Weekly Fraser Valley Sport Fishing Column, Oct 19 to 26, 2015

As the first decade of the twentieth century was drawing to a close, the glory day of North American sport fishing adventures began to glow on the horizon.

It was the fall of 1909, and a 13 year old Roscoe Vernon Gaddis had moved to Montana with his parents. What he experienced there, at the foot of Horse-shoe Falls, influenced and shaped the boy who would become television fisherman, ?Gadabout Gaddis, for the rest of his life.

??at the foot of the falls I observed some fish I?d never seen before. They were beautiful fish-red stripped and black dotted-and looked to weigh an average of about four pounds?

No sooner had I put the line into the water than I nearly lost it. I?d hooked an enormous rainbow-at least six or seven pounds. And he was doing tricks I?d never seen before??

Meanwhile further west and north of Montana, a Texan named John Millar was running a road house and trap Line at Summit Lake BC, along the Pemberton Trail. In 1910 Summit was renamed Alta Lake, and a year later while Millar was selling furs in Vancouver he met Alex and Myrtle Philips. Mr. & Mrs. Philips were from the state of Maine had heard much about the almost unbelievably good fishing in British Columbia. On the basis of what they had heard they had travelled west, with the plan of establishing a successful fishing resort. Millar told them of fabulous fishing in Alta Lake and for the next three years Mr. & Mrs. Philips traveled back and forth from the lake to Vancouver while building their Lodge. When the Pacific Great Eastern Railway reached Alta Lake, Rainbow Fishing Lodge was ready for guests. In the valley below Whistler Mountain, for thirty four years the Philips operated Rainbow Fishing Lodge, which for a time rivaled Banff in popularity.


The Report

Our lower mainland lakes are fishing fair to good. 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.


Our local bass are fishing well. 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.

Fishing on our interior lakes is fair to good. 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 Fraser River is good for Coho, spring, chum. For coho try: Coho Blue, Christmas Tree, olive or black Wooly Bugger, Coho killer, Bite Me, or Rolled Muddler. For spring try: Big Black, GP, Flat Black, Squamish Poacher, Popsicle, or Kauffman?s black Stone. For chum try: Popsicle, Flat Black, Christmas Tree, Dec 25th, Met Green, or Holliman.

The Harrison River is fair to good for cutthroat, coho, spring, and chum . For cutthroat try: Rolled Muddler, American Coachman, Tied Down Minnow, Stone Nymph, Eggo, Cased Caddis, Czech Nymph, Hares Ear Nymph, or Irresistible.

The Vedder River is good for: Coho, spring, and chum.