Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum
Fishing in British Columbia => General Discussion => Topic started by: pnKroK on December 26, 2009, 09:24:52 AM
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Not sure if this is a redudant question, but I've always liked river fishing. Of course the salmon are great, but the crowds are never really that fun...but then again...I don't always need to fish for salmon.
I've always thought of fishing for trout on a river but never bothered because I didn't know if it was truly possible?
I have a fly rod that I typically use on the lake and haven't really done any river fishing with it. My floating line that I bought with the rod has never seen water and probably should get some exposure. Just wondering if anyone could give any suggestions on places to go that aren't that busy, but still fun to fish for trout. Now...I realize that being in the lower mainland...finding something like that its next to impossible, but I figure since everyone is always so salmon crazy, I can find that little hole in the river where the trout are hanging out and everyone else just can't be bothered! Wishful thinking.
Thanks in advance.
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Salmon fishing has ended until next summer.
Every stream in the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley produce cutthroat trout (http://www.fishingwithrod.com/fish_profile/cutthroat_trout1.html), rainbow trout (http://rainbow trout) and bull trout (http://www.fishingwithrod.com/fish_profile/bull_trout.html), some are just more productive than others. Squamish River, Cheakamus River, Stave River, Chilliwack River, Chehalis River are just some of the larger systems that are worth trying. There are of course smaller, more intimate systems as well, such as Little Campbell and Serpentine in Surrey, small North Lower Fraser tributaries between Mission and Hope.
No specific spots are mentioned for a couple of reasons. One being spotlight of specific spots generate crowding, a concern which you've already addressed. Two being these species are more mobile than salmon in streams, so more emphasis should be placed on how to hunt for these fish than where to stand and wait for them to find you.
These three species are mainly focusing on loose salmon eggs that are drifting off redds and pieces of flesh from carcasses. Whether you are flyfishing or float fishing with gear, egg patterns or big pieces of flesh patterns produce well. We've also done well by casting and retrieving small spoons. Just because they are feeding on specific food items, it does not mean other presentations would not produce, just not as much.
Good luck.
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Yeah...I was just wondering if its worth it to walk up the seymour or chilliwack with a rod and try each pool.
I guess really theres only one way to find out.
I guess other than asking for people's little honey hole, I'd like to know which rivers are worth hiking. I'm not looking for monster fish, just a day on the river with a nice light spincast or my fly rod. I like heading up to squamish as well, I went up there this fall with a friend to watch the pinks going up. There were tonnes of pinks going up the squamish valley.
I've never bothered trying for trout on the river, just kinda figured there were none there. I've heard of them being there and I even saw an old guy with a bobber and worms on the chilliwack and he seemed to be pulling them out of there like they were going out of style.
Thanks for the info so far.
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You're fly rod will work well with a floating line, indicator, and an egg fly. Dead drift the eggs and add some small split shot 12 to 18 inches above the egg to get the fly down quickly. Fish below what looks like good spawning water for salmon, the trout will be there.
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I grew up fly fishing in the Okanagan and am just starting to get back into it here on the lower mainland. Does anyone have any idea if the flies used in the interior would be useful in the rivers here, or is it a totally different ball of wax here. Any recommendations with respect to the standard trout flies used here? I tie my own and would like to get some idea of what works here before I head out to try my luck. Thanks in advance.
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Cutthroat in the Chilliwack? pffft yeah right.... waste of time. Chilliwack river is probably the last river in the LM that i would go to fish for resident trout (except early July lol), let alone cutthroat.
If you really want good river fishing in the LM you need to drive. You need to drive north west of pemberton, or at least the very north end of Harrison and fish the lliloet river. There you will find more dollies than you can shake a stick at, and chances are you will have a tug by the time your setup has hit the surface of the water.
Harrison river will offer great cutthroat opportunity, probably the best in LM, but you need a boat to properly cover that system and you really need to work hard to get anything of decent size!
great hints.
thanks.
what areas in Pemberton do you suggest better?
better access to bars, and others..
