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Garry Point Park is located beside Steveston, a historic fishing village at the southwestern corner of Richmond. It is surrounded by wetlands, and often the scenic beauty of the Fraser River and gulf islands will make you forget that you are only 5 minutes away from the city. To get there, get onto No. 1 Road when arrive in Richmond, turn west at Chatham Street (approximately 500 meters south of Steveston Highway). Continue to the end of Chatham Street, you will arrive in the parking lot of the park. Like all estuary systems, the Fraser River mouth is fed by the sediments that the freshwater brings down the river, and pushed up by the saltwater during high tide. This process makes it extremely productive, resulting in great number of fish. Don't be fooled by the silty, dark water, it is not fishless. In fact, there are many species of fish that you can target in Garry Point Park. The fish you might encounter while fishing here include peamouth chub, northern squawfish, largescale sucker, flounder, sole, pacific tomcod, spiny dogfish, sculpin, dolly varden, bull trout, cutthroat trout and of course all your species of pacific salmon! Often when I talk to the old locals in the area during fishing, they would always brag about the number of dollies and cutthroats that they would hook on any given day back in the "old days". Of course, it is no longer the old days, but the fishing is not as bad as one would think. In fact, many species are making a great comeback after years of conservation and strict fishing regulations. In the past two years, I would often go down to the park early in the morning during spring and chuck my favorite orange croc spoon into the water to kill some time. Most of the time I would catch nothing except some fresh morning breeze, but in many occasions I would hook the odd bull trout or dolly varden that would put on a great fight. These chars may not be as acrobatic as their salmonid relatives, but they will always give you a great fight on an ultra light spinning rod. Below is a summary table that shows the best fishing periods for each species.
Productive shallow water Inside the park, you will find several bays with inshore beaches that are surrounded by rock piles. These shallow bays are usually productive because when the tidal current is strong, most residential fish will hide in the bay. Next time when fishing in Garry Point Park, instead of chucking a large chunk of worms into the fast water, try fishing close to the rocks with a float. The peamouth chub and some incredibly large northern squawfish are usually resting by the rocks waiting for you to feed them. You can also try spinning with a small lure to catch these northern squawfish. Try the Gibbs crocs (size 1/8 ounce, orange/pink/green). In early spring and late fall, you will also be able to hook the odd dolly varden and bull trout in these waters. Don't be fooled by the sandy beach, the bottom of the bay is rather snaggy, avoid using a bottom rig is the best solution. Bottom bouncing for estuary species
Spinning for salmon from shore When the salmon migrate up the Fraser River, the school can be very visible from Garry Point Park. Take a walk down there during high tide in August, you will often see thousands of sockeyes leaping to avoid being eaten by seals. Although sockeyes seem to be impossible to catch from shore in the Lower Fraser, you still have the opportunities to catch other salmon species from shore in this area. In the odd year, thousands of pink salmon will begin to move inshore in late August. These aggressive salmon will take lures of any kinds without hesitation. Try using a 6 to 8 foot casting rod that is fitted with 6 to 8 pound line, cast a brightly coloured spoon out when boils can be seen, you will often be pleasantly surprised. By late October, you will also see chums passing by the park. These chum salmon can also be caught by spoons, spin n' glow, wool or jigs. A spot for the entire family
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When
mentioning Richmond, British Columbia, people often think of the
busy life style. Airport, Silvercity Cinema, Chinese malls, huge
hotels… The list goes on, and good fishing spots are often
excluded from this list. Well, ironically, with all this action
going on around the city, there are some excellent fishing spots
in Richmond. This article is just one of many hot spot reviews to
come that will expose the best kept fishing secrets in the tidal
Fraser region. This month, I will talk about Garry Point Park, a
very productive fishing spot that is perfect for the entire family.
If
you get bored with fishing inside these shallow bays, you can always
whip out a stiffer rod and some large weights for some bottom fishing
action. Some typical bait that you may want to try include worms,
squid, shrimp and fish flesh. Species that you are targeting include
the spiny dogfish and pacific tomcod. The dogfish are around year
round and can be caught with ease. The pacific tomcod, also known
as tommy cod by the locals, move into the river between mid August
and late October for spawning. These smaller cod can be caught easily
as they travel in large schools. Avoid using two hooks as it is
easy to snag the bottom, and try reeling in the bait faster as it
gets closer to shore everytime. The best time to fish is the outgoing
tide right after the tide reaches its highest. NOTE: The pacific
tomcod's daily quota is 8 fish per person. Although it is a species
that is not regarded as economically important as the salmon, we
should still conserve the catches and obey the regulations. In the
past I have seen anglers keeping beyond their quotas (ie. 40 fish
per person), such actions can not be tolerated.