By Don Daniels
The wet weather has arrived and it will soon change to slush and snow around Campbell River.
When the sun comes out, there are days where getting out chasing coho is quite doable. Most lodges have pulled their boats out of the water and the salmon fishing season is over. There are a number of boats going after chum around Browns Bay until early November.
A number of fishing guides are finished their employment duties around the area and many will be hunting locally and some heading to northern B.C.
Water taxis are still operating, hauling people and goods to various islands in the Campbell River area.
The History Channel recently did a shoot for a series dealing with old gold mines and work crews spent a lot of days getting film crews around the islands. There are various logging camps that operate and work crews can stay a month in, then a month out.
Employees that work in remote areas can get out and fish during off time in some great fishing areas that yield salmon, prawns and crab. This time of year visual signs of coho can be seen around Rotary Park, Oyster Bay Park and Salmon Point, all the way to the shoreline south towards the mouth of the Oyster River.
You will see a few small boats anchored along the kelp bed a few yards off in the bay and the coho are arriving and are headed to the local rivers to spawn. Some fly anglers also are throwing out blue and green patterns.
Hooking into a 14-pound coho is crazy action to experience. A streamer pattern, such as a Mickey Finn, has worked well if the fish are in close. Some of the local anglers will venture to the Nimpkish river, then head north to Port Hardy to fish well into November.
There are a number of fishable lakes between Campbell River and Gold River and you will notice more traffic on the logging roads because hunting season is open and a number of people will be out mushroom picking until freeze-up. The fall trout stocking will take place in certain lakes this week and the new arrivals are catchable and offer family members a chance to catch a take-home trout. A carry-over trout in Echo can get to 3.5 pounds and some larger trout are around. I was introduced to a Bibio fly pattern a few years back and it works in shallow water conditions.
My first fly tying session for beginners will be held this Friday from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Seniors Centre in the Ironwood Mall card room and is free to attend. Since we are still dealing with the COVID pandemic, a vaccine card will be needed along with ID and you must have a mask. Groups will be limited and more sessions are being planned if you can’t attend this Friday. A Sunday date is yet to be confirmed and information is coming.