British Columbia Fishing Blog

To be honest, fishing for bull trout in the Tidal Fraser River has been pretty tough for me so far this year. Unlike other years, after numerous blanked outings around my house, I gave up before freshet was even in full swing. Perhaps they were simply not excited about the usual lures and flies that I offer, or perhaps they were simply not at my usual haunts. It has been frustrating to say the least, but this is what targeting predatory species in the Tidal Fraser River is all about.

Seeing that we are finally getting some nice weather, we went down to one of the local beaches this afternoon so we could soak in the rays and make a few casts. Although the Fraser River is now pretty muddy due to freshet, you can still catch bull trout. The best method to do so is by bait when water condition is poor. It is not a technique that we use often, because using bait on a catch and release fishery seems to be a waste. Secondly, bull trout have a tendency to take the baited hook too deeply. We avoid this by not letting the fish biting on the bait for too long. Although completely legal, it is something that we choose to do once awhile so our impact on these fish is minimized.

The moderate westerly breeze from our back and the sun in front of us made it very comfortable. We had a great view of the river and our rods that sat firmly in the holders. Sea gulls hovered and rested on the pylons, celebrating after so many miserable spring days in April.

The bites came on pretty quickly, but it was the wrong species. The little twitches on the rod tip told me that sculpins were hungry. It did not take long before we brought one to the beach. These common sculpins can be a nuisance when bait fishing for bigger species, but we always release them with care because they are an important food source for bigger fish and birds.

The tide turned at 1:30pm. From past experiences, I have found that the bites come on soon after flood tides. Today was no different. While reeling in one rod, I spotted a couple of big tugs on the other rod. I called out for Nina to grab the rod. She pulled and the bend in the rod suggested a bigger fish on the line. The line suddenly became slack as she retrieved, but the fish was not lost. It was simply swimming toward us. One minute later, it emerged from the silty water and we were delighted to see a bull trout on the line.

Once it was released, it did not take long to hook the second, third and fourth fish. There was definitely a school of hungry bull trout in front of us. The largest fish of the day did not even want to wait for the bait to settle on the bottom before grabbing it. It was a solid fish, which probably has been feeding on plenty of salmon fry that are travelling down the Fraser River.

We decided to end the trip after two hours while the fishing was still pretty good. In total, we brought in five bull trout and lost a couple more, definitely not a bad way to start our weekend. Tomorrow we will be attending the 20th Great Salmon Send Off at Stoney Creek. We will be doing flytying workshops, arts and crafts for kids, as well as handing out reading material on both fresh and saltwater fisheries in the Lower Mainland. Be sure to come by for a chat!

Today we visited Buntzen Lake to finish up a filming project that will be published on the website soon. Buntzen Lake was stocked with 750 rainbow trout just over one week ago, so fishing should not be too bad. We were not there to catch fish, but having that expectation was motivating.

Surrounded by a fairly dense forest, Buntzen Lake is a lovely destination for Lower Mainland residents who sometimes only have one day to spare for fishing, hiking, horseback riding, picnicing.

Once we arrived at our chosen spot, I spotted a rise not too far from shore. I quickly tied on a small lure and casted toward it. It fell for it after two casts. I scooped up the fish for a photo after fighting it for a few seconds.

After finishing most of our filming, a couple more fish rose in front of us again. I proceeded to cast the lure out and as if it was planned, another fish grabbed it immediately. After releasing it, I made another cast and hooked another fish, which spat the hook after a few seconds. I made my third cast, another fish attacked the lure as it sank down. It made one giant leap and sent the lure flying back toward us.

Bonuses between filming sessions, it made the day at the office much easier!

Excitement built as we approached Noons Creek this morning, which one would always expect if we were going fishing. This was just as good, we were spending the day to enrich new stewards of our salmon. It was the annual Fingerling Festival, one of many community salmonid related events that take place every May.

Several months ago, organizer Dave Bennie phoned me up as usual, asking if I would like to be part of this year’s festival. Without hesitation, I said yes. Fishing trips lead to my absent in the last several years, the last time I participated was back in 2006, so I was quite eager to see what changes have taken place.

