Print

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

[obie1fish]

Pontoon and belly boats are good on Rolley. No power motors allowed- this applies to any motor, electric included.

[Wiseguy]

Yup. I can leave my outboard at home and get on the oars. With no boat launch that’s not going to happen! Lol

[VictorBai]

Tried out Mike Lake Sunday afternoon and got skunked. There must have been hundreds of surface activities as close as within a rod length from the dock. Strangely enough, there were no bites. Not just for me, everyone fishing at the dock didn't get a single bite the entire afternoon. This is not my expectation of a newly stocked lake when fish were actively feeding.

Some people fly fishing on the boat in the middle of the lake had a few bites. People on the dock were bottom fishing and float fishing got nothing. I was casting spoons and got nothing. But with that much surface activity, I am wondering if that was because trout were actively feeding on the insects at the surface of the lake. Given that sufficient amount of food source, maybe they were allowed to be picky and ignore our powerbait and lure? Still, I don't understand why there wasn't a single bite. There are thousands of trout in there! And the rain is supposed to be in my favor.

[coastangler]

Tried out Mike Lake Sunday afternoon and got skunked. There must have been hundreds of surface activities as close as within a rod length from the dock. Strangely enough, there were no bites. Not just for me, everyone fishing at the dock didn't get a single bite the entire afternoon. This is not my expectation of a newly stocked lake when fish were actively feeding.

Some people fly fishing on the boat in the middle of the lake had a few bites. People on the dock were bottom fishing and float fishing got nothing. I was casting spoons and got nothing. But with that much surface activity, I am wondering if that was because trout were actively feeding on the insects at the surface of the lake. Given that sufficient amount of food source, maybe they were allowed to be picky and ignore our powerbait and lure? Still, I don't understand why there wasn't a single bite. There are thousands of trout in there! And the rain is supposed to be in my favor.

These trout learn fast and the kind of days that you describe are more or less the norm in these highly pressured lakes at least based on the 100s of times I tried over the years. Casting/retrieving spoons and spinners stops working very fast, plus this early in the season is even harder to get them to hit that. Other methods also stop working quite quickly and I would argue that except for Dew worms, float fishing also stops working quickly unless you have a lot of different options to try.

I may sound biased but the only method I always find consistent is fly fishing. Even on the toughest days I usually can manage to get at least a few nibs if I scale down the presentation to a size 16-20 nymph under a stealth indicator (you can use a black marker to remove the flashy colours they usually come in) and a long leader. I definitely agree with you it can get really unnerving and even sometimes after trying every pattern on my box just to to get a small nib in return doesn't feel that great. On the other hand, it does feel very rewarding when you finally land one on a fly that someone gave you 3 years ago and you never thought you'd use

Also keep in mind surface activity does not always mean feeding activity. Dry flies are not usually very effective on these trout and while they sometimes hit small ones, wet flies and nymphs always yield more results for me. Good luck and keep trying! I guess this applies to any fishing but if you keep hitting the same lake over an over you'll get results. The nice thing here is that you know fish are there and it's on you to make them bite: that always makes it more exciting for me than not even knowing if they are there

[RalphH]

never been to Mike Lake more than twice but I remember one trip like yours. Fish were rising & it was clear there was a hatch of some sort but no one, gear, bait or fly was getting much. I drifted out into the middle of the lake in my float tube and watched the surface. A bubble appeared from below and sat there a second then it popped and what was left was a fly, almost exactly like a house fly, sitting on it's legs for a few seconds before it took off. I saw a few more. It was the only hatching activity I saw and i think the trout were taking them just below the surface. I didn't have a fly to imitate a bug in a bubble so I got skunked despite my discovery. They are a kind of gnat or the order chaoborus. I don't know how common they are locally, but odd things do happen.

[VictorBai]

I've had a good time with casting/retrieving spoon at Como and Lafarge but apparently, things work differently in different lakes. Guess that's the charm of fishing.

