Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum
Fishing in British Columbia => General Discussion => Topic started by: Polaris on September 19, 2012, 09:05:29 PM
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Went to try my luck catching salmon at Capilano. Got there by 8am and went at it for 4 hrs catching nothing. Here's what I was doing: fishing the pool by the hatchery bridge. Fished under float. Tried: olive wooly bugger #6, Colorado spinner (brass, hammered, #4), Indiana spinner (silver, smooth, #2), Blue Fox (brass #2), Black Fury (#2). Fish was jumping right in front of me (so I am thinking it must have been feeding) but not a single bite! Any suggestions?
Are these fish still feeding so close to spawning (and dying) or do they jump for other reasons?
If they are still feeding, can they be caught with anything other than bait (which is banned)?
To get salmon at Capilano, Squamish and Fraser above the Mission bridge (and not lose your line and tackle) what strength main line and leader are recommended?
What dry fly Styrofoam pattern is good for salmon?
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I am by no means an authority on this but from what I understand is that the river is so low that the fish in there, have been in there since June/July and are in no mood to bite, anything. I've caught a few but have caught nothing since mid-August.
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Coho at the Cap are famous for not biting. Especially in the low water, I am amazed that these fish can get past the weirs. All of your techniques are correct. Give it a try at first light, the first hour of daylight can be productive for these tight lipped fish. Try again when the water comes up.
I use 20lb mainline for all types of fishing, seems to work for me. Keep the leaders short and tight lines..
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To answer your question of are the "fish" still eating... depends.
If they are the coho/chinook any other salmon you are seeing then no. No one really knows why these fish jump. Some speculations have them jumping to loosen up their roe skeins. some speculate to say it helps them imprint on location by "seeing" their surroundings. There are many more various speculations that people have, those are just a few examples.
If they are summer steelhead, then yes they will eat. Those fish are in the river for months and won't spawn until March/April along with the winter runs. Many people will catch these fish on nymphs, dry flies, etc, especially as they continue to be in the system longer. Once a steelhead is a kelt (on their way back to the ocean from spawning) they will pretty much eat anything in sight (worms, minnows, bugs, etc).
As for the dry fly poppers... I'v had coho take after them a few times out on the island in rivers but it isn't very common. Dry flies are best used off the beaches for coho/pinks if you're going to go that route.
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Unless your fly fishing with a light tippet and a small fly, you have slim chances of getting fish until some rain.
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Sounds like you're doing everything right. Just no rain.
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wait for the rains no point till there's some water in there
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If you want to fish around Cap area the beach at the mouth of the cap will be more productive until the rain. All the fish are accumulating there in the ocean waiting for the river to rise and start their run.
Spinners or spoons on a low tide seems to give best results.
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yeah def need a nice rainfall and you will see the difference for sure
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I understand that its easier for fish to enter a river if water is higher but why does a low water level make fish that is already in a river not bite?
When a fish isn't feeding and strikes a lure out of aggression, does it just ram the lure with its head without trying to swallow it and if so how does this fish get hooked?
When playing a fish not in open water but in a narrow snaking canyon with sharp rocks that can cut the line if a fish runs around a bend, do you still let out line or just reel the fish in without letting it tire first?
On the subject of line strength, it was suggested earlier to use a 20lb main line (I assume with a 15lb leader). However,
I've read that Chinook in Cap can reach 11kg (that's 24.3lb). As I see it then the weakest link - the leader should exceed that. This would suggest a leader of maybe 25lb and main line of 30lb (unless 24lb fish are extremely rare). How to reconcile these numbers?
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I understand that its easier for fish to enter a river if water is higher but why does a low water level make fish that is already in a river not bite?
When a fish isn't feeding and strikes a lure out of aggression, does it just ram the lure with its head without trying to swallow it and if so how does this fish get hooked?
When playing a fish not in open water but in a narrow snaking canyon with sharp rocks that can cut the line if a fish runs around a bend, do you still let out line or just reel the fish in without letting it tire first?
On the subject of line strength, it was suggested earlier to use a 20lb main line (I assume with a 15lb leader). However,
I've read that Chinook in Cap can reach 11kg (that's 24.3lb). As I see it then the weakest link - the leader should exceed that. This would suggest a leader of maybe 25lb and main line of 30lb (unless 24lb fish are extremely rare). How to reconcile these numbers?
