Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum

Fishing in British Columbia => General Discussion => Topic started by: Rodney on March 16, 2022, 07:17:58 PM

Title: 2022 Metro Vancouver urban lake rainbow trout stockings have begun!
Post by: Rodney on March 16, 2022, 07:17:58 PM
We livestreamed it from Lafarge Lake earlier today:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBcw9acUdN4

(https://i.imgur.com/5VQTSpw.jpg)
Title: Re: 2022 Metro Vancouver urban lake rainbow trout stockings have begun!
Post by: RalphH on March 17, 2022, 02:55:21 PM
No doubt everybody who reads FWR has bugged out and gone fishing at Lafarge the last 2 days. Hence no replies.
Title: Re: 2022 Metro Vancouver urban lake rainbow trout stockings have begun!
Post by: Darko on March 17, 2022, 03:32:47 PM
No doubt everybody who reads FWR has bugged out and gone fishing at Lafarge the last 2 days. Hence no replies.
I was there this morning for a couple of hours with a few other gentlemen. Nobody caught anything. No matter how many times we changed spots or what we used. Guess they are still shocked. In the video the guy said they were starved at the hatchery but you never know with these fishies eh :P
Title: Re: 2022 Metro Vancouver urban lake rainbow trout stockings have begun!
Post by: clarki on March 17, 2022, 04:16:06 PM
No doubt everybody who reads FWR has bugged out and gone fishing at Lafarge the last 2 days. Hence no replies.
I'm sorry, I've been fishing at Lafarge for 2 days. What did you say? :)

Back in the late 90's I used to work a few blocks away from Lafarge and would sometimes fish there during my lunch hour. My colleague appreciated the trout that I would put in the lunchroom fridge for her.   

Dress shoes, slacks, collared shirt and a spinning rod. I was quite the dandy!         
Title: Re: 2022 Metro Vancouver urban lake rainbow trout stockings have begun!
Post by: RalphH on March 17, 2022, 04:53:20 PM

Dress shoes, slacks, collared shirt ...       

..and a dead fish! some guys are always on the make! What would your wife say?
Title: Re: 2022 Metro Vancouver urban lake rainbow trout stockings have begun!
Post by: ReLogic on March 17, 2022, 08:30:30 PM
Went there today, caught 2 along with some other fishermen who had luck as well.
It's nice fishing in the rain and before it gets announced on the website, less people.

I was there this morning for a couple of hours with a few other gentlemen. Nobody caught anything. No matter how many times we changed spots or what we used. Guess they are still shocked. In the video the guy said they were starved at the hatchery but you never know with these fishies eh :P

Looks like you just had to do the "last cast" for a bit longer! haha
Title: Re: 2022 Metro Vancouver urban lake rainbow trout stockings have begun!
Post by: Darko on March 17, 2022, 09:35:25 PM
Went there today, caught 2 along with some other fishermen who had luck as well.
It's nice fishing in the rain and before it gets announced on the website, less people.

Looks like you just had to do the "last cast" for a bit longer! haha
I blame the otters. Two of em following me all around the lake  :P ;D
Title: Re: 2022 Metro Vancouver urban lake rainbow trout stockings have begun!
Post by: coastangler on March 17, 2022, 09:43:42 PM
Saw that they updated the website today so decided to head to Como Lake after work. Fished both piers and spend a few hours casting and retrieving flies with no luck. Nobody was getting anything including a couple of guys on float tubes. Decided to try on a indicator rig and got a nib, so kept trying different patterns, depths, etc until I gave up as it was getting dark. All of a sudden the guy next to me gets one on a spoon so I decide to try again the same pattern I got the bite earlier on and fish on! Crazy how happy I felt - I guess that's why I keep coming back. Enjoy the 2022 lake season everyone!


