Sport fishing column for Nov 15 to 22, 2010

Days are short, often dark, damp, and rainy, the fishing has dropped off and it often feels like winter; it must be November in the lower mainland. This is another of the unwelcome transition times between seasons that the angler must endure.

Trout and salmon fishing is slowing to a crawl and winter cutthroat and steelhead has yet to begin. What do you do, if can't muster the motivation to stand in frigid water with only a mediocre chance of landing some fish. Some would suggest using this time for tackle maintenance; but if you are like me that usually gets relegated to the kids who don't have the means to pay a share of the (fishing trip) fuel bills. So what do you do when you have tied a suitcase full of flies, and you are looking at the weather outside like a five year old boy looks at a bath? I suggest reading some good books on our favorite sport. I know; some of you groan at the thought of reading a book, but that is only because you have not read one that appeals to you. With the libraries of literature that have been published on sport fishing, I am sure there is something out there for everyone's taste. Over the coming weeks up to Christmas, I will be making gift suggestions and some of those suggestions will be books, good ones. Stay tuned.

The report

The fishing on our lower mainland lakes is fishing fair to good. For better success try a slow troll or retrieve with: Big Black, Nation's Black, Wooly bugger, Pumpkinhead, Mico Leach, Baggy Shrimp, Coachman, Cased Caddis, Halfback, Dragon Nymph, black or olive Matuka, Carey Special, Zulu, or Doc Spratley.

We are looking at the last call for fishing our interior lakes until spring; snow is falling and ice is forming on all the elevations.

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 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 fair for 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.