"I hooked a lunker some 200 yards above the bridge at Yellowstone Park. I think it was 1940.
"I wiped the bank of fishermen before I brought him to a sand bar. He measured at 28 inches as he lay in some six inches of water. Some 12 to 15 people fishermen and dudes saw me do this -- spectators of the fight, attracted by the fuss.
"Then I slipped the hook out of his mouth and watched him swim tiredly back to deep water. The howls of anguish that went up from the crowd are still echoing up and down the river...'Why didn't you take him?'...
"A 28-inch cutthroat is some kind of record, I think. I have often wondered what he weighed. I had all I could use. Why kill wildlife for no reason than to weigh it? I won the fight. I fooled him with my fly.
"What else matters?" -- John Russ, Iowa City, Iowa, from the book Practical Flies and their Construction, Copyright 1966.
In answer to a request from my friend, Wayne, over the next series of columns I will share some, what I believe to be, secrets to successful fishing.
My first secret is to read, and read often. Try to avoid the prejudices that some display and read what is offered from all sides of sport fishing -- locally, across the nation and abroad. No one person knows it all or ever will.
My second secret is don't take more than you honestly need. I personally believe one of the biggest detriments to our freshwater fisheries, in the past century was the miss use of the Coleman cooler.
This one item enabled short-sighted anglers to bring home buckets of fish that rotted in home freezers unused. Now before you dump all the blame on Coleman, remember they were only a supplier.
It was the anglers notthinking about future generations that filled all those coolers.
THE REPORT
Fishing on our Lower Mainland lakes has been decent and you can expect improvement when our weather pattern stabilizes.
For wet (sinking) fly fishing try Chironomid, Bloodworm, Coachman, American Coachman, Professor, Wooly Bugger, Micro Leach, Sixpack, Dragonfly Nymph, Halfback, Doc Spratley, Baggy Shrimp, or Zulu.
For dry (floating) fly action try Tom Thumb, Irresistible, Black Gnat, Griffith Gnat, Royal Coachman or Renegade. For Kokanee try Red Abbis, Bloodworm, Red Spratley, San Juan Worm, Red Quill or Double Trude.
Our Lower Mainland bass and panfish are fishing well. For bass try Wooly bugger, Big Black, Lizard, Clouser's Deep Minnow, Zonker, Tied Down Minnow, Bucktail, Dolly Whacker, Frogs, Poppers, Chernobyl Ant, Stimulator or Crayfish, in sizes 8 to 4.
For Crappie or Pumpkinseed try Wooly Bugger, Big Black, Micro Leach, Bucktail, Tied Down Minnow, Dolly Whacker, Clouser's Deep Minnow, Poppers, Joe's Hopper, Chernobyl Ant, Royal Wulff or Stimulator, in sizes 12 to 8.
Fishing on our Interior lakes is fair to good, and watch your barometer.
For wet fly fishing try Wooly Bugger, Micro Leach, Egg Sucking Leach, Chironomid, Bloodworm, Pumpkinhead, Dragonfly Nymph, Halfback Nymph, 52 Buick, Doc Spratley, Green Spratley or Baggy Shrimp. For dry fly try Irresistible, Black Gnat, Griffith Gnat, Tom Thumb and Renegade.