Fly fishing seems so complicated. Maybe it's time to sign up for a fly fishing class. I happened to have a box of flies but I don't have fly rod and reel. Next time I am going to try tie the flies under a float and see how that works.

[coastangler]

I've had a good time with casting/retrieving spoon at Como and Lafarge but apparently, things work differently in different lakes. Guess that's the charm of fishing.

Fly fishing seems so complicated. Maybe it's time to sign up for a fly fishing class. I happened to have a box of flies but I don't have fly rod and reel. Next time I am going to try tie the flies under a float and see how that works.

Yep, I also had great days doing that. It has obvious advantages like covering a lot more water much quicker or can fish from anywhere and boy when it works, it can be super fun as those aggressive takes are hard to forget. I just find it less effective overall based on times where I brought both setups and always ending up having more success on the fly.

Regarding learning to Fly Fish, most local tackle shops have cheap intro classes. In terms of initial setup I'd go for the Redington Crosswater Outfit 5WT - that's what I always recommend and sometimes you see it on flash deals for ~150 bucks which is not bad for a decent Rod, Reel and line.

Also your idea of putting flies under a float setup is legit. Just make sure you use a balanced setup with a small float, etc. It may be a bit hard to cast but honestly I never need to cast far when using indicator rigs on the fly either. Good luck

[VictorBai]

Thanks, Coastanger, and the same to you!

That feeling when a fish bites on your spoon is so rewarding and addictive. I only switch to PowerBait when I got tired (physically) from the casting or my hands got frozen in the cold rain. My friends have suggested using dry flies so you could see the trout bite your flies at the surface which is also spectacular.

I have already placed an order on a 3/4 wt fly combo and I plan on playing with it and see how that goes.

This week when I was at Green Timbers, I saw a guy fishing with a bombarda and a fly on a spinning reel setup. (I recall Rod has a video using bombarda when he was fishing at Lafarge.) That guy could cast 3 times farther than my spoons and reach the middle of the lake with no trouble. He had so many bites that day. So on my next fishing trip, I am going to try a setup with mainline-swivel-bead-weight-bead-bobber-bead-swivel-leader-fly setup. Theoretically, I could cast far and keep the fly floating on the surface.

[RalphH]

yes they look perfect for using flies with gear.

https://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/5pcs-Clear-Casting-Bombarda-Sinking-Fly-Fishing-Spinning-Floats-5g-10g-15g-20g/5UTCJOTFZ6G1

keep it simple with just a few simple flies. most local lakes have dark colored aquatic insects and in my experience peacock herl bodies work great. Some halfbacks or grey hackles in size 10 and 12, a few pumpkin heads or small black or olive wooly buggers in same size but longer shank hooks and since some lakes have daphnia (Mill in Abbotsford) some small bright orange or red flies. A collection like that should get you fish 90% of the time.

[VictorBai]

After testing, fly and float don't go well together. They tend to tangle up quite easily and I didn't catch anything with that this weekend. Next time I will try with a shorter leader line and see how that goes.

Saw some thunder and lightings yesterday and that was a clear sign to go home.

[Wiseguy]

I had a good day recently on one the stocked lakes. I was not getting any bites for about an hour and was just about to leave when I had a hit. I stayed and kept casting my small spoon and sure glad I did. The next hour was fruitful as I had several bites hooking some, losing some and landing some. Not sure why I wasn’t getting any bites at first. Either there was no fish in the area I was in or the bite suddenly turned on.

[Rodney]

New episode tonight at one of the stocked lakes in the Fraser Valley.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DLbF6X3acQ

[Fish Assassin]

Enjoyable video. No loud pounding music or yelling.

[psd1179]

Is the funding differently this year or the stocking schedule changed. Most urban lakes received less frequent stocking than past years.

[Rodney]

The amount of fish designated for each lake per year should still be the same. When the lakes get their fish depends on the hatchery's work schedule etc, as well as some logistic issues. For examples, the gate to Hicks and Deer Lake in Sasquatch Provincial Park has been closed, so the truck can't really get in yet and no point until the gate is open to the public.