I rarely use leader heavier than 15 lb, even for chinook. Last season I landed a 40 lb chinook in some heavy rapids on the Chilliwack river with a 15 lb leader. It took a while, but if that fish wanted to spool me, I couldn't have stopped him with 30 lb.
Leader strength and weight of the fish don't have much relation. Ever try to lift a child in a swimming pool? They are pretty dang light until you get them out of the water. Also, if a fish decides to turn sideways against the current, they can effectively pull a tremendous amount of weight.
For tips on how to play a big fish in heavy water, search this forum for "side pressure".
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As stated, these fish have been in the river since June/July. The water is low and clear, the big heavy lures with mainline of 30 and leader of 25 will never catch a fish in this water unless of course you snag them, which is probably not what you want to do. When I fish the cap in the summer and the water is low, I use a 6 pound leader max, usually 5. With that leader and the low water, you can pull out a 10 pound fish pretty easy. There is no current for fish and the fish will not go around bends in the river because the water is so low, that only some pools remain and the rest of the river is like a creek. I have never had a fish or seen a fish out of the cap take someone around a bend. And no the "sharp" rocks will not cut the line, never seen that happen, unless the fish wrapped it's self around a boulder in the water or something. Most of the fish in there right now are between 3-6 pounds in the river river now (coho) and the steelies are bigger. Bigger fall run fish will push in with the rain.
You probably will not see springs in there that much until the water comes up, mostly left over hoes that are LOCK JAW due to the low and clear water, these fish are stale and have been in the river a few months now. Using a 25 pound leader is just over kill, ESPECIALLY on the cap. If I would fish gear, an 8 pound mainline and 5 pound leader, small spoon or spinner, first and last light. Fly fishing, like I said is your best bet because it does not spook fish as much as metal falling into the water. Even when fishing the Vedder, Chehalis or any other lower mainland stream, I will run a 8-12 pound leader max, no need for 25's and 30's at all.
Fish will bite if they do, probably not with the water being as it is, but you do get the odd one, you gotta work really hard for them when fishing gear. They will just sort of chase your lure, open their mouths and hit it. If you get a chaser don't be surprised if they turn away at the last second, cap coho do that a lot. Like I said, the water is low, clean and fish are stale, wait till it rains for fresh, biting fish.
There is little current on the cap right now, so its like playing a fish in a lake almost, so lighter line and you won't have a problem landing a fish.
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Fly fishing, like I said is your best bet because it does not spook fish as much as metal falling into the water.
Not always... depends what rivers you are fishing I guess.
I hit way more fish in low clear water (out here any ways) on big metal than I do on small flies.
Out here on the island during low water (like now), the moment your fly line hits the water (even with clear fly line) the fish scatter.
Spoons I find if you cast right onto the shore and pop it into the water and start reeling they don't scatter at all, and I usually hit fish.
Make sure you cast well past the fish or where the fish are sitting though with hardware or they will spook when it hits the water.
On the topic of seeing fish following and turning...
If you do see this happening, either speed up your retrieve at the end, or jig it at the end.
Also don't look past jigging spoons all the way back in. Sometimes works well on stale fish or fish that just want something different than what everyone else is doing.
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Jigging spoons works, caught coho on the Cap and Vedder doing it and there will be several fish chasing your lure. But I don't know the waters on the island very well, but I imagine that those fish ED is talking about are fresher than the ones holding in the pools on the cap. These fish have been in there for a long time.
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Please explain "jigging" spoons.
Also coming back to line strength, I realize the current at Cap is weak now, but I don't want to have to buy diff line after the rains when water pressure picks up (or if I decide to go to a stream with stronger current). Would it be a correct approach to get one main line of 20 or 25lb and perhaps two leader test strengths of 10 and 15 lb? I mean, is a 10lb leader really that much more visible to fish than a 5lb leader?
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12 lb. test mainline is sufficient
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Some people are really concerned about their mainline, some aren't. I've seen guys with braid out fish guys with mono. Think leader is more important.
