Weekly Fraser Valley Sport fishing column; Sept 15 to 22, 2014

Last week we opened the subject of fly casting with ?stop putting all your focus on distance.? This week, let?s add; keep your wrist straight and your elbow down.

After line control, the second greatest factor in effective fly casting is line speed. The physics work out to a simple ratio of for every foot of line you wish to cast; you need to move your line at an equivalent mile per hour. For example to cast 30 feet effectively, you need to move your line at 30 miles per hour, or 50 K; 50 feet line = 50 miles per hour, or 80 k, 80 feet = 80 miles per hour or, 110 K, etc. One of the most common ways to lose line speed is allowing the line to drop on the back cast. Bending the wrist on a back cast does more than allow the line to drop; it lowers the rod tip backward, which causes the line to be cast down. This causes the line move in an upward trajectory on the forward cast, when a level or downward motion is what is needed for greater speed. This same flaw in casting often happens with a straight wrist when the elbow is raised. Here the rod tip is lowered when a caster pivots his or her forearm backward on the back cast; again lowering the rod tip backward, causes the line to be cast down, rather than up.

Keeping your wrist straight, while holding your elbow down, at your side, below your floating ribs; puts you in the perfect position to make that rod work. I understand that in print it all sounds frustratingly complicated, and without proper instruction it is. But under the guidance of a competent instructor it all comes together in a surprisingly short order.

More on this next week.

The Report

Fishing on our lower mainland lakes is slow. For wet (sinking) fly fishing try: Wooly Bugger, Zulu, Baggy Shrimp, Dragonfly Nymph, Doc Spratley, or Halfback. For dry (floating) fly fishing try: Griffith Gnat, Royal Coachman, Black Gnat, Irresistible, Renegade, or Elk hair Caddis. For kokanee try: Bloodworm, San Juan Worm, Red Ibis, Red Spratley, or Kokanee killer.

The bass and pan fish, fishing is good. For bass try: Big Black, Clouser?s Deep Minnow, Lefty?s Deceiver, Dolly Whacker, Wooly Bugger, Pumpkinhead, Gomphus Bug, Popin Bug, Foam Frog, Chernobyl Ant, Adult Damsel, or Stimulator. For Pan fish try: Wooly Bugger, Micro Leach, Halfback, Pumpkinhead, Dolly Whacker, Tied Down Minnow, Popin Bug, or Chernobyl Ant.

Our interior lakes are slow. Try: Pumpkinhead, Big Black, Micro Leach, 52 Buick, Sixpack, Butlers Bug, Dragon Nymph, Green Spratley, or Baggy Shrimp, for fishing wet. For dry fly action try: Lady McConnel, Big Ugly, Black Gnat, Tom Thumb, Adams, or Irresistible.

The Fraser River salmon fishing remains strong. Keep your eyes and ears open for coming salmon fishing closures. For spring try: Big Black, GP, Squamish Poacher, Eggo, Flat Black, Mat Red, or Kaufmann Stone. For sockeye try: Lime green or chartreuse patterns.

The Harrison River is fair for cutthroat, rainbow and sockeye. For cutthroat try: Rolled Muddler, Hairs Ear, Elk Hair Caddis, Anderson Stone, Adult Damsel, Golden Stone, Adams, or Irresistible.

The Thomson River is good for sockeye, while slow for rainbow. For sockeye try: UV orange patterns. For rainbow try: Kaufmann Golden stone, Joe?s Hopper, Tom Thumb, Irresistible, Elk Hair Caddis, or Rolled Muddler.