(https://i.imgur.com/TYGGxem.jpg)
Title: Re: 2022 Metro Vancouver urban lake rainbow trout stockings have begun!
Post by: RalphH on March 18, 2022, 07:50:45 AM
water temperature changes can make a big difference. Those fish also have to acclimatize to their new home and the fact they have to find their own food.
Title: Re: 2022 Metro Vancouver urban lake rainbow trout stockings have begun!
Post by: Darko on March 18, 2022, 06:23:58 PM
water temperature changes can make a big difference. Those fish also have to acclimatize to their new home and the fact they have to find their own food.
was there again today, tried como aswell, nothing for me and my buddy. Some guy with a fly rod and another with some sort of bobber cast and retrieve setup couldn't keep them off their hook though.
Title: Re: 2022 Metro Vancouver urban lake rainbow trout stockings have begun!
Post by: Wiseguy on March 18, 2022, 10:27:50 PM
was there again today, tried como aswell, nothing for me and my buddy. Some guy with a fly rod and another with some sort of bobber cast and retrieve setup couldn't keep them off their hook though.
The dude with the fly rod was probally Ralph.  8)
Title: Re: 2022 Metro Vancouver urban lake rainbow trout stockings have begun!
Post by: RalphH on March 19, 2022, 07:53:53 AM
Hmm. I might go back to Como as I haven't been there since sometime in the early 70s. My father and I used to catch lots of rainbows with single eggs in the park about Easter time. I haven't thought of it due to the age restriction but that was taken off a few years ago. Also enjoyed Latimer which was a good place to catch stocked trout. I was fishing once this week. I had a nice steelhead on for a bit.
Title: Re: 2022 Metro Vancouver urban lake rainbow trout stockings have begun!
Post by: Rodney on March 19, 2022, 01:32:04 PM
(https://i.imgur.com/3jkBORy.png)
Title: Re: 2022 Metro Vancouver urban lake rainbow trout stockings have begun!
Post by: Darko on March 19, 2022, 04:59:44 PM
Hmm. I might go back to Como as I haven't been there since sometime in the early 70s. My father and I used to catch lots of rainbows with single eggs in the park about Easter time. I haven't thought of it due to the age restriction but that was taken off a few years ago. Also enjoyed Latimer which was a good place to catch stocked trout. I was fishing once this week. I had a nice steelhead on for a bit.
there must've been 40 people fishing there today! Very busy indeed. Managed to catch a couple with my sister. Will have a nice dinner tonight  ;D
Title: Re: 2022 Metro Vancouver urban lake rainbow trout stockings have begun!
Post by: clarki on March 19, 2022, 05:05:36 PM
The dude with the fly rod was probally Ralph.  8)
Ralph typically flosses the white water at the end of the pipe.

In Rod’s picture above, I’m surprised he’s not in frame, elbows up, muscling Kitty away from prime holding water.
Title: Re: 2022 Metro Vancouver urban lake rainbow trout stockings have begun!
Post by: Darko on March 19, 2022, 05:31:59 PM
Ralph typically flosses the white water at the end of the pipe.

In Rod’s picture above, I’m surprised he’s not in frame, elbows up, muscling Kitty away from prime holding water.
XD
Title: Re: 2022 Metro Vancouver urban lake rainbow trout stockings have begun!
Post by: Dave on March 19, 2022, 06:26:16 PM
Ralph typically flosses the white water at the end of the pipe.

In Rod’s picture above, I’m surprised he’s not in frame, elbows up, muscling Kitty away from prime holding water.
No worries, Mark's riding shotgun, Kitty will be ok! ;)
Title: Re: 2022 Metro Vancouver urban lake rainbow trout stockings have begun!
Post by: Fish Assassin on March 19, 2022, 09:09:22 PM
Kitty is bigger than Rodney
Title: Re: 2022 Metro Vancouver urban lake rainbow trout stockings have begun!
Post by: Rodney on March 20, 2022, 08:41:45 PM
Kitty is bigger than Rodney

