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WELTZ: Peck helped others enjoy outdoors

This week in our series on Vancouver sport fishing personalities, I'll talk about Ted Peck.

Clarke Edsell "Ted" Peck, one of B.C.'s best-known anglers and outdoorsman, was and remains a man of mystery. Famous for his television show, Tides and Trails, that ran from 1960 to 1966, Ted also ran a salmon charter and hosted a Sunday night open line radio show on Vancouver's CKWX for an additional 10 years. Ted was always endorsing products on his shows; be it Ted Peck fishing rods available at Woodwards, Sportsman cigarettes, Mustang floater coats, Cowichan sweaters, or nilodor, whatever it was we bought it because Ted said so.

I got to know Ted personally in his later years when he was selling tackle at Jaymer's Fly and Tackle, and teaching evening fishing classes in various school districts. Irascible on occasion, I always laughed at the thought that this cantankerous curmudgeon had achieved so much for himself and B.C. sport fishing. I found his secret was in the way he treated my daughter.

While Ted could be short with adults, he would always put everything else aside to render encouragement towards children, and listen intently to their fish stories.

I find it hard to accept that for a man who achieved such fame, so little is documented, but that is the way he wanted it. He was a man whose only interest was seeing others enjoy the outdoors, period. Ted went on to his reward Oct. 26, 2001. I am honoured that I got to follow in his footsteps and teach fly fishing for the Burnaby School District in the four years following his departure.

 

The report

Fishing on our Lower Mainland lakes is fair to good. Concentrate your fish on the north east area of your favourite lake from late morning through mid afternoon with. For rainbow and cutthroat try: Chironomid,

Bloodworm, Black Gnat, Royal Coachman, Coachman, American Coachman, Professor, Woolly Bugger, Micro Leach, Sixpack, Dragonfly Nymph, Halfback, Doc Spratley, Baggy shrimp, or Zulu.

The Fraser River and sloughs are good for cutthroat and dolly varden. For cutthroat try: Rolled Muddler, Mickey Finn, Eggo, Tied Down Minnow, Epoxy Minnow, Professor, Lioness, Coachman, Zulu, Chez Nymph. For dolly Varden try: Large (#4 to #1) Eggo, Dolly Whacker, Bucktail, Epoxy Minnow, Big Black, Muddler, or Zonker.

The Vedder River is closed to all fishing above the crossing bridge as of my first. Fly fishing remains open below the crossing. For steelhead, dolly varden and rainbow. For steelhead try: big Black, Popsicle,

Steelhead Nightmare, Polar shrimp, GP, Thor, Squamish Poacher, Kaufmann Stone, Purple Peril, or Eggo. For rainbow try: Eggo, Kaufmann Stone (black or tan), Zulu, Sixpack, Tom Thumb, Irresistible, Chez Nymph, Big Black, or Renegade.

The Stave River is good for rainbow and cutthroat.

The Harrison River is fair to good for cutthroat, and rainbow.

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