Fishing with Rod

07/23/2026

The photos have been triggering all week so let's continue with this pair of beauties. Most simply call them bullhead, but what is their actual common name?

07/22/2026

We've been having some colourful chats about freshwater minnows in the past few days so here is another one for you. This species, although scaly and looks like a minnow, is in fact closely related to salmon and trout. Some, including myself, also think they're much stronger than some species of trout and can be a lot of fun on a light spinning or fly rod. What is it?

07/22/2026

Pacific Salmon Commission's Fraser River Panel has released another regulatory report. To date, estimated 76,000 sockeye salmon have passed the Mission hydroacoustics site. Current in-season estimate of this year's Fraser River sockeye salmon run is 7.7 million fish, so there potentially may be openings announced in the coming weeks.

07/22/2026

Spent the day making tomato juice again... when the coho salmon bite in the ocean, it's usually fast and furious.

07/21/2026

A beautiful Northern pikeminnow! Look at the extended dorsal fin, the yellow colouration on all the ventral fins, the size of its mouth, and the solid built. They are slow-growing, and this fish was possibly over a decade old. It is a freshwater minnow species native in many watersheds across British Columbia, and has had a predator-prey relationship with salmonids since the last glacial age. Not only do they feed on salmon and trout, they are also preyed on by large trout and char. As natural selectors of salmonids, Northern pikeminnows are in fact needed to keep the salmon and trout population genetically strong. Appreciate all fish species, even those which may not have any direct value to you.

07/20/2026

ᑭEᗩᗰOᑌTᕼ ᑕᕼᑌᗷ

The mystery fish in our previous photo, is not a eulachon, not a pikeminnow, not a smelt, and not a sucker. It is a peamouth chub (Mylocheilus caurinus), which is a freshwater minnow species native in many watersheds across Western North America. They don't make great tablefare because they are very boney and most so-called sportfishermen in this salmon-centric world look down on them because they don't have an adipose fin. They may seem value-less to human, but they are valuable in the ecosystem. Peamouth chub at different life stages are food for bull trout and cutthroat trout. They also feed birds and prey and other mammals. Their diet mainly consists of crustaceans and insects. Unlike what many presume, they don't prey on salmon and trout eggs and fry very much. In the Lower Fraser River, they are very abundant. The bites are often non-stop as soon as your bait is dropped into the water. Get out there in the next two months, enjoy catching these during those warm summer evenings, and respect your catches by returning them back into the water with care if you don't intend to eat them.

07/19/2026

LOST RODS AND REELS

An angler has forgotten two rod and reel setups this morning (around 9:30am and 10:00am) by the Vedder River in Chilliwack/Yarrow, at Lumsden Road just South of the railway bridge where most users park their vehicles. The two setups are:

Trophy XL Titan 2106 centerpin rod and Raven Matrix centerpin reel (root beer colour)

Trophy XL Titan 2106 bait casting rod and Orgin bait casting reel (blue green colour)

If you picked these up, please send us a DM and I'll connect you with the owner.

07/19/2026

Between April and September, this freshwater fish species can be commonly found in the entire Lower Fraser River. Their high abundance makes them a fun species for both little and big kids to catch. I really enjoyed fishing for them decades ago. The challenge was always trying to strike at the right time as the bites are subtle. Dough balls on a tiny hook is the ticket. Can you name this fish?

07/17/2026

Pacific Salmon Commission's Fraser River Panel has begun releasing its weekly regulatory reports. Here is the latest one. To date, estimated 59,200 sockeye salmon have passed the Mission hydroacoustics site. Current in-season estimate of this year's Fraser River sockeye salmon run is 7.7 million fish.

https://www.psc.org/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php?juwpfisadmin=false&action=wpfd&task=file.download&wpfd_category_id=730&wpfd_file_id=19839&token=a32f4d77704c94042042fa3e67634783&preview=1

07/16/2026