Among all community events in the Lower Mainland, the Fingerling Festival by far has the largest line-up of exhibitors. Over 50 nature groups, community hatcheries, streamkeepers and government agencies gathered under one roof today. It was as grand as a trade show, except the sales were awareness of ecosystems that are becoming increasingly vulnerable due to our everyday activities.

The Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC and my website teamed up again at this event. Mike Gass, who is responsible for community outreach at the Fraser Valley Trout Hatchery, brought an aquarium that was filled with rainbow trout, kokanee and brook char. I brought along a flatscreen TV that broadcasted video of work done to improve recreational fisheries in British Columbia. Throwing in a dozen different fish species identification cards and a table full of colouring papers, we were open for business.

At 11:00am, hundreds of parents with kids and strollers in hand began streaming into the arena. For four hours, we were surrounded by kids who were mesmerized by the aquarium and parents who were surprised by the vast availability of freshwater fishing in the Lower Mainland.

Outside the arena, there was a long line-up outside Noons Creek Hatchery where little white buckets were handed out. Each bucket, where anxious chum fry circled, was carried down to the edge of the creek by both little hands. With one tilt, these fingerlings were pour into the creek, marking the start of a long journey. This process repeated thousands of times throughout the day. Everytime a bucket was poured, a new steward was born. The Fingerling Festival is not just a fish playing game. Under all the fun, there is an important message that every participant takes home – Small creeks among residential areas are not storm drains, but important habitat for salmon and other aquatic living beings.

At the end of the festival, I asked Dave how the turnout was. He estimated it to be around 4,000. This event has grown incredibly since I last participated. What impressed me was this community’s volunteerism. Individuals at different ages, from all cultural backgrounds, came together for the day so this tiny creek will live on.

You can see more photographs from today’s Fingerling Festival on this page. If you missed today’s event, you have another chance! Next Saturday is the Great Salmon Send-off in Burnaby where you have the opportunity to release salmon fry into Stoney Creek, where salmon were absent until twenty years ago.

If you enjoy fishing the Chilliwack River, this may interest you.

There is a proposal out (in progress) with the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources to have a largish (25 hectares/50 football fields) gravel mine in the location of Larson’s Bench. This proposal may threaten the viability of the recreation fishery in the Chilliwack River.
 
The Fraser Valley Regional District has opposed this, for many reasons, such as it is near Pierce Creek ponds – an important salmon spawning area. It is also in close (less than 1km) to Chipmunk Creek Caves and the Chilliwack River. Other likely environmental impacts include silt, run-off, 10 acres to be logged). Unfortunately, the FVRD’s opposition may not be enough to stop it. Residents, businesses, clubs and others who may be impacted could also have an effect on the outcome.

There will be siginificant impacts on local residents and businesses with gravel trucks on the road if this proposal goes through. It is estimated that 47 round trips per day would be made by gravel trucks between Monday and Saturday. 
 
There is a website for more information and a link where you can sign an online petition:
 
http://www.stopthegravelpit.com
 
http://www.gopetition.com/online/35764.html
 
A petition is also at On The Way store and Pointa Vista Cafe, both on the Chilliwack Lake Road.

Those who fish it regularly know how siltation can affect the fishing, so one can only imagine how the fishing might be if this proposal is approved and possible impacts take place. While this is simply at the proposal stage, I encourage others to get involved by visiting the above websites and staying informed so there would be no regrets in a couple of years from now.

Randy Morgan of Hatch Match’r Fly and Tackle in Maple Ridge has a passion in introducing flyfishing to high school students. Each year, he hosts an year-end competition for several high school flyfishing clubs in Southern British Columbia. On April 25th 2010, we followed eighteen students, their parents and teachers as they took part in this year’s event. The competition includes catching the most and largest rainbow trout, flycasting contest and a team relay. In the team relay, each participant has a specific task in his or her team, such as assembling the fly gear, tying knots, catching a fish with the assembled outfit or netting a fish. The team that catches and nets the first fish with the assembled flyfishing outfit wins the race. We produced this video to inspire other parents and teachers around the world. You also can set up a local youth flyfishing club so your flyfishing skills and fish knowledge could be passed onto the next generation.

Photographs from the event can now be seen on this page.