Fishing Report: Rolley And Whonnock Lakes.

Spring Is Right Around The Corner:

This morning when i drove out to Rolley lake i wasn't sure if the ice had yet melted. But if you never go, you'll never know... Or i suppose you could just wait for someone else to do it and then read the report. But that's not as much fun really. As expected the gate to Rolly is still locked which isn't a big deal, it's a nice five to ten minute walk from the gate to the park. Interestingly though, it is enough of a deterrent to others that i didn't see another person for the whole three hours i was there. I did hear a couple of people hiking somewhere across the lake but that's it. It was incredibly peaceful. As for the ice, I'd say it's 50% melted. The back side of the lake is still mostly frozen, which is a shame because all the spots i like to shore fish from are on that side. And shore fishing was the name of the game today as i wasn't about to carry a kayak, even a small 8f one, all the way from the truck and back. That said... if you were a stronger man than i and willing to lug a kayak or belly boat in, you probably have better luck than i, as the deeper parts of the lake were ice free and i'm sure that's where the fish were likely hiding today. As it is i ended up fishing from the front side of the lake, i tried the entire stretch that had open water but the best location was the beach, casting out into the swimming area. It was the most snag free location, and also the deepest i could reach with my cast. (about 80 feet.)

Still closed.

Not a bad walk.

As i'm sure you can guess, i was skunked today. That's actually pretty normal for me up at Rolley, i haven't had a lot of luck there. It's a beautiful little lake though so i continue to put myself through the heartache. Aside from one small fry in the shallows i saw absolutely zero evidence of fish. No bites or nibbles and no surface activity. It was actually a harsh contrast to Whonnock, where recently the surface activity has been ridiculous, not a lot of action beneath the water mind you. So far this year I Haven't attempted to fish Whonnock with a fly, but i bet that if you got out on the lake in the evening and fished small darkly colored mayflies you'd have some luck.

But i'm off track, at Rolley I fished bait under a float as it (normally) tends to be a pretty successful method this time of year when things are still quite slow. I started out unsuccessfully with worms, Than tried Trout Nibbles, and then Crappie Nibbles... and finally Crappie Nibbles with a worm. That's a sure sign of desperation... my leader started at about six feet but i just kept snagging, i eventually settled on a length of about four feet and that solved most my problems. But i couldn't entice any fish and after about two and a half hours i called it quits and decided to clean up some of the trash left behind by other anglers. I mean come on... the trash cans are liter-ally fifty feet from the water's edge, is it really that difficult the throw your balls of line there instead of the bush?

Half thawed.

"Liter-ally" 50 feet.

Wet, but happy.

Back down at Whonnock lake, where the slightly lower elevation lends itself to more favorable temperatures, fish are becoming quite active. Whonnock is about 165 feet lower down than Rolley, which doesn't seem like a lot, but while Whonnock is thawed and warming daily, Rolley still has ice on the water and snow on the ground.

I fished Whonnock about a week ago on the first day where there was enough open water to fish from the right side dock. Hooked and landed a nice little bow on my second cast (few things give me a bigger smile than that!), jigging a worm on a small trout magnet jig head suspended under a float. I landed one more Rainbow two days ago, vertically jigging a couple Crappie Nibbles from the kayak, in more or less the middle of the lake. I've gotten numerous other bites that just wouldn't hold on, they felt aggressive like trout and not nervous like crappie do when it's cold. And as i've mentioned before i have see a ton of surface activity, fish are hitting bugs on top water like crazy, i probably will follow my own advice the next time i head up there and bring a flyrod with me.

Mill lake.

Whonnock.

Seems like fishing is heating up a little, at least in the lower elevation stocked lakes anyway (i've also done pretty well at Mill lake recently.). And it really is starting to feel like spring is right around the corner, and if that isn't something to get excited about i don't know what is.

Let's Talk About Sunfish.

I'm Certainly No Expert, But I Do Love To Talk:

I'd like to share a few of my thoughts on sunfish, a family of invasive fish found readily throughout the lower mainland. But the truth is that i am no expert, i have learned a fair bit about these fish online, relative to their natural habitats. But the information i have regarding them in the lower mainland is mostly derived from my own fishing experiences and is still a bit limited. Apart from a few curious and random sightings earlier in my angling adventures I didn't really come face to face with these fish until i began targeting largemouth bass a couple years ago. After a few chance encounters with fish species i had read very little or nothing about online in regard to them being in the lower mainland i decided to start targeting different sunfish to see what i could learn or discover. And though i feel there is still much to learn, sunfish have quickly become some of my favorite fish to target. From their often beautiful colorations and markings to their aggressive behaviour and interesting nesting habits, they are a rewarding group to target, not just for beginners but for seasoned anglers as well. And speaking of seasoned, let's not forget their tendency to be great table fare. So let's get to it, I think a few of you will find what i've seen so far of interest.

