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”

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.

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

As many of you know, the 68th edition of the Boxing Day Steelhead Derby put on by the Chilliwack Fish and Game Protective Association has just passed us. 14 fish were weighed in this year, with a beautiful 13.75 lb. chromer taking the cake. Conditions for the derby were excellent, with perfect water conditions and a rain free day for the enjoyment of the many anglers out on the flow. Other good news was that a good number of wild fish were reported being landed as well the usual reports of good sized hatchery fish being lost too.

For those that may not have a current case of the steelhead fever, there are good numbers of rainbows, cutties, and dollies kicking around in our local rivers feeding on salmon eggs and flesh. Trout beads under an indicator or a float can almost always fool these fish at this time of year. Just have a decent selection of sizes and colors of eggs available. Beads can be slid on to your leader (of about 18”) where they will sit on top of your hook, (sizes 4 and 6 gamakatsus are nice).

Even though it’s the “slow” time of year, don’t forget this is BC and there are always fish to be had! Come into the shop and we can help point you in the right direction if you’re having trouble! Tight lines.

Michael Thom

Jig fishing has been increasing in popularity throughout the the years and has become a solid tool in the arsenal of any decent Steelhead or salmon angler. Shop Owner Garry is the tying instructor for the course. Garry will take you through various steps and techniques needed to help you become a more confidant tyer & angler.

Bring your tools and Vises (Vises available on request), Materials Provided

To sign up call the shop (604-994-2479) or email us at fishing5@telus.net

The Coquitlam River Clean Up will take place on February 5th, 2012. This is an important day to give back to our local river. From 10am to 3pm come on out and lend your hand at keeping our local river clean and free of garbage. Meet at 10am at the store, bring your own gloves or if you don’t have any just bring you. We’ll supply gloves and garbage bags for you. Please be sure to dress well for the weather and the task at hand. The Coquitlam River Clean Up has been an annual event for the past nine years with the generous help of volunteers and the support of the City of Port Coquitlam and the City of Coquitlam. In years past we’ve removed a tremendous amount of garbage including everything from discarded dog waste in bags tossed into the river to mattresses, sleeping bags, shopping carts, car parts and even fishermen’s waste items like line, floats and bait containers. Every helping handis appreciated and the river needs you.

For myself, writing journals is something I’ve been doing for more than 20 years – specifically,journals about my fishing escapades. My first journal was a Christmas gift that I received from my father and I’ve received the same special gift every year since. I start and finish my journal entries each time precisely the same way, always ending in a short story highlighting a moment from my day and bringing a certain light to everyone. By establishing a fishing journal as a part of your routine you can not only achieve some enjoyment in writing, but also become a better angler. Each year looking back you can establish when nature starts to unfold her cards. Your journal will show you patterns of when runs of fish will move in or when specific hatches will occur, gibing you an edge for the following year. I break my journal into sections, each one beginning with what i am fishing for. i then break the section down to specifically where i am fishing whether it be a different country, certain river or a carp flat. i also write down the time at my location, because while i may have only fished for an hour on a specific day it may have been a magical hour that i will want to remember.

The weather and temperature are also mentioned as they play an important role in the behavior of the fish. Whether it be a gorgeous autumn day or a torrential downpour, it gets mentioned in my journal. The people in my life also get a mention in my journal entries. All of my fishing partner know they can go back and see what we were fishing form where we were, what the weather was doing that day, what we were using and how much success we were having. I also write down all the details from the first fish caught, the biggest and our combined total if I’m fishing with others. I comment on everything from how I or others produce fish, to special tackle and area fishing reports so that I can go back and look outside my box.

I can see where others were successful when fishing for Cutties on one river or steelheading on another. I’ll write down which sections of runs will fish better certain years or what freshwater bones are feeding on at different times. I even incorporate my gardening background, noting which plants are flowering or which berries are ripe – all observations to inform me on what nature is up to at a particular time.

Every day consists of highs and lows, and all of these get cemented into history in my journal (although highlights of the day are favorite to write about). This part usually brings me to the end of my entry. I relive the day and write a short story about all the happenings that occurred: from losing the flies i spent all winter tying ( along with my belly boat, new flippers and lucky fishing hat), to steelheading up north with my two favorite partners, Ralphy and Gus, while fa four-point buck hangs nearby. this last story is from my latest entry an, as usual I have taken down every detail. We arrived to blown-out rivers, unsettled weather and slow fishing, but its still been an adventure I’ll never want to forget. Try to write in as much detail as possible and take down everything you think of. Its all helpful! these entries are keys to increasing you fishing success, but they also highlight what you still have left to learn. Which is a good thing, because if we knew everything what fun would fishing really be?!

When fishing for most game fish that BC has to offer, the swing is the thing. When swinging a fly, spoon or spinner through a run while effectively covering all the water in front of you, fish have a natural tendency to crush your presentation. I’d like to tell you that this is complicated, but really, it’s the easiest and most effective style of fishing you could choose. The procedure is simple; always start at the head of the run, casting your presentation directly across from you. Avoid obstacles such as sunken logs, root balls and hidden obstructions that can grab the fly or lure. Simply, these structures are excellent for hiding fish. Textbook procedure states that you need to mend your fly-line upstream, which slows your presentation and sends it deeper into the depths. Once the line becomes taut your fly is now doing the dance, swinging and captivating its audience. Everybody wants to have her or his name on that dance card. The swing of your presentation mimics the prey fleeing the predator. Any opportunistic fish will grab it, sometimes plucking the whole way through its swing. Beginners may have a tendency to set the hook, which in turn will pull your presentation away from your quarry. Instead, let the fish take the fly. Sensing the struggle, slowly lift the rod as you feel the weight of the fish. When your presentation is finished the swing then your fly, spoon or spinner will be at your feet, effectively covering all the water in front and below. Now to fish the whole run correctly, take your steps downstream accordingly. I usually take five steps as my dance move. If I’m constanty hooking up, I will take baby steps covering all the water below until the tail out. Once completed, go back to the head of the run to fish through or walk down to the next run to swing again.

Garry Elgear

 Good luck

- Shea O’Grady

Effective 00:01 hours October 27, 2011, the non-tidal waters of the Fraser
River in Region 2 as well as the Chehalis River, Harrison River, the Nicomen
Slough and the Stave River will be closed to Chum Salmon retention until 23:59
hours December 31, 2011. The daily limit for Chum Salmon in those waters is
therefore reduced to zero (0) per day. Anglers are reminded that the portion of
the Stave River, known as the Ruskin Spawning Channel on the east bank of the
BC Hydro Park from the inlet near the dam, downstream to the boat ramp crossing
remains closed to salmon fishing until further notice.