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[Flytech]

Sorry to de-rail the thread a bit here, but has anyone been out to the stave in the past week? Are the water levels extremely high like last year or is back to "normal" levels?

Water is very low this year as there hasn't been much rain. The dam is releasing a little slower.


The Stave is the typical gong show right now. So many Eastern European snaggers hauling in black bellies by their tail, and keeping them, blech.

[Nicolas The Fisherman]

I use 12lb maxima ultragreen mainline with a 10lb seaguar fluorocarbon leader for all of the river fishing I do. (Sometimes I use a lighter leader especially when targeting coho.) I rarely lose fish. Well that's a bit of a lie but I usually only lose them if the hook pops out like what Flytech mentioned. If you check your leader for signs of wear regularly, there shouldn't be any problems, unless of course you hook some hog of a fish in the fast water. The key is to actually fight the fish and to actually use your reel. Too often I see guys walking backwards when the fish is just hooked and they don't let any line out with their drags tightened to the max. Of course you will lose fish this way. Lol take a deep breath, relax and enjoy the fight of the fish. Just my 2 cents.

[BCfisherman97]

Yup just Eastern Europeans...

[NiceFish]

Water is very low this year as there hasn't been much rain. The dam is releasing a little slower.


The Stave is the typical gong show right now. So many Eastern European snaggers hauling in black bellies by their tail, and keeping them, blech.

Thanks for the update.

That's the typical scene at the stave for sure! No spots are secret there, but the ones they can't bottom bounce in seem to provide some measure of distance and peace.

[Flytech]

Yup just Eastern Europeans...

Not just, but I would say 60% of the fishermen fishing for chum at the Stave, are...


Hell I'm there. Quit looking for a fight.

[JBB]

Let me clarify . I generally drift fish jigs for chum and I seldom have a knot or leader break. I use 12lb leaders with no difficulty. When I switched to a spey rod I use loop to loop
connections using a 20lb butt section on the sink tip with a  perfection loop. The leader ( 12-15 lb ) has a perfection loop as well. It was the loops on the leader that were breaking . Using a Rio braided loop on the sinktip seems to have solved the problem. Someone told me today that the perfection loop can be a weak link.

[milo]

The Stave is the typical gong show right now. So many Eastern European snaggers hauling in black bellies by their tail, and keeping them, blech.

In thick Slavic accent: mind your own business, comrade. You don't want to pi$$ Boris off.
You really don't.

[Hoop71]

Was at the Stave yesterday. Water quite low as stated earlier. Lots of flossers as per usual.

Love watching people haul the fish 20 feet onto the rocks then ask their buddy "do you want to keep it?"

Anyways the fishing was good as I landed about 7 fish and lost another 6 or so.

Took my dad for the first time fishing for chum and he loved it.

[Kever]

Thanks for the report hoop. Stoked for some bobber down tomorrow!

[halcyonguitars]

I was running 15 mono main and 10lb leader for chums today, no prob. Just set the drag a touch loose and be patient. Was using a 10' 6" river rod of that makes any difference...

[Spawn Sack]

Let me clarify . I generally drift fish jigs for chum and I seldom have a knot or leader break. I use 12lb leaders with no difficulty. When I switched to a spey rod I use loop to loop
connections using a 20lb butt section on the sink tip with a  perfection loop. The leader ( 12-15 lb ) has a perfection loop as well. It was the loops on the leader that were breaking . Using a Rio braided loop on the sinktip seems to have solved the problem. Someone told me today that the perfection loop can be a weak link.

I've been into a fair # of chum on my 8wt spey the last week or so. I'll tell you what I do and I never (well almost never) have issues with knots busting.

My sink tip has a factory loop on it. I use the RIO MOW tips. I take a piece (2-3 feet) of 15lb Maxima UG and tie a loop on the end so I can loop-to-loop it to my sink tip. I've tried the perfection loop and found it a pain to tie. I just use the one that is two overhand knots...I think called a surgeon's loop I've never this knot bust. From here I tie in 2-3 feet of tippet. Usually 10 or 12 lb UG. I use a double surgeon's knot. If fishing lighter line than this for trout I'll go tripple S.

I find a blood knot connection just as reliable but much harder to tie on the river esp with cold hands.

With some other btands of mono maybe 20lb would be better looped to the sink tip, but I find UG pretty thick for its rating and I havent had 15lb cut through my tip loop yet and I've had to snap off the odd foul hooked chum or humpy.

IMO connecting mono to flouro with whatever knot is asking for a break. With loop-to-loop maybe not an issue. When I have had knots bust it has been connecting M to F with a blood knot or surgeon's knot. Maybe it depends on the brand/quality of the M and F? I've had no issues with F to F or M to M.

Also IMO flouro totally unecessary for chum. They are not leader shy. People say it is more abrasion resistant and sinks better. I personally have not noticed I catch any more fish with F than M. I just like good old UG and sue it for most of my leaders for salmon and trout. The odd time if I'm into some really picky coho I'll break out the spool of 6 or 8lb expensive Seaguar flouro. Honestly I don't think it makes a diff but it gives me a bit more confidence.

[JBB]

Thanks Spawn Sack
     That information is just what I was looking for . Are you fishing the Stave or the Vedder ? 

[bigsnag]

............the perfection loop can be a weak link.

It is the weak link.  The perfection loop is great for joining butt section of 20,25 and 30lb together loop to loop.
For your sinktips, if they have loops on already, I do the same set up as Spawn Sack: 15 lb UG butt, surgeon loop to sink tip. I only use 8-10 lb UG for tippet, and keep everything under 5-6 feet.

[Spawn Sack]

I agree with bigsnag. Keep butt section + tippet to 5-6 feet max. I'd even go 3-4 feet if the water is colored up. For steelhead I run about 3 feet of straight Maxima UG.

IMO 8-10lb tippet has the breaking strength to land chum and springs with this setup, but I like the bit of extra line thickness to (hopefully) keep the teeth from sawing through my line. This normally happens when trying to release the fish and it's thrashing side to side in the water. I find I can still snap off 12lb by straightening the rod, but to each their own fish whatever tippet you like and works for you. My buddy only fishes Seaguar Blue Label leader/tippet on his gear and fly rods, uses only the clear floats, split shot instead of pencil lead, and he doesn't catch any more than me and others with mono leaders and foam dink floats

I fish the Vedder as I live nearby. I've never fished the Stave but would like to try some day. I also fish the Fraser as I have a river boat too

Won't be spey fishing for a while Last time I was out I broke the tip Wasn't even overloading the tip at all it just broke playing a stinky pink!! Guy at Fred's said that where it broke and how it broke the rod definitley had a chip in it. I am VERY careful with this rod and keep it in the hard case when not in use. However when learning to cast I stupidly used a weighted fly and a few casts wacked into the upper section of the rod. I think from now on I'll stick to unweighted flys and if I need to get down more just buy a heavier tip(s).  I think it will take min a month for the new piece and I had to pay $50 I think it was processing fee. Oh well I have many gear rods and I enjoy gear fishing too.