Fraser Valley Outlook for February / March / April

Vic Carrao and Bull Steelhead

To help with vacation planning we have changed our format of providing a monthly outlook into a seasonal outlook. Splitting the seasons into seasonal intervals should give you a good start into planning your next vacation. Our next report will be more of a summer outlook providing information on angling opportunities from May – August (prime chinook/sockeye season) and then again from September – November (prime coho, pink, chum).

If your vacation planning requires more specific information on location, species and peak periods, feel free to call or e-mail us. You can also find more specific information on species and seasons on our website at www.guidebc.com/season_spring.asp.

A look into February, March & April
The next 3-month period is one of my favorites for fishing in the Fraser Valley. There are more angling opportunities available than most people think. Although February can be one of the tougher months to predict, angling can be quite good. This is the time when most of our bookings are from visitors who are in the area on business or visiting family and would like to add a day of fishing to complement their stay. Our area offers fair to good fishing for 3 species between February - April, Sturgeon, Trout and Steelhead.

Vic, Mark and Cory display their Sturgeon

Sturgeon fishing is one of the more popular and consistent fisheries during February. It’s not prime time but fish are still very aggressive when the bite is on. You can expect some good opportunities for fish between 2 – 4 feet with a chance at larger fish up to 8 feet.

There is always a chance for a larger fish but less likely during this time period. Be sceptical of those who advertise great fishing for sturgeon during this time period.

March / April is considered one of the peak times to fish for sturgeon. Although it’s not quite as consistent as October/November, it is a great time to catch larger fish up to 12 feet. Spring brings our annual migration of the Eulachon (small bait fish) to the Fraser River to spawn. Food in winter is scarce so when the Eulachon arrive the Sturgeon are eager to feed, it's not uncommon to hook 15 to 20 fish in an 8-hour trip. This is a great time to experience the area, as there is an abundant amount of waterfowl and wildlife. Eagles are perched in the trees and Seals and Sea Lions are feeding on salmon fry and Eulachon.

Trout / Char
Trout fishing is one of our best and most consistent fisheries during winter and spring. From December all the way through until April we consistently catch good numbers of trout and char between 2- 7 lbs with a chance at larger fish to 10 lbs. Average size varies depending on the river fished. There is plenty of trophy trout angling opportunities if you have the access and equipment, both of which we have. We offer winter and spring fly- fishing trout charters on local rivers using our jet boats and trophy trout / char fly fishing adventures from our NRS fishing rafts on some of the more remote, harder to reach rivers. If you're looking for some of the best fly–fishing BC has to offer, we have it. March and April are the best two months of the year as we fly fish trophy waters for Trout, Char and Steelhead.

Steelhead

STS client Fritz with Steelhead

The Fraser Valley area offers good opportunities for local and visiting anglers to catch steelhead during February, March and April. March is probably the most consistent month as April rains can quickly make local rivers difficult to fish. If the rains stay away, April can offer anglers some great angling opportunities.

We offer several types of steelhead fishing adventures, rafting down a pristine river with canyons, hike and wade trips on the Vedder River and Jet boat trips on one of the more scenic rivers in the area. STS Guiding has full access to one of the more remote rivers in the area.

We offer winter and spring steelhead fishing as well as trout and char fishing. This remote adventure is only a short distance from Vancouver, offering our clients a unique angling experience while fishing one of British Columbia's best-kept secrets. We offer fully guided day trips out of Vancouver or multi-day packages with stays up to a week or more.

STS Guiding Service opens new accommodation for 2003
STS Guiding Service is excited to announce our new accommodation for the 2003 season. Vic and Teresa Carrao, owners of STS will be opening the new Fraserview Anglers Retreat by early summer. Fraserview Anglers Retreat offers anglers a modest accommodation with a spectacular view of the Fraser River and the Cascade Mountain Range. Located on Hatzic Bench just east of Mission overlooking one of the most productive Sturgeon fishing grounds on the entire Fraser. This 3-bedroom retreat will offer guests the privacy of a B&B but with the comfort and feel of home. Relax by the fireplace while other's can enjoy a game of billiards, foosball, darts or soak in the Hot Tub while taking in the beautiful scenery. The common room / games room offers a relaxing atmosphere with 3 private bedrooms for those looking for privacy.

Win a 6 hour guided salmon or sturgeon trip with STS Guiding, Mavericks Night Club and the Rock 101 Jet Boat.
How would you like to spend the day fishing for Salmon or Sturgeon in one of the fastest Jet boats on the entire Fraser River. Geoff Banford owner of Mavericks Night Club in Burnaby and the famous ROCK 101 Jet Boat would like to invite you to spend the day with us on the water. This 454 cu in machine is nick named 454 GAS HORE for a reason. There are only two speeds when you’re out with Geoff, Stopped and Pinned. The winner can invite 3 of their friends to join Vic and Geoff for a day of exciting boating and fishing on the Fraser, each person will also receive 4 STS Ball Caps, 4 STS Shirts and 4 passes to Mavericks Night Club. To enter just send us an e-mail with “ ROCK 101” in the subject line.

Booking Tips for 2003 season
Each year that passes we get more and more clients who prefer to fish the same peak time period. These repeat bookings speaks volumes about our services and the great fishing but also presents a difficult hurdle for new anglers and clients wanting to experience the great fishing. Booking prime time is getting more challenging. Some suggest getting bigger will make us better and more able to take on more booking in prime time. We don’t think this is the answer, bigger is not always better. Although the fishing is very good most of the year, we have three time periods when pre-booking well in advance is recommended. March/April, July/August & October/November. Hopefully with a bit of pre-planning we will be able to accommodate all of your requests. Please contact us by Phone : 604-671-FISH (3474) or e-mail sts@guidebc.com.

Summer pre- season forecast
Although it’s still pretty early to forecast stock run size, we have seen a couple of notices related to this subject. Most have indicated much the same as last season with an extra 20 million salmon due to this year's Pink Salmon run scheduled to peak in mid to late September. As it looks right now, we should have good salmon fishing beginning with Chinook runs in June lasting well into November with Sockeye, Coho, Pink and Chum.

We hope to see you all this upcoming season.
Tight Lines.
Vic Carrao

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