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great hints.
thanks.
what areas in Pemberton do you suggest better?
better access to bars, and others..
The Birkenhead `River has resident trout and char as well.
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Ok...so this past weekend I hiked Gold Creek up in Golden Ears Provincial park with my girlfriend. She used to work there and mentioned that she'd seen people fishing along the creek.
I found a few good spots where there are good sized pools which might hold some fish.
I guess its mainly up to me just to head out there one day and start casting in to some of the pools. Just wondering if anyone's actually tried fishing Gold creek?
Also, I was thinking of reviving my old closed face spin casting rod. My dad bought it for me in Finland quite a few years ago and I don't really use it much anymore. It still works great, I just need to put new line on it.
Any suggestions on what type of lures I can use with the spin casting rod in a river/creek?
I'd eventually like to start using my fly rod, but I don't think I'm there with my casting.
thanks in advance
DOH! I jsut read rodney's response and saw the mention about lures and such. I guess i'll just head up there with the spin caster and use some spoons/spinners? Would it be worth just to float fish? Any set-ups that you guys can think of that might work?
-rob C
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Rob,
The greatest quality an angler can have to be successful is curiosity. Experiment with things and you will be rewarded, I know I have.
Cheers
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I have spent a bit of time fishing gold creek, years ago. It's a beautiful stream but is extremely low nutrient, very little bug life, and no influx of spawning kokanee as nearly all of the alloutte kokanee are shore spawners.
There are small trout that will come to dries or nymphs in some of the pools, but in my experience they are neither large nor plentiful. I have never tried upstream of the bridge, only from the bridge down to the lake.
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For tiny tiny trout, I choose the smallest spoon that I can find (1/16oz, etc) and use the smallest hook possible. One problem with targeting small trout with lures is that a hook with a large gap can kill the fish instantly by penetrating through the head instead of just the jaw edge. Size 6, or 8 are as small as I use on the spoons. If I need to use hooks that are smaller than that, then it would be time to flyfish with a small fly. I wouldn't worry too much about not being able to cast. One of the best ways to improve is to actually just go out and do it even if it means the possibility of snapping the rod due to frustration at the end of the day. ;D I still go through those phases at times. :-\
Good luck.
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--I wouldn't worry about being a good fly caster, I would of course help if you have shy fish, small stream.
--You could catch fish with dry fly just dabbling off the end of the rod and not even casting.
--Don't overlook faster water in smaller rivers. Often the fish are feeding in faster water, especially if you cannot see the bottom. Some fish at least have enough brains to not venture out with no cover from birds.
--In stead of split shot on a fly leader get some sinking tippets if you don't want to buy sink tip. The leaders come in different length and sink rates.
--If you find you are fishing similar water you may start to custom make your own sink tips, different length and sink rates. Any fly shop should be able to show you how to customize your lines and tips.
--Same with your spin gear start with the usual and then customize to your style or river. Don't overlook jigs, you will likely have to custom make on smaller hooks for smaller fish as Rodney hinted reasons to use smaller hooks to match expected fish size. Strike indicators may have enough float for light weight spoons or weighted flies on spin gear.
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hey everyone...thanks again for all the posts.
Finally i'm gonna get a weekend to head out and try my hand at some river fishing for trout. I was gonna head up to gold creek up in golden ears park. there are some mountain biking trails there too, so i'm gonna try to hit those up as well.
Just wondering if there is really a "good season" or time of year for trout fishing on a river? Am I really wasting my time on the river at this time of year, does it work kind of the same as lakes?
Thanks,
-rob C
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IMO Gold Creek is a waste of time. You might find a few tiddlers if your lucky but thats about it.
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any recommendations on where to go?
I was thinking of heading up to hope and trying the river along the silver skagit road (skagit river?).
Or maybe some estuaries up in squamish.
