Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Zackattack]

Hopefully headed up to Campbell river from Vancouver this month and wondering what kind of fly setup would work on the Campbell River?
I have an 8wt and floating line so would like a 10ft sink tip work best? Or simply long leader n weighted fly?
Hopefully fish are actually biting too, was there using gear last summer and wasnt sure if all the fish on flys/wool were simply being flossed since they were stacked up so much. Was curious.
Water clarity was so clear that I suspected most fish being fly/wool flossed.
I tried shortfloating jigs, blades, and even flies under a float to no success which made me question whether or not the gear guys using wool and fly guys were gettin fish to bite or not.
I dont have a problem either way as their is an abundance of pinks (if not too many there), but just wanted to hear peoples opinions that may have had experiences there.

Thanks guys!

[ByteMe]

a 9ft leader on the end of a flyrod or a 9ft leader on a gear rod ,no difference........except us fly guys have an ability to convince ourselves that we are fishing ethically and all gear guys are flossers , but have a sink tip ready in case the are deeper than usual. Fish a floating line with a weighted fly and vice versa. Lots of fish have moved in, you will have a great time

[RalphH]

Pinks are usually ready biters and there is no need to floss them. Like all other salmon they'll be dour once they are dark and waiting to spawn but mostly they will chase flies and even rise to wets just under the surface or even smaller poppers and gurglers. Don't target big tight schools or balls of fish with sink tips or weighted flies. You'll snag fish all the time. Present your fly in front, to the the sides and over such groups of fish. Don't swing the fly, cast at a sharp angle downstream and try to hold the fly in position. I've found a wet fly held over or in front of big schools can be effective at times and pinks will rise off the bottom to strike. As pinks often travel very close to shore it's possible to wade into shallow water, about as deep as your shins or knees and hold the fly down stream and let the fish find it. This is effective in off color water. Pinks that have just moved up through a shallow riffle into the tail out of a pool or run are usually keen biters. In 2013 I was often able to watch anywhere up to a dozen fish react and follow my fly.   

[ByteMe]

RalphH made some great points to avoid snagging them if possible. I will use an indicator if fish are in thick to keep my drift parallel to the bank as opposed to swinging the fly. It's a gong show on the Campbell when the fish are running, if you are fly fishing go to the fly fishing only sections on the river, right above where The Quinsum enters the Campbell, also check regs for changes before heading out because of our low water conditions this year to be sure

[Zackattack]

Thanks for the replies guys!
Great tips to avoid flossing them, but I am still curious if they actually bite in that super clear water.
I guess Ill try those methods mentioned above and try to see if I can get them to bite. Its just hard to tell when the fish are stacked so thick, and as mentioned before they didnt bite on anything else lol.
The local's method up there was a small sliding weight, swivel, 2 ft of leader and a tuft of chartruese wool and hook.  Most were convinced they were biting but I tried it out and it was def not the case. All the fly guys were thinking they were biting too but most were swinging flys over the masses of fish too so kind of doubted they were biting. Oh well, I guess Ill experiment again the next time I go (assuming river open).

[ByteMe]

I won't worry too much about it. It's a harvest fishery as they will all be dead in a few weeks. What RalphH said is the best way to avoid snagging them, but it will happen occasionally especially when they are stacked up. I have gone to circle hooks when they are massed up in numbers, going up a couple of hook sizes to a size 4 circle. The big males will definitely chase and bite in the rivers, protecting the females I guess

[Zackattack]

Ya totally get what you're saying. Just curious that's all.
Will have to experiment with different methods this time, and ya will checkout the fly only area.
thnx