Newsman's sport fishing column & report

Sport fishing column for June 13 to 20, 2011

This coming Sunday is Father's Day, the one day a year when Dad is supposed to do what he wants. Now don't tell me that embodies hanging out in the backyard grilling burgers on the barbecue. If you like barbecuing that is one thing, but I for one am not doing the cooking on my day.

For Dads like me who have chosen or would like to choose fishing as their sport, it's free this weekend. That is right, for the last eleven years, the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC has hosted license-free fishing and family oriented fishing events every Father's Day weekend. This year our BC Free Family Fishing Weekend commemorates the passing of one of its founders, the legendary Bill Otway.

Here in the lower mainland these venues can be found at the following: Cultus Lake in Chilliwack. The Fraser valley Trout Hatchery in Abbotsford. McMillian Lake at Trinity Univercity in Langley. Green Timbers Lake Provincial Park in Surrey. La Farge Lake in Coquitlam and Rice Lake in North Vancouver. For further information on these family events go to www.bcfamilyfishingweekend.com.

The report

Fishing on our lower mainland lakes is AAA. For wet (sinking) fly fishing try: Chironomid, Bloodworm, Coachman, American Coachman, Professor, Wooly Bugger, Micro Leach, Sixpack, Dragonfly Nymph, Halfback, Doc Spratley, Baggy Shrimp, or Zulu. For dry (floating) fly action try: Tom Thumb, Irresistible, Black Gnat, Griffith Gnat, Royal Coachman, or Renegade. For Kokanee try: Red Abbis, Bloodworm, Red Spratley, San Juan Worm, Red Quill, or Double Trude.

Our lower mainland bass and panfish fisheries are slow to fair. For bass try: Wooly bugger, Big Black, Lizard, Clouser's Deep Minnow, Zonker, Tied Down Minnow, Bucktail, Dolly Whacker, or Crayfish, in sizes 4 to 1. For Crappie or Pumpkinseed try: Wooly Bugger, Big Black, Micro Leach, Bucktail, Tied Down Minnow, Dolly Whacker, or Clouser's Deep Minnow in sizes 12 to 8.

Fishing is fair to good on our lakes. For wet fly fishing try: Wooly Bugger, Micro Leach, Egg Sucking Leach, Chironomid, Bloodworm, Pumpkinhead, Dragonfly Nymph, Halfback Nymph, 52 Buick. Doc Spratley, Green Spratley, or Baggy Shrimp. For dry fly on warm afternoons try: Irresistible, Black Gnat, Griffith Gnat, Tom Thumb, Renegade, Double Hackled Peacock, Goddard Caddis, or Elk Hair Caddis.


You can find more at "The Reel Life Press" by Jeff Weltz