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As a friend of mine says about river fishing reports this time
of the year "The water is awful close to the bank." The
accumulated rainfall and the above normal snow pack has resulted
in very high water conditions and less fishing opportunities, but
better to have the high water now so we can fish during the peak
of the runs.
Check for detailed fishing conditions on the Fishing
Report website.
Local lakes
Local lakes are warming up and a lake that we fished on Sunday
had 59F. Reading and there was a lot of activity. Optimum temperature
for lake char is 51F. and rainbows like 65F. As the temperature
rises there is a big increase in feeding and days spent on the water
have a much better chance of some reward. Many of us say that just
being out there is enough, but we tend to say that only on the days
we did not catch, we would really rather have a few fish landed
to say it was successful.
There have been some good-sized char taken in the mid twenties
area and heard of a 32 pounder taken out of the west end of Francois
Lake.
Rivers
On June 16 the rivers and creeks that have been closed to allow
for as much natural spawning as possible open up for angling. Most
of the creeks and small rivers are higher and dirtier than normal
but will clear up much faster than the big rivers. Most of us especially
in this area get caught up in the big fish thing, and why not? We
live in one of the best areas in the world for steelhead and salmon,
but sometimes we need to go back and rediscover the joy of the small
stream. Using an ultra light spin rod with four-pound (2 kg.) test,
or a light fly rod in a 2 or 3 weight makes those 12 inch (30 cm.)
rainbows, cutts and dollies feel huge. We have many small creeks
around here just begging to be explored and some of the rivers such
as the Babine, Fulton, Nadina, and the upper Morice that are blue
ribbon waters.
(All previous issues are stored in the ARCHIVE
for your convenience)
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Tip of the week:
Do fish smell? You bet they do, especially after three days in
the sun. But that is not the smell I am talking about. I'm talking
about the salmon and trout family's keen nose. How do you think
that salmon can find there way back from way out in the North Pacific
to the exact patch of gravel they were born in? So what has their
sense of smell got to do with you as an angler? Plenty.
Humans give off a chemical called L-serine that is a fish repellant
and trout and salmon can detect this L-serine in as little as one
part per eight billion. So, they don't like the smell of some of
us, you know the buddies that couldn't buy a fish except in the
store, they probably radiate the stuff. There are other smells that
fish don't like, gasoline, insect repellant, cigarettes, and some
types of food. Want to catch more fish? Keep your hands clean and
free of odors.
Coghlan's makes a biodegradable soap that works great at removing
the L-serine and other odors. Also, the use of fish attractants
or scents is well proven. Dr. Juice, Smelly Jelly, or Berkley Power
Bait greatly adds to the effectiveness of any lure. The use of scents
is illegal in most streams, consult your regulations, but is okay
to use in the lakes. I have used it many times in side-to-side comparisons.
Does it work? Yes. Period. We have even seen live herring with one
of the scents coated on it outfish the non-smelly herring. In the
book, "Catching Trophy Halibut", it is said the addition
of smell to the halibut jig increases success up to four times!
Fly fishing
Last week I mentioned the torpedo bobber and fly technique. Here's
a little more about this. About two meters behind the torpedo (teardrop
shaped) bobber attach a fly such as the Doc Spratley, Woolly Bugger,
Marabou Leech or one of the damsels or dragons. The teardrop bobber
gives you the weight to cast and makes very little disturbance on
the retrieve. It enables the spin fisher or the non-skilled fly
caster a chance to get in on the hatch. It can be very deadly at
times.
Remember the BEST times to fish are:
When it's raining and when it isn't.
On days that end in "Y."
The day before you arrive and the day after you leave.
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