Sport fishing column for Jan 25 to Feb 1, 2010


While leafing through a book on popular British fly patterns, I noticed one of my lower mainland standbys, the Zulu. Upon looking closer at the page I found that my modified version of this fly was more of a Bumble than a Zulu. The Bumble I found, through reading further, has a history that dates four centuries to the time of Joseph Cotton.

While silk and lambs wool haven given way to mono cord and synthetic yarn, and starling necks has given way to rooster hackles, the design remains the same. Norman MacLean wrote in his famous novella, "Eventually all things merge into one and a river runs through it." Four hundred years have passed since Dame Juliana Berners and Joseph Cotton introduced us to the sport of fly fishing, yet we can still find success with the same flies they used. Normans father the Reverend MacLean is quoted as teaching "All good things, trout and eternal salvation come by grace."

What an encouragement it is to be ever reminded that what is true, what is right, and what works, remains the same; yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

The Report

Our lower mainland lakes are fishing well from mid morning through the afternoon. Concentrate on the warmer water, close to shore, in the north eastern sections of your favorite lake, with a slow retrieve or troll. Try Big Black, Wooly bugger, Micro Leach, Baggy Shrimp, Coachman, Bloodworm, Chironomid, Cased caddis, Zulu, or Doc Spratley.

The Fraser River back waters and sloughs are fishing well for cutthroat and rainbow. For cutthroat try: Flesh Fly, Eggo, Egg & Eye Alevin, Rolled Muddler, Mickey Finn, Tied Down Minnow, Professor, Lioness, Winter Stone, Coachman, Zulu, Chez Nymph, or Souboo. For rainbow try the above along with red Spratley, red Carey, Kaufmann Stone, Royal Coachman or Black Gnat.

The Stave River is good for cutthroat, rainbow, and whitefish. For whitefish try: small (#14 to#20) Eggo, Flesh Fly, Griffith Gnat, Stone Nymph, Chironomid, or Caddis Nymph.

The Harrison River is good for cutthroat.

The Chehalis River is fair for steelhead, cutthroat and rainbow. For steelhead try: Squamish Poacher, Thor, GP, Popsicle, Big Black, Flat Black, polar Shrimp, Eggo, Steelhead Nightmare, Purple Peril, Holliman, Kaufmann Stone, or Steelhead Spratley.

The Vedder River is good for steelhead, cutthroat, and rainbow.

The Squamish River is slow for cutthroat, and dolly varden. For dolly varden try: large #4 to #2, Zonker, Eggo, Bucktail, Big Black, or Clouser's Deep Minnow.

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