FALL 2020 FISHING REPORT

Fraser river-open for sturgeon,trout and coarse fish-no fishing for salmon until further notice.

Chilliwack / Vedder river-opens September 1- December 31 for hatchery coho 4/day , chinook 4/ day (2 over 62 cm) . Chum open October 1- December 31 -1 / day. No more than 4 salmon /day total in aggregate.

Chehalis river-opens September 1-December 31 for 4 hatchery coho /day, 4 chinook / day (1 over 62 cm). Chum open November 1-30 -1 / day. Total of 4 salmon / day only in aggregate.

Harrison river-Opens September 1- December 31 for hatchery coho 4 / day from Harrison lake to confluence with Fraser. Chum open October 1-Dec 31- 2 per day . Total of 4 salmon per day in aggregate

Nicomen (Dewdney) slough-4 hatchery coho per day September 1-December 31-only 2 over 35 cm. Also from highway 7 bridge downstream to Fraser confluence October 1-Dec31 chum 2 per day.

Norrish (Suicide) creek- September 1-December 31-4 hatchery coho per day (only 2 over 35 cm)

LOCAL LAKES: East and west Harrison Lakes producing catches of small rainbow and cutthroat. Jones lake also putting out catches of small rainbow and some large cutthroat .Cultus lake has lots of small mouth bass, pikeminnows and some cutthroat trout. Fishing will pickup with cooler weather.

INTERIOR LAKES: Cooler fall temperatures will help improve the lake fishing and push the fish into feeding frenzies getting ready for winter. Leeches, bloodworms, scuds, and damselfly nymphs will be good bets.

CHILLIWACK DART AND TACKLE FISHING REPORT FOR DECEMBER 2019

CHWK/VEDDER RIVER-salmon fishing about done now with only the odd late run coho and chum still around. First hatchery steelhead caught last week by Itsu Yesaki-8 1/2 lb doe. Steelhead should start to push in over the next 10 days or so. Trout beads, roe bags,roe, jigs and rubber worms are all worth trying for the early run fish.

CHEHALIS RIVER-still some bright coho coming in and early run steelhead are right around the corner. Try using same gear as CHWK/VEDDER for the steelhead.Next heavy rain should improve the fishing in this system.

FRASER RIVER- Fair sturgeon fishing still but bite is “softer” due to cooler water temperatures.Baits worth trying are fresh roe, lampreys,dew worms. Backwaters and side channels are worth trying for searun cutthroat,bull trout,and whitefish. Best baits are roe, worms, and single eggs. Also small crocodiles or hildebrandt spoons work well.

INTERIOR LAKES-ice fishing now underway in most interior regions with good catches of rainbow,eastern brook trout and kokanee being reported. Try using jigs, shrimp,krill,salmon eggs, worms, meal worms, wood worms,and dyed corn.

LOCAL LAKES-fishing is quite slow now that winter has arrived but catches of small rainbow and cutthroat can be had by using bait fished on the bottom with small slip weight set ups. Single salmon eggs,small pieces of roe , worms or krill are your best choices for bait.

CHILLIWACK DART AND TACKLE AUGUST 2019 FISHING REPORT

FRASER RIVER: Good for sturgeon-mandatory and voluntary closure areas for sturgeon fishing ended on July 31 2019. Best baits are pikeminnows, lampreys, roe, and salmon parts.There is no word yet from DFO on any salmon openings.

CHILLIWACK/VEDDER RIVER: Still a few red chinooks in the upper river -Tamahi to Slesse creek. Best baits are roe, wool, jigs and colorados. Coho, white chinook, hopefully by last week in August. Also some pinks but no info yet on retention for them.

CHEHALIS RIVER: Fishing for red chinook has been good but starting to decline now as fish enter hatchery and upper canyon.Best baits are roe, wool, colorados, and jigs.Slow for summer steelhead due to hatchery program cancellation last year.

LOCAL LAKES: Most local lakes are quite slow due to hot weather. One exception is Kawkawa lake in Hope where good numbers of kokanee to 16” are still being taken. Still fishing from an anchored boat, fishing at 25-38 feet using dyed krill, deli shrimp, or small pieces of cured roe seems to work well. Also trolling at 30-35 feet with small flashers trailed by “kokanee seekers” tipped with fire corn . Cultus lake great for kids fishing for pikeminnows or smallmouth bass. Worms on a float or drop shotted with a small sliding sinker fished close to the bottom in 6-15 feet of water works well for both species.

INTERIOR LAKES: Most lower elevation lakes are in the summer doldrums at this time due to warmer temperatures and algae blooms. However there are some bomber chironomid hatches starting at Tunkwa lake now with fish to 4 lbs being taken. Stump lake and Jocko lake also giving up rainbow 2-4 lbs on the fly. Some higher elevation lakes over 4000 feet still fishing well using caddis , chironomids, or leeches.

Welcome to Chilliwack Dart and Tackle's New Website

Thanks so much for checking out our new website we're so excited to start sharing all that is going on in the Fraser Valley and beyond in the worlds of hunting and fishing. 

Here you'll be able to check regular river and fishing reports as well as insight from our staff sharing their thoughts on various topics from rifles, hunting, fishing and general tips and tricks.  

We look forward to interacting with you here or in the store, come on by we'd love to meet you!