Hello Friends
I hope that everyone had a great holiday season and that everyone got what they wanted for Christmas. I know I am itching to try out some of the gifts I received. I have not been posting very often so I just thought I would post quickly to let people know I am still running this blog. Anyways, I wish everyone the best in 2014 and may the new year bring many great fishing memories.
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Rainy Day
Hey Fisherpeople
Just thought I would share a quick thought. I was out fishing at tabor lake last weekend and it began to rain. I was only wearing a t-shirt and it became quite cold. However, I was unable to paddle back to shore because every time I put my line in the water there was another fish on. One almost jumped in the boat! Has anyone else had this kind of experience where the fish go crazy when it starts raining. The funny thing was when I made it back to get my jacket the rain stopped and it got sunny. Once the sun came out the fishing became quite slow. It was strange not only how quickly the weather changed but also how quickly the fish changed their behavior as well. So although many of us may be reluctant to go fishing on a rainy day it seems that maybe we should be trying to fish in the rain more often.
Cheers
Just thought I would share a quick thought. I was out fishing at tabor lake last weekend and it began to rain. I was only wearing a t-shirt and it became quite cold. However, I was unable to paddle back to shore because every time I put my line in the water there was another fish on. One almost jumped in the boat! Has anyone else had this kind of experience where the fish go crazy when it starts raining. The funny thing was when I made it back to get my jacket the rain stopped and it got sunny. Once the sun came out the fishing became quite slow. It was strange not only how quickly the weather changed but also how quickly the fish changed their behavior as well. So although many of us may be reluctant to go fishing on a rainy day it seems that maybe we should be trying to fish in the rain more often.
Cheers
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Home
Hey everyone
I am back home in Prince George, BC and I am excited for the ice to leave the lakes. It is a bit different up here in that the waters will not warm up for quite a while. My backyard still has around 4 feet of snow in places but it is definitely starting to melt. Having lived in Seattle all winter I actually started to really miss the snow. I can't wait to get out and start fishing the lakes in this area. I am planning to sell my car and buy a truck so I feel more comfortable getting onto the back roads of the northern interior. I came home with a large amount of fishing gear and I am counting the days till we can get our boat out of storage. I would love to hear about people fishing down south and I would love to see some pictures. Please visit my website www.fishingthepnw.com and join my forum.
Thanks for reading
Sunday, March 17, 2013
First Time Fishermen
Hello guys and girls,
I just wanted to take a minute to talk about the beginning angler. So what does it take to become an "expert"? Personally, I don't feel like anyone can be a real expert because no one truly knows what a fish is thinking. We can all guess what colours they like or what kinds of lures and or flies they like but we still never know if they will bite or not. I have caught fish on all kinds of unconventional things like bits and pieces of my lunch and flies that I tied when I was a kid that really didn't look like any kind of bug on this planet. I think becoming an expert or experienced angler really comes down to being able to share the sport of fishing with someone who has never done it before.
I think teaching someone how to fish is one of the most rewarding experiences on the water. I love seeing the excitement in someone’s eyes when they get their first bite or tug. Not to mention, when they reel their first fish in and get to hold it for their first picture. The best part is whether it's a 15 pound salmon or a tiny little perch the smile on everyone's face is still the same when they pose for their first fish picture.
Earlier this year one of my friends moved to a waterfront home on a local lake. Shortly after moving there he asked me if there were any fish in the lake. So I packed up a couple of rods and a small tackle box and I went over to his place. We set up a couple of chairs on the dock and I gave him a rod with a small spinner on it. He proceeded to give me the rod back five minutes later with a "rats nest" that I took the next ten minutes to untangle. Part way through untangling his line he told me he got a bite and I could see the excitement in his eyes. I told him to keep doing what he was doing and I finished what I was doing. Not long after I started fishing again he brought in his first fish.
