Weekly Fraser Valley Sport Fishing Column

[fishingnewsman]

Weekly Fraser Valley Sport fishing column for July 1 to 8, 2013


It is finally July, the sun as come out to stay for awhile, and the kids are out of school; which all come together to usher in our customary North American Vacation Season. With this in mind and keeping with our series of the last few months, we believe it is a good time to look at our popular Cascadian sport fish species.

We will begin with the world's most popular invasive fish species the rainbow trout. I know the thought of the noble rainbow as an invasive species could scramble your brain a bit, but in many water systems rainbow trout are invasive. Does this make the rainbow a villain? Possibly and possibly not; as with all change it depends on the test of time, and which side of the glass one looks through.

For the most part rainbow trout are resident to streams in the pacific coast drainage that have an unobstructed connection to large river systems. It was from these networks of rivers and streams the connected lakes were colonized. The question of which came first, lake dwelling rainbow or the steelhead is of the same paradox as the chicken and the egg. This need for an unobstructed connection to a large sea going river, left many of our prized inland rainbow trout lakes barren of fish, until stocking began in late 1800s.

Some waters were stocked from lake and stream systems near by while others were seeded from far away hatcheries. The first of these hatcheries was established in 1887, on the McCloud River in California, by a retired preacher named Livingston Stone. Stone sent countless numbers of his protegee to: England, France, Germany, Switzerland, Mexico, countless points in the US, and yes, Canada too.

So here's the question; is Livingston Stone the patriarch of many well established rainbow trout fisheries, or the patriarch of the world's most popular invasive species. It's all in who you ask and how you look at it!


The Report

Fishing on our lower mainland lakes is well. Now, that the heat is on, your best fishing will be found in the early morning and evenings. For wet (sinking) fly fishing try: Bloodworm, Nations Black, Zulu, Wooly Bugger, Wooly Worm, Pumpkin Head, Micro Leach, Doc Spratley, Halfback, Sixpack, or Baggy Shrimp. For dry (floating) fly action try: Lady McConnel, Tom Thumb, Irresistible, Double Hackled Peacock, Royal Coachman, Black Gnat, Griffith Gnat, or Elk Hair Caddis. For kokanee try: Scarlet Ibis, San Juan Worm, Double Trude, Blood Worm, Kokanee Thriller, Kokanee Zonker, or Red Spratley.

Our lower Mainland bass and panfish waters are fishing well. For Bass try: Big Black, Wooly Bugger, Gomphus Bug, Crayfish, Clouser's Deep Minnow, Lefty's Deceiver, Dolly Whacker, Bucktail, Hair Frog, Poppers, Chernobyl Ant, or Stimulator. For Panfish try smaller (size 12 to 16) versions of the above.

Our interior lakes are fishing in the very good category. For wet fly fishing try: Chironomid, Bloodworm, Halfback Nymph, Baggy Shrimp, Pumpkin Head, Wooly Bugger, Big Black, Dragon Nymph, Sixpack, 52 Buick, or Doc Spratley. For dry fly fishing try: Lady McConnel, Tom Thumb, Adams, Irresistible, Renegade, Black Gnat, or Elk Hair Caddis.