Weekly Fraser Valley Sport fishing column; Nov 3 to 10, 2014

In the grey between contemporary fly and drift fishing, there is form of presentation done with an accessory called the ?shooting head.? In this method, a section of heavy sink fly line is attached to the existing fly line, to enable one to get their fly down, to salmon and steelhead, in fast flowing water. In recent years the tackle manufactures have made things much easier, and taken much of the guess work out of making a workable shooting head. In the old days; the trial and error process of adjustment was often painful.

?Many years ago while experimenting with sinking rates of lines, I read an article about fly fishing in San Francisco Bay with lead core line. This sounded like the way to dredge the bottom of even the heaviest flows of steelhead rivers?

The next Saturday found me at a favorite heavy run on the main Toutle in what used to be Harry Morgan Park. I waded out to my knees, stripped out the lead shooting head and about 20 feet of running line and let fly. The heavy head whistled across the river, ripping the running line in its wake. The rapidly descending line drifted a few feet and caught on the bottom. The next cast was further out and directed more downstream? I was fishing water my fly could never probe before. I was elated.

The lead core head felt strange but everything seemed to be working all right? One hundred feet of running line hung in coils from my lips. I decided to see if the whole thing would cast. The rod came forward as I executed my best version of the double haul. Sky rockets and roman candles filled the sky. When my head cleared, I was on my hands and knees? By the time shore was reached, an angry lump throbbed behind my ear. I put the lead core away and left it untouched for five years.? This passage is from Fly Rod Steelhead, by Bill Stinson.

Welcome to the world of lead or shooting head fly fishing. It?s a technique that works well; but do get some instruction and practice in, before trying this one on your next trip to river.


The Report

Fishing on our lower mainland lakes is slow to fair. 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.

The Fraser River is good for spring, coho, and chum. For spring try: Popsicle, Big Black, GP, Squamish Poacher, Eggo, Flat Black, Mat Red, or Kaufmann Stone. For coho try: Coho blue, Rolled Muddler, Eggo, Christmas Tree, Bite Me, or olive Wooly Bugger. For chum try: Christmas Tree, Eggo, Popsicle, Big black, Mat green, Mat red, Holliman, green, pink, or purple Wooly Bugger

The Vedder River is good for spring, coho, and chum.

The Harrison River is good for chum, spring, coho, rainbow, and cutthroat. For cutthroat try: Rolled Muddler, Hairs Ear, Elk Hair Caddis, Anderson Stone, Eggo, Golden Stone, Adams, or Irresistible.