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And 10 pound leader should be good. 10 pound fluoro leader is better.
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The thickness of your line indeed determines your catch success due to a variety of reasons. It affects the way you cast, the bite sensitivity, etc. You need to find a balance between all the factors to come up with what line rating is most suitable for the type of fishing that you are doing. Personally, I can't imagine going beyond 15lb test as a main line and 10lb test as a leader when fishing in the Lower Mainland.
Using 15lb test line does not mean you cannot catch fish bigger than 15lb, it means you can't dead lift up an object that weighs more than 15lb because it'd snap. 12lb test main is what I use on the reels for drift fishing, the leader strength varies between 6 and 10lb, depending on the target species.
Here's a chinook salmon from several years ago caught with 8lb test Maxima Ultragreen running straight to the spinner.
(http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc90/fishingwithrod/2009/091015-1.jpg)
This is more of an extreme example of course. It was actually quite surprising that it did not take too long to land this fish.
If I were someone who is just starting out salmon fishing in rivers, my concern would be figuring out what setup works best to improve my catch rate, not what setup can land me the largest salmon found in the river.
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What a beast Rod must of been pretty fun with the light gear ;D
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Whoever you buy your rods from must be biting his nails (warranty for broken rods)
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The fish in the cable pool are stale and have been harrassed all summer.
I snorkeled that stretch of water this weekend pulling line and gear so I can tell you first hand, a lot of the fish are dark and the bottom is littered with junk. I saw maybe 50-60 treble hooks wrapped with pencil lead down there, buzz bombs with triples....these fish have been pounded on so after being down eye to eye with them I can tell you that they are sitting/hiding in couple of spots that that the fisherman cant access easily.
This doesnt make for ideal fishing conditions.
So to anser your question, wait for higher water when some fresh fish show up or fish areas that are less trafficked and the fish see less pressure.
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The fish in the cable pool are stale and have been harrassed all summer.
I snorkeled that stretch of water this weekend pulling line and gear so I can tell you first hand, a lot of the fish are dark and the bottom is littered with junk. I saw maybe 50-60 treble hooks wrapped with pencil lead down there, buzz bombs with triples....these fish have been pounded on so after being down eye to eye with them I can tell you that they are sitting/hiding in couple of spots that that the fisherman cant access easily.
This doesnt make for ideal fishing conditions.
So to anser your question, wait for higher water when some fresh fish show up or fish areas that are less trafficked and the fish see less pressure.
You must have cleaned up down there!
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Forget about the dark old fish in the Cap right now. Wait for the rain to break down the native weirs blocking the lower river and new fish can come up river. As for leader, if you are fishing in a run/pool with plenty of room to fight a fish, light set up will be enough to land even a big spring. Ligher set up will hook more fish for sure. If you are fishing the rapids and there is not much room to play and land a bigger fish, you can use heavier line, even 15lb or 20lb. If fishing a pocket water with riffle in fast water, the fish is well oxgenated and aggressive. With so much air bubbles & foamy water around, the fish may not be aware of the thicker line used, and you have a better chane to land a moster. :)
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I've heard of ppl snorkeling the capilano. How is the current? Is it safe do do u have specific spots?
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The fish in the cable pool are stale and have been harrassed all summer.
I snorkeled that stretch of water this weekend pulling line and gear so I can tell you first hand, a lot of the fish are dark and the bottom is littered with junk. I saw maybe 50-60 treble hooks wrapped with pencil lead down there, buzz bombs with triples....these fish have been pounded on so after being down eye to eye with them I can tell you that they are sitting/hiding in couple of spots that that the fisherman cant access easily.
This doesnt make for ideal fishing conditions.
So to anser your question, wait for higher water when some fresh fish show up or fish areas that are less trafficked and the fish see less pressure.
There must have been $300 in tackle down there.
Also, if you found my 1/2 oz spoons, I'd like them back. HAHA!!! ZING!!! ;D
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The fish in the cable pool are stale and have been harrassed all summer.
I snorkeled that stretch of water this weekend pulling line and gear so I can tell you first hand, a lot of the fish are dark and the bottom is littered with junk. I saw maybe 50-60 treble hooks wrapped with pencil lead down there, buzz bombs with triples....these fish have been pounded on so after being down eye to eye with them I can tell you that they are sitting/hiding in couple of spots that that the fisherman cant access easily.
