I’ve always wanted to fish the Skeena River country for steelhead and I was fortunate to spend 4 days up there last week.  It was early spring conditions with unpredictable weather which meant we encountered snow, rain, sun and wind each day we were on the water.   I’ve been practicing my spey casting all winter and this was my first trip with just the double hand rod.  Water conditions on the Upper Kalum River were low but water clarity was good.  Fishing companions included Rob Vodola from Kitimat and  Chad Black and Dustin Kovacvich from Nicholas Dean Lodge in Terrace www.nicholasdean.com.  We swung either large black/purple or orange/pink patterns using type 6 to 8 tips on Skagit heads.  It has been a few years since I had fished seriously for … Read entire article »

Spring is still taking it’s time in opening up more lakes to fish in the Kamloops area.  Right now we have White, Morgan and Six Mile lakes.  Jacko and Barnes should be coming off sometime this week as the day time temperatures are suppose to be in the high 20’s C.  I fished Morgan a couple times late last week, just fishing from shore and caught some nice fish.  A quick throat pump revealed a few small black chironomid pupa mixed in with zooplankton, juvenile damselfly nymphs and shrimp.  Water in both Six Mile and Morgan still looks great, no turnover in evidence yet. While we could catch fish on chironomids it has been more productive fishing small leeches in maroon and all black.  We have caught fish on both indicators … Read entire article »

This incredibly mild weather in the Kamloops area has now taken the ice off 2 of our local, low elevation lakes.  Both Six Mile and Morgan lakes are ice free.  These lakes did not become ice free last year until the first week of April!!  With the new regulations of “no ice fishing” both lakes are now fishable.  This has caught me and I’m sure most anglers off guard as I am still in winter skiing mode. I’ll be at the BC Boat and Sportsman’s Show this coming weekend (March 5-7).  This big outdoor event is held at the Tradex complex in Abbotsford, BC.  There will be lots of fly fishing booths including reps from the major manufacturers as well as a good representation from the local fly shops.  I will … Read entire article »

While practicing some spey casting today on the South Thompson River I saw a pretty good chironomid hatch. These early emergences definitely indicate that spring is not far off. The southern interior regions of the province are experiencing an incredibly mild winter with very minimal snowpack levels in the mid to lower elevations. A few of the low lying grassland lakes around Kamloops are already showing open water along the lake edges and the ice is getting darker by the day. We may be lake fishing by early March. Remember that those lakes previously closed to fishing until April 1 or May 1 now have a “ no ice fishing” regulation on them so they are fishable as soon as the ice is off, regardless … Read entire article »