The first fish was a little tiny perch. As he posed for his first picture I couldn't help but laugh at the big grin that was on his face. He held that tiny little perch up proudly and gave a loud woooooooooooo that echoed across the lake. We released the little guy and then we kept fishing. He tangled his line a few more times but it didn't matter. I was just happy that I got to share the fishing experience with him.
If anyone has a first time fishing story or a picture of their first fish then please head to the forum at www.fishingthepnw.com and share it with everyone!
I just wanted to take a minute to talk about the beginning angler. So what does it take to become an "expert"? Personally, I don't feel like anyone can be a real expert because no one truly knows what a fish is thinking. We can all guess what colours they like or what kinds of lures and or flies they like but we still never know if they will bite or not. I have caught fish on all kinds of unconventional things like bits and pieces of my lunch and flies that I tied when I was a kid that really didn't look like any kind of bug on this planet. I think becoming an expert or experienced angler really comes down to being able to share the sport of fishing with someone who has never done it before.
I think teaching someone how to fish is one of the most rewarding experiences on the water. I love seeing the excitement in someone’s eyes when they get their first bite or tug. Not to mention, when they reel their first fish in and get to hold it for their first picture. The best part is whether it's a 15 pound salmon or a tiny little perch the smile on everyone's face is still the same when they pose for their first fish picture.
Earlier this year one of my friends moved to a waterfront home on a local lake. Shortly after moving there he asked me if there were any fish in the lake. So I packed up a couple of rods and a small tackle box and I went over to his place. We set up a couple of chairs on the dock and I gave him a rod with a small spinner on it. He proceeded to give me the rod back five minutes later with a "rats nest" that I took the next ten minutes to untangle. Part way through untangling his line he told me he got a bite and I could see the excitement in his eyes. I told him to keep doing what he was doing and I finished what I was doing. Not long after I started fishing again he brought in his first fish.
The first fish was a little tiny perch. As he posed for his first picture I couldn't help but laugh at the big grin that was on his face. He held that tiny little perch up proudly and gave a loud woooooooooooo that echoed across the lake. We released the little guy and then we kept fishing. He tangled his line a few more times but it didn't matter. I was just happy that I got to share the fishing experience with him.
If anyone has a first time fishing story or a picture of their first fish then please head to the forum at www.fishingthepnw.com and share it with everyone!
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Big Chum
Friday, February 22, 2013
Lake fishing
Hey guys
Today I would like to talk about fishing the lakes of the Pacific Northwest. The Pacific Northwest is full of beautiful lakes many of which are stocked with an abundance of fish. I have done most of my lake fishing in the small lakes around Prince George, BC. However, in my travels I have also fished all kinds of other lakes in British Columbia and Washington.
I have always felt a little spoiled in the Pacific Northwest in the abundance and beauty of lakes in the area. From the bigger lakes like Okanogan Lake and Lake Roosevelt to the multitude of tiny little lakes that are not much bigger than ponds. I have always marveled at the number of different colours lakes can be; from the beautiful turquoise, to dark blue, to green and even sometimes appearing almost black. It always amazes me how clear water can make lakes of all different colours.
My favorite lake story to tell is one about a hike I did to Hedrick Lake where I caught my biggest ever trout. Hedrick Lake is a small alpine lake nestled in the valleys around Hedrick Mountain. Now for those of you who don't know where that is I don't blame you. It is located east of Prince George in the McGregor Range in the regional district of Fraser-Fort George (54.11667 latitude, and -121.01667 longitude).
People can access this lake in one of two ways: by floatplane or by foot. My family chose to go by foot. My father had been up to Hedrick Lake multiple times in the past but had not been up for a number of years. On the closest logging road there had been a bad washout in the spring and we had to use 4x4 to make our way around the barrier that had been put up. We then drove down a single vehicle width logging road until we came to the cut block that looked familiar. We drove up the block until we could go no higher and that is where we parked.
