard Flank

BEARD - Orange Wool or Mcflyfoam tied in a loop

EYES - 1.5mm stick on eyes

THREAD- Olive or Grey 8/0

HEAD- Aquaseal or epoxy, doubles as weight

Fishing The Mamquam

Thousands of people drive over it every day and most don't bother a second glance at it, the Mamquam River is perhaps one of my favorite rivers in the Squamish area to fish. If you have ever fished it, Chances are it was during Salmon season for the plentiful Chum, Pink or Coho. Thats usually the extent of most fishing experiences on this urban river. But this river has exceptional Trout fishing as well. During the winter and spring, the Mamquam holds some of the largest sea-run Bulltrout encountered anywere in Squamish, more Cutthroat per Kilometre then the Squamish or Cheakamus, Rainbows, Springs, lots of Coho and even a late run of Steelhead. The Canyon water Holds lots of Rainbows and the reaches above the powerhouse hold Rainbow and bulltrout for almost 20km up the river. Winter tends to be a slower time to fish this river as it is very low and clear, but if you can find a couple nice runs, you can usually get into some larger sea run Bull, sea run Cutthroat and Rainbow trout. When the Cheakamus and Squamish Blow out during high water, the Mamquam usually gets back into shape the fastest. Large flies tend to work well for most species here, especially for the Char, but a simple egg sucking leech, rolled muddler or even a stonefly Nymph will work almost anytime of the year for the smaller trout. If the opportunity arises, don't be afriad to test your skills on the Mamquam.

Kids Today....

Here in Canada there is a sense that kids are not fishing as much as they used to, probably due to the various electronic entertainment distractions so popular with the youth of today. I remember being 12 years old and racing home after school to grab my fly rod and bmx bike and ripping down the dyke to the river mouth to chase sea run Cutthroat Trout.

The two youngsters in the photo, aged 10 and 11 are from Australia. They visit Whistler each year and do a couple of days of guided flyfishing. It is neat to see their skills improve with each visit. They are becoming anglers of the highest regard. They both tie their own flies, cast great(even double hauling), understand proper angling ettiquite and most importantly have respect for the fish. They are pictured here with a beauty Bull Trout that the oldest one caught this past January in the Cheakamus River near Whistler. A nice fish no doubt, but what makes it really special is when they caught it. On this particular trip the older folks, including their hard core fishing uncle had decided to pack it in after lunch. Fair enough, it was one of those days where the snow is so wet that you get soaked and then frozen by the cold wind. The boys had looked forward to this trip so there was no stopping them. When the old folks went back to the hotel hot tub the kids fished on. Not long after the parents departure young Harrison latched onto this beauty, the look on the boys' faces says it all!