Sport fishing column for Nov 26 to Dec 3, 2012

It is that time of year again; time to put aside some of the fishing and start hunting down gifts for the other angler or anglers in your life.

Coming up with a gift for a well seasoned angler can be a challenge. With years behind them in the sport, many anglers have everything they need and in quantity. However, there are some things that wear out and need replacing, on occasion.

Socks, shirts, sweaters, vests, coats, hats, and possibly even pants; get them in wool. You might think these are boring gift ideas. That depends on your perspective. Consider this; it is often cold and wet where a fisherman finds his or her sport and no product on earth beats wool at these times. Wool: Boring? No. Practical? Yes. Appreciated when needed? Definitely. Wool is somewhat water resistant. If it does get wet it still keeps you warm. If it gets too water logged, you simply take it off wring it out and put it back on; no man made product is as versatile.

Raingear: This is an item not thought of until it is leaking. New raingear for Christmas could save your angler the undesirably unpleasant feeling of water trickling down ones neck and back or under ones arm. Buy your raingear from a reputable company and be willing to pay the price, quality counts here.

Long underwear: What? Yes, I suggested that. Anyone who spends long hours outdoors in the late fall, winter, and early spring appreciates this item. Many avid anglers pay much attention to every detail when it comes to tackle and destinations, but often come up short when it comes to preparing for the elements. Staying warm makes for a good day. We will have more suggestions next week.

The Report

Our lower mainland lakes are slow. For better success try a dead slow troll or retrieve during the warmest part of the day, with: Chironomid, Bloodworm, Coachman, Zulu, Wooly Bugger, Dragonfly Nymph, Damsel Nymph, halfback, Sixpack, Micro Leach, Big Black, Doc Spratley, Pumpkinhead, or Baggy Shrimp.

The Fraser River is slow for spring, coho and cutthroat remain good. For spring try: Eggo, Big Black, Flat Black, Wooly Bugger, Kaufmann Stone, Squamish Poacher, or Popsicle. For coho try: Eggo, Coho Blue, Christmas Tree, Olive Wooly Bugger, Bite Me, or Rolled Muddler. For cutthroat try: Rolled Muddler, Professor, Anderson Stone, Black Stone, Zulu, American Coachman, or Chez Nymph.

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

The Chehalis River is fair to good for coho.

The Vedder River is slow for rainbow and cutthroat. For rainbow try: Kaufmann Stone, Big Black, Black Gnat, Souboo, Zulu, Renegade, Tom Thumb, Chernobyl Ant, Foam Hopper, or Irresistible.

The Thompson River is good for steelhead, try: Steelhead Nightmare, Kaufmann Stone, Polar Shrimp, GP, Popsicle, Squamish Poacher, Big Black, Flat Black, or Steelhead Spratley.