Happy New Year to you all!
We are in the midst of our typical Fraser Valley “winter” weather and are looking forward to the start of the main guiding season on the Fraser and tributaries, and the weather of spring.
Current angling opportunities for a day outing include juvenile sturgeon and tagging.
As well there is winter-run steelhead on the Chilliwack and Chehalis rivers
I haven’t re-capped the 2025 season yet, so here’s a brief summary of what happened angling-wise:
There was good sturgeon fishing from April to late July – it was fairly consistent with plenty of nice sized sturgeon and decent weather for our early season guests. I am always a sucker for early August sturgeon fishing, and indeed it turned out to be pretty good fishing at times, but seemed to become spotty (on and off) by mid-month. Anglers encountered a surprise sockeye fishery from August 22 – Sept. 2 due to an unexpected return estimated at well over 6 million fish. That fishery was very well attended by anglers! By late August there were plenty of signs of Pink salmon returning to the Fraser alongside the sockeye, with 2025 being a dominant year for pinks on the Fraser. Rumblings of a record return were being heard here and there, and by late September, it was pretty obvious by visual observation that there was a record return of pinks in the river. Officials estimated the return close to 29 million fish! When you figure that the average pink was about 4 1/2 pounds and do the math, you can determine roughly that there was 65 000 TONS of pink salmon biomass in the lower Fraser watershed, in less than 6 weeks. Naturally with that much feed in the river, the sturgeon had a pretty easy time of it and picked away lazily. Consequently, fishing for them was unusually spotty considering the time of year. In my opinion, and despite some good days, the September sturgeon fishing did not ramp up like it historically has. This hit and miss fishing remained well into October. However, worth noting – the sturgeon we caught were some of the fattest and fullest-looking fish I’d seen. They were in remarkably good shape and condition. You’d also be hard pressed to find a wrinkle on any of them, they appeared stuffed and full of feed!
Coho fishing in September and October was also very good – some of the best I have seen in recent years. Coho opportunities are a bonus to the day – they are a ton of fun to fish for and to catch. They’re also pretty tasty!
Chum numbers did not materialize in their normal course, perhaps the flood of November 2021 had an effect. Chum ended the season on a non-retention basis.
We generally wrap our season up on Halloween, early November, so that covers the season that I saw.
2026 Outlook
So far, winter snowpack in the Fraser basin appears normal for this time of year. Recent warm weather may impact that to some degree, however there’s still plenty of time to add more. A good snowpack combined with normal rainfall and temperatures during the spring and summer will keep water temperatures down and maintain reasonable water levels. These conditions keep fish happy.
Current fishing opportunities are steelhead in the local tributaries as well as cutthroat trout in Fraser backwaters and side channels. A day of participating in the juvenile sturgeon tagging fishery is a great day on the water, not to mention, very informative.
Sturgeon fishing starts in earnest in April; you can fish sturgeon all year but water temperatures start climbing late March to early April which puts the fish on the move to actively feed.
This year may provide a sockeye opportunity with a dominant Adam’s River run. That may start early August. More information will follow as the season progresses.
And for late season, many look forward to the fall-run coho. Coho were plenty in 2025, and we’re hopeful for this trend to continue. Chum on the other hand have had some ups and downs – 2025 offered a poorer return than normal, reducing retention and even angling opportunities. With any luck, this fall we will see a return to normal chum numbers.
We wish you all good health and good fishing this year!
It is a pleasure to have spent 36 years guiding and running boats on this amazing waterway.
Come join us for a day of sturgeon or salmon fishing on the river, and experience all that the Fraser river has to offer!
Have fun, enjoy what we have today, and remember to get outdoors and enjoy some Nature!
We look forward to spending quality time in the boat with all of you soon!
Cheers from all of us at Cascade Fishing Adventures!
Cheers!
Whether you are looking for a day trip fishing or you want to stay longer, we can arrange everything from your pickup at the airport in a limo, to your hotel accommodation and the best guided fishing tours in the Fraser Valley. Please contact Marc or Maggie on Toll Free: 1-877-887-4366 or use our contact form.