I don't think Kitty would be thrilled to hear that. ;D
Title: Re: 2022 Metro Vancouver urban lake rainbow trout stockings have begun!
Post by: Rodney on March 20, 2022, 08:44:29 PM
Speaking of Kitty, for anyone new to this, she has a video tutorial for it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrDo9M6lS0E
Title: Re: 2022 Metro Vancouver urban lake rainbow trout stockings have begun!
Post by: canoeboy on March 23, 2022, 06:49:34 AM
Lafarge has been good to me and my new fly rod, but could also have just been the sheer amount of fish they dropped in there.
Title: Re: 2022 Metro Vancouver urban lake rainbow trout stockings have begun!
Post by: VictorBai on March 24, 2022, 08:21:25 AM
Last weekend I had a good time at Como Lake and that was my first time catching a rainbow trout. Pretty exciting after getting skunked at Rice(twice), Long, and Lafarge. So this weekend I would definitely go to Sasamat Lake regardless of the rain forecast. Even though it's not posted yet but I am pretty sure it is going to get stocked this week.

So, my question is, what adjustment should I make if I am going to fish in the rain for rainbow trout? I have read every article about trout fishing on FWR but none covered this topic. The depth around the floating bridge is about 12m and I would be casting spoons most of the time. I also bought a pack of trout magnet I wish to try out.

Any advice would a piece of gold to me.
Title: Re: 2022 Metro Vancouver urban lake rainbow trout stockings have begun!
Post by: DragonSpeed on March 28, 2022, 07:39:58 AM
Once you get below about 3 feet, the fish don't know it's raining.  The rain will bring cold water to the surface from the sky and if it's colder than the lake water, it will cause a bit of a rotation in the thermocline of the lake.

Title: Re: 2022 Metro Vancouver urban lake rainbow trout stockings have begun!
Post by: Rodney on March 28, 2022, 10:01:25 AM
Once you get below about 3 feet, the fish don't know it's raining.

What are you talking about? You mean they actually don't swim around with an umbrella? 💦
Title: Re: 2022 Metro Vancouver urban lake rainbow trout stockings have begun!
Post by: VictorBai on March 28, 2022, 01:03:08 PM
Once you get below about 3 feet, the fish don't know it's raining.  The rain will bring cold water to the surface from the sky and if it's colder than the lake water, it will cause a bit of a rotation in the thermocline of the lake.

Thanks for the advice, DragonSpeed.

As it turned out, Sasamat Lake didn't get stocked last week so I went to Buntzen Lake instead. It was miserable to fish in the cold rain and Buntzen is a large lake. The water level on Saturday was pretty low and the fishing dock was surrounded by weeds. Not a very productive day on the dock. Been there the whole morning and only saw two fish get caught.
Title: Re: 2022 Metro Vancouver urban lake rainbow trout stockings have begun!
Post by: Wiseguy on March 28, 2022, 03:27:47 PM
Hey guys and gals. Is there a boat launch on Rolley lake to launch a small boat on a trailer? I will leave the electric at home as no power boats allowed.
Title: Re: 2022 Metro Vancouver urban lake rainbow trout stockings have begun!
Post by: Darko on March 28, 2022, 04:38:56 PM
Thanks for the advice, DragonSpeed.

