Weekly Fraser Valley Sport fishing column; March 10 to 17, 2014

One early August morning, nine years ago as I recall, I was having breakfast with my daughters, when Linda, our friend and proprietress of the Big Horn Trading Post, entered the room with a request. ?Jeff could you come out front please; I just sold some tackle to a gentleman and he asked me about the fishing. I showed him a picture of those trout you have been catching and well he now wants to know how you do it. Could you come and help him out, pleeeeease??

?Sure,? I said, ?give me a few minutes and I?ll join you out front.?

I quickly finished my breakfast and told the girls not to forget to clean up and do the dishes, as I grabbed a box of my Stimulators. Then I headed through the kitchen and out to the front of the store.

At the cash register stood the man Linda wanted me to talk too. I don?t remember his name or face; they are lost to me among the sea of faces that I have sold rods, flies, and taught fly fishing classes to over the ever increasing years. He addressed me right away. ?I understand you regularly catch 20 to 26 inch rainbows out of this river??

?Yes I do,? I answered.

?Mind sharing your secret,? he asked?

?Big dries under the moon,? I said with a smile.

?How big, is big? he asked?

Opening the box of my Stimulators for him to see, I said, ?size 4, 1X long.?

?Are you serious,? he said, looking at me in unbelief? ?I have never seen dry flies that size, and where do you get those hooks??

?I order them from back east,? I answered. ?I can?t find dry fly hooks this size here. They make them in the east for Atlantic salmon.?

?You actually use dries that size,? he questioned, while still looking at me in unbelief?

?Yes I do, big flies, for big fish; you?ve seen the picture;? I replied. ?I sell them for two bucks a piece.?

We will finish this story next week.


The Report

Fishing on our lower mainland lakes is fair to good. Concentrate on the north east sections of your favorite lake. For wet (sinking) fly fishing try: Chironomid, Bloodworm, Pumpkinhead, Wooly Bugger, Big Black, Micro Leach, Zulu, Baggy Shrimp, Dragonfly Nymph, or Halfback Nymph. There have been some hatches happening so dry (floating) flies are not out of the question. Try Lady McConnel, Griffith Gnat, Tom Thumb, or Irresistible.

The Fraser River back waters and sloughs are fishing well for cutthroat, rainbow, and Dolly Varden. For Cutthroat try: Alevin, Professor, Eggo, Flesh Fly, Anderson Stone, American Coachman, Rolled Muddler, Tied Down Minnow, Black Gnat, Griffith Gnat, Zulu, Hares Ear, Renegade, or Irresistible. 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 good for Dolly Varden, rainbow, and steelhead. 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. For steelhead try: Steelhead Nightmare, Flat Black, GP, Kaufman Stone, Rolled Muddler, Steelhead Bee, Steelhead Spratley, Irresistible, October Caddis, or Stimulator.

The Harrison River is good for cutthroat and rainbow.