STS Update for Winter 2008 / Spring 2009

Teresa, Vic and all the staff at STS would like to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and Safe and prosperous New Year. Below we have provided you with a short review of 2008, and a quick look at what you can expect for 2009. We have also included several links to pages on our site that you might find interesting. We have just reduced our rates and have some incredible discounts for early season bookings. I won't say much more, just read on.

2008 in review - Salmon - The 2008 season was not one of our best years for salmon fishing, low number of early Chinook and summer run sockeye made for a slow start to the salmon season. Really, it was probably one of the worst years I can remember as far as catch rates for Chinook and Sockeye goes. The late run summer sockeye came through in bigger than expected numbers so we did manage a short 5 day opening but really, the only people who could take advantage of this fishery were locals who could change their plans on short notice. The fishing was spectacular for those 5 days, hooking a sockeye on just about every cast.

Our May/June Sea-run Bull Trout fishery was a little below previous years, but we did have many good days on the water with some very large Bull Trout caught on both spoons and fly's. The late run-off of snow probably had a lot to do with the fishing as it was one of those strange years where we really never did get a large run-off in May/June. By late June, we did see some warmer weather and we did get a final push of fish that helped prolong the fishing season for sea-run Bull Trout.

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Our 2008 sturgeon season was nothing short of incredible, many great days on the water with some of our guides reaching their personal bests. Tom, Matt, and Ryan all landed their largest fish ever, which was great to see. Many large fish in the 8-9 ft range and more fish over 7ft that I think we have ever seen. The biggest surprise was our June Sturgeon fishery. Usually June is unpredictable but this past season we saw some of the best June sturgeon fishing I have ever experienced. I think Tom, Ryan, Gerry and Doug feel the same way.

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Good news, lowest rates in 2 years.

There has been a lot of bad news in the media as of late and it looks like many economies will be challenged in the next year or two. Although it seems like everything is doom and gloom, there is some good news. The low Canadian dollar will provide our US and Overseas clients some incredible rates for guided fishing packages. The fuel rates have dropped almost 50% since the summer, so we have lowered our rates to keep in line with dropping fuel costs. This will make our packages even more affordable and help our Canadian customers. You can now save between $60 to $100 on our guided fishing trips. To take advantage of these low prices , book early for the 2009 season. We have also created a new " Specials Page" which will offer special discounts, package specials and short notice sales. Check back often as some of these deals will only be posted for a short period.

More good news

The 2009 Salmon runs are expected to be excellent. DFO early season forecast is one of the better forecasts I have seen in the past 4 or 5 years. They are predicting large returns of summer and late summer sockeye, strong returns of summer and late Chinook and 2009 is our Pink Salmon run with an estimated run size of 20-30 million fish. The only fishery that looks like it may require some tight management is the early run of Chinook in April/May. This run might result in some size restrictions similar to 2008.

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We have already begun to prepare for a busy August, September, October and November. Late in the season last year we hired some extra help with the overflow. This year we have added several more guides to our team. STS is pleased and excited to welcome back Curtis Besse, Jim Duffy and Rob Dieleman. We have also added Mike Duncan who will be deck handing on our 28ft twin. We are also very excited to welcome back Thomas Rutschman who has guided for STS in the past but took a couple years off to open his own Jet Boat Dealership. Of course Tom, Ryan, Doug, Gerry and myself will be hard at it again for the 2009 season.

Bookings for 2009 have already started, in fact Fraserview Anglers Retreat is already sold out from September 15 to October 28 with the exception of a 4 night opening for the dates of September 27 - 30. If you would like to book this 4 night 3 day opening, the cost for this package is $1325.00 per person.

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We still have good availability for the Best Western, Harrison Hotel and Above & Beyond but we do expect the prime dates to sell fairly quickly once Christmas/New Years is over with. Our 2009 day trips, package pricing for our smaller groups and larger corporate groups will be slightly less than in 2008 as we will try our best to pass on the best rates possible. You must book early to get these rates as we do expect an increase later in the season.

Keep and eye on our website as we will be keeping you posted with weekly fishing reports, news letters and lots of free giveaways. Every report period will offer something special so check back often to take advantage. If you have a fishing related website and would like to link to ours, please feel free to e-mail me your link.

Once again, have a great holiday, drive safe and tight lines.

Merry Christmas from everyone at STS.
Vic Carrao
STS Guiding Service