Which Species Of Sunfish Am I Referring To:

The members of the sunfish family i have come across and positively identified so far are Pumpkinseed, Black Crappie, Bluegill, and Largemouth Bass. However there have been a few catches that i have been unable to identify and i am unsure if they are either male/female variants, hybrids or different species altogether. I do believe that if i continue targeting sunfish and my experience in identification grows i will eventually find other species. There is a world of information available online dealing with all aspects of these fish, information that greatly eclipses my personal knowledge. And i recommend anyone interested in targeting sunfish to do some Googling of their own. I will however give a brief overview of the positively identified ones.

Bluegill:

One of my favorite fish, Bluegill are beautifully colored, and taste delicious. They also fight a lot harder than their size would suggest. Oftentimes while hooked into a Bluegill i'll assume i've hooked a decent little 12 inch Largemouth, only to land it and realise its a 4 inch fish. Their bodies seem a lot more rigid than the other sunfish i've held and tend to be thicker than both the Pumpkinseed or Crappie, the largest i've caught so far was just under 7 inches. I've had a lot of success fishing for these with A small jig head paired with a one to two inch curly tailed grub or a small creature bait, retrieved with an erratic motion attempting to imitate an injured prey.

Bluegill.

Bluegill.

Largemouth Bass:

This fish hardly needs an introduction, it is easily one of the most popular game fish in the world. And until i caught my first one i didn't totally get it. A lot of the bass fishing shows we see on T.V. and even on youtube quite honestly seem a little silly at times, it's just not a culture we've had much exposure to here in the lower mainland. I get it now though. They hit hard, explosively even and fight with an aggression i've rarely seen in even the biggest trout, steelhead included. And they will readily strike a huge variety of baits and presentations. I've even had one strike my hook as i was retrieving a mass of weeds i had snagged. Another great aspect of bass fishing in the lower mainland, is that they tend to become most active in the summer when water temperatures warm up and trout become less active, providing an exciting "backup fishery" when fishing for trout isn't as productive, or necessarily even safe for the trout. The Largemouths body is more elongated than the other sunfish and it's the largest growing. I've heard many reports of Largemouth in the area reaching the 8 to 10 pound range. My largest however was just a little under 3 pounds. I have seen larger fish while looking over the edge of my kayak though so hopefully i can get into some bigger ones this coming season. Every presentation i have tried works, depending on conditions, but my favorite right now is a Texas rig with a dark red curly tail worm 5 to 6 inches long. That said, there are few things in life as exciting as running a frog across a mat of lily pads and having a bass come up and smash it from beneath. the first time that happened to me i was hooked on bass for life.

Juvenile Largemouth Bass.

Largemouth Bass.

Black Crappie:

No fish i've come across before has confused me as much as Crappie have, at times you can't keep these schooling fish off your hook, literally catching one every cast. Other times however they are timid and elusive, seemingly putting the hook in their mouths only to spit it out when you attempt to set the hook or retrieve... The best method i've found to land Crappie while they are in this mood is to let your bait sit under a tiny float, when you see it bob and go under. Wait. Give the fish a couple seconds to take the bait and swim away, then slowy retrieve to set the hook and bring the fish in. Anything more aggressive will usually result in failure. Even when the bite is good they typically like a slower retrieve and i will often fish a jig under a float so that i can reel as slow as possible without risking snagging bottom. They also have fairly soft mouths that rip easily, so a hard hook set is careless and unnecessary.

Black Crappie.

Black Crappie.

Pumpkinseed:

Easily identified by its exquisite blue "lightning bolt" markings along the head and small red dot on the gill plate this is the smallest of the sunfish i've seen so far, most being in the 3 to 4 inch range. They are often visible in the shallows even when other larger sunfish are hidden and i have used them successfully in the past to locate and target Largemouth. They respond to similar fishing tactics as Bluegill.

Pumpkinseed.

Pumpkinseed.

