Weekly Fraser Valley Sport Fishing Column for Feb 22 to 29, 2016

Another legendary Cascadian angler estranged by the 49th parallel was Enos Bradner. Born in Powers Michigan; Bradner came west for a fishing trip in 1929, and never went back. The same Deer Creek, that had captured the hearts of Lambuth, McLeod, and Haigh-Brown, beguiled Bradner and soon after he opened Bradner?s Bookshop, at the Corner of Broadway and Olive, in Seattle Washington. Here he learned to tie flies, created his famous Brad?s Brat, and along with his good friend, Ken McLeod, founded the Washington Fly Fishing Club. In 1943 Bradner changed careers and became a successful writer for the Seattle Times. He also authored a handful of books and became a respected conservationist.

1929 was also the year, the yet undiscovered Lee Wulff returned to New York, after studying art in Paris. Lee Wulff who had been born in Valdez Alaska, studied engineering at Stanford, and art in France, was now an unsatisfied art director living Greenwich Village New York. His dissatisfaction and his love for the outdoors led him to pursue the life of a freelance writer and what today is known as a field editor. Wulff cut his costs and launched his new career, with a tent, fishing tackle, and a $3.50 a week, operating budget. From these humble beginnings, he impacted sport fishing like no one before him. Beginning in the streams of New Jersey and the Catskills; Wulff fished his way north into legendary brook trout and Atlantic salmon waters of Labrador, Newfoundland, and Quebec. It was there in on the east coast of Canada the Wulff name became ever allied with fly fishing.

Lee Wulff, pioneered the sport of blue fin tuna fishing in Newfoundland, and set two world records in the process. He introduced the world to the tremendous sport fishing in Labrador and Newfoundland, through writing, and film. He remains one of the most vocal advocates of short rod fly fishing and along with his wife Joan, established one of the world?s most prestigious fly fishing schools.

??As a pioneer in the use of extra light tackle for salmon, by 1940 I had come down to a seven foot, two and a half ounce fly rod? In 1943, in order to demonstrate to the most confirmed doubter, I eliminated the rod entirely from my tackle. Casting some thirty odd feet by hand, I hooked a ten pound salmon and played it by holding the reel in my right hand?? Lee Wulff





The Report

Our lower mainland lakes are fishing fair to good. Try: Chironomid, Bloodworm, Wooly Bugger, Doc Spratley, Halfback, Micro Leach, Pumpkinhead, or Baggy Shrimp.


The Fraser River along with its backwaters and sloughs are fishing slow to fair for cutthroat, rainbow, dolly Varden, and early steelhead. For cutthroat try: Rolled Muddler, Flesh Fly, Eggo, Professor, Silver Doctor, Borden Special, Zulu, or small black Stone Nymph. For dolly varden try: large Clouser?s Deep Minnow. Zonker, Eggo, Flesh Fly, Dolly Whacker, or Kauffman Stone. For rainbow try: Czech nymph, Cased Caddis, Coachman, Rolled Muddler, Mico Leach, or Zulu. For steelhead try: Big Black, Flat Black, Squamish Poacher, Polar Shrimp, Popsicle, GP, Steelhead Nightmare, or Kauffman Stone.

The Harrison River is fair to good for cutthroat and rainbow.

The Vedder River is fair to good for rainbow and steelhead.