We all need to get a bit more creative if we are going to continue to enjoy fish with fuel cost the way they are.
I have to confess that I rarely talk about my catches because being good at what I do, I don't want to discorage the efforts off a novice just starting out. After much thought on the subject I think I my have been wrong on being so closed mouthed.
I was also told by one of my passed editors (No I won't mention his name) to keep my mouth shut about undiscoved fisheries and to focus on writing about only the well publiczed ones. He went as far as to tell me that if I did not head his warning I would be blackballed.
Well my wife and I have done some soul searching after a long talk with Tom Johannesen over coffee at the Boat & Sportsman's Show and dessided that we need to share more.
So here goes:
There are good fisheries here on the lower mainland, but to see success you need to do your homework.
First you need to understand the feeding patterns of the fish you are after and everything that effect those feeding patterns both possitively and negatively. You can have good fishing here all year round if you ajust your tachtic in accordance to my above statement. Obseration and analisis is the key. If you think this sound like sience, you are right and it is called Picatology (the sience of sport fishing).
Second don't join the Rainbow & Coho only club; learn to fish for all speices. Take a lesson for the kids; all fish are fun. If you want to experince 100 fish days here in the lower mainland learn to fish Crappies, they will ablige you.
I have good fishing yera round 5 minets from my door in Mission.
#1 the Stave:
This river has given me 35 lb Springs, 28 lb Chum, 20 lb Coho, 10 lb Pinks, and 4 lb Rainbows, all on the fly. The action during it's summer stonefly hatch is compareable to our interior rivers. Again I didn't just go there and walk away with these fish, it took time and study. The point it the fish are there.
#2 Whonnock Lake:
This lake is the closest thing to a Cariboo lake I have seen in the lower mainland, it's one continuous rolling weedbed. This is where I perfected my dry fly skills. During the summer this lake has a terrific trico hatch and during this time a fish every cast is not an unrealistic expectation. This lake has given me Rainbow and Cutties to 2 pounds, while I have heard of lunkers to 5 lb. As well I have caught Crappies to numerus to count and seen others catch these slabs up to 3 lb off the dock.
#3 Hatzic:
This lake is a sleeper I have caught litteral boat loads of Crappies and Cattfish there since the early 70's. I have found the Crappies here to be bigger and better fighters than those in Whonnock. While I have not cracked the code to consistant action on this lakes Bass and Carp, they are there and in trophy sizes.
Further afeild within an hour:
Weaver lake:
Exelent fishery for willing Raindows who have a passion for Leach patterns and Baggy shrimp.
Lafarge Lake:
Great early season fishery. I use to take my daughters and their fiends there to catch (note I said catch) fish when I lived in Port Coquitlam. One of the best kid fish lake I know this side fo Clinton. An afternoon there trolling Doc Spratleys provide enough action to hook any kid for life.
Burrard Inlet:
Every gravel beach offers good opertunites for Sole, Flounder, Greenling, and Searun Cutthroat. Also there is a hole just off Admeralty Point that over the years has given me many limits of Crabs and Yellow california Rockfish.
The Veddar:
Everybodies favorite lower mainland river except mine. All the reports are true, this is a termenus fish producer. It is also a tremenus croud producer which turns me off. I have fished this river numerous time durning summer evening when the crouds have left and found it to be a very good Trout river, producing Rianbow and Cutthoat to 1.5 lb.
Further afeild within 4 hours:
Botiney Lake:
Great fish producer. This lake is so good that I never needed to put the boat in. Taught my oldest daughter to target fish dries there off shore. We just walked out to a point once the shadows started and I showed her to anticipate a target fishes feeding pattern by watching the rises and then catch that fish by placing the fly in it's path. All are in the 1 to 1.5 lb range and tremenuos evening dry fly action.
The Thompson River:
This river has me hooked, not that I catch great numbers of fish their I don't. Not to say it skucks me though, rarely do I go fishless there, I just don't catch large numbers. What holds my interest is ths challenge of large hard fighting wild rainbow and the fact that this river has given me as many 20 to 24 inch fish as any place I have ever fished. While I have yet to land one it's hard fighting Springs on my fly rod, I have land both Pink and Sockeye on the fly there. If you want the challenge of a true fly fishers river this is it.
The Nicola River:
This was my classroom for pefecting my skills for fly fishing rivers. This often overlooked river running from Merrit to Spences Bridge hold good numbers of Trout. This river can frustrate you, but I promise you once you learn how to raise is selective residents you will know how to catch fish in any of our provinces streams. Best option Stone nymphs, Hoppers, Stimulators, and Minnow pattens (I know fisheries say resident interior Rainbows don't eat minnows "WRONG").
4, 5, & 6 Mile lakes:
These are those little pot hole lake on the side of the road between 20 mile and Clinton. Yes the ones you fly by on your way to 100 Mile. These lakes are good producers of Easten Brook Trout like to 5 lb (I know I fish them). Try a Royal Coachman Dry here on evening or just walk the shore and look down into the water with your poloriods, I think you will be surprised.
These are a few that won't cost you an arm and a leg to get to. There are lots more: Kelly Lake, Pare Lake, Fountain Lake, Crown Lake, Leighwood Lake, Little Big Bar Lake, Beaver Dam Lake. All good and consistant producers. So lets here some of your close to home favorites.
My final tips:
If everybody and his brother is going to said lake go somewhere else. If there is a lodge on the lake that is a negative. If there are cabins on a lake that is a negative. If you have to beat the snot out of you 4wheel drive to get to a lake it is most likely baren or over poplated mening small fish. Lastly some of the best fishing I have found has been beside a paved highway.
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Topic: Angling at during the gas price crunch (Read 6421 times)