Fishing Report, October 4, 2018

Fall is here to stay with winter lurking around the corner. The mornings have been cold which has helped lower the water temperatures. However with colder water temperatures, it means colder fingers when fishing those early mornings!

So not re-organize your fly boxes! Come check the Plan D Fly Boxes now in stock at Oscar’s! We absolutely love their medium and large size boxes designed for intruder type flies. You just slide the eye of the fly onto the stainless steel hook and insert the fly’s hook into the slotted foam. This keeps everything neat and tidy.

Plan D Fly Boxes also have tube fly boxes. Super innovative and simple idea to keep your tube flies organized. Stop by the store today to learn more about this great product.

RIVER FISHING REPORT

Bulkley River:

I am sure that you are getting tired of hearing this, just as I am getting tired of writing it, but the Bulkley River is extremely low and will probably stay that way unless something drastic changes. This is as low as some of the old-timers have ever seen it for this time of year. The only nice thing about it being this low is that some of us can now retrieve the lures we lost in the beginning of the season! But on a serious note, it is dangerously low so please be careful when angling on all local rivers.

Fishing has been rather good for some. Again, there are some big fish around this year, but you definitely need to be putting in the time.  People have been having success on smaller, more traditional bugs. Slow sink tip or floating tip with a slightly weighted fly has brought home the bacon recently.

With the river being so low, we have heard of multiple crashes on the Bulkley. Not a bad idea to leave the jet boat at home. If you do chose to go on the water with a boat, please go slow and be alert for extreme water hazards.

Morice River:

The word must be out because the Morice has been super busy. Even though it is low like all regional rivers, there have been some good reports of fish being caught.

Kispiox River:

Low and unfishable; probably going to be like this for the rest of the season.

Skeena River:

There has been a recent up-tick in fishing on the Skeena. It is currently fishing well with some big gators being caught.

LAKE FISHING REPORT

It is that time of year where the fish are trying to bulk up before the lakes turn and winter comes in. Lakes around Houston and Hazelton have been fishing well in the late afternoon to early evening when the water temperatures are a bit warmer. Ice is starting to form around backwater pools and shallow shorelines. It won’t be long before the turnover hits and the good fishing is done for the season.

The higher alpine lakes are starting to slow down, so target mid-alpine to lower, in-valley lakes of medium size. The smaller lakes can be productive as well, like Dunalter near Houston. Trout this time of year can be caught on both ultralight spin tackle and on the fly (4-6wt). Fish are looking for high protein, big meals to try to fatten up.

On the fly, leech (green, blacks, maroons) patterns are typically a go-to, as well as October Caddis and Mahogany Duns. For spin tackle, a smaller Vibrex Blue-Fox or Meeps will get the attention of a hungry trout quite easily. Come into the store to talk about fall trout tackle, as we have all the gear for your fishing needs.

If you are interested in lake fishing, try some local favorites:

• Call Lake (Smithers area) – Brook Trout
• Duckwing Lake (Moricetown area) – Rainbow Trout
• Kitseguecla Lake (between Smithers and Moricetown) – Cutthroat Trout
• Klinger Lake (Houston area) – Brook Trout and Rainbow Trout

For more information on late season fall fishing, check out the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC’s blog “Late Season Fly Fishing: An Unexpected Treasure.” This article has some great tips to help you be successful either on the river or lake.