Where To Find Them:

I'm not going to waste our time explaining locations that are well documented, such as Mill lake for Largemouth bass or Whonnock lake for Black crappie, information on such locations can easily be found online. I'd like to focus on what i've seen in regards to the lower Fraser River and its tributaries. I have managed to find sunfish in any and all waterways i've searched that are connected to the Fraser. I'd like to stress that point because i've seen quite a few debates online where many anglers seem convinced that these invasive species are confined to certain areas, and that just isn't true. These fish are well established throughout the lower mainland and the major connecting factor seems to be the Fraser river. I've hiked these river banks for many many kilometers and fished hour upon hour before deciding that this is the case. From the Alouette and the Pitt to Kanaka, the Stave and the Coquitlam and in all the sloughs and ponds in between, there are sunfish everywhere. When it comes to sloughs and low lying ponds sunfish can almost always be caught once water temps have warmed up enough for the fish to become active. The same is true for the lower, slower moving and warmer portions of the creeks and rivers. Most of the time you will not be able to be able to find sunfish higher up in these streams, however i have noted a couple examples during extended heatwaves where some of these fish have made their way higher up than "normal". One such example is of what i am guessing were Pumpkinseed on Kanaka well up from the 240th street bridge. I was however unable to get any of them to take a hook.

This distribution seems to be true for all the above mentioned species, and where you find one species you will undoubtedly find others. Although, and i don't know if this is a fact about population density or a reflection of my own fishing skills, but there seems to be more Largemouth and Pumpkinseed than Bluegill and black Crappie in the tributaries of the Fraser. Or maybe the latter two are just harder to catch? It is still too cold to consistently target them successfully this time of year, spring is on its way however and summer is just around the corner. I'm sure a couple more seasons of targeting these fish and i'll have more conclusive answers.

A Note On The Invasive Nature Of These Fish:

Please keep in mind that these fish are Invasive nonnative species and it is illegal to transport them alive or to stock them in any private or public water. DO NOT FOR ANY REASON TRANSPORT THESE FISH ALIVE! Yes they have spread far and wide but it is not only highly illegal but also unethical to further that spread. That said, it is also currently illegal to harm these fish for any reason other than to eat them. Please act in a respectful matter and return all the fish you catch, native and nonnative, safely back into the water they came from.

Now, as to how these fish got here and who planted them in our waters. I have no idea. I do know that Largemouth were stocked in the lower mainland in the distant past by the government to establish a new and exciting fishery, just as was done in the Okanagan. But that doesn't explain the other sunfish. There are rumors online that suggest some shady angling communities have introduced Largemouth bass as a target species and either Pumpkinseed or Yellow Perch as feeder fish for the bass. I haven't been able to find any solid information to support this though. But logic would dictate that there is some truth to this sort of "bucket brigade" stocking of the smaller sunfish, as the fish are there and they had to come from somewhere.

Largemouth bass are regulated in our fishing region(2), with a limit of 4 "Largemouth and/or Smallmouth combined", but it may as well read "4 largemouth" as there doesn't seem to be any smallmouth in our region... While Crappie have a limit of 20... it isn't specified whether this refers to black or white Crappie, but i'm assuming you'll only encounter Black Crappie. 20 is a decent number of fish, and if you can get into some bigger ones they make a fine food source. As far as i can tell the other sunfish are unregulated. This hardly impacts Pumpkinseed though as they are often very small and would be quite a chore to prepare as food, even though i have read that they are good eating. Bluegill are another story, they can get large enough in our area to either fillet or cook whole, and they are great eating... not a bad fish to fill your freezer with while helping to limit the impact of invasive species in our environment. And incase anyone was wondering, that is exactly how i feel about Bass. I'm sure the huge ones are like most big fish, not really that appetizing, so ill let them go as is legally required of me and also it feels right to me morally, i typically do not kill any animal for fun or pointless self gratification. And the tiny ones are... well... tiny. But harvesting the ones that are in between is a great way to bring home some dinner while helping ensure that juvenile trout and salmon have a better shot at reaching maturity.

So, That Said...

I hope some of this information is useful to any of you interested in targeting Sunfish in the lower mainland. Like i said previously my knowledge about these species in our area is still limited and this will definitely be a topic i update often as i educate myself. Feel free to comment or contact me with any thoughts, or correct me if i am wrong in any of the above points, pooling our collective experiences can be a great way to build on an interesting subject that doesn't have a lot of information available. So good luck to you if you will be targeting new and different species this coming year. It can often be frustrating and time consuming, but it's definitely worth it.

Let's Talk About Disappointment.

I Suck At Fishing:

How often have you muttered those words in your head after getting skunked. If you're anything like me, quite often. Maybe not After one bad day, or two... but honestly i haven't caught a fish yet this year, not one single fish, and trust me... i've tried (i've fallen in the water twice in the past week though so that's something). From targeting the obvious winter catches of cutthroat and steelhead to less likely species like catfish and bluegill, i've tried, and repeatedly failed. And i'm starting to think that i actually do suck at fishing. I mean, i know i dont really, there is a ton of proof that i know how to catch fish and i also know that this time of year can be particularly tough. And let's face it, as the old adage goes, it's "fishing" not "catching" and occasionally we all have a run of bad luck. But all that doesn't help alleviate the nagging feelings of self doubt that can sometimes creep in during a dry spell.