I guess thats part of fishing, just trying my luck in different/new places.
-rob C
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You always have a chance with whitefish, dollys, and trout especially right now.
Some times when steelheading I would change up to a small nymph fly under a float and hook the above mentioned fish just so I wouldn't go home with out connecting... on med-light gear which I have for steelheading they can still be fun although a light fly rod/spinning rod would be great for the smaller fish.
I agree with what rodney says about the large hook killing small fish... I find small flys work best for c&r and they work good too.
Good luck
Just saw you post after I typed this, and just about every river has the above mentioned fish in it even the vedder and the best part is no one is targeting them, and with the added bonus you can get a steelie too
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yeah..cool!
After reading articles and blogs from Rodney, it gets me pumped to try for other fish.
Sure, salmon are great fun to try and catch, but in my mind...with a light rod and line, its just as much fun trying for the other fish.
I could be wrong, but trout in a river are probably highly under-rated. Maybe i don't get out there enough and see people fishing, but i'd rather fish for trout and other fish at this time of year, rather than deal with the crowds during a huge (not anymore) salmon run.
thanks for the patience and replies!
-rob C
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Make sure to pack a copy of the freshwater fishing regulations synopsis which is available for free at any tackle shop.
Good luck out there.
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The "other fish" can also be located in different parts of the river than typical salmon holding water. I remember when I first came here from the okanagon with my light spinning rod and fly rod fishing the vedder. I had good sized fish(about 12"+) chasing and following my lures and fly's often...although not always connecting. I'd sometimes fish the water that people would be wading in and sometimes I'd be fishing behind them... and getting results.
And dolly's can get pretty big too.
I also found it funny when people though I was "wasting my time" by not fishing for the species that most other people were targeting... I was having lots of fun hunting trout that they probably didn't even know were there, and that's all that matters!
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Always remember that if theres no food for the fish to feed on, then the pool your fiishing will have no fish right scout out the locations that you want to fish. See if theres surface activity and if there's small baitfish swimming around or insects landing on the surface of the water, then you might have a chance with the right presentation. If you know what the fish are feeding on then you will know which lure to use. thats my two cents Good luck.
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I was thinking of heading up to hope and trying the river along the silver skagit road (skagit river?).
Trout streams may seem very inviting, but many are closed and have strict regulations.
The stream you are talking about is the Silverhope creek and it is closed right now above the Lake. Below has a bait ban and is catch and release.
Whenever you see a stream that you want to try....check the regs first.
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I like fishing for salmon, but actually, I find trout fishing way more interesting that salmon. There are some OK trout streams in the lower mainland, you probably have driven over a bunch of them if you own a car, others are a bit more off the beaten path. Check them out, and you may be surprised.
Also the best fishing for resident trout can be had when it starts warming up. There are some beautiful costal cutties around the LML.
Sure, salmon are great fun to try and catch, but in my mind...with a light rod and line, its just as much fun trying for the other fish.
I could be wrong, but trout in a river are probably highly under-rated. Maybe i don't get out there enough and see people fishing, but i'd rather fish for trout and other fish at this time of year, rather than deal with the crowds during a huge (not anymore) salmon run.
thanks for the patience and replies!
-rob C
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at stave river their is a lot of salmon fry all the river needs is some rain and it will be loaded with trout. I was their yesterday on my kayak and say tons of salmon fry.
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at stave river their is a lot of salmon fry all the river needs is some rain and it will be loaded with trout. I was their yesterday on my kayak and say tons of salmon fry.
You take your kayak in the stave.... how is it? and I assume you launch on the east side, which I have never been to. I also have a kayak (14' sot) and was thinking about paddling it but the last time I was there I was on the west side and the current seemed to be moving a fair bit, and made me a little nervous. But being that I live some what close to it I'd like to give it a go.
