British Columbia Fishing Blog

I decided to give it another go this evening for a few hours as the incoming tide was strong due to the full moon. I started at 3:30pm with the usual salmon spinning setup. Chum salmon could be seen rolling at times, but none were interested in the spoon. We were after coho salmon after all. An hour into this absence of bites, Rob showed up for a chat. He then watched me creating the mother of all birdnests on the spinning reel. After untangling, I decided that it was time for the light spinning outfit to come out. The 6lb rating would make bull trout fishing fun, but also sufficient enough for a small coho salmon. After a few casts with the 1/8oz green bladed spinner, I felt a solid take and found a good sized jack coho salmon at the end of the line. Even with the light spinning outfit, it came in with ease after a couple of leaps and runs. I brought it up in the net, wacked the head after seeing the absence of the adipose fin. Rob offered to take a photo for me, I gladly accepted it.

Then the fun began…

Noticing that the fish’s head was covered with blood, I wanted to rinse it and have the photo retaken. I brought the fish to the water and washed the blood off. Suddenly it wiggled and slipped away from my hand. Sensing freedom, it gave itself a good kick to several feet from shore! Panic broke out on shore. I picked up my landing net while the fish swam slowly in circle on the surface. After a few attempts, I managed to push the fish back to shore with the landing net. I then grabbed the fish and it slipped from my hand again! It, again, gave itself another quick dart away from shore! This time, even further away, unreachable with the net. I grabbed the spinning rod and began casting over it, hoping to use the spinner to… ahem, push it back. At this point, Marco came over to see what the heck was hapening. He then grabbed my other spinning rod so both of us were now trying to hook this little fish on the surface while Robj held the landing net, preparing to net in case it swam back to shore. After a few minutes, the unthinkable happened. The fish sank!

“It’ll resurface…”

Yeah right!

The rest of the evening, which was only about 30 minutes long, I managed to hook and release two bull trout.

I had chicken for dinner.

Fishing with Rod welcomes our latest advertiser, Cleardrift Floats!

Developed in British Columbia, Cleardrift is a new line of river floats for BC Coastal River anglers. Its clear body keeps the fish unaware of your presence. Its strong design ensure that it does not break when stepped on or hit by rocks. Our 35 gram model is currently available in two different colours. Look for the upcoming release of our 8, 11, 20, 25 and 30 gram models. Cleardrift Floats retail for $3.99/each.

Cleardrift Floats are available at the following Lower Mainland fishing stores:
 

• Berry’s Bait and Tackle
• Fred’s Custom Tackle
• Hatch Match’r Fly and Tackle
• Hub Sports
• Pacific Angler
• Reaction Fly and Tackle
• Riverside Fly and Tackle
• Searun Fly and Tackle

After seeing more bull trout than salmon in the last two outings, it was time to rig up the ultralight spinning rod once again. Rated 1 to 4lb test, it is used frequently between April and August, but packed away in September when salmon arrive. Today’s incoming tide brought out more fishers. I counted five bar rods. None of the rods produced except a couple of bull trout. Salmon were just not coming through in numbers. Perhaps the spot that we have chosen is not ideal, since Albion test fishery has indicated great chum salmon return numbers since a week ago.

At flood tide change, the ultralight rod came out. The first couple of retrieves had a follower close to shore but it never committed. By sunset, I managed to bring two bull trout to shore, so did Mark. Nothing big enough to brag about, but with 4lb test line, they put up a great fight.

As many readers know, I am a big fan of spinning outfits even though I have tried most types of fishing. In British Columbia, spinning outfits are often labeled as equipment employed by newbies. This attitude seems to reflect the availability of good light spinning rods. It seems that there is an expectation for anglers to use a flyfishing rod when targeting smaller game species such as rainbow trout. The reality is that a substantial percentage of the angling community is not interested to flyfish, yet it is hard to find spinning rods in similar weight ratings.

Recently I have been searching for a longer light spinning rod that would allow me to both spincast and float for trout, char and other species in the same weight range. My quest took me to one of our sponsors, Stryker Rods. Russ Goodwin, an experienced rod builder who resides in Surrey, picked up this idea by suggesting a 9′ spinning rod built from a 4 piece Rainshadow 4wt (IF904) blank. The end product looks fantastic!

This four piece spinning rod is fitted with silver stainless steel casting guides and zirconium insert, graphite casting reel seat and the finest cork one could find. Rated between 1 and 6lb test, it should be able to handle trout, char, carp and various coarse fish species. At 9 feet in length, it allows me to use a fixed float at a greater depth, which will be quite advantageous for Interior lake rainbow trout.

Please stay tuned, I shall keep you updated on its performance once being tested. Stryker Rods produces custom casting and flyfishing rods with your preference of colours and components. If you are interested in having one built, you can reach Russ Goodwin at 1-877-585-6958.

So what does one fish for when the Vedder is dirty? No, not pikeminnows… Fraser Valley rainbow trout! After getting all the tasks done this afternoon, we took advantage of the sunshine by doing a short trip to Green Timbers Lake. Green Timbers Lake is one of three lakes that are used for the “Fishing in the City” program by the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC. Part of the program involves regular trout stockings by the Fraser Valley Trout Hatchery during spring and fall months. Because the lake is filled with hungry, uneducated trout, it makes a perfect setting for entry anglers who wish to improve their fishing skills. Although it is primarily designed for beginners, it doesn’t mean seasoned anglers cannot have fun with it from time to time.

Green Timbers Lake was stocked on September 29th with 340 fish that have an average weight of 192 grams (see stocking update). The lake was sampled with a gill net by the Ministry of Environment on October 1st. 50 trout were sampled. It was a mixture of both newly stocked fish and bigger fish from the spring stockings. Brown bullhead and carp were also among the catches.

We arrived at the north end of the lake and found our target spot occupied by local ducks. After figuring out that we were not there to feed them, they were on their way to somewhere better.

Terminal tackle for this urban lake trout fishery is not complicated. A box filled with floats, small weights, swivels, size 4 hooks and a few small spoons can be carried in a small pack.

Deli shrimp is one of the most effective bait for these stocked rainbow trout. Threading the hook through its entire body from head to tail prevents it from falling off while casting.

A small spinning reel spooled with 4lb test line and an ultralight spinning rod provide the most enjoyment out of this type of fishing. A rod holder is sometimes needed if the lake shore is a beach.

It only took a few minutes for the floats to dip. Nina was able to land a couple right away while I was still rigging up.

The first fish was small, which was most likely from the stocking last week.

Her second fish was a much bigger fish from the spring stocking. The fight ended up tangling up my line in the process. While untangling, we discovered that there was another line in its mouth. The thickness of that line felt like 30lb test! A large swivel was at the end of the line. While I couldn’t get the other hook out, I managed to snip the line off so it won’t swim around with the big swivel anymore.

Seeing that Nina was getting constant bites with the float rig, I was confident that I would also connect with a fish or two. That confidence soon disappeared as the bites died off. I finally lost my patience and tied on the little back-up spoon that never fails. The first cast brought a tiny trout in, which just happened to be my last and only fish of the day.

Fall trout stockings in Lower Mainland lakes started last week and will continue for awhile. Although the fish aren’t big, it is a convenient alternative if one wishes to fish when nearby rivers are unfishable. Good luck.