Occasionally in the winter i'll get pretty disappointed in myself as an angler as a result of extended skunking. Do i still go fishing? yes, of course i do. It's my passion and I take so much more away from my fishing experiences than just the thrill and excitement of catching fish. Who doesn't relish the peaceful calm that comes from engaging in an activity that is mostly patience and technique, the fresh air, hiking, taking photos, watching wildlife, i love it all. I just love being outdoors and around water.

But what do i do to keep my chin up and my mind focused on fishing while the fish are few and far between? Practice, practice, practice. I rig a bunch of rods up to fish techniques that i enjoy that may have success on the water i plan to fish and i head out, focusing not on the idea of catching fish but on practicing and keeping my skills sharp and fresh in my mind. It's a very simple concept but it really does help keep those negative thoughts away.

Of course no angler is perfect and this doesn't always work for me, for example, yesterday was my birthday and all i wanted was to catch something, anything. It Would have been awesome to get my first fish of the year on my birthday. I set up four rods. A heavy Texas rig for bass, a small silver spoon for cutthroat and rainbow, a Carolina rig for catfish and a tiny jig under a float for bluegill and crappie. I visited two lakes, three ponds and one river. I actually started the day with high hopes (as one normally does when they set off to go fishing.) but those hopes started to fade as i slowly got skunked at every turn. "Practice, practice, practice" just wasn't enough to keep me focused and happy. And as i left my final location and walked back to the truck i couldn't help but think about how much i must suck at fishing.

Sunrise at Mill lake.

A curious squirrel at Whonnock lake 

Blue skies over the Alouette river.

Sitting there, wallowing in my ineptitude, wondering what i've been doing wrong, I started to laugh to myself. This is because i had realised that it was almost exactly a year since i last had the same feelings. Winter fishing had beat me once again and i was acting ridiculous. I ended up catching fish eventually last winter, and though last years dry spell wasn't nearly as long, i know i will catch fish again. I gave my head a shake and collected my thoughts as i sat there, filled with hope and anticipation knowing that maybe, just maybe as soon as tomorrow or next week i'll break this streak and land a fish. And so next time i'm on the water i'll put those negative thoughts out of my mind as best i can and go back to tried and true techniques and practice, practice, practice as i take in all the beauty and wonder nature provides along the way. It's only a matter of time before the conditions are more in my favor or my luck improves. Here's wishing you all the best of luck on the water, during the winter months, and in the years to come.

Lets Talk About Whonnock Lake.

What I Love:

Let's start by talking about why i love Whonnock lake. Even with its proximity to civilization and its popularity, it's still quite majestic, not only does it have a lush forest as its backdrop and tons of animal life, from rabbits and loons to beavers and wood ducks, it's a gold mine for photographers or people who just like to watch, it also has some of the best sunsets i've seen anywhere. it's super close to home, has plenty of fish, multiple species, and has fishing conditions i just can't get enough of. There is lots of vegetation in the water. lots. If you like fishing lily pads, this lake is the one for you. The lake itself is pretty easy to access either from one of the two docks, that almost always have room available on them, or from a boat, there are even aluminum boat rentals on site. That said, it's my opinion that a kayak is by far the best way to access the water. And speaking of boats, Whonnock also has peddle boat rentals, which can be a really fun, leisurely (and maybe a bit dorky) way to get away from the beach crowd and see the lake, and though i haven't fished from one, i imagine it is pretty doable.

Foraging in the parking lot.

A beautiful Whonnock sunset.

A stunning view from the right dock.

What I Hate:

What do i hate about this lake. Not much. It satisfies most my wants and needs for a small local lake. From time to time in the warmer months it can be fairly packed with people and it's almost impossible to fish from the docks on those days, not so much because of fishing pressure but because of swimmers and sight seers, a problem that is easily rectified with a boat however. One other thing that does bother me is a few people's opinion of this lake. I've met many "serious anglers" who will scoff at a small stocked lake like this and i have heard it referred to more than once as "stagnant swamp"... i suppose this only really bothers me because for one it's just not true, it may have swampy areas but it is hardly stagnant. and two, it just feels disrespectful to a place that is so beautiful and so filled with potential. I suppose i shouldn't worry so much about other people's opinions or preferences though and just enjoy the fact that a there are a few less people putting angling pressure on the lake.

