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  Secret Places One wet, dreary winter, a friend and I set off to explore the Gulf Islands, which lie in the Strait of Georgia between the British Columbia mainland and Vancouver Island. Stunningly beautiful, and bathed in the mild Pacific climate, we thought the Island lakes might provide a mid-winter’s respite for a couple of frustrated trout fishermen. We fished a few lakes without success, then found one where big, strong cutthroat trout lay in the deep, dark water. We caught them fishing Muddler Minnows at a near dead drift from a canoe. I remember backpaddling against the slightest breeze, until the line went nearly straight down from the stern of the canoe. A slight pluck, and you struck on a deep line into a big fish. Of course we were thrilled to be fly fishing in December, but we wondered if the lake produced even better fishing in the spring, or summer. We kept our eyes open for other fly fishermen, hoping local anglers might fill us in. But on our weekend trips we always found the lake empty. It seemed nobody fished the lake except us. My friend’s uncle wrote an outdoors column for a daily newspaper. And at a family gathering he mentioned to him the great fishing we’d discovered. He was proud to have found a secret place of his own, and wanted to share it with his uncle, who was so widely known and respected in the fishing community. A few weekends later we went back to the lake - and there were six cars in the parking lot. There were boats on the lake. People were fishing all over the place. I approached one fisherman who was just coming in, hoping to get some local information about the lake.He told me to fish a Muddler Minnow, on a sinking line, at almost a dead drift. He’d read about it in the newspaper. Ever since then I’ve been careful about sharing information about where to fish. Certainly some of my best experiences ever have come when fishermen took me to their secret places. I’ve written about some of those spots, but I’ve never named them. I will write about fishing on famous lakes, or about fishing on lakes and rivers where the fishing is good, but not great. But announcing the names of secret places to the fly fishing world? No thanks. Been there, saw my lake done. Once was enough. I trust all fly fishermen will understand. What do you think? Visit our online discussion area and post your views. Letters can be sent via e-mail to: letters@ariverneversleeps.com
Hi Mark, A statue of Haig-Brown, and signs to note his pools, is a great tribute to him. But far greater still would be to restore the summer run. The Tsitika has beautiful fish. We look forward to the day when we can cast a Steelhead Bee on the waters of the Campbell, in the summer, with the chance of taking a chrome bright fish. Any readers would like to financially support Neil’s efforts are urged to contact him. Hi: The Editors: You make another, more important point, with which I fully agree. And that is that the Tyee Club must share some of the blame for the decline of the Campbell River's great run of chinook. Killing all those big salmon - and selecting only the biggest, in the style of trophy hunters - surely removed some of the very best genetic material from the mix. Significant as that damage may have been, it pales in comparison to the impact of the mine, dam and commercial fishing. That notwithstanding, I do feel the Tyee Club should be doing more to protect the salmon they love. Understandably, the club is proud of its long history....but why not find a way to embrace catch-and-release fishing? Surely we could trust the boat guides to do on-water estimates of the size of a catch, and then to release the fish. In New Zealand, marlin fishermen release much bigger trophies - and they signal their great catches by flying flags from their mastheads. It's a stirring sight to see the boats coming back from the fishing grounds, with their flags high, knowing that each bright piece of fabric signals another fish released. Hi Mark, {E-mail letters may be edited for clarity, taste and brevity. It is understood they express the opinions of the writers, not the editors.} |
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