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[tmyrick]

I am planning to fish the fly fishing only area of the Cowichan River.  Are you allowed to use a strike indicator and/or splitshot in a fly fishing only area?  I actually prefer not to use this stuff anyway, but I don't know any alternatives to detecting a strike or getting the fly down to the bottom (suggestions would be great).

Thank you for your help.

[TtotheE]

"artificial fly" means

(a) in non-tidal waters, a single-pointed hook that is dressed only with fur, feathers, hair, textiles, tinsel, wire or any combination of those materials and to which no external weight or external attracting device is attached;

"fly fishing" means angling with a line to which only an artificial fly is attached. (pêche à la mouche)


This definition by fisheries states that you cannot use split shot.  I think its all just fishy business.

Would a weighted fly be considered external weight?  Since its apart of the fly I'm assuming its not.  Would a sink tip be considered external weight,  if its of the removal/interchangeable nature?  I think they need to revise their definitions a little bit more.

As for fishing naked(no indicator),  prevent any bellied line by mending line,  or high sticking if the option is available to you.

[reach]

Umm.. in my copy of the 2004-2005 regs, on page 8 titled "Definitions you should know", it says:

artificial fly ... a single-pointed hook that is dressed only with fur, feathers, hair, textiles, tinsel, wire or any combination of those materials and to which no external weight or external attracting device is attached.  Two or more hooks tied in tandem is not permitted.  Where gear is restricted to artificial flies, floats and sinkers may be attached to the line.

Emphasis theirs.  Then under "fly fishing", it says:

fly fishing ... angling with a line to which only an artificial fly is attached (floats and sinkers may not be attached to the line).

So your guess is as good as mine.

EDIT: Upon closer inspection, some rivers say "fly fishing only" and some say "artificial fly only".  So perhaps the above definitions are not contradictory, though at first glance they seem to be.  The Stanley Creek to CNR bridge section is "fly fishing only" so I guess that means no bobbers (err, strike indicators) or split shot.

[TtotheE]

lol,  I think that's what I get for being lazy not looking for my recent regs(in the other room).  This came off of the DFO website!!  I should have done a search for "most up to date definitions/fly fishing" 

Since it says there "Where gear is restricted to arficial flies,  floats and sinkers may be attached to the line.",  I'm assuming you CAN use them.

But don't assume,  call dfo and make sure,  just to be on the safe side.

[reach]

See my edit.  Bottom line:  read the regs and where it says "artificial fly only", strike indicators and split shot are allowed; where it says "fly fishing only" they are not.  At least that's my interpretation.

FWIW, most places where "fly fishing only" applies are rivers, though there are a couple of exceptions.  "Artificial fly only" is more evenly split between rivers and lakes.

[Moby Dick]

Can someone tell me where exactly the flyfishing only section of the cowichan river is. I have read the regs online and it doesn't mention it.

http://www-comm.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/pages/freshwater/regions/region1_e.htm

It mentions "downstream from Skutz falls to hwy bridge #1." Does that mean we can only fish within those boundaries?  I was there on the weekend and saw a bunch of people fishing way below the Hwy Bridge.

Doesn't seem very clear.

Thanks

[reach]

Hi,

The link you posted is from DFO, the federal body that has jurisdiction over the salmon.  But the province controls the gear types and other regulations regarding river fishing.  See the provincial regulations for region 1 at:

http://wlapwww.gov.bc.ca/fw/fish/pdf/region_1.pdf

It includes maps of the Cowichan.  According to that, the fly fishing only section is from Stanley Creek to the CNR bridge at mile 70.2.

[tmyrick]

So it sounds like strike indicators and split shots are not allowed.  That's what I thought.

I do have a floating indicator leader and a sinking leader.  I think I may try using the floating indicator leader as the "strike indicator" and then attach the sinking leader so that my fly sinks.  We'll see how that works.  That's the great thing about loop-to-loop connections.  You can change on the "fly"

Thank you everyone for your help.

PS.  What is "high sticking"?