By Rodney Hsu

In less than 30 minutes of driving from anywhere in Vancouver, you can reach one of the most beautiful streams in Southern BC. The Capilano River is productive and yet very close to the city, it is an ideal fishing spot for those who can not get the time away from work and school. Every year starting around mid June, hundreds of coho salmon will make their way up the river to the Capilano salmon hatchery. This migratory event will take place until late November. During the season, there is also a small number of springs, pinks and chums in the system. Unlike the coho salmon that anglers encounter in other river systems, majority of the hatchery cohos in the Capilano River are relatively small. Between 2 and 6 pounds is the average weight of the fish. For anglers who just become a salmon addict, the Capilano can be an extremely difficult river to fish due to its terrain and the fish's unwillingness to bite. For those who have fished this river regularly, they would recall many occasions when there were numerous fish rising and swimming around in a pool yet they would leave your bait and lures alone. This is especially common during low water condition. So what exactly do you need to do to catch these fish? Where should you be looking for actions? Most importantly, when is the ideal time to be fishing in this river?

The key element

Those who live in Vancouver often complain about the large amount of rain we receive year round. For the anglers who fish the Cap regularly, rain is what they often pray for during the summer months. Since the Capilano reservoir was built, the water level of the river has been completely controlled by the dam. On dry summer days, the river can be bone dry. Fish that are holding in the small pools tend to be spooked easily due to the low water condition and crystal clear water. Catching these fish is almost impossible. When the system receives a good amount of rainfall, the river level will fluctuate as the dam lets out more water than usual. The increase of water level brings in more fresh fish that are more aggressive, giving you a larger chance to hook a fish. As the dam flushes water down the river, the conditions such as water colour, temperature, stream velocity will change. To be successful in this system, you will need to spend a substantial amount of time fishing at different conditions to find out when is the perfect time to hit the river after a good rainfall.

Simple, yet effective

The fishing method used in the Capilano is simple but effective. All you need is a light to medium spinning rod between six to eight feet long. A medium spinning reel or a small baitcaster reel. When it comes to fishing line, it is personal preference. If you are targeting the coho, try using 8 to 10lb test line. For the larger chinook, heavier line is obviously required. The terminal tackle is straight forward, simply tie on a small spinner or spoon. Some of the most commonly used lures include Colorado spinner, Blue Fox spinner and Gibbs croc and coho spoons. With the spinners, a small weight may need to be tied several feet above the them when fishing in slightly faster and deeper waters. For the self-weighted lures such as the spoons, a 1/8 or 1/4 ounce is ideal. The size of the spinner used varies throughout the year, try using small ones in clear condition. Cast your lure into slow pools where the coho are resting, and hopefully watch it being chased by a fish or two as you reel it in slowly.

An alternative way of fishing in the Capilano is by drifting with a float in faster waters. The set up is your usual drifting gear, a Gibbs float, followed by a fixed weight and a long leader that leads to a small hook tied with some wool. Choice of wool colour ranges, you must experiment it yourself to find out what works best. What is effective for others may not be effective for you. Personally drifting is not favoured by me, because the fast water sections tend to be shallow and easy to snag up.

Difficult terrain

Because the river is surrounded by canyons, fishing is difficult on most parts of the river. Your best bet is to either try your luck below the Highway 1 bridge or drive up to the hatchery and hike down the river along the trail to find the most suitable spot. If you are up at the upper section for the first time, you may notice that many anglers are fishing off the high cliff near Cable Pool. This is legal but not recommended for several reasons. First, landing a fish is difficult at such height. Second, it is more enjoyable to fish by the water. Finally, it is dangerous. Common sense will tell you that when falling ten meters into a body freezing water, your chance of survival is quite low. There have been many such accidents in the past few years, most end up in tragedies. We all love to catch fish, but there are easier ways to do so.

A safer and easier alternative

If you want to avoid breaking a sweat by hiking along the river and searching for fishing spots, you can always try the river mouth. Located by the Ambleside park, the Capilano River mouth can be extremely productive around late summer when the arriving school of coho and chinook await for the rising tide and river so they can move upstream. During August, you will often see a line of anglers casting their spinners or spoons repeatedly into a school of leaping silvers at the mouth. If you decide to join these enthusiasts, you will need to be up early in the morning. Fishing is best around sunrise at the river mouth, especially when the tide is low. During low tide, the sand flat along the shore is exposed, allowing you to walk out and fish in the deeper channels.

Some extra note!

Fishing for coho in the Cap is excellent until the end of November. However if you want to catch fresher fish it's best to go before late season. The regulations in the Cap change many times throughout the year. Rules to watch out for include the daily quota, minimum and maximum sizes and bait ban. Good luck and play safe when you hit the river next time!