By Don Daniels
Coronavirus has halted all group gatherings locally and we have to adjust daily activities and be safe to avoid getting sick and ending up in the hospital.
Since the Campbell River library is closed, the fly tying workshop scheduled for this Sunday is cancelled and I am hoping that the regulars who have attended the past two sessions will continue to improve the flies they have developed over the winter months and go fishing. In our group sessions everyone is a beginner and they learn at their own pace working with feathers, fur and an abundance of other materials used in fly tying.
At this time we can all stay home and we certainly have some extra time to spend behind the vise. Enjoy tying up attractor and bug patterns and then get out on a lake or river and put the flies to the test. Since we can’t get together as a group, I can be reached via text 250-895-1691 or email dddon 27@yahoo.com if you have any questions regarding fly tying.
The ants have appeared and more are coming. When you drive around they will hit your windshield. At the lakes, black ant patterns tied on a dry fly hook are magic.
Fry patterns are very popular and are very effective in fishing the local rivers for catch-and-release trout.
On the Oyster River I had tried a silver bodied fly with purple deer hair and the tugs came after a few minutes.
It may seem like spring here in the city but upper elevation lakes will be hard to get to and it will be wait-and-see to get out there fishing.
The Salmon River can be fished in the upper reaches then you run into snow and you can go no further.
Last week, a mother and daughter were looking around a store downtown and they were sifting through some used fishing tackle and the daughter held up a couple of flashers and said to mom that they were big lures with no hooks so she took some pictures for her social media friends.
A couple of guys were fishing and I could hear them across the lake and they mentioned that the trout feed best best around 2 o’clock because that’s when they are fed at the hatchery. Maybe that’s to some degree correct but could it be that the warmest part of the day is between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. and the bug hatch is more active?
Over the weekend on Discovery Pier, a lone angler was out there and, yes, he was wearing a face mask. As a final note this week, the Fishing Corner will move from Friday to Wednesday.
In weeks to come: lures and flies that catch fish and people; feathers in a Rainbow nylon box; and whatever happened to camera film containers used to hold hooks?