Fishing Report
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Freshwater Fishing Saltwater BC, Canada
FISHING REPORT
January 6th, 2012
By Ken Shagren, Fishing Pro Staff, Dave's Sports Shop
"Remember to check the official WDFW regulations before going out!"
Welcome to the Dave’s Sports Shop fishing report. Check in with us as we attempt to keep you informed on where the fish are biting and what is working to catch them. We will try to keep the information current so that we can help you decide where the best opportunity for success will be located.
When we were wishing for a little rain before
Christmas to get steelhead moving through the Nooksack system, we
were all aware that we had to be careful what we asked for. Sure
enough, once it started raining it just didn’t seem to want to quit,
at least for a while anyway. There had been some decent reports of
steelhead hooked on the Nooksack over the holidays including one
wild fish that was estimated at over 20 lbs. Fishermen in the Lynden
area have reported success plunking #4 Spin n Glos with salmon eggs,
steelhead eggs (if you are lucky enough to have them) and shrimp or
prawn meat. When the main river is in condition to drift fish, (two
feet or more of visibility), fishermen are using #6 Corkies or Spin
n Glos and eggs or shrimp. The Nooksack North Fork has also had
catches reported. Remember that the North Fork is closed above the
Mosquito Lake Rd bridge up to the yellow marker just above the
Kendall Creek hatchery to help ensure enough brood stock reach the
hatchery. In this area the methods change to drift fishing small # 8
and # 10 corkies, yarn and bait as well as float fishing jigs, pink
worms and bait and also tossing spoons and spinners. The North Fork
is often the first part of the Nooksack to clear up after a
prolonged rain. There have been indications that the Nooksack system
may close at the end of January or earlier, so get out there and
fish while you can.
The Cascade River was consistently good through December, but it
began to slow down as the rains came during the holidays. Look for
this stream to produce hatchery fish well into January. Float
fishing methods are the ticket here with eggs and jigs tipped with
shrimp or prawn meat being the most popular rigs.
There has been a fair amount of success finding
winter blackmouth in area 7 especially in the Friday Harbor area.
Success will largely depend on how much bait is working in the area
that you are fishing. As the saying goes, “Find the bait and find
the fish.” This year there haven’t been a lot of large schools of
candlefish and fishermen have been reporting that they are getting
their hookups 10 to 20 feet up from bottom as the fish look up for
food. In the San Juan Island group the best areas tend to be the
north end of Orcas Island at Point Thompson, Point Doughty and
Parker Reef, President’s Channel, Point Lawrence, Eagle Bluff and
Tide Point Area, Thatcher Pass, Lopez Pass and Spring Pass.
Crab season closed on December 31. Please remember to turn in your
catch cards as you will be charged $ 10 when you buy your next
license if you don’t and the WDFW will determine future seasons
based on catch card returns. A high percentage of catch cards
returned will make it easier to justify an extended sport season
next year.
FRESHWATER
If early reports are any indication, this will
be another good year for steelheading on the Chilliwack/Vedder
River. Already the number of fish weighed in for the annual Wally
Hall Jr. Memorial Steelhead Derby has surpassed the number for this
time last year and last year was an above average year on the Vedder.
There have been several fished weighed in the 12 to 15 pound class.
Float fishing is the primary method here making pink worms and jigs
solid choices. The locals also use roe sacks, yarn tufts (wool),
rubber egg imitations and wool combinations, dyed prawn tails,
spoons and spinners. As for fly fishermen, the local shops are
recommending egg sucking leaches, glow bugs, prawn patterns or
intruders. The Vedder will peak in mid to late January but should
fish well until the current license year ends on March 31.
SALTWATER
We will resume reports from Vancouver Island and vicinity in early spring. Check back with us then.
This Fishing Report is Sponsored by Dave's Sports Shop in Lynden. Check them out for all of your fishing and hunting needs. www.DavesSports.com
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