Here at Pacific Angler we live, breathe and dream of fishing 365 days of the year. Some call us crazy, but to us it is just part of living the dream. So what do the boys at Pacific Angler do on their one day off work…well of course fish.
Let me introduce myself to you. My name is Dave Fauquier and I’m the booking manager for Pacific Angler. I am that guy who answers the phone 24/7 looking to put you on the fishing charter of a lifetime. I don’t get out as much as the guides but when I do, I definitely take advantage of it. Sunday afternoon Pacific Angler guides Jason Tonelli and Andrew Szabo and myself launched the boat from Coal Harbour with a cooler full of ice-soaked refreshments and food with high hopes of hooking into some 20lb plus springs.
Just a hop, skip and a jump...
With steady reports of large springs being caught off the mouth of the Capilano River we were itching to get out on that flood tide. This fishery is a favorite among the locals. Because it is a short 8 minute run from our dock you can maximize your time on the water. As well, you can witness unreal sunsets and sunrises at this time of year. A big glowing sunset with the city of Vancouver and the coastal mountains as a backdrop is something to witness!!! But the best part of it all is the chance to hook into some big, big fish.
...and we are fishing!!!
Anchovy or herring have been shown to be the ticket for this fishery. So we start the day with 4 anchovies in the water with a 20 foot spread at depths from 50 to 90 feet. Jason Tonelli always has a couple of tricks up his sleeve and has been experimenting with scenting the teaser heads with UV Smelly Jelly. This tactic proved successful the previous night where Jason was late to the dance “the bite” but lit it up with 5 spring hookups and two springs to the boat in a very short period of time.
6 inch anchovie battered with UV Smelly Jelly
So we set our lines and gave a sacrificial drink to the fishing gods. While fish were caught throughout the afternoon there was definitely a bite with the tide turning and starting to ebb. Well into the flood tide we were quickly into a bright hatchery coho of about 8 lbs. They don’t get much cleaner than this baby…
Beautiful chrome coho salmon
The coho was taken at 47 feet with a Hotspot blue flasher/silver back, Rhys Davis teaser head, 6 inch anchovy and of course UV Smelly Jelly.
While we were targeting the larger springs they did not seem to be active. The boats that were getting them were taking them right off the bottom anywhere from 75 to 90ft. After making a few passes we got word that a good friend was going to join us so we reeled in our lines, made the short run back to the dock (8 minutes) and picked up our good friend, Preston, to fish with us for the remainder of the night. It is not too often that all of the boys are on the boat together, with a busy summer of booking trips for guests and offering them the best service possible. So we were excited to share some laughs, talk about the summer and hook into some fish.
It wasn’t long until the bite was on…ten minutes after setting our lines we had a double header. Just as the lines popped out of the clips my cell phone rang. It was a customer looking to do a charter the very next day. So without missing a beat I proceed to book the guests while the boys bring the fish to the boat. It must have sounded pretty hectic over the phone as the guys were doing fist pumps and celebrating.
Some chrome salmon...
As the sun set over the ocean we fished throughout the bite and although there were no big springs hooked in our boat we had a nice pair of cohos in the box and a saw some nice springs get taken by our other guides. While we are in the middle of September it certainly felt like “the dog days of summer”.
A great way to end the day!
This is truly a magical place with great fishing literally minutes from downtown Vancouver. If you would like to book the fishing experience of a lifetime please call me at Pacific Angler (store: 604-872-2204) or on my personal cell after hours (778-846-7456).
Right now Pacific Angler is offering a special Fall Salmon Package: 5 hr charter for 4 persons at $500.00 (before taxes) or an 8 hr charter for 4 persons at $750.00 (before taxes).
Remember we are Vancouver’s full service fishing and tackle Store, “a store for the fishing enthusiast”. Make sure to visit us to get the scoop on the local scene.