Let's Talk About Fishing:

Wild Cutthroat trout.

Stocked Rainbow trout.

Whonnock lake is stocked with Rainbow trout a couple times a year by the Freshwater Fisheries Society of B.C.. And like most the fish in this lake they tend to be a bit on the smaller size, but still a ton of fun to catch on light gear. I tend to catch these stocked bows while fishing for the other two species i have seen in this lake, wild Cutthroat and Black Crappie. The Rainbow are pretty typical of most stocked trout in lakes in the area, easy to catch, though not as aggressive and acrobatic or as good eating as their wild counterparts. That said, i certainly see nothing wrong with harvesting good sized stocked trout, after all that's what they have been put there for, and many of these fish often do not survive catch and release fishing.

A small Black Crappie.

The Cutthroat in this lake are a totally different story, still not too big, but just so gorgeously speckled and colored it's hard to not be in awe of them. They also tend to fight harder than the stocked fish. I personally don't keep the Cutthroat as the population doesn't seem very large and they are just such a treat to catch, i'd like to keep catching them as long as i can. Now, i'm not sure if one person's catch and release policy can do much in regards to that, but to me it just feels like the right thing to do. Now let's talk about Black Crappie. Whonnock has a very healthy Crappie population. They are by far the most abundant fish in the lake. At times it's almost impossible to not catch them and while most of them are on the smaller side compared to Crappie from other areas in the lower mainland they are a lot of fun to catch. Larger fish can be found with a little patience and searching though, and if you were keeping fish and conditions were just right it wouldn't surprise me if you caught your limit of 20 in an hour or so. Like most sunfish Crappie are fantastic table fare, and there is a ton of good instruction online on everything from cleaning to cooking. They are definitely a fish everyone should try eating at least once. But like i said previously, it may be hard to find decent sized fish in this lake.

Doubling up on Whonnock.

I tend to use one fishing technique on Whonnock more often than not as it's simple and works well for every species in the lake. That's a jig head under a float. Usually i'll pair it with a soft plastic bait like a small grub, and occasionally if the bite is difficult i'll tip the hook with a bit of worm. I fish the jig under a float for one main reason, i want an extremely slow retrieve without the risk of snagging bottom. Crappie generally respond best to a slower action, and while a super slow action isn't necessary for trout the slow retrieve doesn't seem to affect their willingness to bite so it's a nice all around presentation. I also tend to keep my leader quite short, anywhere from three to four feet seems to be most effective. And as i've mentioned before a kayak is my prefered way to access the water, it's a great way to get out on top of the lily pads where you can cast into the voids in the pads, i catch most of my fish, trout included, hiding in this dense vegetation. On a side note, i rarely fly fish this lake, but for those of you curious to do so the Crappie are a ton of fun to target on a light rod and will happily take most presentations from a top water mayfly to a chironomid near the bottom.

Lily pads for days.

I was up at Whonnock a couple days ago, just to have a look at how or if the ice melt was coming along and basically to just reflect. (by the way the ice has barely began to melt.) I've fished there a lot, it's a really easy lake to fish if you only have an hour or so after work but it can also be a super rewarding spot to spend half the day on the weekend. Aside from fishing, it's just a relaxing place to visit, a small, picturesque local lake with a lot to offer and something for everyone. It's definitely high on my list of places i'm looking forward to getting back to once the weather starts to coperate again.

The Hunt.

A Few Thoughts On Finding And Fishing New Locations:

Hunting down new fishing locations is to me one of the most rewarding aspects of fishing. Not only is the hunt exhilarating but the amount of new knowledge you can gain while researching and exploring is just staggering. For many of us the art of discovery comes naturally as we mature and build a stronger knowledge base. However, as a beginner this relatively simple task can occasionally be quite frustrating. When i first started fishing i had very little experience or direction when it came to finding new locations. I spent many hours blindly driving to locations that i was either unprepared to fish properly, or that were simply unfishable. And while i will occasionally still get up early and drive at random looking for spots that jump out at me, having a sense of direction has greatly improved my experience as an angler. In this post i'm going to try and cover some of the steps i use to gather information and the method i use to build a more complete image of a fishing location in my mind before i even step foot out the door. first things first, Finding new fishing spots in this day and age isn't usually too difficult, we are pretty spoiled by the internet (and by an abundance of great fishing locations). There is an absolute treasure trove of useful information online and it often only takes a simple Google search to find what you're looking for. You may find though that from time to time you require deeper, more specific information.