As it turned out, Sasamat Lake didn't get stocked last week so I went to Buntzen Lake instead. It was miserable to fish in the cold rain and Buntzen is a large lake. The water level on Saturday was pretty low and the fishing dock was surrounded by weeds. Not a very productive day on the dock. Been there the whole morning and only saw two fish get caught.
Buntzen is a deep and cold lake. I noticed that many people catch them there on a bobber on shrimp or trolling something. In the past I've struggled there. Even though they put 4000 fish finding them is very important.
Title: Re: 2022 Metro Vancouver urban lake rainbow trout stockings have begun!
Post by: colin6101 on March 28, 2022, 09:27:39 PM
No boat launch on Rolley unless things have changed in the last couple years. It's about a 75 foot walk from the parking lot to the lake to launch. My dad and I have easily carried his 10' aluminum the distance but I think I remember having to lift it over a couple boulder barricades that stop people from driving down to the water.
Title: Re: 2022 Metro Vancouver urban lake rainbow trout stockings have begun!
Post by: canoeboy on March 30, 2022, 06:31:29 AM
I was just there on the weekend with the kid. Ya, as Colin said, no boat launch on rolley but the lift and drag method isn't to exhausting, it's only ya 75 feet ish with half of that distance grass so you can shoot right along.
Title: Re: 2022 Metro Vancouver urban lake rainbow trout stockings have begun!
Post by: Wiseguy on March 30, 2022, 12:14:41 PM
Thanks for the reply’s. I won’t be carrying my 14 ft wide body boat down to the lake. Lol. Sounds like a pontoon boat would be ideal for Rolley lake. Cheers.
Title: Re: 2022 Metro Vancouver urban lake rainbow trout stockings have begun!
Post by: obie1fish on March 30, 2022, 04:11:07 PM
Pontoon and belly boats are good on Rolley. No power motors allowed- this applies to any motor, electric included.
Title: Re: 2022 Metro Vancouver urban lake rainbow trout stockings have begun!
Post by: Wiseguy on March 31, 2022, 07:39:06 PM
Yup. I can leave my outboard at home and get on the oars. With no boat launch that’s not going to happen! Lol
Title: Re: 2022 Metro Vancouver urban lake rainbow trout stockings have begun!
Post by: VictorBai on April 04, 2022, 08:13:04 AM
Tried out Mike Lake Sunday afternoon and got skunked. There must have been hundreds of surface activities as close as within a rod length from the dock. Strangely enough, there were no bites. Not just for me, everyone fishing at the dock didn't get a single bite the entire afternoon. This is not my expectation of a newly stocked lake when fish were actively feeding.

Some people fly fishing on the boat in the middle of the lake had a few bites. People on the dock were bottom fishing and float fishing got nothing. I was casting spoons and got nothing. But with that much surface activity, I am wondering if that was because trout were actively feeding on the insects at the surface of the lake. Given that sufficient amount of food source, maybe they were allowed to be picky and ignore our powerbait and lure? Still, I don't understand why there wasn't a single bite. There are thousands of trout in there! And the rain is supposed to be in my favor.
Title: Re: 2022 Metro Vancouver urban lake rainbow trout stockings have begun!
Post by: coastangler on April 04, 2022, 08:23:49 PM
Tried out Mike Lake Sunday afternoon and got skunked. There must have been hundreds of surface activities as close as within a rod length from the dock. Strangely enough, there were no bites. Not just for me, everyone fishing at the dock didn't get a single bite the entire afternoon. This is not my expectation of a newly stocked lake when fish were actively feeding.

Some people fly fishing on the boat in the middle of the lake had a few bites. People on the dock were bottom fishing and float fishing got nothing. I was casting spoons and got nothing. But with that much surface activity, I am wondering if that was because trout were actively feeding on the insects at the surface of the lake. Given that sufficient amount of food source, maybe they were allowed to be picky and ignore our powerbait and lure? Still, I don't understand why there wasn't a single bite. There are thousands of trout in there! And the rain is supposed to be in my favor.

These trout learn fast and the kind of days that you describe are more or less the norm in these highly pressured lakes at least based on the 100s of times I tried over the years. Casting/retrieving spoons and spinners stops working very fast, plus this early in the season is even harder to get them to hit that. Other methods also stop working quite quickly and I would argue that except for Dew worms, float fishing also stops working quickly unless you have a lot of different options to try.

I may sound biased but the only method I always find consistent is fly fishing. Even on the toughest days I usually can manage to get at least a few nibs if I scale down the presentation to a size 16-20 nymph under a stealth indicator (you can use a black marker to remove the flashy colours they usually come in) and a long leader. I definitely agree with you it can get really unnerving and even sometimes after trying every pattern on my box just to to get a small nib in return doesn't feel that great. On the other hand, it does feel very rewarding when you finally land one on a fly that someone gave you 3 years ago and you never thought you'd use :D

