Weekly Fraser Valley Sport fishing column; Jan 12 to 19, 2015


One of my joys over the fifteen years of writing this column has been researching the history of fly fishing in the North American West. In this next series of columns I wish to uncover some of the fly fishing history from the rest of North America.

The earliest written (North American) work I have found was penned by American author, John J Brown, in 1849.

?The artificial fly, so much used in England, finds but little favor in this country, not because it is not as good a bait, but because more skill is required in using it? While the more experienced sportsman from foreign parts will astonish the native by his dexterity in throwing the fly and killing an almost incredible number of fish, where the unbeliever regards the fly as a useless article of tackle? but the skill necessary to success in this branch of the subject, is not so great as the novice imagines? there are hundreds of good fly anglers, and many that can throw a fly with the most experienced in Europe.?

One needs to understand the significance of these words, taken from the book, The American Angler?s Guide. The time frame is thirty five years after the end of the war of 1812, and twelve years before the start of the American Civil War. This was also seventeen years before John Keast Lord, would write of fly fishing for trophy rainbows in our British Columbian Kootenays. Six years after John Brown released his work; George Perkins Marsh, having observed that British military officers were trained in hunting and fishing, declared before the Vermont legislature,

?The people of New England are suffering, both physically and morally, from a too close absorbing attention to pecuniary interests, and occupations of mere routine? We have notoriously less physical hardihood and endurance than the generation which preceded our own, our habits are those of less bodily activity; the sport of the field, and the athletic games with which the village green formerly rung upon every military and civil holiday, are now abandoned, and we have become not merely a more thoughtful and earnest, but, it is to be feared, a duller, as well as a more effeminate, and less bold and spirited nation.?

Thirteen years after Marsh made his speech in Vermont, Fullerton Baird, in 1870; began his campaign to plant and establish rainbow trout as the world?s number one game fish.

My friends behold the dawn of both North American fly fishing and North American sport fishing literature.

I am not exactly sure where we are going next week, but rest assured it will be interesting.





The Report

Our lower mainland lakes fishing slow to fair. Try a slow troll or retrieve with a: Wooly Bugger, Leach, Dragon nymph, Halfback, or Baggy Shrimp.

The Fraser River is fair for cutthroat and dolly Varden. For cutthroat try: Rolled Muddler, Flesh Fly, Anderson Stone, Eggo, Chez Nymph, Big Black, black Stonefly Nymph, or Micro Leach.

The Vedder River is slow, for steelhead. Try GP, Squamish Poacher, Polar Shrimp, Popsicle, Big black, Flat Black, Eggo, or black Stonefly Nymph.

The Harrison River is fair for rainbow, and cutthroat. For rainbow try: Rolled Muddler, Zulu, Eggo, Chez Nymph, Big Black, Black Stone Nymph, Micro Leach.