|
Regional Report for British Columbia Interior - Brian Chan
Originally Published in
August / October 2007 Issue
I’m probably sounding a bit like a broken record as I
continually talk about water levels, but in this report it is
all good news! Heavier than average snowpacks have now melted
and added much needed water to many of our best stillwater
trout fisheries in the interior regions of BC. It is amazing
what an additional 40 to 60 cm of water will do to the
productivity of the important shoal or littoral zones of a
lake that for the past several years has been much shallower.
Not only does it improve aquatic invertebrate production, it
also makes these shallow water areas more accessible to trout
for a much longer period during the spring and early summer.
This past winter also proved to be relatively easy on
over-wintering trout populations in general and when combined
with good spring and summer feeding, the result is well
conditioned fish. This fall is definitely shaping up to be
one of those “not to miss” seasons on literally hundreds of
interior lakes.
Fall fly fishing on small
stillwaters means spending time on the shoal zone of the
lake. This often means fishing in water that is less than 10
feet in depth. Rainbow trout and brook trout continually move
into shallower water as the temperatures drop. This is not
match the hatch fishing, but rather involves offering
imitations of staple food items that will be available all
through the frozen winter months. Scuds, damselfly and
dragonfly nymphs, caddis larvae and leeches are all
highlighted fall menu items. As a bonus, fall mating flights
of waterboatman and backswimmers provide afternoon snacks on
those bright frosty days in mid to late September.
The use of
strike indicators is becoming more and more popular among
stillwater fly fishers. They have proven to very effective in
presenting chironomid or midge pupal patterns at specific
depths which is often critical during this favourite trout
food emergence period. However, there are other food sources
that can be fished quite effectively under strike indicators.
The fall period is a great time to try using indicators as so
much of the fishing is done in the shallower areas of the
lake. Fishing water less than 15 feet in depth is ideal for
this presentation technique. Scuds, juvenile damselflies and
leeches are all effectively presented under an indicator and
particularly when used in combination with wind drifting or
with a variety of retrieves. By wind drifting I am referring
to fishing from an anchored craft and casting either
perpendicular to the wind or casting straight upwind and
allowing the fly and indicator to drift naturally back to your
position. Wind drifting is most effective when there is a
slight breeze which will provide a gentle up and down
undulating motion to the fly as the flyline and indicator is
slowly pushed down wind. The indicator is set so the fly can
be presented at any selected depth which in most cases is
within 30 to 50 cm of the lake bottom. Patterns should also
be tied on with a non-slip loop knot which further adds
movement to the pattern. Tie some of your favourite fall
patterns with metal bead or cone heads in gold, copper or
silver finishes. The added weight provides some flash to the
fly as well as helping it to get down quickly to the desired
depth zone. Finally, beads make the pattern move even more
seductively, attracting those hungry fall trout and char.
Fishing indicators in strong winds and heavier wave action is
often not very productive as the bigger waves induce too much
vertical movement of the fly as well as moving it too quickly
horizontally through the water. During these times it is much
more effective to switch to sinking lines which enable control
over the retrieve.
To make it
easier to choose a lake to fish this summer and fall, the
Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC in partnership with the
provincial Ministry of Environment has just completed fishing
guides for the Cariboo/Chilcotin and Thompson/Nicola regions
of the province. These two interior regions host the best of
the best when it comes to productive trout lakes in the
province. There are literally thousands of stillwaters to
choose from within these areas, and the guides feature 49
water bodies that will appeal to all types of anglers. These
regional guides are available through BC Environment offices
in Kamloops and Williams Lake, tourist information centres as
well as downloadable files online at
www.gofishbc.com
|
