Hatchery enhancement. Utter these two words in a discussion among user groups as a solution to repairing our endangered B.C. fish stocks, and watch the fireworks.
I have heard far too much pro and con on this subject, along with the anemic bafflegab from the talking heads that control this resource. It is nothing more than a great tumult of noise that amounts to not much more than an exercise in passing verbal wind.
All while our salmon and steelhead stocks continue helplessly down the path of no return. No matter which side of the fence you stand on, there is no denying the success of our closest neighbors, Washington and Alaska, in maintaining and restoring their fisheries. What do they do that we don’t? Enhance their fisheries with hatchery fish, administer their fish and game laws with zeal, and exercise a total ban on open net pen fish farms from operating in the estuaries of salmon and steelhead baring streams.
Say and believe what you will. As for me, I have seen and fished both sides of Cascadia and believe B.C. can do better than our status quo.
The Report
Our Lower Mainland lakes are fishing fair to slow. For wet (sinking) fly trout fishing try: Coachman, Zulu, Wooly Bugger, Dragonfly Nymph, Damsel Nymph, Sixpack, Doc Spratley, Pumpkinhead, or Baggy Shrimp. For evening dry (floating) fly trout fishing try: Tom Thumb, Irresistible, Royal Coachman, Renegade, Elk hair Caddis, Black Gnat, Griffith Gnat, or Lady McConnel.
Fishing on our interior lakes is good. For wet fly fishing try: Chironomid, Halfback, 52 Buick, Pumpkinhead, Big Black, Micro Leach, Coachman, Green Spratley, Damsel nymph, Dragon nymph, Carey Special, Souboo, Sixpack, or Baggy Shrimp. For Dry fly fishing try: Lady McConnel, Black Gnat, Double Hackled Peacock, Griffith Gnat, Black Gnat, Elk Haired Caddis, Irresistible, Sofa Pillow, or Tom Thumb.
The Fraser is fishing well for coho, chum, spring, and cutthroat. For coho try: Eggo, Coho Blue, Christmas Tree, olive Wooly Bugger, or Bite Me, Rolled Muddler. For chum try: Christmas Tree, Big Black, Flat Black, Bunny Leach, Holliman, dark green Wooly Bugger, or Mat Green. For spring try: Eggo, Big Black, Flat Black, Wooly Bugger, Kaufmann Stone, Squamish Poacher, or Popsicle. For cutthroat try: Rolled Muddler, Professor, Anderson Stone, Zulu, American coachman.
The Harrison is good for coho, chum, spring and cutthroat.
The Vedder is good for coho, chum, spring, rainbow, and cutthroat. For rainbow try: Kaufmann Stone, Big Black, Black Gnat, Souboo, Zulu, Renegade, Tom Thumb, Chernobyl Ant, Foam Hopper, or Irresistible.
- Submitted
by Jeff Weltz