Sport fishing column for July 5 to 12, 2010

Those who wish to achieve consistent success in angling need to remain teachable. This truth applies to everyone including myself. As often happens, it was the fish I was pursuing this past weekend that gave me my refresher course.

I was out with two friends targeting an alternate BC game fish (black crappie). The fishing was good until 5:00 PM, when the bite dropped off. Talk went back and forth between us as to what might put us back into fish. When marabou jigs were suggested; my mind went back to a time I had bought some for my father-in-law. He and others had good success with them in chartreuse color. I had in my box six chartreuse boobies (yes bobbie is the name of the fly pattern). These flies had been given to me by a friend who claimed they were the ultimate. My prejudice toward anything that seems faddish had me relegate these flies to the if all else fails section of my fly box. I held one up, looked at it with its thick body and large foam eyes, it did look similar to a jig and it was in chartreuse. The first cast brought to hand another first; a pumpkinseed sunfish. The others tied on boobies and we were back into fish. Will I use the boobie more often? You bet, particularly in chartreuse.

As the younger folks would say, I got schooled; schooled by a pumpkinseed!!! It's only fitting. Fish are good teachers you know, provided the student is willing.


The report

Our lower mainland lake fishing remains good. For wet (sinking) fly fishing try: Big Black, Nation's Black, Red Spratley, Baggy Shrimp, Coachman, Cased Caddis, Halfback, Dragon Nymph, Carey Special, Zulu, or Doc Spratley. For dry (floating) fly fishing try: Tom Thumb, Renegade, Black Gnat, Foam Ant, Griffith Gnat, Royal Coachman, or Elk Hair Caddis. For kokanee try: Red Abbis, Red Spratley, Bloodworm, Royal Coachman, San Juan Worm, or red Micro Leach.

Local bass and panfish action is AAA. Try: Wooly Bugger, Big Black, Blood Leach, Matuka, Popin Bugs, Chernobyl Ants, chartreuse Boobie, Crayfish, Clouser's Deep Minnow, Epoxy Minnow, Deceiver, Dolly Whacker, Bucktail, Hair Frog, Irresistible, or Tom Thumb.

Fishing on our interior lakes is first rate. For wet fly fishing try: Chironomid, Pumpkinhead, 52 Buick, Bloodworm, Wooly Bugger, Micro Leach, olive Matuka, Butler's Bug, Halfback, Baggy Shrimp, Sooboo, Sixpack, or Green Spratley, For dry fly fishing try: Lady McConnel, Irresistible, Big Ugly, Double Hackled Peacock, Tom Thumb, Royal Wulff, or Elk Hair Caddis.

The Fraser River is in freshet. For better success, focus on the cleaner water in and around its feeder streams. For cutthroat and rainbow try: Rolled Muddler, Mickey Finn, Tied Down Minnow, Professor, Lioness, Kaufmann Stone, Coachman, Zulu, Chez Nymph, Black Gnat, Sooboo, Irresistible, Elk Hair Caddis, or Stimulator. For dolly varden try: large (#4 to #2) Rolled Muddler, Zonker, Clouser's Deep Minnow, Dolly Whacker, black Popsicle, or Big Black.

The Vedder River is high but fishing well for rainbow.

The Stave River is good for cutthroat and rainbow.

Wild pacific salmon are part of our heritage; say no to the foreign national
companies and their farmed fish.