By Don Daniels
Here we are in the early days of May and for the most part, people are still in the get-organized mode for fishing here in Campbell River and other areas of Vancouver Island.
On Discovery Passage, few are getting out prawning and crabbing. Ssalmon anglers will go at Chinook salmon fishing after July 15 but other fish can be targeted like cod. Campers are starting to arrive at various campgrounds in Sayward and while the salmon fishing is non retention for Chinook salmon, a number of boats are getting out to areas for crabbing and prawns around Hardwicke Island and areas to the north.
I had met recently with experienced fishing guide Rick Raps and he had donated a few fly rods that will be used for giveaways when I do my fly-tying sessions for beginners. When I first arrived to British Columbia, I had a chance to fish off the rocks with a limited amount of gear, but during trial and error, I found my spot and acquired a spinning rod and reel.
My aim was to target salmon but I was also after coho and trout. I got a few Gibbs Kit-A-Mat red spoons and found my area off the rocks. The first trout was a Dolly Varden and coho were caught in the river.
Rick recently was guiding in the Bute Inlet area for cutthroat trout and had good success. The rivers in that area include Homathko and Southgate .You can use spinning gear and fly gear. On the fly, try using ghost shrimp or fry patterns. If you can find the trout location, a floating fly line can be used. Best time for this fishing is spring and fall and with river flow, the areas fished can get silted up. Using spinning gear small spoons can be the order of the day.
I hosted a fly-tying event in Ucluelet at Howlers Family Restaurant and the turnout was very interesting for a couple of reasons. There is a big interest in fly fishing in that area and there are a number of creeks within 40 minutes drive from Ucluelet.
A number of people had mentioned they wanted a pier like we have here in Campbell River, but since they don’t, each person has a secret rock bluff where they go fishing. Those in attendance had a ball tying up big streamer fly patterns, it was nice to see the high school students come out and play with materials.
A number of experienced anglers came out and shared fishing secrets for the area and I received some fly patterns that I will use here in Campbell River.
On my journey, I left Campbell River at 7 a.m. and I arrived at 10 a.m. The scenery is breath taking and you can observe a number of fishing areas during the drive.
Discovery Pier is open with varied hours and days here in Campbell River, that will change as we get closer to warmer weather.