I usually start my search with one or two species in mind when i open Google maps. Modern mapping apps are a fantastic way to survey the landscape with very little effort. I personally like to use my phone for most of my research, that way i can reference previously useful information while out in the field. Once i find a lake or stream i'm interested in i'll do an online search as to whether or not a target species is present. Some species such as Rainbow or Cutthroat are easier to track down then say Bluegill or Catfish. For instance, and this is hardly a sceret, if i want to find a good local lake to fish for stocked Rainbow trout all i really need to do is visit gofishbc.com to view their fish stocking reports and that will point me in the right direction. A quick search will also show you popular websites like fishingwithrod.com and sharphooks.com which can provide you with plenty of useful information such as fishing reports and bathymetric maps. More than enough data to help you catch everything from hatchery and wild trout to Kokanee and Crappie.

Google maps image.

Sharphooks.com bathymetric map.

Fish stocking reports at gofishbc.com.

But what about harder to locate species? If you do a search of where to find say... Yellow Perch in the lower mainland you won't come up with much, there are many mentions of these fish in the Okanagan and on Vancouver island but that is of little use when trying to fish the lower mainland. In a situation like this i'll try multiple different wordings of the same search and go through every link that comes up. From message boards to blogs to government reports, combing over everything for the smallest tidbit.

If i was to find a report about Yellow Perch being found in a specific lake i'd look up what i could about said lake, such as typical conditions and resident species. i'd also go over recent satellite images and bathymetric maps to look for ideal fishing locations. Then i'd grab some gear and head out. Lakes (especially smaller ones) tend to be fairly consistent and a ton of information isn't really needed to target them successfully and because no matter how useful all the information online is, i'd rather be out fishing than sitting at home. besides, hands on experience is by far the best source of information.

Now if the mention i find is from a stream, i'd go to work looking over all the water connected to said stream that looks favorable to Yellow Perch. This can seem like a daunting task if you have a lot of water to cover, but with a little patience and perseverance likely locations will start to show themselves as you scan over maps with knowledge of your target species in mind. From favored depths and flow rates, to types of cover and structure and availability of preferred food.

One of the most useful resources i've found for live hydrometric data, specifically current (and average historical) depth and discharge rates, is at wateroffice.ec.gc.ca. Here you can find information on numerous local streams. On a bit of a side note, the water office website is also a great way to monitor water levels during periods of heavy rain or drought, allowing you to note which creeks or rivers may be blown out or too low to fish before even leaving the house to go fishing. Tidal information can also be quite important while exploring streams, especially lower portions with brackish waters or sloughs. With slack tides tending to be the most productive, at least in my own experience. Like all things online, there are many different sites that can help you track tides and while i will usually check more than one site i tend to refer back to myforecast.com more often than not.

Another useful avenue is to look for reports of other species commonly found with the target species. those relationships tend to hold true more often than not. For example, A lot of the time i'll scout shallow water for Pumpkinseed sunfish while i'm targeting Largemouth bass. And 8 times out of 10 times i'll find Largemouth. Any information you can use to help narrow your search is useful. Really rack your brain for creative correlations while researching online, sometimes it's taken me two or three reads of an article before something useful has popped out. And over time i build up a list of several promising target locations, then i'll head out see if i can catch some fish. This approach does take a bit of time and effort and usually some trial and error, but is often successful and always educational.

Hydrometric data, wateroffice.ec.gc.ca.

Tidal info at myforecast.com.

Now say that you found no solid mention of your target species in your searches. This is a real possibility when looking for non native or less common species. It happens, and it can be a bit of a bummer. It could be that the species is there in extremely small numbers and there is no report of it yet. Or, the most likely scenario is that it isn't there at all. There isn't a lot you can do if there is no evidence of the species being present. You could make a list of possible locations based on your knowledge of how this species behaves in other areas and hope for the best. If i were to take this approach i'd target water with other fish commonly found with the target species first. Unfortunately, you probably won't be successful but at least you'll be out fishing and exploring new water.

On a personal note, and maybe of interest to some, i have not seen Yellow Perch in the lower mainland. I do intend to set some time aside this season to target them though as I have come across a few mentions of them possibly being here. And although very little of that information seems dependable, it's still worth investigating, even if all i manage is to do is satisfy my curiosity.

When it comes to choosing new fishing spots without having a target species in mind the search is much simpler. Personally, i love fishing nice clear creeks with a few runs and pockets of deep water spread out over a fair distance so that there is a bit of a hike to be had as well, and i also like shallow, smallish lakes and sloughs with lots of vegetation, specifically lily pads. I also prefer multi spices locations more than spots with just one or two species. knowing this about myself makes it pretty easy to either look over satellite maps, or do a simple Google search to find spots i might find interesting.

