Freshwater Rivers    British Columbia, CA    Saltwater    Local Lakes

Fraser River - British Columbia

Cutthroat fishing is an option this time of year. 

The catch and release Sturgeon fishery is always open and always worth a try for those seeking big game in local waters.  It sounds like there are a lot of fish available although they can be a little lethargic during the winter months.  Expect fish to be hunkered down in the deeper holes until the river begins to warm.

Remember that if you are going sturgeon fishing you will need to purchase a sturgeon conservation stamp even though sturgeon are not allowed to be retained in B.C.

Vedder/Chilliwack River - British Columbia

Fishing improved during February and should continue to improve this month.

Float fishing is always the most popular method on this river.  Fishing roe, shrimp, yarn, jigs, or pink worms under a float are all good options. 

Spoons and spinners are also good options when targeting steelhead on this river.

The steelhead starts to show in numbers a little later in the season on this river so expect the quality of fishing to accelerate as the season progresses.

If river is out of shape down low then you can expect to find better conditions towards the top of the river.

 Chehalis River There should be a few steelhead in the system at this time.

Thompson River - British Columbia    The Thompson River is currently closed to steelhead fishing.

Saltwater Fishing Report

Saltwater Area 7  Salmon: Opens Dec. 1st.  Halibut: Closed.  Rockfish: Closed.  Lingcod: Closed.  Cabezon: Closed

Salmon: Opens Dec. 1^st. 

Fishing was a little slow in February, but those who put their time in did produce fish.

When fishing blackmouth the majority of fish will be caught within 5-10 ft. off the bottom.  The most common depths to fish are 80-120 ft.

Trolling is the most utilized method.  Flashers with hootchies, Ace Hi-Flies, Coyote Spoons, Coho Killers, or herring are the most popular offerings. Brad’s has made a new trolling lure called the Brad’s Super Bait Cut Plug.  This lure has been productive so far with the black jack being the most productive.

Green Spatterback, Cop Car (black and white), Chartreuse, Army Truck (green, red, and white), and white are a few of the most popular colors. Glow and U.V. are also added features to many lures and flashers to enhance the visibility of your presentation.  Scent is also a valuable resource it not only enhances your lure but masks odors which might cause salmon to shy away from your offering.  Shrimp, krill, herring, or anchovy are popular scents.

Blackmouth feed aggressively so it is important to find bait it you are to find fish.  Trolling at a good pace is one way to seek them out.  Once you have caught one try to cover the same ground because there are likely more nearby. 

Mooching or jigging are other good options particularly if you have found a concentration of bait or blackmouth.

Clamming: Always Open, unless listed as closed in the regulations; or call 800-562-5632 to check for health advisories or emergency closures.

Crabbing: Area 7 Crabbing is closed until this upcoming summer.

Shrimping: Area 7   Spot prawns are closed until next spring. 

Local Lakes

Freshwater – Lakes  All lakes open last Saturday in April (April 25^th. this year) unless otherwise noted in the regulations. Check regs for specific regulations.

Fazon Open year round.

Fazon was planted with 12,885 bull trout fry last year.

Fishing will be very slow this time of year due to the cooler weather. 

As we reach the end of the month bass fishing might be an option if we continue to have abnormally warm weather.  Anyone interested in bass fishing should try slow and methodical presentations and be expecting a very light bite.  Plastics, jigs, and slow rolled spinner baits might be a few good choices.

The brown trout which were planted in the lake may be on the bite with the cooler weather we have been having.  Trolling or still fishing may produce if a sufficient number of these fish have grown to a catchable size.  

Padden  Closed until next April

Samish Open year round.

Samish was planted with 315,000 kokanee fry, 50,000 cutthroat fry, and 14,000 rainbow fry last year.

Samish is one of a few lakes in the county which is open year-round. 

With the warm weather we have had it may be worth it to put some effort into Kokanee fishing.  I would try trolling small dodgers with mini hootchies in pink, or size 4-6 pink streamer type flies.  Tip your lure with a kernel of corn a Berkley Gulp maggot.  Wedding rings are another good choice when tipped with bait.  I have been surprised at how much more productive hootchies and flies have been than Wedding Rings which have previously been my top choice for Kokanee.  Dick Nites, Needlefish, or other small spoons can also work well.  Please note that if you are using these lures you will not want to tip them with bait.   It is definitely worth a try to experiment with other colors also.  Troll slowly (1-1.5 mph.) and cover a broad spectrum of depths.  I am not sure how kokanee fishing will be this year as kokanee populations tend to fluctuate from year to year.  I am also not sure how kokanee fishing will be this time of year.  I have done well for kokanee on Lake Stevens in February and March.  I definitely think Lake Samish would also be worth a try.

There are also cutthroat and a few rainbow in the lake.  Trolling is a good tactic and fish may found throughout the water column at this time of year. Dick Nites, Wedding Rings with night crawlers, and flatfish, coupled with a gang troll or dodger are all good choices.  It might be interesting to troll deep with something bigger like an orange label cut plug herring or a small Coyote Spoon as there are some large cutthroat in the lake. 

Perch fishing should be good in the south end of the lake in 30 to 70 feet of water.  Fish right on bottom with ½ to 3 ounces of lead with a size 6 hook and half of a night crawler, this set up will also catch trout.  You can fish this set up by drifting with the wind.  If you are drifting too fast to keep good contact with the bottom then you can throw a bucket or two over the side of the boat to slow your drift down.  If you are using two buckets tie one to the bow and one to the stern.  With the cold weather it is best to follow the perch to deeper water. 

Silver Closed until next April

Squalicum Lake  I have heard very good reports of people catching trout on this year around fly fishing only lake.

Terrell  Open year round. 

Lake Terrell was planted with 820 triploid rainbow trout last April and May.

Trout fishing is your main option this time of year due to cold water temperatures.

As the end of the month nears it might be worth a try to go after some bass as the days start to warm and get longer.

Toad  Closed until next April

Whatcom  Closed until next April

Wiser Open year round. 

Fishing should remain slow until next month.

Bass fishing may become an option as we are slowly heading towards spring.