Fishing report for Feb 16 to 23, 2009
Last week we finished of by stating that these next two books written in 1971 are all time classics in profiling facets of our BC sport fishery: “Kamloops: An Angler’s Study of the Kamloops trout,” by Steve Raymond and “The Steelhead Trout,” by Trey Combs.
1972 saw three books produced: “Fishin’ Holes of the West,” by Mike Cramond, “Sports-Fisherman’s Paradise,” by Walter F Silverton, and the first CORE (Conservation and Outdoor Recreation Education) manual, “Fish and Wildlife,” by The Department of Recreation and Conservation. The Core manual referenced sport fishing and sport fish along with wild life, survival and fire arms safety.
In 1973 there were six books produced: “In Search of Trout,” by Peter Barret. “Salmon Fishing with the Experts,” by Alec Merriman, “Northwest Sportsman’s Salt Water Salmon Guide,” by Jim Railton. “Fishing Moments of Truth,” by Jim Rikhoff and Eric Peper. “The Year of the Angler,” by Steve Raymond, and “How to Catch Trout,” by Lee Straight.
Lee Richardson penned the lone book of 1974 with the classic name of “You Should Have Been Here Yesterday.”
The ice is off many of our lower elevation lower mainland lakes. Fishing is fair to good on the lakes that are open, but you do need to remember that the water is still very cold which can make fish sluggish. For better success work the better oxygenated water close to shore in the north easterly sections of your chosen lake, with: Chironomid, Bloodworm, Baggy Shrimp, Zulu, Micro Leach, Halfback, Big Black, or Dragonfly Nymph; trolled of retrieved dead slow, close to shore in the north east sections of your favorite lake.
The Fraser River backwaters and sloughs are fishing well for cutthroat and dolly varden. For cutthroat try: Eggo, Flesh Fly, Rolled Muddler, Tied Down Minnow, Clouser’s Deep Minnow, Bucktail, Mickey Finn, Winter Stone, Coachman, American Coachman, Lioness, Zulu, Souboo, Big Black, Micro Leach, or Sixpack. For dolly varden try: large (#4 to #1) Flesh Fly, Eggo, Bucktail, Rolled Muddler, Zonker, Big Black, or Kaufmann’s Black Stone.
The Vedder River has been slow to fair lately for rainbow, dolly varden, and steelhead. For rainbow try: Eggo, Stonefly Nymph, Elk Hair Caddis, Tom Thumb, Zulu, Fire Ball, Irresistible, Adams, Renegade, Grasshopper, or Stimulator. For Steelhead try: Big Black, Flat Black, Squamish Poacher, Thor, Polar Shrimp, Popsicle, pink Eggo, Happy Hooker, or Kaufmann’s Black Stone.
The Harrison is fair to good for cutthroat, rainbow, and whitefish. For cutthroat try: Eggo, Rolled Muddler, Tied Down Minnow, Clouser’s Deep Minnow, Bucktail, Stonefly Nymph, Coachman, American Coachman, Fire Ball, Lioness, Zulu, Black Gnat, Souboo, or Sixpack. For whitefish try: small (size #16 to 12) Eggo, black Micro Leach, black Wooly Bugger, black Stonefly Nymph, or Flesh Fly.
The Chehalis River is slow to fair for rainbow, and steelhead.
The Stave River is fair for cutthroat, rainbow, and whitefish.
The Squamish River is fair for rainbow, cutthroat, and dolly varden.
Until the next time, “Keep your fly in the water”.