Granted there are many more resources available, both on and offline. And truthfully there are probably as many ways to find new fishing spots as there are fishing spots in the lower mainland. And as far as i can tell there are a heck of a lot of them. It makes me pretty happy to know that i'll be able to experience the thrill of hunting down a new location for years and years to come. And if a few of those make it into my regular rotation of favorite spots, even better.

A Few Winter Thoughts.

Gettin Jiggy With It:

Fishing has been a little slow this past week and so i've taken to cleaning and organizing my gear. I'm sure everyone has experienced how out of sorts tackle bags and boxes can become over time, especially with nearly daily use. And I'll be totally honest, more often than not, if a rod needs the reel cleaned or if the braided line gets one or two of those annoying little knots in it, i tend to just put those rods down and pick up the next one that's rigged the way i want. It speeds things up and improves my experience on the water. But eventually i have to deal with the mess i've made. Thats where i find myself now. I've never been surprised by the state of my tackle, when you fish as much as i do, and when you often try to rush fishing to fit it in between daily responsibilities, things can get messy fast. While cleaning this winter though one thing has stood out to me more than anything else.

I've fallen in love with jigging. And more specifically, with jig heads and soft plastics. I'm actually a little surprised with how many jig heads i've found laying around lately. Jig heads in jacket pockets, in pant pockets, in with wood working tools, in the bathroom, all over the jeep. Everywhere. Its obvious that i just love them, And it's for two major reasons, usability and effectiveness.

Jigs heads have to be one of the most useful pieces of terminal tackle, they come in every conceivable shape, size and color and there are millions of different plastic baits that can be attached to them (or use live bait if you wish). You can retrieve them fast or slow, stroke them, walk them, vertical jig them, fish them weedless or with a spinner and so on… It would take me forever to cover everything you can do with them. And really, that is beyond the scope of this blog. I'm going to try and keep things a bit more concise while i quickly go over a couple of the things that first come to mind when i think about jigging.

Selection of various jig heads.

Trout magnet jig.

Returning to my previous mention about vertical jigging. It's a simple and effective technique that works just as well for Crappie off a shallow dock as it does for Rainbows out of a boat. And there is a great trick for vertical jigging from a distance that i just love, where you fish your jig under a weighted slip bobber. It allows you to extend your reach, while still maintaining a vertical motion. it's a really useful presentation if you're shore fishing, or If you find yourself stuck on a dock. For instance, say there is a mess of lily pads or underwater cover like stumps within casting distance. While it absolutely works to cast toward these targets and retrieve, sometimes i find the fish want a little more time to investigate the lure or bait before striking, as you jig up and down next to that weedline or over that stump you are giving the more lethargic or nervous fish the time they need to make up their minds. Also, you potentially expose your lure to more of the fish held up in that cover than you would with a simple cast and retrieve. This also works great out of a boat if you don't want to risk spooking the fish you're targeting.

Variation of a slip bobber
vertical jigging rig.

Another simple but fantastic aspect of fishing a jig is their castability. I'm not sure if everyone finds this to be true or not but i've noticed that having the majority of my terminal tackle weight at the very tip of my line improves not only casting distance but also accuracy. I fish weedlines and covered banks a lot and anything extra i can do to avoid snags is a blessing. And i'm sure that's something all anglers can appreciate.

When it comes to the effectiveness of jigging i have no doubt. You can consistently catch everything from salmon and trout to Largemouth bass and smaller sunfish, i've even seen Teresa catch catfish with them, which was unexpected and pretty cool. As i said before, by utilizing different jig heads and soft plastic baits you can create any number of combinations, all with unique appearances and behaviours, perfect for a multitude of conditions and species. As for favorite combinations, that depends totally on what i'm targeting. For trout, and sunfish like bluegill and crappie smaller is usually better, i actually love the Trout Magnet line of jig heads, they pair extremely well with any small plastic bait (1 inch grubs are wonderful.) but i've had a lot of success with the baits that are often included with them, although when targeting sunfish i'll tend to shorten the bait by cutting the body almost in half, i find i get a much better hookup rate than with the longer bait... as for Largemouth bass a dependable combination for me has been a larger jig head in a neutral color like black paired with a 4, 5, or 6 inch curly tail worm or grub. I like to use dark green or dark red plastics for this but that's not a hard and fast rule as i've used many other colors with success. On a bit of a side note, and to further illustrate the versatility of these sort of combinations, each of the five Coho i hooked this past season were caught on a medium sized fluorescent green/yellow jig head paired with a 2 inch curly tail grub in an opaque grey. And they absolutely smashed it. It's a color scheme i wouldn't normally use for salmonids and i wasn't really expecting it to work, but it's a combination i will definitely use again.

