Chilliwack offers some of the finest fishing on the entire west coast. The Fraser is the equivalent of a fish super highway and lifeblood for all 5 species of Pacific Salmon. Every month of the year Salmon are migrating up the Fraser River to spawn in the same tributary of their birth. The Vedder is a major tributary in the Chilliwack area, this river gets giant returns and is one of the best fishing spots in the Vancouver area. 

The Steelhead 

The Vedder river is very popular amongst anglers with around 10,000 fish returning annually. In late November the first of the Steelhead begin to trickle into the system with the peak of the run arriving in early April. Steelhead are known to be challenging to catch but by focusing on good technique anglers can be very successful. Our guided days on the vedder are very much focused on equipping anglers with the skills required to successfully target this species. Steelhead are very aggressive by nature, the key is fishing the correct type of water and at the correct depth.  A day’s fishing is usually enough time to be able to gather the basics or refine your existing skills. 

The White Springs

The Vedder or (Chilliwack river) also offers excellent fishing for White Chinook otherwise known as springs or King Salmon, these powerful fish can be very challenging to land, never mind hook and require very specific tackle and technique to catch them on a consistent basis.

Spey fishing equipment has improved dramatically over the last decade its become possible to present a fly in a way which was simply not possible a decade ago, as a result fly fishing for Chinook is growing in popularity every year.  Here is a selection of Chinook Salmon flies which work well on the Vedder. 

The Coho

Coho start to enter the Vedder river in early September and continue to come in until around the end of December with the peak of the run in mid October. Coho are a very strong species of Salmon, not quite as big as a Spring’s but still great sport on fly or light tackle. Coho are also excellent eating, here are a couple of great recipes you can try after a days fishing.

Pink Salmon 

The vedder gets a staggeringly large return of pink Salmon, pinks run on odd years only, when they arrive the river is literally alive with fish all swimming hard upstream to spawn. You can stand on the bridge near Freds custom tackle in Chilliwack and see a dark line which is the stream of pinks side by side swimming up river. Fishing for pinks is a great way to get your kids started as anglers, pink Salmon tend to be found in big numbers and the action can be fast and furious. The average pink weighs only a couple of pounds but they are feisty little salmon who actively chase flies or small spinners.