Fishing report for Feb 23 to March 2, 2009

Continuing on with our look at the 1970's, we see famed interior plateau trout master Jack Shaw, entering the fold with his classic "Fly Fish the Trout Lakes," in 1976.

Also in that year Trey Combs produced another of his highly sought after works "Steelhead Fly Fishing and Flies."

Other works from that year, 1976, were "Fishes of Northeastern British Columbia," by Captain G Laidlaw and "The Anger's Coast," by Russell Chatham.

Alec Merriman produced another of his salmon fishing books, "Vancouver Island," in 1977.

In that same year Stanley E Read produced two works chronicling portions of our BC sport fishing heritage: "A Place Called Pennask," which covered the history of the lake's fish and game club along with it's famous lodge and "Tommy Bryshaw: The Ardent Angler-Artist," which was a biography of a patriarch of BC fly fishing.

Two other BC books produced in 1977 were "The Masters of the Dry Fly," by J Michael Migel and "Secret Places of Trout Fishermen," by George Mendoza.

Our well known master salt water fly fisherman Barry M Thornton, released his first book "Steelhead: the Supreme Trophy Trout," in 1978.

Other books for that year, 1978, were: "Lee Richardson's BC," by Lee Richardson and "Fly Fishing Flies," by Sir General Charles F Loewen.

The fishing on our lower elevation lower mainland lakes has improved over the last week, but with snow in the forecast again for Wednesday success can be spotty. Try working the warmer north easterly sections of your chosen lake, with: Chironomid, Bloodworm, Baggy Shrimp, Zulu, Micro Leach, Halfback, Big Black, or Dragonfly Nymph; trolled or retrieved dead slow.

The Fraser River backwaters and sloughs are fishing well for cutthroat and dolly varden. For cutthroat try: Eggo, Flesh Fly, Rolled Muddler, Tied Down Minnow, Clouser's Deep Minnow, Bucktail, Mickey Finn, Winter Stone, Coachman, American Coachman, Lioness, Zulu, Souboo, Big Black, Micro Leach, or Sixpack. For dolly varden try: large (#4 to #1) Flesh Fly, Eggo, Bucktail, Rolled Muddler, Zonker, Big Black, or Kaufmann's Black Stone.

The Vedder River has been slow to fair lately for rainbow, dolly varden, and steelhead. For rainbow try: Eggo, Stonefly Nymph, Elk Hair Caddis, Tom Thumb, Zulu, Fire Ball, Irresistible, Adams, Renegade, Grasshopper, or Stimulator. For Steelhead try: Big Black, Flat Black, Squamish Poacher, Thor, Polar Shrimp, Popsicle, pink Eggo, Happy Hooker, or Kaufmann's Black Stone.

The Harrison is slow for cutthroat, rainbow, and whitefish. 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. For whitefish try: small (size #16 to 12) Eggo, black Micro Leach, black Wooly Bugger, black Stonefly Nymph, or Flesh Fly.

The Chehalis River is slow for rainbow, and steelhead.

The Stave River is fair for cutthroat, rainbow, and whitefish.

The Squamish River is slow for rainbow, cutthroat, and dolly varden.

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