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[Joe the Soccer Coach]

Hello Everyone,

Let me say first of all, how I have enjoyed the excellent advice and guidance from everyone on FWR.  Everyone has been very positive and helpful.

I am anxious to go out and fish for anything right now, and was wondering about Deas Island and Tilbury Island.  Has anyone ever fished those areas of the Fraser (specifically, is the stream parallel River Road fishable from Shore?).  Are there shore access fishing areas on Deas and Tilbury? 

I went out crabbing two weeks in a row at Belcarra and came home empty handed.  I now want to try my luck at some winter fishing - catch and release only.  Anyone have any tips? 

Thank you!

Joe the Coach

[Rodney]

Unfortunately this time of the year most of the Fraser River action takes place further upstream where salmon have been spawning. Both trout and char (searun cutthroat trout, bull trout, dolly varden) and the odd predatory coarse fish (northern pikeminnow) are searching for food between New Westminster and Hope, so you would be more successful by fishing in tributaries in these areas. They feed on three items - dead salmon flesh and salmon eggs right now, juvenile salmon in march and April.

Even though the concentrated populations are further upstream, encountering trout and char in the area you mentioned is not impossible, because they do feed on small sculpins and other small fish which reside in the estuary portion of the Fraser River. That's as much assistance as I can offer since I do not fish the area much. Typically common carp fishing also starts in February, but the weather has been so cold it is most likely delayed. If not, those "streams"/canals in Ladner and Deas Island should produce.

Regarding crabbing, give it another month or two, you will find it more productive then. Good luck.

[Joe the Soccer Coach]

Thanks Rod for the quick feedback.

How about the Serpentine and the Nicomekl (sp?)?  Anyone have any luck catching sea-run trout or even salmon during those runs?

Cheers,

Joe

[Rodney]

The tributaries that you mentioned will certainly have searun cutthroat trout from time to time. Searun cutthroat trout fishing is quite different to salmon fishing. The schools are constantly on the move to find food, so you may experience a fantastic multi-fish day like some of the reports you've read lately, then no sightings of fish for several outings. This is partly why experienced cutthroat trout fishermen rarely report their success, because most of the time it makes no difference to the person who reads it and fishes the same location on the following day. There should be some northern pikeminnows around too.

Salmon season is over for all of the rivers until July.

[troutbreath]

Pikeminnow probably pretty productive right now, and bullhead, around Deas and Tilbury. Crabs are down deeper during the winter so dock fishing isn't a good bet.