Winter Fishing in the Fraser River
Q: I am brand new to fishing. my friends and I started at the end of August and now we love it! We found a great spot on the Fraser River and we went almost every other day from the end of August till now. We were just casting lures and spinners from shore and having lots of luck. But now it is over until March(we think?). We would like to continue fishing through the winter, but lure and spinner casting is the only type of fishing we know how to do. I'm wondering if there are still places in the Lower Mainland where we could have success with that kind of fishing? Please let me know, thanks!
Matt
A: Hi Matt,
Fishing in the Fraser River indeed slows down quite a bit in the winter months (between December and March) but you can still catch fish at times by simply casting and retrieving lures. The target species are bull trout and cutthroat trout, which are usually highly transient during this time of the year so they can find food. They are opportunistic feeders so will attack anything that moves, so enticing them is not really a challenge, but finding them is. Take a look at these blog entries from February 2009, when I was able to find some success in the Fraser River.
You should also try your effort in tributaries that feed into the Fraser River. Salmon have been spawning in these tributaries, so quite often trout and char make their way into these areas to feed on salmon eggs and spawner carcasses. You can float fish with a single egg or an artificial presentation that resembles it. Spoons and spinners will also work.
These two articles may also be helpeful:
Good luck!
Rodney Hsu
Webmaster of Fishing with Rod and Public Advisor of Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC
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