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Fishing activity indoors and outdoors for December

By Don Daniels
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Fishing books contain a wealth of information for anglers of all ages. Don Daniels photo

By Don Daniels

Looking at the boating activity recently for Area 13 – Discovery Passage, it has been quiet for sure.

Locals will venture out for a few hours in hopes of getting a salmon for Christmas but most anglers will have salmon smoked or in the freezer, ready to serve family and guests for the upcoming holidays.

Snow is in the forecast but you can venture out for a few hours and get back home with the catch of the day. A bonus this time of year is to have a heated cabin on the boat and dress for the weather. The Lighthouse area has been a spot where a few boats have been spotted on the weekend and there is plenty of room out there.

With the recent snow, high elevation lakes are hard to get at, hunters are also in the area and lakes that are snow covered should not be walked on. Local lakes, such as Echo, Beavertail, Fry and Mohun, will be hard to get to; the road is rough. Those fishing Buttle are getting the boat out and fishing with riggers 30 to 40 feet and using plugs. Trout up to five pounds are around and those anglers who know the area have good success this time of year. On the spinning gear, lures of choice are Wedding Band, Rooster Tail and Cowichan Spoon. Small Tomic plugs can be used at lakes where the water depth is in excess of 80 feet, an example is Roberts Lake.

If you’re not able to get out fishing in the colder weather, stay indoors and enjoy some books that are really good to supply you with informative reading, then gear up at a later date. You can check out the books at the Campbell River Library, check out bookstores that carry a range of books with fishing information geared to the Campbell River area. You can check online for books that cover freshwater angling and saltwater.

After reading a number of books I collected over the summer, I was surprised to learn about fly patterns that have been popular here in Campbell River prior to 1975. If they worked then, they will work now.

My first session for fly-tying for beginners is set for Friday, Dec. 16, at the Seniors Centre at Ironwood Mall from 1 to 3 p.m. They start lunch, then I set up at the card room. This is a free open house for fly-tying and I will donate materials to be used for the sessions to follow at the Seniors Centre and Campbell River Library. I will post again the dates and times and already people have been notified to come out and take part in this winter activity behind the vise.

The art of fly-tying has gone through many changes over the years. Materials are more flashy and the patterns, at one time, were finished off with head cement or nail polish. Resin was then introduced and now UV resin is applied. We will cover all basics at the fly-tying sessions coming up this year.

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