By Don Daniels
When I first arrived on Vancouver Island with fly rod in hand, the walk along the shoreline was a mystery to begin with.
I didn’t know what to fish for. My idea of getting out and tossing out a fly was a challenge. It would take some time to figure out that it didn’t matter what was out there, just getting a tug on a 4 weight fly rod would be good enough for me.
At one particular place I could see the silver flashes in the water and wondered if a silver body fly would work. I knew that eggs change into fry and it seemed like the thing to do was toss out a silver bodied fly with a dark purple wing. It took a few minutes but the trout hit the fly. It was a delight to see trout going after this fly in relatively wade-able water.
There are times where you can fish from sea shore and get the same results. For the non fly-fishers, you can spin cast with lures such as the Roostertail and Panther Martin. Local tackle suppliers have obtained a new lure that works very well in water around Campbell River stretching from Rotary Park all the way south to Salmon Point and the Oyster River. A number of experienced fishing guides will fish the area north of Duncan Bay and these places are kept secret to other anglers.
All cutthroat trout are catch and release with hooks all debarbed for easy release with no harm to the fish, I call this the thrill of the tug on any given day.
In summer when the pinks are running these feisty trout will take a fly pattern used to catch pink salmon with pink and green being the main color of choice.
It is a bit early to fish the local rivers but a red fly will be quite effective in weeks to come. I have a number of lakes that I will search out and usually if I get a visual of rising trout a hare’s ear nymph pattern will be my go-to fly late in the evening. I had mentioned to Roy Grant about fishing for cutthroat and he said he would rather stay in the Tyee Pool.
There are two more fly-tying sessions for beginners here in Campbell River at the library on March 26 and April 30 from 1 to 3 p.m. These sessions are well attended and all who come out learn tying techniques at their own pace and they take home fly patterns they have made during the afternoon.
We get to play with various materials and over the years its a pleasure to see beginners advance and become very knowledgeable in refining their tying techniques but its even more fun to see these students on the river catching fish. I have a number of books to draw for at the next date booked at the library on March 26.