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[kevinbc]

Hi, I just started learn fishing this June, so far I've been going to capilano river and fish for coho. And went to vedder twice.
But in the pass week all I can catch in capilano are coloured spring. So I talk to my fishing buddies and they tell me I should
go to pemberton and try to fish for bull trout. As tempted as I am, I wanna go scout out the area but all he told me was
between squamish and whistler 

Can anyone tell me some spots with a little more detail than that?

I read the website about Squamish river, it says during winter it's popular to flyfishing there, but I only have baitcasting and spinner, will those work too???

[coho13]

yes the spinning rod with a Gibbs crock most size but as for spots i cant say  i have fished this system my hole life and caught a lot of bull trout (dolly varden)

    tight lines.coho

[coho13]

o and try out of tidal zone but still lower on the river

[kevinbc]

Thank you, that gives me a little bit more clue. Is the river usually busy like cap?

[Rodney]

A couple of things about the Squamish River. It is a total catch and release fishery (except a few sections that are opened for 1 hatchery coho salmon/day). There is a bait ban, so any roe, worm, scented bait cannot be used. Watch out for bears, they get big up there. Watch out for deer, don't hit one like I did a few years ago while driving home.

You can certainly fish with your baitcasting setup and catch fish, but it can be bit of an overkill for bull trout. Personally, I prefer to use a light/medium spinning rod and cast small spoons or spinners. You can also use a float fishing setup and use artificial eggs (again, not scented) as these fish are currently feeding on eggs being deposited by salmon.

If bull trout is your target species, you certainly do not need to travel that far for them. Tidal Fraser River has the same fishery available, but fish just don't congregate in the same areas.

Take a look at some of the blog entries from the website in November during other years.

http://www.fishingwithrod.com/blog/?m=200811

[kevinbc]

Thank you  Rodney

[coho13]

no i  have never found it very busy in the spots i go but on nice days the odd spot can have a good amount of people but not usualy to crouded    but ya u may want a can of bear spray or an air horn my dad and i were fishing the mouth of the mamquam and a big old black bear swam across the river and was across that little sectoin of river 

[cutthroat22]

Pemberton is not between Squamish and Whistler.

I second the Fraser if you are after bull trout.  Tons of spots to chose from and some days can be dynamite while some not so much.

[buncranabop]

Yea pemberton is well past whistler and it would probably be the birkenhead you would find the bull trout on. Either that or the lillouette.

[Rodney]

Don't forget the Fraser Valley too. There are more watersheds to choose from than the Sea to Sky corridor. If you head up to the Squamish River and it is coloured, then your day is ruined. If you head toward the Fraser Valley, chances are another stream is fishable if the primary choice is not available.

http://www.fishingwithrod.com/blog/?p=160

[Matt]

Just a heads up, be "bear aware" if you go to the Squamish.  A reintroduced population of elk has caused the grizzly population to become quite healthy in the last couple years.  The Chekeye natives tell me there are about half a dozen "bad" grizzlies in the upper river and a biologist told me theres a healthy population near Ashlu (Ive seen the tracks to confirm that) and I can tell you that there are innumerable black bears as evidenced by all the fresh tracks everywhere.  I had a grizzly track overtop of my own track one morning (winter, 2007) after hiking in the dark to a spot.  I've heard through a reliable source of first hand accounts of being charged by a big grizzly up there.  One of the guys at Whistler Fly Shop and two friends was charged by a black bear and cubs last week near Ashlu.  The Birkenhead has more bears- this summer I fished there one day and saw 4 bears, one got way too curious.  Also keep an eye out for cougars as well.  I met a guy up there one year who'd drifted his pontoon all night down the slow lower end of the river because he had a cougar following him along the banks up above Ashlu bridge and didn't want to get out of the boat and bike back up the road at dusk to get back to his truck.

Don't let the idea of animals bother you too much, good chance all you'll see of either bear or feline  is their tracks.  Just know that it isn't the Capilano and keep your eyes and ears open and carry a bear bell  


From another thread, recently:

For those fishing in Squamish. I was one of the hunters in that area (deer & grouse), and I had a mature cougar stalk me near the 28 Mile area. Didn't see it until it was 15 feet away and needed to fire a warning shot before it would split. Didn't seem the least bit of afraid of me. Be sure to watch your back.

[t-bone]

yup, the fraser river has tons of spots, anywhere around the mouth of a trib, dewdney, silverdale, etc.

[kevinbc]

Thank you guys so much for the suggestion, seems like going to squamish alone isn't a very smart idea
Guess I will drive and search for spots at fraser river. once again thank you all.

[Sterling C]

Thank you guys so much for the suggestion, seems like going to squamish alone isn't a very smart idea
Guess I will drive and search for spots at fraser river. once again thank you all.

There are many rivers other than just the Squamish that you'll have to worry about bears. The important thing no matter what river you are on is to respect your surroundings:

-Fish with other people or at the very least let someone else know what your plans for the day are.
-Take the necessary precautions to avoid conflicts with bears or other wildlife (make lots of noise while traveling in areas where it is possible to sneak up on a bear, never approach an animal, if a bear decides he wants to fish your run then gracefully move aside)
-I personally have my bear spray on my wading belt 90% of the time although the only time I have ever came close to using it was on a rottweiler.

That being said if Matt is making fear monger posts about bears on the Squamish then I would bet its fishing pretty good right now. I would still fish it by myself but thats just me.

[Rodney]

Sterling's advices are good.

You're probably more likely to hit a deer or elk when driving home than seeing a bear on the Squamish... I've only seen three bears while fishing on the Squamish in the last ten years and that was in early spring.

The grizzlies are around, but they are mostly nocturnal. Be aware of your surroundings, don't create situations where you would surprise a bear. We usually try to avoid fishing until really late so we don't walk back to the car in the dark. I try not to fish alone up there now like I used to do a few years ago, not so much because of the bear, but the car is getting old and I prefer to have my wife fixing my flat tire than getting my hands dirty.