Weekly Fraser Valley Sport Fishing Column, July 13 to 20, 2015


Two things spurred an even greater interest in North American sport fishing, during the decade of the 1860?s: The birth of the weekly sport fishing column in weekly and daily news papers and the end of the American Civil War.

George Dawson is credited as the father of all sport fishing columns in North American News Papers. His first columns were written for the Albany Weekly Journal in 1860?61. Dawson also holds the noble distinction of producing North America?s first sport fishing book devoted solely to the art of fly fishing, ?Pleasures of Angling with Rod and Reel for Trout and Salmon," in 1876.

By the mid 1860?s there were sport fishing columns appearing in many daily and weekly newspapers. With this glut of information in both news papers and magazines, anxious anglers, particularly those traveling by train, could read of: Samuel Farmer catching sixteen brook trout for a gross weight of 100 pounds, in the Rangeleys of Maine, and the next day tales of catching 40 to 70 pound Chinook salmon on the west coast, followed the day after, with a story of large cutthroat trout caught at Fort Benton on the Missouri River.

?This fine trout abounds in the headwaters of the Missouri, up to their sources on the eastern slope of the mountains, and a few were taken at and near Fort Benton by the soldiers, all of them large ones. They bit readily at almost any artificial fly: also at insects, meat ... after they had been tempted with grasshoppers. Officers and men, nearly all who were not on duty, would crowd the banks of the beautiful mountain streams, and catch as many as the whole command of three hundred men could eat every day and with tackle of all kinds, from a rude stick with a piece of common twine ? to the most refined outfit of the genuine trout-fisher?
J G Cooper, 1860.




The Report

Fishing on our lower mainland lakes is slow to fair. Summer tactics are the key. For wet (sinking) fly fishing try: Chironomid, Wooly Bugger, Doc Spratley, Halfback, Micro Leach, Six Pack, Souboo, Pumpkinhead, Damsel Nymph, American Coachman, or Baggy Shrimp. For dry (floating) fly fishing try: Lady McConnell, Big Ugly, Elk Hair Caddis, Griffith Gnat, Irresistible, or Royal Coachman. For kokanee try: Bloodworm, San Juan Worm, Red Spratley, Red Ibis, Double Trude, or small Red Zonker.

Our local bass and panfish waters are good. For bass try: Foam Frog, Poppers, Chernobyl Ant, Stimulator, Adult Damsel, Adult Dragon, Big Black, Wooly Bugger, Dragon Nymph, Pumpkinhead, Dolly Whacker, Lefty?s Deceiver, or Clouser?s Deep Minnow. For Panfish try Bloodworm, Chironomid, Micro Leach, Pumpkinhead, Popper, Black Gnat, Trico, Mosquito, or Royal Coachman.

Fishing on our interior lakes is slow to fair. For wet fly fishing try: Chironomid, Big Black, 52 Buick, Dragon Nymph, Halfback, Butler?s Bug, Doc Spratley, Green Spratley, Pumpkinhead, Green Carey, Damsel Nymph, Dragon Nymph, or Baggy Shrimp. For dry fly fishing try: Tom Thumb, Double Hackled Peacock, Elk hair Caddis, Goddard Caddis, Royal Wulff, or Irresistible.

The Thompson River is good for rainbow. Try: Rolled Muddler, Kaufmann Stone, Stimulator, Joe?s Hopper, Tom Thumb, Irresistible, or Elk Hair Caddis.