Monthly Outlook for March 15 to April 31, 2002

Steelhead
February was a pretty good month for Steelhead anglers; we did have some poor conditions as far as water levels go. The ultra low water made fishing difficult for daytime anglers, the best bite was first thing in the morning and again in the late evening. Good numbers of both hatchery and wild fish were being caught throughout the Vedder River system while the Chehalis River system was mainly producing fish in the lower river near the hatchery.

What to expect in March / April
March and April are two of the best months for Steelhead fishing in the Fraser Valley. Both the Vedder and Chehalis will be at their peak of the runs with some of the smaller rivers beginning to get some decent numbers of fish. The Stave, Allouette, Coquitlam and other tributaries to the Fraser should get a good push of fish during these two months.

Water levels are much less predictable during March and April, the warmer temperatures begin to melt the mountain snow and spring rains will be upon us. Anything can happen during this time from dry spells of low clear water to down pours that blow out the river and make it non-fishable. Your best bet for current fishing reports will be your local tackle stores as Internet fishing reports can be out dated hours after they are posted.

Sturgeon
Sturgeon fishing has been incredible to say the least. February was an excellent month with an average catch of 12 to 20 fish per trip. As usual the wind and tides played an important part in our success so timing was everything. We would go 2 hours with little action then all hell would break loose for the next 3 or 4 hours.

What to expect in March / April
March, April and May offer some of the very best Sturgeon fishing of the year, the Eulachon (smelt) begin their annual migration up the Fraser to spawn. The average size of our catch increases at this time of year with a very good chance at hooking into some of those monster, tail-walking Sturgeon. We are offering some specials discounts for those wanting to try sturgeon fishing for the first time.

Obtaining smelt can be difficult and if you do have access to them be sure you have a receipt in your possession, you can be charged by fisheries as Eulachon fishing has been prohibited for several years now on the Fraser.

Sounding Sturgeon
Over the years we have spent numerous days looking for new areas to fish for sturgeon. A good depth sounder can be of great assistance when the water is unfamiliar. There are many sounders available on the market today but few are worth the money. I have used some of the name brands but was quickly disappointed with the performance. Most of the avid sturgeon anglers and guides including myself use Marinetek sounders. These sounders show structure on the river bottom clearer than any other sounder I have used. The Marinetek sells for around $500.00 for the black and white and $1200.00 for the colour monitor. The Black and White is all you need.

Fishing new water
When sounding an area to fish try to find the top of the hole where it begins to deepen, then find the back end of the hole where it begins to shallow out. Start by anchoring above the hole so that your anchor is not in the deepest section, fish your way through the hole dropping your anchor every 50 yards or so. I use a 20-minute rule when fishing new or unfamiliar water, if you haven’t had a bite within 20 minutes, pickup and move down. This allows you to fish new water quickly and effectively.

Win a 6-hour Guided Sturgeon Trip.
We are giving away a one day guided sturgeon trip for 2 persons for the spring sturgeon fishery. All you need to do is view our new Sturgeon Video at www.guidebc.com and tell us what you think. We are still working on making it 56K friendly but are interested in how many people still use telephone connections. Just email us your comments and you’re entered. The draw date will be the first week in April so that we still have plenty of time for some great fishing.

Cutthroat Trout
Cutthroat fishing was fair to good during February. We had some great days and some poor days chasing those elusive trout. It never seems to amaze my how easy they are to catch one day and can’t be found the next. It’s like they disappear for a few days then suddenly their everywhere.

What to expect in March / April
The Cutthroat fishing should improve substantially over the next few weeks. March and April are the best two months for fishing in the tributary rivers of the Fraser. All rivers that have salmon spawning during the fall months will have Cutthroat trout looking for the salmon fry as they begin to emerge. Some of the best fly patterns to use are minnow imitations. For the first few weeks during the fry emergence try using Alvein imitation patterns. Alvein is the first stage of the fry, which they are feeding off the yolk sack. They are translucent with a reddish sack just in the throat area. A Good imitation of this stage is the pattern called Egg & I. It is a very simple pattern tired with silver ribbing body, mallard flank wing and a red tuff of wool tied under as a throat.

Because of our busy schedule we will be changing the timing of our monthly reports and newsletter. We will be making our reports to fit the changing fisheries so that we are not duplicating our reports each month. Our next monthly outlook will be for May and June to coincide with the beginning of the Chinook salmon fishery.

Tight lines and see you on the water

Please feel free to contact us for more information:
Web: www.GuideBC.com	Tel: (604) 671-FISH