Newsman's sport fishing column and report

Weekly Fraser Valley Sport Fishing Column for March 1 to 7, 2016

The Fraser valley Boat & Sportsman’s show is at the Tradex Center, in Abbotsford this weekend, March 4, 5, and 6. The show this year will be the twenty fifth at this location. Going to the show is tradition in my family, going back fifty three years, to 1963, when my Dad took me to my first sportsman’s show, at the Agrodome, on the PNE grounds. The history of our family members making the show goes back further with my Dad, who attended the first Canadian National Sportsman’s Show, held in Toronto Ontario, in 1948. As for my own family, the show has always be a great catalyst, for a great family outing. My oldest daughter caught her first fish at the first show held in the Tradex; and she got her first lesson in catch and release there too, when yours truly fumbled the hook release. We weren’t so fortunate when we took the youngest to the fish pond. We did however have both our daughters do fly tying demo’s on more than a few occasions, and we had the boys from the youth fly fishing clubs host a few info booths. I always enjoyed attending the Outdoor Writers of Canada meetings when they held them at the show. I do miss the way Bill Otway chaired those meetings, but I am sure he is chairing great meetings off in the happy hunting ground. I also miss trading fish tales with Peter Morrison too, since he went off to teach fly casting to the folks gathered at the river. Yes the show makes memories for the whole family; this year we take the granddaughter. Here’s hoping we do well at the fish pond and I don’t fumble the catch.




The Report

Our lower mainland lakes are fishing fair to good. With the improving weather and warming temperatures the fish are getting much more active. For better success, try to focus you fishing to the upward swings in barometric pressure and in the warmer water closer to shore; with: Chironomid, Bloodworm, Wooly Bugger, Doc Spratley, Halfback, Micro Leach, Pumpkinhead, or Baggy Shrimp.


The Fraser River along with its backwaters and sloughs are fishing fair to good for cutthroat, rainbow, dolly Varden, and steelhead. For cutthroat try: Rolled Muddler, Flesh Fly, Eggo, Professor, Silver Doctor, Borden Special, Zulu, or small black Stone Nymph. For dolly varden try: large Clouser’s Deep Minnow. Zonker, Eggo, Flesh Fly, Dolly Whacker, or Kauffman Stone. For rainbow try: Czech nymph, Cased Caddis, Coachman, Rolled Muddler, Mico Leach, or Zulu. For steelhead try: Big Black, Flat Black, Squamish Poacher, Polar Shrimp, Popsicle, GP, Steelhead Nightmare, or Kauffman Stone.

The Harrison River is good for cutthroat and rainbow.

The Vedder River is good for rainbow and steelhead.