Sport fishing column for Oct 11 to 18, 2010

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was an age of wisdom, it was an age of foolishness," A Tale of two cities, Charles Dickens

Every fall thanks to thirty years of good work in conservation, our rivers are filled with salmon. These returning fish bring anglers and spectators from far and wide to witness the miracle of regeneration. It also brings the best and the worst that our angling community can present to the world. The good news is that there are more than enough fish to go around, while the bad news is that greed and arrogance always so up too. Wisdom would have us exercise what a good mother would teach. Sharing is a virtue, and if you have nothing constructive to say keep your mouth shut. Ignorance of a thing is not a sign of a bad attitude; it is a sign of not knowing a better way. Let's all try and get along.

The report

Fishing is good on our lower mainland lakes. For wet (sinking) fly fishing try: Big Black, Nation's Black, Baggy Shrimp, Coachman, Cased Caddis, Halfback, Dragon Nymph, Carey Special, Zulu, or Doc Spratley. For dry fly fishing try: Tom Thumb, Renegade, Black Gnat, Foam Ant, Griffith Gnat, Royal Coachman, or Elk Hair Caddis.

Local bass and crappie fishing is good. For bass try: Size #4 to #1 Wooly Bugger, Big Black, Blood Leach, Matuka, Popin Bugs, Chernobyl Ants, Crayfish, Clouser's Deep Minnow, Epoxy Minnow, Deceiver, Muddler Minnow, Dolly Whacker, Turk's Tarantula, Bucktail, Hair Frog, Irresistible, or Tom Thumb. For crappie try: Black Gnat, Lady McConnel, Coachman, Royal Coachman, Ant, chartreuse Boobie, Wooly Bugger, Trico, Griffith Gnat, or Irresistible.

Fishing on our interior lakes is very good. For wet fly fishing try: Chironomid, Pumpkinhead, 52 Buick, 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, Goddard Sedge, Sofa Pillow, or Elk Hair Caddis.


The Fraser River is good for spring, chum, and coho. For spring try: Kaufmann Stone, Eggo, Popsicle, Squamish Poacher, GP, Big Black or Flat Black. For chum try: Popsicle, Christmas Tree, Mat Green, Happy Hooker, Squamish Poacher, Big Black, Mat red, Eggo, or Holliman. For coho try: Christmas Tree, Rolled Muddler, olive Wooly Bugger, Coho Blue, Blue Christmas, Bite Me, Eggo, or Egg Sucking Leach

The Vedder River is good for spring, coho, and chum.

The Stave River is good for chum, coho, and cutthroat.

The Harrison River is fair to good for spring, chum, coho, cutthroat and rainbow. For cutthroat or rainbow try: Rolled Muddler, Mickey Finn, Eggo, Tied Down Minnow, Kaufmann Black Stone, Professor, lioness, Coachman, Zulu, Chez Nymph, Black Gnat, Souboo, Irresistible, Elk Hair Caddis, or Stimulator

The Thompson River is closed.

The Nicola River is good for rainbow.

You can find more at "The Reel Life Press" by Jeff Weltz.