After getting out of the truck we spent 45 minutes bushwhacking until we finally found the trail which had been quite overgrown and was not very well marked. In total it was around a 5 hour hike up and it was well worth it. The view when you first see the lake is nothing short of breathtaking and puts you in mind of a mini Lake Louise. There were two small cabins near the lake which had obviously been built with a chainsaw and a few other supplies. There were also two small boats near the water.
We fished twice while we there once at night and once in the morning before hiking out again the next day. Each member of my family caught a beautiful trout and released it. I caught mine in the morning and I couldn't believe its size. Although it didn't fight like a salmon it sure looked like one. It was beautifully silver and was around the size of a small Coho. The hike out was not nearly as painful and only took around 3 and a half hours.
Once back at the truck we worked our way back out to the road but not before putting a whole in our muffler. This made the old diesel sound pretty mean until it went in to the repair shop. Overall it was a great trip and other than the bug bites I was no worse for wear. It was probably the hardest I ever worked to catch one fish but it is a fish I will never forget.
Hedrick Lake smooth as glass
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
River Fishing
I personally love to fish the river and I think it is one of the most enjoyable ways to fish. There is not really as much cost involved as you don’t necessarily need a boat and the river is often closer than the ocean. I also love fishing the river because I started when I was young.
When I was a little boy my parents took me on a trip to fish the Kitimat River just west of Terrace, BC. I am sure I went river fishing with them earlier however this is the first trip I remember clearly. I remember seeing the carcasses of dead salmon floating in the shallow pools we waded through and I remember my parents explaining to me how the spawning process works.
My parents were fishing for the large chum salmon that were running at that time. This required more strength than either me or my brother had at the time. It also required more height to be able to cast the large setup that we were using. My parents had smaller rods for us and we would cast small spoons out into the river fishing for pink salmon which were more abundant and easier to catch.
There were so many pink salmon that we could literally drag our lures through a back eddy and snag the salmon by the large hump on their back. This is still one of the fondest fishing memories I have as my whole family was able to fish together sometimes having double and triple headers making it all the more exciting. My parents were also able to catch some huge chum that my brother and I later hauled back to the van on a large stick over our shoulders. We had our picture taken with these salmon that were the same height as we were and I will hopefully find a way to get that picture to the website.
In the years since then I have had the opportunity to fish many other rivers including; the Skeena, the Bella Coola, the Green, the Thompson, the Puyallup and the Bulkley some successfully and others not as much. I have always loved standing in the river and listening to the constant motion of the water before feeling that ever elusive tug at the end of my line.
Please Share your story and pictures at
http://pnwfishing.webs.com/
When I was a little boy my parents took me on a trip to fish the Kitimat River just west of Terrace, BC. I am sure I went river fishing with them earlier however this is the first trip I remember clearly. I remember seeing the carcasses of dead salmon floating in the shallow pools we waded through and I remember my parents explaining to me how the spawning process works.
My parents were fishing for the large chum salmon that were running at that time. This required more strength than either me or my brother had at the time. It also required more height to be able to cast the large setup that we were using. My parents had smaller rods for us and we would cast small spoons out into the river fishing for pink salmon which were more abundant and easier to catch.
There were so many pink salmon that we could literally drag our lures through a back eddy and snag the salmon by the large hump on their back. This is still one of the fondest fishing memories I have as my whole family was able to fish together sometimes having double and triple headers making it all the more exciting. My parents were also able to catch some huge chum that my brother and I later hauled back to the van on a large stick over our shoulders. We had our picture taken with these salmon that were the same height as we were and I will hopefully find a way to get that picture to the website.
In the years since then I have had the opportunity to fish many other rivers including; the Skeena, the Bella Coola, the Green, the Thompson, the Puyallup and the Bulkley some successfully and others not as much. I have always loved standing in the river and listening to the constant motion of the water before feeling that ever elusive tug at the end of my line.
Picture is from the Skeena River west of Terrace, BC my brother and a friend of his on a beautiful summer day.
Please Share your story and pictures at
http://pnwfishing.webs.com/
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