Vol. 13 No. 48

TIMING!

One of the toughest questions that I get up here is when friends and clients ask: When is the best time to come to the Ste-Marguerite River?

Back in the "Good ‘ole Days", any time starting from the middle of June out until the end of July would have been the simple (and correct) answer, but that all changed in 2002 though when returns dropped dramatically and the river also went to mandatory C&R for adult salmon.

PALE MORNING DUNS (Part 6)

Here on the local spring creeks of Paradise Valley the late evening spinner falls are ignored by 97% of the anglers. Generally, by the time the spinners come down and hit the water, most of the anglers have left the creeks. But those few who do stay are amply rewarded with some of the finest dry fly action of the day.

MINIMALISM

Have you taken a trip to the grocery store lately? What about the mall, or even your local fly fishing shop? If you have you have undoubtedly noticed that we have too many choices. Take a trip down the cereal aisle at your local food store. How many different 'flavors' of Cheerios™ do we need? If you have examined the bins at your local fly shop you might well ask yourself the same question about certain imitations.

AMERICAN DREAM

Sitting in the canoe, floating about the Martindale Reservoir watching big fish of unknown origin rising and flopping to even more unknown insects and then having the distinct pleasure and honor of hooking a couple of the mystery fish is perhaps the ultimate American Dream. It turns out our these specific fish were large (five pounds?) Rainbows. The question mark is because we didn’t get even one to hand. How about that for experts fishing? Not.

DO NUTHIN'

At last I have another chance to get out and fish a pond. It’s still too wet to get the canoe into any place that requires a drive, which is most of the ponds that I fish. I grab two rods, some flies and head into a pond that it not too far to hike into.

UPPER COLUMBIA FLYFISHER

When I received this book from Amato Publications I realized that I had never considered the Columbia River as a fly fishing stream. I noted that the author was not writing about the entire Columbia River but the "upper Columbia," or the "Shining Reach."

A GHOST STORY

Growing up in Scotland, I had lots of adventures in the great outdoors. In my teens, my friends and I would spend our summers camping by the Wharry burn (Creek) on Sherriffmuir. This is a beautiful spot where an inconclusive battle took place on November 13, 1715 as part of a Jacobite rebellion. The whole area is steeped in antiquity.

JIG HOOK CRAWDAD

This is my copy of an existing fly that does well for bass. I am told it is tied commercially as, Craig Reindeau's "Hairy Fodder" fly. I have seen similar flies tied in articles by others. It can be tied in numerous color combinations and sizes. I use size 4 and 2/0 hooks.

PODCAST #6 - Brian Chan

Brian Chan has been fortunate enough to live and work for the past 35 years in Kamloops, British Columbia. Kamloops is world famous for its rainbow trout, being strategically situated in the centre of hundreds of productive stillwater trout lakes. It is often referred to as the "Yellowstone of the North". It is here that Brian, as a provincial fisheries biologist, managed the recreational stillwater trout fisheries in the Thompson/Nicola Region, and developed his fishing skills.