Sport fishing column for Nov 8 to 15, 2010

This past week in a story by Robert Koopmans of The Kamloops Daily News, I read that for a second time the Thompson River will not open for a steelhead fishery. In reading further it came to my attention that government regulators are still holding the production of Thompson River Steelhead in limbo. This after an announcement in BC Outdoors Magazine this past spring, stating that trout production would resume in hatcheries on two Thompson River tributaries. How long will this heritage fishery and those who draw a supplementary income from it be held hostage to the whims of special interest groups? It is time to drop the rhetoric, based on 18th century science, which leads persons to believe that hatchery production will pollute the gene pool, and have a serious look at the modern science of Dr. Earnest Brannon his work in Idaho State hatcheries. Done properly our Thompson River Steelhead can be restored to their former glory, for all to enjoy. This second closure only proves that the current methods of restoring this once fabulous fishery are not working. Insanity is a practice of continuing to do what does not work, hoping for positive results. One of our provincial heritage fisheries is at stake; let us hope that hearts will change.


The report

The fishing on our lower mainland lakes is fishing fair to good. 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 (floating) fishing; on those rare sunny afternoons, try: Tom Thumb, Renegade, Black Gnat, Foam Ant, Griffith Gnat, Royal Coachman, or Elk Hair Caddis.

Fishing on our interior lakes is fair. Try a slow retrieve or troll with Chironomid, Pumpkinhead, Micro Leach, Wooly Bugger, olive Matuka, Butler's Bug, Halfback, Baggy Shrimp, Sooboo, Sixpack, or Doc Spratley.

The Fraser River is fair to good for spring, cutthroat, and dolly Varden. For spring try: Kaufmann Stone, Eggo, Popsicle, Squamish Poacher, GP, Big Black or Flat Black. For cutthroat try: Rolled Muddler, Mickey Finn, Eggo, Tied down Minnow, Epoxy Minnow, black Stone, Professor, Lioness, Coachman, Zulu, Chez Nymph. For dolly Varden try: Large (#4 to #1) Eggo, Dolly Whacker, Bucktail, Epoxy Minnow, Big Black, Muddler, or Zunker.

The Vedder River is fair for spring and coho. For coho try: Christmas Tree, Rolled Muddler, Epoxy Minnow, Dolly Whacker, Tied Down Minnow, Bucktail, olive or black Wooly Bugger, Coho Blue, Blue Christmas, Bite Me, Eggo, or Egg Sucking Leach.

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

The Harrison River is fair to good for spring, coho, cutthroat and rainbow. For rainbow try: Rolled Muddler, Mickey Finn, Eggo, Kaufmann Stone, Black Gnat, Zulu, Chez Nymph, Souboo, Micro Leach, Sixpack, or Renegade.

The Chehalis River is fair for coho.

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