Spring Wrap Up

Spring 2009 has been a time of volunteering and reconnaissance. Volunteering with the Squamish Streamkeepers at the Meighan Creek fish fence once a week counting coho smolts heading to sea was great. On one occasion I had my 5 year old son and my 7 year old daughter come along to see what is was all about. I could see the excitement in their eyes when we were climbing down to the trap to see what bounty was inside the box. Fortunately there were a few coho smolts for us to count and release. The smolts were dubbed “Rainbow” and “Goldy” by the kids just before being released back into Meighan creek to continue their journey to the ocean. Good luck Rainbow and Goldy….see you in a few years!

Catching steelhead on the Cheakamus River for telemetry studies proved interesting as well. Watching how the fish were tagged and transponders inserted was very exciting and educational. The information that will be gained from this will be extremely valuable.

Stump Lake, Edith Lake, Brohm Lake, and Cat Lake all produced some nice rainbow and cutthroat trout fishing this spring. Of the lakes in the Squamish area, Brohm lake and Cat lake are probably some of the easiest to access with kids and produce the best on most occasions. Remember that with kids it is more important to find fish to tug on the line as they generally lose interest very quickly….unlike us die hards! For fly fishers, try leech patterns in the #12 to #8 sizes in black, brown, orange (for tannin lakes like Edith and Stump), and green especially when fish are feeding on daphnia and copepods. Finally, remember that it is best to go to these lakes on weekdays rather than weekends as most lakes are very busy with swimmers and other fishers on the weekends.

VFG Guide Ryan Treneer with a nice Edith Lake rainbow!

Rainbow Food! An assortment of Daphnia, Copepods, Glassworms, and Chironomids….that trout was eating well! – Ryan Treneer Photo

Using worms or powerbait is a sure way to get your kids into fish, however, be prepared to take home what you hook regardless of size. The surface temperatures of the lakes in Squamish right now are in the high 60’s and low 70’s due to the hot weather we received in late May and early June. Temperatures greater than 65F are lethal to trout if they spend any length of time there. A fight on the end of the line for even a short period will surely mean their demise. Make sure wherever you are fishing that you have read the current regulations regarding use of bait and catch and release: http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/fw/fish/regulations/#Synopsis There is no fishing with bait in rivers or streams in our area! If it is moving water there is a bait ban and barbless hooks are manditory.

Future Guides in Training!

Looking Ahead

Summer solstice is upon us. Not much snow pack remains up in the Coastal Mountain range meaning we should be back on the rivers within a few weeks. Salmon should be returning to the river in mid to late July with the peak of the return occuring mid to late August. July and August should prove to be great months for dry fly fishing on the Birkenhead River, north of Whistler and the Upper Cheakamus and Mamquam rivers in the Sea to Sky corridor.

Upper Squamish Snow Pack June 11th, 2009 – Mount Cayley

The Chilko river is expecting a fantastic sockeye return of approximately 4,175,000 sockeye according to DFO estimates. Fishing in mid to late August through September 15th should be fantastic for both rainbows and bull trout with egg patterns. Mid July through August is the best time to go for the stonefly hatch! Dry fly fishing for wild rainbows is spectacular especially on the Chilko!

Chilcotin Mountains with Chilko Lake in the Distance June 11, 2009

We look forward to a great Summer of fly fishing in the Squamish area on Beautiful BC! And if it weren’t beautiful enough, you could always take a flight into the Chilcotins!

Tight lines!

Clint

Flying in the Coast and Chilcotin Mountains June 11th, 2009