Visitors
to the Greater Vancouver area are often surprised to learn
that there is excellent saltwater fishing immediately
offshore, in urban settings within sight of Vancouver.
Salmon fishing is superb along the North Shore of North
Vancouver and West Vancouver - within sight of your downtown
hotel! Coho bound for the Capilano River hatchery make
for brisk shore fishing action. Cast a lure or fly for
the coho at the mouth of the Capilano River.
Salmon Fishing is the main draw for fishermen in the Lower
Mainland area, both freshwater and saltwater. There is
good lake fishing close to the urban centres, with an
abundance of small trout that attract anglers of all ages.
As the coastal lakes in the region are more acidic, with
waters that are not as nutrient-rich as the interior lakes,
the trout grow more slowly and remain smaller in size.
Fishing remains good on the lower elevation lakes during
winter, with the lakes seldom icing over. Winter fishing
for feisty feeder chinook salmon provides steady action,
with hot spots from Point Atkinson to Bowen Island and,
on occasion, as near as the shore of famous Stanley Park
in downtown Vancouver.
Freshwater steelhead and cutthroat trout fishing is available
in North Vancouver, directly across the Lions Gate Bridge
in the Capilano River, and across the Second Narrows Bridge
in the Seymour River.
Anglers
and crabbers use the dock at Belcarra
Regional Park and the pier at Jericho Beach
as an excuse to spend some time in the outdoors. Water
quality at both locations is often suspect, especially
for its effect on bottom feeders, but this doesn't keep
fishermen from enjoying their catch. Smelt fishers cast
their filigree nets from the waters of Jericho and Kitsilano
Beaches.
The
seawall at Stanley
Park is another popular angling location, particularly
around the kilometre 6 marker at Siwash Rock. The water
is sufficiently deep here to allow the possibility of
landing a salmon, especially when a run of pinks returns
to Burrard Inlet at the end of summer.
You'll need a saltwater fishing licence before you toss
a line into the waters around Greater Vancouver. Licences
are available at most sportfishing stores.
The North Shore
As there are few places to shore-cast on the North
Shore other than the lower reaches of the Capilano
River in Capilano
River Regional Park, anglers would do well to head
to the boat-launch ramp at Cates Park in North
Vancouver, Seycove Marina at the north end of Panorama
in Deep Cove, or Mosquito Creek Marine Basin,
at the south foot of Forbes, also in North
Vancouver.
There's
a public boat launch at Horseshoe
Bay beside the BC Ferries Horseshoe
Bay Ferry Terminal.
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Fishing
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