Spring Chinook on the fly in Whistler

Chinook fishing is a bit like Steelhead fishing except everything is bigger, the water, the gear and the fish are all jumbo sized. We are lucky here in Whistler to have some awesome fishing for chrome Spring Salmon right on our doorstep. The Springs we have are some of the earliest returning Chinooks on the coast.They enter fresh water in the early spring and will not start spawning until late summer, making them a very unique Salmon.
At this time of year they are Chrome and take to the fly very well. Gear of choice is anything around a 9/10 weight with a 600+ grain skagit is an appropriate rig to be able to toss some of the very heavy tungsten tips and giant flies used for these fish. Me, Brian and a couple good friends Pete and Mike took a trip and risked dirty water conditions to see if there were any around. Water clarity was decent and there was a huge salmon fly hatch going on which was pretty interesting.

Thousands of hummingbird sized bugs like this.

I got lucky and got into a nice high teen Spring. Sometimes they're there, sometimes they're not, and if they are around, big intruders work well.

Like this

A good day on the lower river

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.