Great Winter Fly Fishing in Squamish British Columbia Canada

Great Winter Fly Fishing in Squamish British Columbia Canada

Great Winter Fly Fishing in Squamish British Columbia Canada.  Fishing at the beginning of January is a bit of a shoulder season depending on what river system you are fishing. The early new year days can have some amazing and you are almost guaranteed to have the whole river to yourself.  In most of our rivers during this time of year the salmon have all come and spawned by now except for a few stragglers.  After a few months of gorging on flesh from the spawning salmon and their dropped or washed out eggs a lot of the trout have been bulking up and have increased immensely in size. Squamish offers some fantastic Winter Fly Fishing opportunities for large Trout, Char and Steelhead.

Trout Beads are very effective during Winter fly fishing months

With most of the flesh feast starting to come to an end, eggs are a fantastic addition to have in your tackle arsenal this time of year. If you are fly fishing, you can fish traditional egg patterns or my personal favorite, Trout Beads.  See how to set them up on a fly rod here:

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Eggs will soon start to emerge from the gravel beds they were dropped in due to hatching alevin or rising water levels due to heavy rain storms. These loose eggs are an easy food source for trout that are still in the rivers.

Winter Fly Fishing in BC

When you find fish as we did the other day, it was easy to see them as the water was gin clear.  We could see they were refusing our flesh patterns and streamers. I did see a few eggs in the river as we found runs to fish and they were very pale in comparison to how they would have been earlier in the year. Once we got our depth correct it was game on and we pulled about 6 big fish out of the same little pool.  The fishing can be slow this time of year but it can also be fantastic.  Especially when it comes to BIG fish, you never really know until you go. Even if you don’t get anything you have at least had a great day outdoors.

Proper Fish Handling is important

One thing to keep in mind this time of year, when it is cold, is proper fish handling. The temperatures can at times be below freezing and the fish can freeze as well once they are out of the water. To avoid fatally harming the fish please keep them in the water. If you are going to lift your fish out for a photo, keep it close to the water and try to have the fish back in the water within a few seconds. It helps to have the fish in a good holding position with one hand around the tail wrist and one hand under helping to support the belly.

When the photographer is ready quickly raise the fish, get the shot, then put the fish back in the water, this shouldn’t take more than a few seconds. Please take your time reviving fish as well. If you have a net keep the fish in the net and submerged until it is ready to do. If not then hold the fish supporting the belly and holding the tail while facing it upstream. Do not let go of the fish until it is ready to go. If we want them to get bigger please use these proper fish handling techniques to ensure the best survival rate for these beautiful fish.

Fly Fishing Guides in Squamish BC Canada

Get out there and enjoy the fishing this time of year. The scenery is amazing with fresh snow on the ground. The trees can be filled with eagles that are getting ready to mate.  Best of all you will probably have the whole river to yourself!  What more could you ask for?  Our Guides at the Pemberton Fish Finder also offer guided Fly Fishing trips during the Winter Months in Squamish.  As the season progresses, there are opportunities of catching Steelhead.  To Book a Fly Fishing tour in Squamish, BC call Toll Free 1(877)905-8121 or email info@pembertonfishfinder.com .  Rates and other fishing charters are available on our website.

We look Forward to Fly Fishing with you,

Pemberton Fish Finder. https://pembertonfishfinder.com/

Fishing report was provided by:

Zach Copland.