Weekly Fraser Valley Sport fishing column; Nov 25 to Dec 1, 2013

Christmas is exactly one month away, time to start shopping. To help you with that we are devoting next several columns to gift suggestions for the anglers on your list.

Let's start with the hard stuff. What do you buy for the seasoned angler who has everything? Fishing books! Not just any fishing book, classic, hard to find, often out of print, highly prized by collectors, books. Amazon is often a good place to look, but if you want a bargain, you often need the help of a good used book finder.

Books by our highly revered British Columbia author, Roderick Haig-Brown, often top the list of wanted reads. Some of his most prized are: Fisherman Summer, Fisherman's Spring, Fisherman's Fall, Fisherman's Winter, and A Primer of Fly Fishing. Following close behind in Haig-Brown's foot steps is BC's highly acclaimed fly fishing historian and author Art Lindgren with classic books such as: Famous British Columbia Fly Fishing Waters, Fly Patterns of British Columbia, Thompson River Journal, Dean River Journal, and Fly Patterns of Roderick Haig-Brown. Along the same theme is Trey Combs work, Steelhead Fly Fishing. In this highly sought after book; Trey not only shares tips and techniques for steelhead fishing, he also shares much history from the famous rivers of the North American West Coast, and the legends who fished them. Also add to the list; Fly Fishing Pioneers & Legends of the Northwest, by Jack W Berryman, Kamloops An Angler's Study of the Kamloops Trout, by Steve Raymond, and An Entirely Synthetic Fish, by Anders Halverson.

The Report

Our lower mainland lake fishing is fair to good. For better success, fish late morning through mid afternoon, focusing on the north east sections of your favorite lake. Try a slow troll or retrieve with: Nations Black, Zulu, Wooly Bugger, Wooly Worm, Pumpkin Head, Micro Leach, Doc Spratley, Halfback, Dragon Nymph, Sixpack, Backswimmer, or Baggy Shrimp.

The Fraser River is fishing fair for chum, coho, and dolly varden. For chum try: Eggo, Christmas Tree, Met Green, Holliman, Dec 25th, Big Black, or pink & purple Bunny Leach. For coho try: Eggo, Rolled Muddler, Tied Down Minnow, Coho Blue, Bite Me, Christmas Tree, green Wooly Bugger, Egg Sucking Leach, or Big Black. For Dolly Varden try: Zonker, Flat Black, Big Black, Eggo, Clouser's Deep Minnow, Bucktail, and Lefty's Deceiver.

The Vedder River is fair to slow dolly varden, and rainbow. For rainbow try: Czech nymph, Kaufmann Stone, Hares Ear, Big Black, Wooly Bugger, Eggo, Zulu, Soubou, Irresistible, Elk Hair Caddis, Tom Thumb, Black Gnat, or Renegade.

The Harrison River is fair to good for coho, and cutthroat. For cutthroat try: Professor, Anderson Stone, American Coachman, Rolled Muddler, Black Gnat, Griffith Gnat, Zulu, Hares Ear, Renegade, or Irresistible.

The Thompson River is good for steelhead, and rainbow. For steelhead try: Steelhead Nightmare, Big Black, Flat Black, Kaufmann Stone, Rolled Muddler, Steelhead Bee, Irresistible, October Caddis, or Stimulator.