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I've taken my kayak out in the stave a few times during chum/coho season and haven't had too many problems. It's a bit shorter (around 9'), and I always launch on the west side. Another good place to try the kayak out is the Nicomen Slough, it can have good cuttie fishing as well.
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I've taken my kayak out in the stave a few times during chum/coho season and haven't had too many problems. It's a bit shorter (around 9'), and I always launch on the west side. Another good place to try the kayak out is the Nicomen Slough, it can have good cuttie fishing as well.
you fish for chum from a kayak. if so what do you use.
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Haha I sure do, it can be quite interesting at times to say the least. I usually just troll spoons along some of the slower sections of water in the stave (side channels in the upper and the lower stave). I've had some success throwing out jigs as well, just make sure that you are well anchored, or really comfortable controlling your boat because I have definitely been dragged around by some of the larger ones I've hooked in to. A good way to practice is to take your kayak out on the water during pink season to get used to fighting larger fish, just watch out because you might end up hooking into a spring (which I haven't done yet but hopefully will soon!). I trolled along the fraser around Poplar bar during this year's pink run and had a blast.
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Haha I sure do, it can be quite interesting at times to say the least. I usually just troll spoons along some of the slower sections of water in the stave (side channels in the upper and the lower stave). I've had some success throwing out jigs as well, just make sure that you are well anchored, or really comfortable controlling your boat because I have definitely been dragged around by some of the larger ones I've hooked in to. A good way to practice is to take your kayak out on the water during pink season to get used to fighting larger fish, just watch out because you might end up hooking into a spring (which I haven't done yet but hopefully will soon!). I trolled along the fraser around Poplar bar during this year's pink run and had a blast.
what type of rod do you use.
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I just troll with a spin cast rod (shimano convergence 10'), I'm hoping to end up getting a large enough fly rod that i can try that soon as well, but right now I only have a rod suitable for trout fishing. I've seen a few other kayaks around as well, a lot of the guys like to anchor instead of trolling and they seem to have good success as well.
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I just troll with a spin cast rod (shimano convergence 10'), I'm hoping to end up getting a large enough fly rod that i can try that soon as well, but right now I only have a rod suitable for trout fishing. I've seen a few other kayaks around as well, a lot of the guys like to anchor instead of trolling and they seem to have good success as well.
i am probably getting a spey rod so i will try that. hub has a couple of 9 weights for a great price. Also how do you land the fish.
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never mind...i already asked this question.
gotta get out there, I can never decide wether to go mountain biking or fishing...mountain biking always seems to win.
ok...silly question. Because i'm torn every weekend to either go mountain biking or fishing...mountain biking usually wins out because i'm training for a race.
But...i figure. I live in new west, there's probably some good opportunities right in my back yard. Is it worth it to just fish from shore in the local areas? There is some decent spots at the fraser foreshore park at the end of Byrne road. Just not sure if its worth it to hit up those areas of the Fraser?
I've tried at the little park just across from New West on the Fraser, can't remember the name of that park. Regardless...it was full of bull-heads and really not that interesting. I'm just thinking i'm probably targetting the fish in the wrong way. I was making my first and few attempts at bar fishing (i'm gonna re-kindle that this spring) and it seems like the bull-heads liked my roe better than any of the salmon.
I guess if i target the fish i'm after in the right way, then i might have more success in the new west/burnaby area on the Fraser?
Or am I just kidding myself and I should get used to bull-head fishing? hehe
thanks again,
-rob C
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I have the same problem most of the time when fishing bait near fort langley in the fraser. The only thing you can really do is use roe bags instead of chunks, the bullheads and such will steal bite at your bait but it is less likely to be taken off the hooks by them. If you can find faster moving water you can always try and use spin and glos as well, but this typically works better above mission. For landing fish in my kayak I use a large net that fits behind my seat. occasionally I have had to beach myself and play the fish to shore if I was having too much trouble (lots of wind or jet boats flying past).
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--mountain biking or fishing............ 4 piece rod, problem solved.