This doesnt make for ideal fishing conditions.
So to anser your question, wait for higher water when some fresh fish show up or fish areas that are less trafficked and the fish see less pressure.
If you have access to one and if the conditions are right, try taking an underwater photo. It be interesting to see how much garbage is down there.
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So I'm totally new to river fishing for salmon, and I guess one of my major concerns is avoiding crowds just so my inexperience doesn't screw up anyone else's day. I'm planning on totally avoiding the cable pool, but how busy do the dog leg pool or the highway bridge pool get in the middle of a weekday? I get that I'm going to have to learn to work around crowds at some point but if there are places that have a bit more space (even if the fishing isn't as good) I'd much rather do that.
Apologies if it's not kosher to be posting on a thread this old, but I thought it may be better than starting a new one.
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Buy 12lb mainline and 6lb and 10lb leaders.
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So I'm totally new to river fishing for salmon, and I guess one of my major concerns is avoiding crowds just so my inexperience doesn't screw up anyone else's day. I'm planning on totally avoiding the cable pool, but how busy do the dog leg pool or the highway bridge pool get in the middle of a weekday? I get that I'm going to have to learn to work around crowds at some point but if there are places that have a bit more space (even if the fishing isn't as good) I'd much rather do that.
Apologies if it's not kosher to be posting on a thread this old, but I thought it may be better than starting a new one.
Both the pools you mentioned can get "full" of fisherman pretty fast. However, in the middle of the weekday, they will not be very crowded. But the best fishing rarely comes from the spots that are the most convienent. I have had by far better luck at some of the less known pools on the cap. You can park at the hatchery, and walk down either side of the river, on the marked paths. You will find that there will be many pools that hold fish, and no fisherman. It is a small river, spend a couple hours finding some spots you like, and you should find success once we get some rain.
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Thanks for the feedback Golfer, I'll give that a shot.
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Vancouver _2010, just be very careful in the canyon. The pools you mentioned are busy for a reason, they are easy to access. The others usually involve climbing down steep slopes, very steep slopes and put you at risk of injury or worse. So go with a friend or at least tell someone where you are going and when you will be back. I don't want to alarm you or put you off, just be prepared and have fun.
It's probably not worth going until the water levels come up and fresh Hoe's and Chinook come in. Keep an eye on the Kayak web cam and when the water levels get between 2-3, the gong will sound and you will have difficulty finding room to fish on the river (at the places you mention). You might want to explore the Squamish, Mamquam and Cheackamus for some quieter fishing.
Here is a link to the cam for your information:
http://www.vankayak.org/capcam/
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Thanks Knnn. I'm from North Vancouver and I grew up climbing up and down the walls of Lynn Canyon, so I'm well aware of the dangers that are present in the Cap. Thanks for the heads up though.
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I've heard of ppl snorkeling the capilano. How is the current? Is it safe do do u have specific spots?
Gooey is one of them! It's friggin cold though even during hot days during the summer.
I still don't understand the whole fishing the Capilano thing during the summers months when you know there hasn't been any fresh fish since end of June. I take my dog for a walk near the Cable pool and sure enough I see guys targeting the dark coho in the pools and shake my head wondering why they bother and why get into a spot/hobby without researching further?
The learning curve could be cut in half if newbies researched the basics and come up with a plan before going out and gaining experience.
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Climbing down Cap Canyon is a completely different ballgame from climbing in Lynn Canyon.
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I take my dog for a walk near the Cable pool and sure enough I see guys targeting the dark coho in the pools and shake my head wondering why they bother and why get into a spot/hobby without researching further?
The learning curve could be cut in half if newbies researched the basics and come up with a plan before going out and gaining experience.
some people just arent wired that way and it probably never crosses they're minds
amazing what you can find on google regarding fishing locations and techniques
in ontario while looking for chrome steel, ive seen people fishing pools full of stale zombie chinook and retain fish
i gotta figure they didnt know any better and that will most likely be the last time the keep a black and white patchy my friend salmon
by that time i gotta figure they arent holding any roe anymore
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Climbing down Cap Canyon is a completely different ballgame from climbing in Lynn Canyon.
