By Rodney Hsu

Lower Mainland anglers are extremely fortunate. Within an hour of drive from Downtown Vancouver, you can find yourself in paradise. This so-called fishing paradise, recognized by most anglers, is the Squamish River system. It is not known by its productiveness, but the beauty of its scenic surroundings. For many years since I discovered this great river, most of my memorable catches have come from the mighty Squamish. The Squamish system is huge, there are over 20km of waters to be fished. Due to the size of the system, it covers a variety of terrain. This means many styles of fishing that can be done year round.

Adventurous anglers who often seek for solitude will always find the peaceful Upper Squamish the place to be. In these waters, residential dolly varden have flourished over the years and catching them on a light fly rd or spinning gear is simply a treat. In many occasions, anglers will encounter the ever aggressive bull trout. These larger chars are successful predators that have always risen to the top of the river food chain. During spring and summer, they patrol the river and prey on any small juvenile fish or insects. In autumn and winter, they become sneaky scavengers that will feed on salmon eggs and the carcasses of their parents. In the 1960's, bull trout were considered as pests that may threaten salmon stocks and they were almost exterminated due to these accusations. Today, anglers consider a large bull trout as a prize catch that may occur only several times in their fishing career.

Every autumn, salmon enthusiasts gather in the Lower Squamish River and its tributaries such as the Cheakamus River and Mamquam River. The Squamish system's chum salmon stocks are fairly large, but the Squamish chums are more well known by their ability to retain their freshness in the river for a long period of time. Due to the close proximity to the ocean, most chum salmon that you encounter in the Squamish River will still have their silver colouration on their body.

During late summer of odd years, pink salmon will also make their grand return to complete the final spawning stage of their lifecycle. These smaller "humpbacks" are always eager to grab any colourful lures and flies that drift down the cloudy glacial water. It is not unusual to catch tens of pink salmon during the peak of the season. Like most rivers, the Squamish coho stock is endangered. In the past decade or so, a strict catch and release system of coho salmon has been in effect. Recent returning numbers have shown gradual improvement of the stock, but it also indicates that we still have a long way to go.

The Squamish River system is loved by fly anglers due to the wide casting space that it offers. Because it is heavily regulated, the river is usually only pursued by anglers whose goal is to search for the next dream fish instead of to put a fish on the dinner plate. For more information on fishing in Squamish, you may contact the FOC Squamish regional office at 604-892-3230.