Julian Reedel’s Classic’s

A little showcasing of shop tier Juilian Reedel’s Classic fly tying patterns (names in order)     ”The Radiant Whisper”  ”tequila sunrise”   “the blue elegance”    “the blue angel”

Julian Reedel – professional fly tyer

Julian has been fishing for the last 22 years and has experienced many diffrent types and styles of fishing however considers steelhead and coho his favorite to pursue. Julian is an avid centerpin, spey and fly fisherman and also has experience with hunting and shooting. Julian has been tying flys for ten years and is availible to tie specific patterns on request. About a year ago Julian started tying classic fulldressed flys. Pictures of them can be found in the flytying section of this site.

Julain is a wealth of information and likes to help out around the shop. He is always happy to lend a hand to anyone with questions.

Winter Fishing – Plan Ahead for a Perfect Trip

With the change of the season, winter is finally upon us. Barren trees, crisp air, a brand new dusting of snow and I am exhilarated, anticipating and planning my next trip with my fishing partner for winter steelhead. Planning my trip is half the fun. I take pleasure in knowing I’ll be ready for whatever Mother Nature throws at me. I give thanks every morning because of my life. I am a man of many trips, and I enjoy experiencing everything our beautiful outdoors has to offer. Whether you are able to take off on many trips or only once a year, it is important to plan carefully as this is a special time that can rejuvenate your batteries.

One of the most important things for your successful trip is a list. Just like Santa, check it twice. One of the fun parts of planning a trip is playing out the trip in your head. Depending on the season, you will be planning which flies, lures or bait will be most successful. Ideally, bring three of each presentation. This is the most common mistake I see – people only packing one of each presentation, and they lose it. Try not to be this person.

Depending on where I go, I’ll have anywhere from two to six rod and reel combos with me. For my trip up North, I bring four rods. Two are always on my boat, one being a dry line and the other a sink tip.. The spare will come in handy if we have a problem, such as a broken rod. Now is the time to replace old lines, tapered leaders or cracked fly lines. Make sure your casting or spinning reel is in good shape. Replace these if they have excessive memory or abrasion marks, or, if your reel is just low in capacity. People not maintaining their equipment is the most overlooked practice. Something as simple as a touch of oil to the bearings, bushings and moving parts can make your trip run more smoothly.

Every year I travel abroad to a little destination in the tropics. This place is God’s land and resembles Gilligan’s Island. I chase bonefish and tarpon on the flats all day, but on a particular day of fishing, I was unprepared for the rain. A simple shell jacket was all that I needed for the day. Even though I was in the tropics, the cold was unbearable as I travelled across the bay, making my trip uncomfortable. Learn from my mistake. Always be prepared. Clothing is essential. Start from the top and work your way down.

A hat is key in cold and hot weather. It keeps in the heat and protects from the suns harmful rays. A good quality pair of polarized sunglasses helps with locating fish. Choose the appropriate shade such as amber for low light and a smoked tint for sunny days. Gloves help our hands in the cold, but also protect our skin from the sun. Anglers are among those who are at most risk for skin cancer, so using sunscreen is absolutely important, even on cloudy days. My favorite clothing to wear is micro-fleece in cold or hot weather. This material breathes, eliminates sweat and wicks it away from our skin, keeping us comfortable in all temperatures. One of the most important pieces of clothing are socks. My socks have the same quality as my fleece, taking the moisture away from my skin. They also have arch support built in, which allows me to walk all day and stay comfortable. Never double up your socks. This traps in sweat and makes a tighter fit in your footwear, which causes you to lose circulation and your feet to get cold.

Having fun and enjoying our experience can be helped with a proper list and being prepared. When you are in the great outdoors, something as simple as proper snacks for refuelling and clean water goes farther than just food. It brings a certain civilization when you’re in the middle of nowhere. I personally enjoy hiking, so I need snacks that are lightweight and high in fuel. The body burns fat first. Try bringing a bag of pork rinds. The energy delivered is quick. I also carry granola bars with fruits, nuts and peanut butter. I’m not looking to burn out, but keep my fuel levels running long.

In short, be prepared for everything, keeping in mind that being comfortable and well-fed will make your trip more enjoyable.

Garry Elgear

April 12 Rivers Report

Chilliwack  

  Until recently the Vedder had been consistently low and clear for the last several weeks. Now that we see early signs of snow melt the river has started to colour in its glacial summer fashion. This provides a feeling of safety for fish and can very possibly encourage them to move and bite. Personally I consider water like this perfect for bright plastic presentations such as your standard pink worm. This is starting to be considered late season for vedder Steelhead but some fresh fish will still continue to move in over the next month before the river becomes fly only on May the first. The majority of fish this time of year are wild fish, many reports we have received in the shop have consisted of people catching 10 or more fish before finally catching a desired hatchery marked Steely. However this time of year is often when anglers can try new things and learn a lot about how to fish different presentations and new water with the advantage of the added confidence knowing there are large amounts of fish spread throughout the entirety of the river system.



                            Capilano

    The Capilano is never the most productive Steelhead fishery around but can often be fun to fish and explore. Definitely one of the more scenic rivers around the Capilano has high canyon walls that can aid a good angler in spotting fish. try fishing small presentations and fluorocarbon lines. In about a months time the Cap Coho will start running. These particular Coho run in the spring and average around 3-6 pounds. Fishing can be productive on spoons spinners and drift fishing roe.  
  Please remember this river is entirely catch and release for Steelhead, hatchery marked or not!  
     

                  Stave

    The Stave river has been fishing very well for Steelhead this past week and should continue to fish well throught the next month or so. The river has a large number of chum fry that are hatching right now which provides fun fishing opportunities for cutthroat trout and white fish as well. Fly guys should try using fry patterns and Squidro intruders. Gear fisherman can continue to use standard Steelhead drift gear or switch over to fishing Croc spoons in an effort to imitate hatching fry. This can be an extremely fun time of year for the stave do to the aggressive feeding habits of all fish in the system. It is not uncommon to see Steelhead rising in chase of the salmon fry.

Always feel free to give Shea, Mike or Garry a call at the shop (604) 944 2479