Depends where you go, launching myself off of 60 foot cliffs under the Lynn Canyon suspension bridge has given me a pretty good respect for how dangerous they can be. Either way I wont be playing any games with the Cap.
Thanks for all of the input though guys. Heading down tomorrow morning to see if I can find some more secluded spots.
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Depends where you go, launching myself off of 60 foot cliffs under the Lynn Canyon suspension bridge has given me a pretty good respect for how dangerous they can be. Either way I wont be playing any games with the Cap.
Thanks for all of the input though guys. Heading down tomorrow morning to see if I can find some more secluded spots.
Pretty much everywhere from House Rock down to Doctor's Pool is very verticle and treacherous terrain, make sure you've got some good boots, especially with this wet weather. Sometimes we bring a rope and tie it off to some stumps to make it a bit safer. Good luck! It'll be tricky with the low water.
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Then it dropped back down to 1 an hour later. Be careful if you're fishinmgthe cap after a heavy rainfall.
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Then it dropped back down to 1 an hour later.
What are you talking about ? It is still at 4 now. Go get them while they coming.... ;)
p.s. Bait Ban !!!!!
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Hmm yep still four. Had a glitch or wasnt hitting the correct hour.
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What I find interesting is that all this water is from the side creeks because the dam is dry.
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There's a bait ban in effect but seems to be a lot of guys using roe on the Cap today >:(
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See anything caught today?
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What an amazing day it was!!! don't need to say much more,...... !!
hotrod
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what were you using?
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what were you using?
beads n blades!!
hotrod
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There's a bait ban in effect but seems to be a lot of guys using roe on the Cap today >:(
Did you RAPP?
1-877-952-7277 (RAPP) or #7277 on the TELUS Mobility Network.
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There are fish in the system, but nobody landing anything this morning where I was at. Even saw a couple chum.
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Caught none on spinners and spoons, and saw no fish caught this morning by real fisherman. Saw half a dozen coho snagged in the back and kept by the white trash, snagging in the rapids below dogleg. It is always so bad there, with the 8ft distance between float and hook when the water is only 1-2 feet deep, and with the huge peace of lead 4 inches from the "veiled" hook.
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Caught none on spinners and spoons, and saw no fish caught this morning by real fisherman. Saw half a dozen coho snagged in the back and kept by the white trash, snagging in the rapids below dogleg. It is always so bad there, with the 8ft distance between float and hook when the water is only 1-2 feet deep, and with the huge peace of lead 4 inches from the "veiled" hook.
Did you call RAPP ?
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Did you call RAPP ?
Yes, I just did. The unfortunate thing is I only see fisheries patrollers there a couple times per year.
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they will come if you call while the poachers are present, that is my experience in Ontario
usually my buddy and i take pictures or videos as extra proof for when the CO shows
but sometimes people become quite confrontational when they see you taking pics of them
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I presume like anything in life the squeaky wheel gets the oil. So if they get enough calls from a particular river or location, they will be more likely to come out.
OK sorry for derail, now back to regular fishing ....
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What an amazing day it was!!! don't need to say much more,...... !!
hotrod
UGH, been waiting for months for the river to rise, and probably missed the best fishing day of the year due to work.
Stupid responsibility, I hate it.
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Fly fishing was awesome around noon , easy coho limit on my special fly 8) then left ;)
I have never seen so many fish pushing in at one time, but then again it was expected cause the heavy rain raised the water decent. 8)
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UGH, been waiting for months for the river to rise, and probably missed the best fishing day of the year due to work.
Stupid responsibility, I hate it.
Relax G-Ratt, what you may not be aware of is that Hotrod fishes exclusive water in which a newbie would even look like a seasoned Vet!
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Relax G-Ratt, what you may not be aware of is that Hotrod fishes exclusive water in which a newbie would even look like a seasoned Vet!
x2. HE is one of the top rod at the cap... ;D. Thanks for his report though..
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Relax G-Ratt, what you may not be aware of is that Hotrod fishes exclusive water in which a newbie would even look like a seasoned Vet!
