heres some tips from an OLD FWR post, might help
GOOD WATERS FOR RIVERS & SPECIES TECHNIQUES:
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Good waters change with the water level. Also, different species prefer different types of water. Therefore, I list the following rivers & river conditions with varying tecniques to increase chance of success. There are many situations you can hook a fish, but the following situations can greatly increase your odds.
Vedder Spring:
lower river - look for deep pool or runs with bottle neck or shallow barrier gravel bar ahead. Very few spring will dare to go through these shallow spots at day time & they pile up at the pool.
mid-river rapids - look for deeper & stronger flow behind rocks further out
as they are strong fish & they can stay where coho & chum won't. Those stay closer to shore are usually beat up springs & pretty dark.
Vedder Coho: (early season before flooding water)
lower river - roe fish the pools in the morning, best at the tail out. When sun comes out, try spoons & spinners in the deep pool. Late afternoon & evening, coho will start to move. Look for barrier or bottle neck spots as coho pile up there before night fall. Roe & wool will do well. Also, watch for 'trap spot' along the rip raps of the shore line. For example, if the main river is blocked by a shallow barrier gravel bar, but a smaller channel forms along the dyke with weaker flow but deep enough for coho to sleek around rocks & stumps, then this smaller channel can be a hot spot, particulary if it eventually leads up to a smaller pool with its own barrier gravel bar.
mid-river - watch for coho travel lane along the edge of rapids. If a holding spot is formed with smooth level riffle flow & deep enough to drift, and if you can stay out of sight of the coho holding there (using riffling or SCT techniques), it will be a hot spot. If that holding water has a big rock behind it, and the water drops sharply after that , then it will be a dynamite spot. Coho usually sit right in front of the rock covered by riffles (invisible). We found a spot like that with Hook in upper river (late season only), and he caught he first 3 coho of the year in that one spot alone. Reading water is key to success in mid-river coho fishing.
Coho at flooding water:
lower river: it is pretty hard to even locate the fish, so it is a lower probability spot. Low visibility makes it hard for the fish to see your lure or bait, and the pools are usually flooded out to disperse most fish.
mid or upper river: look for small resting channels or flat holding water along the edge of raging water. Fish congregate there to rest briefly. Drift roe or roe-scented wool with 1 split shot on a small float. In highly coloured water, you pretty much have to put the bait to their nose for them to smell & mouth it. If the float stops, lift the rod lightly. If feel head-shaking, set the hook. DO NOT JERK THE ROD at any time to prevent accidental snagging.
Vedder Steelhead:
lower river: the tail outs of pools & runs will do well in the early morning or late afternoon with role or single egg. Towards noon, look for steelhead to move up to the top end of pools as they get spooked by fish hook ups or too many stuffs flown at them. If the top end has deeper riffle flows, that will be perfect. Spinners & spools will do well there, as they are more inclined to bite something they haven't seen yet. The brighter sky also helps the metals to be more effective. Pink worm also works well, but I find them more effective later season when the 'trout' steelhead turns off its earlier season favourite feed - drifting loose salmon roe or eggs from spawning salmon.
In high water condition, steelies may move to the side channels, which can give you multiple hook ups.
mid or upper river: the pools will do well, particularly wide steelhead. If water is high, look for steelhead real close to shore along the rapids in smooth flowing riffle water simlar to coho water. Stay back to test out these spots before walking too close to the edge of water. Use small weight to get a good drift. Many steelies are taken a few feet from shore. If the water is low & clear, watch for a spot below a barrier gravel bar, or barrier shallow run (with low clear water). Steelies can pile up in rifle water or deep run before these barrier spots. Expect muttiple hook ups in these kinds of formation. The top end of some rapids are really good for this. Steeelie pile up there before ascending the shallow spots to the next pool in the evening. Walk the river to look for these spots.
Fraser springs (bottom bouncing, no debate here please):
Springs likes deeper spots such as slower pools formed behind points or bends of river (such as the top end of Scale Bar, unfortunately closed now). They also like deeper troughs or trenches formed behind some submerged rocks or gravel drop offs, or with a deep spot with shallow ridge behind it (the mid part of Scale bar with that shallow ridge). What I usually do to determine these spots is to cast 12 oclock and count the seconds before the lead bounces. By selectively casting closer to longer distance, you can form an idea on the depth of water in front of you. Try different spots along a bar to compare the dropping times to determine the deeper spots. Also, if during bouncing, the lead momentarily lift off bottom, then bounce again, then you know there is a trench or drop off there. These deeper spots are your focus for the might springs. Use smaller hooks (# 1 or 1/O) to get better hook penetration as their tough jaws can bounce off bigger hooks. If you play the spring soft, those smaller hooks will be okay.
Fraser sockeye:
Well, everyone that shows up the river will catch one. It is no point to highlight good water here. But there is a technique that will increase your catch effeciency greatly - whether springs or sockeyes, you will have much more hook ups, particularly springs, if you slowly reel in your line during the bouncing instead of just holding the line. The reel-in technique will make sure your 10 ft leader & hook is in full tension due to water resistence by reeling in. The smaller hook will be much more likely to be sticking instead of bouncing off the tough jaws of the mightly springs. Also use a little heavier weight if reeling in causes the weight to lift off bottom.
Capilano Coho:
lower river: fish with the tides, from the train bridge up to the highway bridge, usually 1 to 2 hours before & after high tides. Day light high tides are good for spots from Woodcroft bridge & Nude Rock & down. Mid-night high tides are really good in the morning for deeper pools like Keith Road Pool & Doctor's Pool (right below the highway bridge). Fish with roe in slower water, or wool in riffles & rapids. Watch for river-blocking by the natives in late June in Park Royal section of the river. Once they do that, day fishing in this area is toasted. You will have to fish higher up for fish to get through those barriers at mid-night high tides.
upper river:
Cable Pool, House Rock rapids, Dog Leg Pool are all good with early morning roe fishing, spoons and spinners, also fly fishing. Beware of flooding water when fishing there.
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Topic: Newbie Angler looking for wisdom (Read 3531 times)