The
mighty Bow River is without question one of Canada’s most
famous fishing destinations—and it flows right through
one of our largest cities, Calgary. Who says you have to escape
the concrete jungle to find great fishing? And the Bow is far
from the only urban angling hot spot the country has to offer.
Here are 79 of the best spots to wet a line in Canada’s
largest cities, including the nation’s capital, along
with a few fish-catching tips to get you started.
Note: Always be sure to check the local fishing seasons and
regulations before going out on the water. For
links to provincial and territorial regs, click here.
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA
Not so many
years ago, as a newcomer to Vancouver, I recall walking into
a local tackle store and asking where I might find some decent
fishing. “Oh, just go anywhere,” the young sales
clerk replied enthusiastically. “There’s plenty
of fish everywhere and all the guys are doing really, really
well right now.”
That didn’t make me feel a whole lot better, and I was
still no further ahead. So I pressed on for more details about
one of those “anywhere” spots. “The rivers
all around here are full of fish,” she replied, by now
uneasy because of my prodding. “You’ll see other
people fishing. Those are good spots to try.”
Since then, I’ve come to realize that the sales clerk
was absolutely right—there really is good fishing most
anywhere around Vancouver. Come fall, the rivers are full of
fish, and you can find prime spots by simply looking for the
presence of other anglers. Or you could have someone point you
in the right direction (just tell them I sent you). With that
in mind, here are some of my favourite hot spots around town.
 |
| Take
it to the bank: Shore fishing off the pier at Ambleside. |
| FISHING
FACT |
| The
tradition of firing the sea cannon in Stanley Park
at nine o’clock at night was initiated more
than a century ago to remind commercial fishermen
that the day’s fishing had come to an end. |
| ANGLER
ATTRACTION |
| Get
everything you need, plenty you don’t need
and lots of straight advice at Berry’s Bait
& Tackle, touted as the largest fishing tackle
store in the Vancouver area. Contact: (604) 273-5901;
www.berrysbait.com. |
|
1. Ambleside
Catch pile perch, flatfish and, on a lucky day, salmon off the
piers at the bottom of 17th and 14th Streets. Fish for coho
using silver spinners or needlefish-pattern flies from the beaches
when high tide coincides with daybreak.
2. Capilano River
Cast spinners from the gravel bar at the mouth during low tide
for coho in July. For coho and chinook in August and September,
troll hoochies or silver-grey spoons from the Lions Gate Bridge
to the pink apartment tower.
3. Stanley Park
During summer, fish for perch and flatfish off the seawall from
the park’s northeast corner to Siwash Rock at high tide.
In the fall, the salmon will hit heavy spinners near Siwash.
4. English Bay
In the spring, work the drop-off at Jericho Beach and along
the tanker moorage out from Stanley Park for feeder chinook.
Troll Coyote-style spoons and herring strips close to bottom.
5. Jericho Pier
Just off Discovery Street, this is a great spot for pile perch,
sculpin and flatfish all summer long. Attach a splitshot above
a size 8 hook baited with worm or shrimp pieces.
6. Burrard Inlet
Troll anchovy rigs for small feeder chinook in the spring, and
pull spoons for a smorgasbord of salmon in the fall; make an
oval loop around the QB marker and back toward Stanley Park.
Also troll around the Point Grey bell buoy and over to the QA
marker.
7. Fraser River
From the airport upstream to Queensborough Bridge, casting spinners
produces coarse fish throughout the summer. Try bar fishing
for salmon in the fall, and cast Kit-A-Mats for bull trout from
December to February. |
