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.