Also keep in mind surface activity does not always mean feeding activity. Dry flies are not usually very effective on these trout and while they sometimes hit small ones, wet flies and nymphs always yield more results for me. Good luck and keep trying! I guess this applies to any fishing but if you keep hitting the same lake over an over you'll get results. The nice thing here is that you know fish are there and it's on you to make them bite: that always makes it more exciting for me than not even knowing if they are there
Title: Re: 2022 Metro Vancouver urban lake rainbow trout stockings have begun!
Post by: RalphH on April 04, 2022, 09:08:29 PM
never been to Mike Lake more than twice but I remember one trip like yours. Fish were rising & it was clear there was a hatch of some sort but no one, gear, bait or fly was getting much. I drifted out into the middle of the lake in my float tube and watched the surface. A bubble appeared from below and sat there a second then it popped and what was left was a fly, almost exactly like a house fly, sitting on it's legs for a few seconds before it took off. I saw a few more. It was the only hatching activity I saw and i think the trout were taking them just below the surface. I didn't have a fly to imitate a bug in a bubble so I got skunked despite my discovery. They are a kind of gnat or the order chaoborus. I don't know how common they are locally, but odd things do happen.
Title: Re: 2022 Metro Vancouver urban lake rainbow trout stockings have begun!
Post by: VictorBai on April 05, 2022, 11:50:03 AM
I've had a good time with casting/retrieving spoon at Como and Lafarge but apparently, things work differently in different lakes. Guess that's the charm of fishing.

Fly fishing seems so complicated. Maybe it's time to sign up for a fly fishing class. I happened to have a box of flies but I don't have fly rod and reel. Next time I am going to try tie the flies under a float and see how that works.
Title: Re: 2022 Metro Vancouver urban lake rainbow trout stockings have begun!
Post by: coastangler on April 08, 2022, 11:45:53 AM
I've had a good time with casting/retrieving spoon at Como and Lafarge but apparently, things work differently in different lakes. Guess that's the charm of fishing.

Fly fishing seems so complicated. Maybe it's time to sign up for a fly fishing class. I happened to have a box of flies but I don't have fly rod and reel. Next time I am going to try tie the flies under a float and see how that works.

Yep, I also had great days doing that. It has obvious advantages like covering a lot more water much quicker or can fish from anywhere and boy when it works, it can be super fun as those aggressive takes are hard to forget. I just find it less effective overall based on times where I brought both setups and always ending up having more success on the fly.

Regarding learning to Fly Fish, most local tackle shops have cheap intro classes. In terms of initial setup I'd go for the Redington Crosswater Outfit 5WT - that's what I always recommend and sometimes you see it on flash deals for ~150 bucks which is not bad for a decent Rod, Reel and line.

Also your idea of putting flies under a float setup is legit. Just make sure you use a balanced setup with a small float, etc. It may be a bit hard to cast but honestly I never need to cast far when using indicator rigs on the fly either. Good luck
Title: Re: 2022 Metro Vancouver urban lake rainbow trout stockings have begun!
Post by: VictorBai on April 08, 2022, 02:43:54 PM
Thanks, Coastanger, and the same to you!

That feeling when a fish bites on your spoon is so rewarding and addictive. I only switch to PowerBait when I got tired (physically) from the casting or my hands got frozen in the cold rain. My friends have suggested using dry flies so you could see the trout bite your flies at the surface which is also spectacular.

I have already placed an order on a 3/4 wt fly combo and I plan on playing with it and see how that goes.

This week when I was at Green Timbers, I saw a guy fishing with a bombarda and a fly on a spinning reel setup. (I recall Rod has a video using bombarda when he was fishing at Lafarge.) That guy could cast 3 times farther than my spoons and reach the middle of the lake with no trouble. He had so many bites that day. So on my next fishing trip, I am going to try a setup with mainline-swivel-bead-weight-bead-bobber-bead-swivel-leader-fly setup. Theoretically, I could cast far and keep the fly floating on the surface.
Title: Re: 2022 Metro Vancouver urban lake rainbow trout stockings have begun!
Post by: RalphH on April 08, 2022, 05:48:59 PM
yes they look perfect for using flies with gear.

