Fishing report for Nov 17 to 24, 2008

This week we close the book on sport fishing in the 50's, by looking at the last three books from that period and one personal observation:

In 1958 Roy Patrick released "Pacific Northwest Fly Patterns" which an expanded revision of earlier work "Your Pacific Northwest Fly Patterns". This new work became so popular that it would be printed over and over again for the next twenty five years.

Raymond R Camp released "The Fireside Book of Fishing" in 1959, featuring essays by Roderick Haig-Brown.

Also in that same year, 1959, Roderick Haig-Brown released the 2nd of his popular fisherman's series "Fisherman's Summer."

As we finish our look at sport fishing during the 1950's, there is one more item to cover; the camping cooler. This invention of the mid fifties would soon change our freshwater fishery for years to come. Putting habitat destruction aside, if I was asked to name one item that devastated our freshwater fisheries, the cooler would be it. Never before its invention could an angler bring home so many fish, added to this a possession limit of 36 fish per person; and the effect was devastating. Twenty years later we saw the process of this over fishing along with environmental disrespect, reduce our once unmatched fisheries to only a shadow of their former glory before restoration would begin in the 1980's.

Next week we look at the 60's.

Our lower mainland lakes are fishing much better thanks to the improvement in the weather. For wet (sinking) fly fishing try: Chironomid, Bloodworm, Micro Leach, Pheasant Tail Nymph, Doc Spratley, Green Spratley, Dragonfly Nymph, Coachman, Carey Special, Zulu, or Baggy Shrimp. For dry (floating) fly try: Tom Thumb, Renegade, Lady McConnel, Elk Hair Caddis, Adams, Griffith Gnat, Royal Coachman, or Brayshaw's Fancy.

Fishing on our interior lakes is slowing down due dropping temperatures. Try a slow troll or retrieve with Big Black, Wooly Bugger, chironomid, Bloodworm, Nations Silver Tip Sedge, Halfback, Souboo, Sixpack, Butlers Bug, Micro Leech, Dragonfly Nymph, 52 Buick, olive Matuka, or Baggy Shrimp.

The Fraser River is slow to fair for spring, coho, and chum. For coho try: Christmas Tree, Coho Blue, Blue Christmas, olive Wooly Bugger, Egg Sucking Leech, Bite Me, or Rolled Muddler. For spring try: large (#1 or #2) Eggo, Popsicle, GP, Flat Black, Big Black, or Kaufman Stone. For chum try: Christmas Tree, Happy Hooker, Flat Black, Dec 25, Fire Ball, kelly green Wooly Bugger, or Mat Green.

The Vedder River is slow for rainbow, and coho. For rainbow try: Eggo, Stonefly Nymph, Elk Hair Caddis, Tom Thumb, Zulu, Fire Ball, Irresistible, Adams, Renegade, Grasshopper, or Stimulator.

The Harrison is fair to good for cutthroat, chum, coho, and spring. For cutthroat try: Eggo, Rolled Muddler, Tied Down Minnow, Clouser's Deep Minnow, Bucktail, Stonefly Nymph, Coachman, American Coachman, Fire Ball, Lioness, Zulu, Black Gnat, Souboo, or Sixpack.

The Chehalis River is slow to fair for rainbow, spring, chum, and coho.

The Stave River is slow to fair for chum, coho, and spring.

Until the next time, "Keep your fly in the water".