British Columbia Fishing Blog

Fishing with Rod has developed a series of online video for the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC to highlight this province’s freshwater fisheries. The video clips are intended for those who are interested in fishing by simply following the video clips in the order provided. Once finishing the guide, new anglers should be able to try out the techniques demonstrated at one of many stocked lakes in BC.

Visit the BC Freshwater fishing guide now!

For many years now, I have been writing about different, unexplored fishing opportunities in the Tidal Fraser River. From float fishing for coarse fish to flyfishing for trout, char and salmon, this area is ideal for Vancouverites who want to go fishing for a couple of hours without travelling far. I regularly receive questions in emails about them. Here is a great you to find out more, by coming to this year’s Fish for the Future on Saturday July 11th!

 

Fish for the Future is an annual festival that I have organized since 2003. The purpose of the event is to promote sportfishing, create public awareness of the biodiversity of the Fraser River ecosystem and conservation. It is fun and educational for all ages. The event is hosted at the No. 2 Road Pier of London’s Landing from 10:00am to 3:00pm.

During this year’s festival, families have the opportunities to try out fishing. Fishing gear will be available for kids who do not have them. Fish species that you might see include peamouth chub, northern pikeminnow, sculpin, largescaled sucker, redside shiner, shiner perch, starry flounder, American shad, bull trout, cutthroat trout and white sturgeon. When a fish is caught, it will be put in an aquarium for the kids to observe and learn before released back into the water.

Beside fishing, there will also be many other activities for participants to get involved in:

• Flycasting and flytying lessons will be available throughout the event for those who wish to learn the art of flyfishing.
• OWL, Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation Society, will be showing some of BC’s iconic birds of prey.
• Presented by the Seymour Salmonid Society, the aquatic insect station showcases microspecies that make up the important base of a stream ecosystem. There will also be a live tank of coho salmon smolts for visitors to watch.
• DFO Steveston will be on site to answer your questions about fishing in the tidal waters of British Columbia.The
• The Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC will be hosting learn to fish lessons throughout the event.

 

Bring a packed lunch! There are picnic tables in the shaded area of the pier where you can enjoy your lunch break between activities. Ride a bike down to the event! Richmond has an excellent network of cycle routes. Park your bikes on the pier while enjoying all the activities.

You can be both a participant and volunteer. Help is always needed. If you wish to volunteer, please email me at info@fishingwithrod.com. I hope to see you on July 11th! This is also an opportunity for me to meet readers and learn more about what others would like to see on the website.

Here are some video clips from last year’s Fish for the Future.

The long wait is over! DNE’s strike indicators are now available at your local tacklestores, just in time for this year’s stillwater season.

These indicators come in four different sizes and two different bright colours. These are quick-release indicators, which means you can adjust your fishing depth beyond the length of your flyfishing rod. The soft rubber stopper prevents leader damage.

Lake flyfishing with an indicator is popular in British Columbia. Check out this new product and ask for a demonstration of the setup at your local tacklestores before your first lake trip this season. DNE’s strike indicators are now available at:

• Berry’s Bait and Tackle
• Chilliwack Dart and Tackle
• Fred’s Custom Tackle
• Hatch Match’r Fly and Tackle
• Pacific Angler Fly and Tackle
• Sea-Run Fly and Tackle

2009’s spring is approaching and rainbow trout fishing in lakes across the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley will begin shortly. The Fraser Valley Trout Hatchery, operated by the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC, will be starting their rainbow trout stocking during the week of March 9th. Stockings will take place between March and June, September and November, so fishing is expected to be excellent during these months. These angling opportunities are fantastic for families, youth and entry-level anglers due to high catch success rate.

We will once again be providing regular stocking reports to keep you updated so you can plan your next weekend fishing trip better. Lower Mainland/Fraser Valley lake stocking reports will be available on this page. You can also find archived reports of catchable rainbow trout stockings across BC in this section of the website.

Additional Readings

Region Two fishing locations
A dozen stocked lakes are featured!

It’s Trout Season in Vancouver!
Rainbow trout fishing in the Lower Mainland can be excellent between March and June.

Bait Fishing for Stocked Rainbow Trout
The most basic method used when fishing for stocked rainbow trout is bait fishing.

Lure Fishing for Stocked Rainbow Trout
Lure fishing is another effective fishing method in urban lakes. It is preferred by anglers who want to be active.

Regulations

Before heading out, please be aware of the followings:

• You must have a valid BC freshwater angling license.
• You are permitted to keep four trout in Region 2 lakes.
• If fishing from shore, only ONE fishing rod/line is permitted for each angler.
• If fishing alone in a boat, an angler is allowed to use TWO fishing rods/lines.
• Only ONE hook is allowed on each fishing line.
• There are exceptions/specific regulations for some lakes (such as catch and release only, requirement of single barbless hook, boating restrictions), please see the table in Region Two’s regulations where each lake is listed for exceptions.
• If you witness a violation, please phone 1-877-952-7277 (RAPP) and report it.

The first episode of 2009’s video diary is now available on the website. This ten minute video feature is only available to subscribers. Episode one features the summer chinook salmon fishery on the Thompson River. Please click here for a preview. Enjoy!