https://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/5pcs-Clear-Casting-Bombarda-Sinking-Fly-Fishing-Spinning-Floats-5g-10g-15g-20g/5UTCJOTFZ6G1

keep it simple with just a few simple flies. most local lakes have dark colored aquatic insects and in my experience peacock herl bodies work great. Some halfbacks or grey hackles in size 10 and 12, a few pumpkin heads or small black or olive wooly buggers in same size but longer shank hooks and since some lakes have daphnia (Mill in Abbotsford) some small bright orange or red flies. A collection like that should get you fish 90% of the time.
Title: Re: 2022 Metro Vancouver urban lake rainbow trout stockings have begun!
Post by: VictorBai on April 11, 2022, 08:00:41 AM
After testing, fly and float don't go well together. They tend to tangle up quite easily and I didn't catch anything with that this weekend. Next time I will try with a shorter leader line and see how that goes.

Saw some thunder and lightings yesterday and that was a clear sign to go home.
Title: Re: 2022 Metro Vancouver urban lake rainbow trout stockings have begun!
Post by: Wiseguy on April 11, 2022, 10:16:33 AM
I had a good day recently on one the stocked lakes. I was not getting any bites for about an hour and was just about to leave when I had a hit. I stayed and kept casting my small spoon and sure glad I did. The next hour was fruitful as I had several bites hooking some, losing some and landing some. Not sure why I wasn’t getting any bites at first. Either there was no fish in the area I was in or the bite suddenly turned on.
Title: Re: 2022 Metro Vancouver urban lake rainbow trout stockings have begun!
Post by: Rodney on April 21, 2022, 02:44:44 PM
New episode tonight at one of the stocked lakes in the Fraser Valley. :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DLbF6X3acQ
Title: Re: 2022 Metro Vancouver urban lake rainbow trout stockings have begun!
Post by: Fish Assassin on April 21, 2022, 08:36:54 PM
Enjoyable video. No loud pounding music or yelling.
Title: Re: 2022 Metro Vancouver urban lake rainbow trout stockings have begun!
Post by: psd1179 on April 22, 2022, 02:21:39 PM
Is the funding differently this year or the stocking schedule changed. Most urban lakes received less frequent stocking than past years.
Title: Re: 2022 Metro Vancouver urban lake rainbow trout stockings have begun!
Post by: Rodney on April 22, 2022, 02:50:11 PM
The amount of fish designated for each lake per year should still be the same. When the lakes get their fish depends on the hatchery's work schedule etc, as well as some logistic issues. For examples, the gate to Hicks and Deer Lake in Sasquatch Provincial Park has been closed, so the truck can't really get in yet and no point until the gate is open to the public.
Title: Re: 2022 Metro Vancouver urban lake rainbow trout stockings have begun!
Post by: coastangler on May 21, 2022, 07:42:02 AM
Looks like after almost two months without being stocked, local urban lakes had a small stocking yesterday according to FFSBC in Social Media (Website hasn't been updated yet). I went yesterday after work and caught a couple on the fly but it seemed a bit slow overall probably due to the high temperatures. Have fun everyone
Title: Re: 2022 Metro Vancouver urban lake rainbow trout stockings have begun!
Post by: Darko on May 21, 2022, 05:58:03 PM
Looks like after almost two months without being stocked, local urban lakes had a small stocking yesterday according to FFSBC in Social Media (Website hasn't been updated yet). I went yesterday after work and caught a couple on the fly but it seemed a bit slow overall probably due to the high temperatures. Have fun everyone

Did catch that on their social media, definitely smaller stocking than usual. Maybe there will be another round
Title: Re: 2022 Metro Vancouver urban lake rainbow trout stockings have begun!
Post by: Rodney on May 26, 2022, 10:09:54 AM
(https://i.imgur.com/ZWk2Ny2.png)
Title: Re: 2022 Metro Vancouver urban lake rainbow trout stockings have begun!
Post by: cammer on June 01, 2022, 12:34:42 AM
Was down at Lafarge Today  , not one person fishing at 7pm!   OBVIOUSLY fishing is very slow already in 8 days ! Now I have to run a Family Fishing Event at Lafarge on Fathers day and fishing already is dead slow !  Can’t have fishing events without a good expectation of catch success! Something will have to give