There really is a ton of room for experimentation when it comes to jigging and that gets me so excited, it's such a rewarding feeling when you can be creative and adapt to things like weather and feeding habits easily while you're on the water. If that helps you connect with more fish that's wonderful, that's the whole point. But if you do get skunked you can at least walk away knowing that you covered all your bases, and that always makes things a bit less frustrating. If you haven't had a lot of experience with them in the past i encourage you to give them a shot this year. I'm positive you won't be disappointed.

An Introduction.

What's Been On My Mind:

When i first became interested in fishing six or so years ago all i had to go on was the information i could source online or from books, and to a lesser extent a few friends or family with a passing interest in fishing, and although there is an abundance of lower mainland specific resources available the vast majority of it seems to be mostly concerned with trout and salmon, which in itself is great, and for my first few years of fishing it was more than i could ask for, after all who wouldn't fall head over heals in love with the beautiful and varied Rainbow trout? or a gorgeous Coastal Cutthroat? (which to this day is still my favorite species.) Trout and Salmon are amazing in so many ways that you could definitely study them your entire life and still be filled with with awe and wonder.

But the truth (at least to me) is that over time i've come to see that there are many more freshwater species in our area that deserve our admiration and attention. And yes, more than a few of these fish are invasive species whose presence in our waters can be quite a volatile, and confusing subject. I've seen online forums with page after page of useless information, zero solutions to the problem, and many posters simply bragging about illegally killing bass or catfish by "throwing them into the bush" or "leaving them for the eagles". ironically the list of "invasive species" i've heard people brag about killing include Northern Pike Minnow and Sculpin, both of which are native and have been living in balance with the rest of the ecosystem for thousands of years.

Now let's get something 100% clear. I in no way support the illegal stocking of ANY species, the introduction of non native species is a horrible environmental crime, not only legally but morally, and should be treated as such. that said, killing any fish in cold blood simply because you deem it ok to do so is also a crime, legally and morally. Your license to fish is not a licence to kill everything and anything you come across. And while i do understand some people's frustrations regarding invasive species, there are much more proactive ways to conduct ourselves. To be fair, those fishermen who choose to act in an illegal and callous way are likely the minority and i have met many fantastic anglers online and along river banks who are level headed, educated, and open minded. Its these types of anglers i prefer to interact with.

black crappie.

largemouth bass.

I don't intend for this blog to be an argument for or against these introduced species or to examine the moral and ethical questions surrounding them. They are already here in our waters and logic would suggest they probably aren't going anywhere. And i will likely not address this subject in much detail again. As far as i am concerned, the government institutions and scientists tasked with dealing with these matters can do a much better job than most of us could hope to. As long as it legal for me to fish for these species and i don't feel like i am personally doing any harm to our environment i will continue to make use of the awesome angling opportunity these species have become. For truly, many of them are not only beautiful looking and great sport, many are delicious eating as well.

northern pikeminnow.

redside shiner.

Aside from non native species such as LargeMouth Bass, Bluegill, or Crappie there are many native fish, that although maybe not quite as big or edible as trout and salmon, can be just as beautiful and interesting. From the surprisingly colorful Redside Shiner to the brave little Threespine Stickleback and so on. It's not that i don't love trout or salmon fishing, i do, it's just that my attention has become divided, And i must admit that my life as an angler has become richer for it.

What's My Intention.

Over the past few years while attempting to research either "micro fishing" or the habits of the various non native species in the lower mainland, and a few other angling topics of interest to me, i've continuously found myself disappointed with what i've found. Not just information wise, but comunity wise as well. I have often resorted to resources relating to fishing outside of the lower mainland. which, although very useful, is not as helpful as location specific information would be. That said, i don't plan on getting TOO location specific, I have no intention of revealing my personal favorite fishing spots or those of others, not simply for the obvious reasons, but i also believe that exploring, adventuring and hunting down spots on your own is one of the most rewarding aspects of fishing. I would however like to share my own trials and errors, my thoughts, and the things i learn along the way. And maybe even make a few like minded friends and associates.

Although i don't intend for this blog to be the most technical, and i'm sure at times i am going to ramble and fall guilty to run on sentences, I will do my best to provide an articulate, detailed and entertaining account of my experiences while exploring the lower mainland and targeting not only the species that British Columbia is famous for but a few other ones as well. In this, I invite you to join me.