Weekly Fraser Valley Sport fishing column for June 17 to 24, 2013


When it comes to catching fish that are feeding off the meniscus (yes I know fly fisher jargon) or what is more commonly know as the surface film of water, there are really only two options: a dry fly or floating plug. It is debatable who was first to cover surface feeding activity; the fly tiers or plug makers. Whoever they were, they opened the door to one of the most exciting facets of sport fishing. Whether you fish with a dry (floating) line and fly or a floating plug; the take by a surface feeding fish is highly visual and often explosive. Add the mystique of fishing under the moon in the stillness of a warm summer night, and this style of fishing can be absolutely mesmerizing.

Putting the excitement aside there are other benefits to this type of fishing. A dry (floating) line is the easiest fly line to cast, making dry fly fishing one of the easiest forms of fly presentation to learn. As for anglers, who choose what is referred to as top water there is the added benefit that non-diving lures do not hang up on obstacles below the surface. The season for these two forms of fishing may be short, starting in late spring and continuing through to early fall, but it is definitely in a class by itself.

There are some who believe catching a fish in any other ways is nothing short of sacrilegious. As for me, I am not that brazen in my passion for top water fishing, but it is still my first choice above all else.


The Report

Fishing on our lower mainland lakes is good, but with the weather and water heating up, it is time to adjust your fishing schedule to early mornings and evenings. For wet (sinking) fly fishing try: Bloodworm, Nations Black, Zulu, Wooly Bugger, Wooly Worm, Pumpkin Head, Micro Leach, Doc Spratley, Halfback, Sixpack, or Baggy Shrimp. For dry (floating) fly action try: Lady McConnel, Tom Thumb, Irresistible, Double Hackled Peacock, Royal Coachman, Black Gnat, Griffith Gnat, or Elk Hair Caddis. For kokanee try: Scarlet Ibis, San Juan Worm, Double Trude, Blood Worm, Kokanee Thriller, Kokanee Zonker, or Red Spratley.

Our lower Mainland bass and panfish are fishing well. For Bass try: Big Black, Wooly Bugger, Gomphus Bug, Crayfish, Clouser's Deep Minnow, Lefty's Deceiver, Dolly Whacker, Bucktail, Hair Frog, Poppers, Chernobyl Ant, or Stimulator. For Panfish try smaller (size 12 to 16) versions of the above.

Most interior lakes are fishing very well. For wet fly fishing try: Chironomid, Bloodworm, Halfback Nymph, Baggy Shrimp, Pumpkin Head, Wooly Bugger, Big Black, Dragon Nymph, Sixpack, 52 Buick, or Doc Spratley. For dry fly fishing try: Lady McConnel, Tom Thumb, Adams, Irresistible, Renegade, Black Gnat, or Elk Hair Caddis.