[noobfisher]

Hi, I'm new to fishing (still a teenager) and I'm in need of a little help.

I've found the rod I wanted and just purchased a license, but I have no idea where to fish! I was hoping some of you could recommend places that you go to, or if you know of any places that fit my criteria

I take transit/skytrain everywhere, so I don't think I'll be able to go far... just looking for local areas around the Lower Mainland (Vancouver, Burnaby, Richmond & Surrey.. maybe White Rock)

Could you also provide the names of the fish that I can catch there as well as bait recommendations? I would love to hear freshwater areas as well!

Thank you so much for your time Bare with me!

 

[marko]

Wow noob.....skies the limit. ;D You could start at your local tackle shop while you're picking up supplies.
Hit two birds with one stone as they say. Think of the area or water you are intrested in then adapt
to the environment. Keeping an open agenda would surely net you something.

Good luck and welcome to the site.

:beerchug: Marko

 

[TheBigGuy]

You could try fishing the mouth of the Capilano River for Coho. Usually people cast a buzz bomb lure from shore. Probably not a lot of coho hanging around the river mouth. Don't expect to catch a bunch, but it's a nice way to while away some time.

 

[TheBigGuy]

You can also fish off any off the docks in the Vancouver area. Not much worth eating caught from the docks though. Mostly perch, shiners, bullheads. You might catch the odd larger fish such as a dogfish, or occaisionally a skate. If you buy a small hoop throw trap you can also catch crab off the docks. My kids used to do that off the Jericho dock all the time when they were younger. They would come home with the odd legal crab sometimes. Unfortunately, the people fishing from the docks rarely pay attention to the regulations, they pretty much keep anything. So it's hard to get legal keepers, when the area gets pretty cleaned out.

 

[MichaelR]

Noobfisher:

I’d suggest bar fishing on the Fraser. Needed is a bar rig (cheap) and sufficient weight to cast out a fair distance. There’s bars all up the river (Patello bridge is one) and there are books on bar fishing at your library. Best reel for this is a spinning reel loaded with 15 lb. test monofilament. Best bait is worms or cured salmon roe. Its lots of fun.

You will need a rod support and they’re cheap but if you want to save a few dollars you can have mine. I don’t do much bar fishing since I bought my boat. Give me a call at 604-536-7402 in White Rock and the support is yours.

If you’re new at fishing there’s some things you must do to make it more enjoyable. Get a good tackle box (say from Canadian Tire) and a good rod cover. And, remember this, ask ask and ask fishers about bait and tackle: funny thing about good fishers – they’re good teachers. That’s been my experience in more than 65 years of fishing (I started at five).

Biggest problem I see you facing is getting to locations. You’re going to walk a lot if you can’t get a ride. See if there’s someone who fishes the bars on this site and cadge a lift. If you’re comfortable hitchhiking do that. If your parents can take you places, wheedle them into it.

Bar fishing is a lot of fun: pack a lunch and spend the day fishing. Guaranteed you’ll meet some good folks and you’ll learn a lot.

Best,

MichaelR

 

[noobfisher]

You guys are awesome! I wasn't expecting such informative replies, heh. Thanks!

MichaelR, your reply was perfect! lots of info ;D, but could you please explain to me what bar fishing is? I google'd it and it came off to me as regular fishing but for salmon? Sorry, still not familiar with all the terms

I was walking around Canada Place and noticed the Burrard Inlet... do you guys know what kinds of fish I can catch there? Also if anybody could tell me what kinds of fish I could get at these areas:

Stanley Park
Crescent Beach Pier @ White Rock
Steveston Village Piers
Annacis Island? I don't know how big this island is nor is google being friendly so any info would be nice!

I've already read threads about Ambleside, Waterfront & English Bay...supposedly empty right? :wallbash:

Big thanks marko, TheBigGuy & MichaelR!

 

[TheBigGuy]

Hi, noobfisher.

Barfishing is simply a type of stillfishing in the Fraser river. It is the traditional way of catching Salmon in the Fraser. The other method is bottom bouncing, but I'm not going to elaborate on that (don't bother asking). Bar fishing is very simple, you use Salmon roe as a bait, and a large lead weight to anchor your line. A bar rig may be used in the Fraser, which is simply a type of tandem hook setup.You simply cast your baited line out, and place your rod in a special rod holder and wait for a fish to bite. Usually a lawn chair and holder are brought along to make things more comfortable. The holder and a chair are very bulky and wouldn't be convenient to haul around on a bus. They are not essential, but do much improve the bar fishing experience.

If you are interested in barfishing fishing the Fraser, I would suggest getting a map of the various bar locations from a tackle store. Some locations can be very snaggy. You could end up loosing a lot of gear, an with the the price of lead these days, could get expensive. Salmon roe is also pricey to buy, if you don't have a ready source. Chum Salmon roe is the prefered bait, dog roe as it's known is usually sold at Berry's Bait in Ricmond.

I think you'd be better to try and find a partner with a vehicle if you'd like to try barfishing. You would have a hard time hauling a chair, holder, and cooler around on public transport. A cooler is required even if you don't catch any fish because you must keep the roe cold.

Annacis Island is a traditional bar fishing location, but I couldn't tell you exacly where the bars are. That's where the map comes in handy, call a few tackle stores and see if they have one in stock. It's a cheap investment and will save a lot of frustration trying to figure out the bar locations.

Regarding Stanley Park, I'm sure you'd pick up the odd rockfish off the seawall. I've heard that it's not exactly a convenient place to try and fish though. There's thousands of people out on the seawall every day, so you better watch your back cast.

Good luck to you.