This is Artificial Lure with your Fraser River fishing report.
We’re sitting on a cool, gray spring morning on the lower Fraser. Environment Canada is calling for mostly cloudy skies with scattered showers, light to moderate southwest wind, and afternoon highs in the mid-teens. It’s jacket weather at first light, but it feels pretty good once you start casting.
Sunrise comes just after five, with sunset near nine in the evening, so you’ve got a long window to work the tides. Near the mouth at Steveston and Sand Heads, the tide is running on a typical mixed pattern today: a pre-dawn high, dropping through the morning, then a midday low and a stronger afternoon flood. The best bite is lining up around the last of the outgoing and the first push of the flood, especially on the edges of the main shipping channel and along current seams.
Water levels are up with snowmelt, running off‑color but not chocolate. Visibility is maybe a foot or two in many stretches, better on the side channels and backwaters. That stain is actually your friend for spring, pushing fish tighter to structure and into softer water.
Recent action has been a mixed bag. Sturgeon fishing between New Westminster and Mission has been solid, with guides reporting multiple fish days, most in the 3–5 foot class and a few bigger dinosaurs in the 6–7 foot range. Lamprey, eulachon, dew worms, and oily salmon scraps are all producing; scent is key in this murk. Run your baits just off the bottom, and don’t be shy about sitting on a promising slot seam for an hour before you move.
Resident cutthroat and trout are still around in the lower tributary mouths and sloughs. Anglers swinging small spoons and spinners have been finding fish in the 10–14 inch range with the odd better one. Try silver or brass blades with a touch of chartreuse or orange. On the fly, think sparse baitfish patterns and muddler-style streamers, swung just off the current breaks.
For coarse fish, the back eddies near Chilliwack and the side channels around Fort Langley are producing pike minnow and the occasional sucker. Simple rigs with dew worms or small bits of shrimp under just enough weight to hold are all you need. It’s a good option if you’re out with kids and just want steady action.
In the lower river near Steveston, the odd feeder salmon is being spotted, but there’s no consistent salmon fishery right now; regulations are tight, and you’ll want to double‑check the latest DFO notices before you even think about retaining anything. Most local boats are either chasing sturgeon upstream or poking out onto the Strait when the weather allows.
Best hardware for today: big, rattling plugs and brightly colored soft plastics for sturgeon if you like to mix it up, but classic bait will out‑fish everything in this cool, colored water. For trout and cutthroat, stick with small spoons like a 1/4‑oz silver/green or copper/orange, and size 2–3 spinners. With the river running high, upsizing to something with a bit more thump helps them find you.
Two hot spots to put on your list:
First, the stretch around the Alex Fraser Bridge up through New Westminster. Work the inside bends, drop‑offs, and deep holes for sturgeon. That area has been quietly producing good numbers lately, especially on the afternoon flood when boat traffic thins out a bit.
Second, the Mission Bridge area and the bars just upstream. Classic spring sturgeon water with plenty of slots, and some softer edges where you can also poke around for coarse fish on light tackle while your big rods soak bait.
Play the tides, fish the softer seams, and don’t forget a good anchor and safety gear—the Fraser can turn nasty in a hurry when the wind stacks against the flow.
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