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[Spawn Sack]

I learned to tie the muddler minnow the other night at Fred's open tying night in Abby. It's a fly that I've always liked fishing but always bought as I never knew how to work with deer hair, etc.

We just tied the standard fly in natural colors (brown feathers, natural deer hair, etc).

I am going out in the next day or so to pick up some materials for muddlers and am wondering if anyone would like to share any color and/or material variations that haev worked well for them.

I will be using the muddlers for steelhead in the Vedder in May, then for salmon in the summer and fall. I have heard that coho like a muddler with a pink wing and/or pink head. Some guys at the class tied them with a red or orange glass bead head instead of a standard brass/copper bead.

I have lots of different colors of rabbit zonkers I could use. Also is a muddler minnow the same as a rolled muddler?

[BCfisherman97]

Muddlers with a smaller head and a gold or silver bead in olive and blue are my favourites for coho, silver or gold ribbing.

[Spawn Sack]

Right on thanks. I have some mirror krinkle flash I was thinking of using for the bodies. I have some regular flashabou like what we used in the tying class, but I think the krinkle mirror flash looks cooler. I can't think of any reason not to use it. It's also extra flashy which I think coho especially would like. Opinions?

[HOOK]

my two best patterns are the natural & silver and olive & gold. I have many other colours and also some custom variations. I also tie a few of my more used colours with a zonker strip wing for durability but the rest of the pattern is tied the same only replacing the deer hair with rabbit.

Tip - buy magnum rabbit strips because these have thicker hide on them making them stiffer. They are a fairly wide strip so i cut them in half length wise. I only anchor the strip at the head of the fly so it has good movement in the current. I first tied this pattern with regular zonkers and all it did was wrap around the hook, anytime it didnt tangle it was "fish on!"

Spawn - If you plan to fly fish the slough in the fall tie a few of the natural with a hot orange beadhead, hot orange thread and 2/3 strands of orange flash under the wing instead of pearl.      you're welcome

[Banny]

I really like a slightly darker toned (but still brown) rolled muddler, remember not every fly you tie needs a bead head.  Olive and blue produce for coho as well.

[Banny]

Old photo of a blue one, missing the deer hair over the wing (not that the fish care)

[HOOK]

I really like doing a pearl flash over blue body on blue ones 

Blue holo tinsel with pearl flashabou wrapped over top not overlapping and then Loctite coated for durability

my favourite part of natural and olive is that jack springs also love them

[Spawn Sack]

Hook and Banny, right on guys some excellent ideas there! I will be tying up some of those variations for sure!

Anyone care to share a good spot/area to target steelhead on the Vedder this time of year? I'm aware you can't fish above the crossing. I was walking my dog on the Vedder trail last night checking out some of the spots I normally fish around Peach, Lickman, Brown, etc. Every place looked pretty blown out and crappy. I'm still going to get out and give it a shot, but it would be nice to find a decent place for working on my single hand spey casting. Hmmm....

[HOOK]

fish everything but dont concentrate on long bomb casts. I would say no further than 50' and just work on mending and slowing the fly down, keeping it in the strike zone.......yadda yadda. when the water is dirty and/or high then the fish tend to hold very close to shore. I would also not step into the water so as to not spook any that may be in that close 

[Spawn Sack]

Thanks again Hook. Yeah I've heard before to fish "the dangle" when the water is high/colored. Makes sense that the fish would be in closer to shore where there is less silt to irritate their gills, etc.

I was in Fred's yesterday and was listening to another customer talk about fishing the Sumas Canal this time of year. Apparently better water than higher up where I normally fish on the Vedder (Lickman, Brown, Peach, etc).

I though I knew where the Sumas Canal is...but now I'm not so sure. Is this the same spot as the Vedder Canal? On the other side of the #1 highway bridge?

[HOOK]

Sumas canal is that little channel of water that enters the Vedder down near the highway bridge.


technically that is where the Vedder enters the Sumas and then the Sumas flows on into the Fraser. Trust me it doesnt make sense to me either LoL

[Spawn Sack]

Haha! Well thanks I know a lot more than I did before about this spot. Sooo...getting there...I'm guessing go down Keith Wilson, turn right at the KW bridge and keep driving along the dyke until you go under the #1 bridge? I've only been down in that area once a couple years ago...I don't remember a "little channel of water that enters the Vedder down near the highway bridge" but I'm guessing it's hard to miss? Very far down river of the highway bridge? I'm on the hunt for some decent single spey water on the Vedder. I'm mainly just looking to work on my casting, but I'd like to find some half decent water that isn't too raging fast. A bit of shore to stand on would be nice as well. I don't like wading out when the water is high/fast/colored.

[Spawn Sack]

Alright I was looking on Google maps this evening and I can clearly see where the Sumas Canal joins with the Vedder below the #1 highway bridge.

I see as you move west along the Sumas there are several spots that look decent for fishing. Any advice on where to go this time of year? Just looking on the map it looks like if you exit at #3 Road and go to McDonald Park there is a decent looking dyke there.

Perhaps in the next few days I'll take a drive down there and scout out some spots 

[HOOK]

I know nothing about fishing the Sumas and im sure anyone that does would be tight lipped so your best bet is to go explore. Watch your step though because i remember there being sinky spots all over down that low.

If you want to just practice casting then hit the long run down river from the Lickman parking lot. assuming the river hasnt come way up then its pretty easy access and lots of good water. walk the dyke downstream until you come to 2 benches together, directly across the dyke there is a small path cutting through the trees which leads to the river. This access point saves you alot of walking the rocks all the way to get there

[Spawn Sack]

Thanks again Hook. I think I know that access spot. If I fish Lickamn I normally take the trail by the first bench that takes you to the head of the run, but right now I bet that whole area will be under water. I'll check out that lower spot on the upcoming rest days as well as a few spots on the Sumas River. There's gotta be a few half decent spots around here for a guy to practice his fly casting and catch a fish or two in the process.