I dunno man. With like 20 to 30 guys ripping big treble hooks through the water. It's surprising the fish would bite anything down there.
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Today's rescue has been moved to:
http://www.fishingwithrod.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=36546.0
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It's a mad river today. Saw no fish caught, two snugged.
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Wow, a lot fishermen this morning. Tight line ;)
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The discussion on violations along the Capilano River has been moved to:
http://www.fishingwithrod.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=36578.0
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(http://i1300.photobucket.com/albums/ag94/owenw2/Benthook_zpsa9620d3d.jpg)
Quite busy at the river this morning, water level is great. However did not see anybody else get into any fish. Found a nice quiet run to fish this spoon and it got destroyed by a big spring... Hook bent right open. Don't know how my 8lb UG did not break first.
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^ sucks to have a hook bent out on a fish, i recommend switching to a different brand siwash hook
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I suggest you try out Everday's trailer hook method.
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I have the trailling hook set up on all my go to spoons which are silver or copper koho's and kitimats. The aforementioned spoon, did not have the trailing hook because I never bothered to set it up, due to the fact that I don't normally fish brass spoons combined with my lack of success with them. However, I will have to go pick up some size one hooks to set up before thursday.
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When does fishing on the cap usually end for the year? I've been climbing up and down the canyon the last few days and found some spots, but the river still looks like chocolate milk and with all this rain coming doesn't seem like it will be improving anytime soon.
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When does fishing on the cap usually end for the year? I've been climbing up and down the canyon the last few days and found some spots, but the river still looks like chocolate milk and with all this rain coming doesn't seem like it will be improving anytime soon.
It's pretty much done. Might be the very odd bright fish but most will be dark and should be left alone.
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(http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc478/Penskyfile/imagejpg1-2.jpg) (http://s1213.photobucket.com/user/Penskyfile/media/imagejpg1-2.jpg.html)
Capilano Coho caught today.
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nice! is that a homemade spinner.......blade is green with tiger stripes.
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(http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc478/Penskyfile/imagejpg1-2.jpg) (http://s1213.photobucket.com/user/Penskyfile/media/imagejpg1-2.jpg.html)
Capilano Coho caught today.
Hey Silver,
I think I was fishing with you and this father and son who helped you net the fish. Did you have any luck after I left? I have never seen so many springs in that spot before.
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nice! is that a homemade spinner.......blade is green with tiger stripes.
Yes, homemade...thanks to one particular pro staff member at Highwater for spending the time to show me this easy and inexpensive setup. This will always be my go to gear for the cap. I like spoons, but I'm afraid to loose them and I'm not convinced that they work any better.
The color I caught that one on was hammered brass. I have only had solid bites on silver or brass hammered, or scaled, glittered solid color chartreuse or green blades also...the one in the photo was one of the last ones I had left from my initial random colors purchase.
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Hello fic,
I only stayed a little bit longer as the river was rising and a wasn't getting any more nibbles.
I'm very pleased about this spot also...we must keep this little holding pool to ourselves ;)
There is at least one under utilized spot on the Cap and still bright fish to be had...with a little effort. I drove to the parking lot after and there was a line up of cars waiting to park...have fun at the Cable Pool :P
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Hello fic,
I only stayed a little bit longer as the river was rising and a wasn't getting any more nibbles.
I'm very pleased about this spot also...we must keep this little holding pool to ourselves ;)
There is at least one under utilized spot on the Cap and still bright fish to be had...with a little effort. I drove to the parking lot after and there was a line up of cars waiting to park...have fun at the Cable Pool :P
Unfortunately the only reason there was only 4 of us there is because it's passed prime time on the Cap. It can get super busy in mid October all over the river including that spot. I think the Cap probably have only 1/2 of as many people as in Mid October right now.
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Unfortunately the only reason there was only 4 of us there is because it's passed prime time on the Cap. It can get super busy in mid October all over the river including that spot. I think the Cap probably have only 1/2 of as many people as in Mid October right now.
You're totally right! This time of year the coho are darken up but you do get the odd clean one the entered late. Most people will think they have a bright fish till the bonk it. If I'm out to fish the Cap it's purely C&R but still practising proper fish handling methods.