Fly Fish BC is launched and fishing

Fly Fish BC

Well my Fly fish BC site is launched. I still have a lot of work to do fixing links and adding content but check out the new look and let me know what you think. http://www.fly-fish-bc.com/

We had the good fortune of taking a holiday at the end of April and spending a week in Victoria, BC's capital city. Natasha and I had a wonderful time visiting old friends, golfing, whale watching, and re-visiting some of our favourite restaurants and pubs. As a bonus we were invited to stay at Fraser River Lodge and do some sturgeon fishing on the Fraser River courtesy of the lodge owner, who now owns my old website's domain name.

Sturgeon fishing is... well...different. It's not fly fishing, but it does have its merits. You speed out on a jet boat to get to the prime locations, drop four baited and heavily weighted lines to the bottom and then watch and wait. The slightest movement in the rod tip had me lunging towards the rod. It was entertaining but I missed more than I hooked. We managed to land 6 sturgeon though not what locals would consider very big, although I still have a difficult time calling a 4.5 foot fish small. They're great fighters and I can see why this type of fishing is becoming so popular on the Fraser.

As far as fly fishing goes, since May I have been hitting as many small lakes as possible: Rosebud, Champion, Jewel, Wilgress, Loon and just this past weekend Summer and Premier.

The early chironomid fishing was great on Champion and Rosebud. Jewel Lake also turned into a pleasant surprise as I landed more than expected, both rainbow trout and eastern brookies. I also spent a nice day fishing on Loon Lake near Ainsworth Hotsprings, hooking numerous cutthroat trout - a 4x4 is highly recommended though to access this pretty little lake.

I picked a bad day to hit Summer Lake, a high elevation lake in the East Kootenays. It rained torrential for most of the night and into the next day when it eventually threatened snow. I decided to pack up my tent and head to Premier Lake, a popular lake just off Highway 95 near Skookumchuck. The scenery at Summer was compelling however, and the few trout I landed were decent enough to prompt a return sometime in the future.

I'm looking forward to stream fishing. I'll be visiting the East Kootenies again as well as hitting local streams as soon as the freshet relents a bit.

As the fishing season progresses I'll be sure to post more frequent blogs on how the various rivers and lakes are fishing, and plan to contact other fly fishers to update me on those places I have yet the fortune of floating a fly.