penticton fly fishers july august 2009

PENTICTON FLYFISHERS

JOURNAL

July / Aug 2009


Vol. 06 Number 04, 2009

July / August 2009, Edition

Penticton Flyfishers

Box 354, 113-437 Martin St., Penticton, B.C., V2A 5L1

Editor

Bruce Turnbull

Home Ph:250-493-7386 Work Ph:250-487-2000

Fax 250-487-2049 Email: [email protected] (or)

[email protected]

President Angus Cameron

250-762-4719 [email protected]

Vice President

Phil Rogers 250-493-8832

[email protected]

Treasurer Ken Baker

[email protected]

Secretary

Denis Currie 496-5499

Membership Director

Tom Knight [email protected]

The Penticton Flyfishers are members of

BC Federation of Fly Fishers (BCFFF)

BC Wildlife Federation (BCWF)

Federation of Fly Fishers

(International FFF)

Okanagan Similkameen Conservation Alliance (OSCA)

Page 3— Presidents Report Page 4 & 5— Equipment Review—Sun Protection Page 6,7,8 & 9 —BC’s Most Endangered River Page 10— Fishing Partners by Nick Price Page 11 & 12—— Fish Outs & Trips by Tom Dellamater Page 13, 14 & 15—Freshwater Fish Stocking in BC Page 16 – 2009 Fishout Dates Page 17– Smallmouth Bass Page 18— PhotoGallery Page 19— Classifieds and Calendar of Events 0— Tying and Fishing Techniques

Contents

Salmon Lake Sept / 08—by Bruce Turnbull

Penticton Flyfishers New Website is

www.pentictonflyfishers.ca


Presidents Report by Angus Cameron

ANGUS

Another half year has arrived at our doorsteps and as has been the proce-dure the Club shuts down it's Club meeting functions for a couple of months. Thus, at our last meeting (June 4th) the members agreed with the Executive to curtail Club meetings for July and August, thus giving the membership some time to focus on other facets of their normal summer schedules as many of our members have "other things" planned for this time period in 2009. Therefore, let me reiterate that the PPF and it's members will enjoy a

summer hiatus for a couple of months and can hopefully enjoy do-ing some other activi-ties that one does when not pursuing that ever-lasting search for the "big Fish" that is thought to be just around the next curve in the road well travelled. In conclusion, please allow your time to be used wisely and get out there and cast a "fly" or two at your favourite lake and /or river location. But nonetheless, please take advantage of this time period

and enjoy yourselves. Have a great summer !!!! and we will see you September 3rd.

President Angus

Cameron

Vice Pres Phil Rogers

Treasurer Ken Baker Secretary

Denis Currie

Your 2009 Executive


Equipment Review- by Bruce Turnbull

Sun Protection

A large part of what we enjoy is outdoors and in this day and age of global warming, ozone layers and skin cancer it’s more prudent than ever that when outdoors we need to protect ourselves from the sun.

First and foremost is sunscreen and the higher the SPF rat-ing the better. Lather it on making sure that all exposed skin is covered. A waterproof version will ensure that it does not get washed off with your sweat or from falling in the water.

Along with the sunscreen make sure you put some lip balm on and it too should offer some sun protection.

Simms Cor3Shirt

The sound of backing ripping off a fly reel or the whirl of a blender mixing frozen drinks! Sure we prefer the before mentioned, but after a good long day in the hot summer sun even wearing the Simms Ultralight Shirt a bit of shade and frozen drink sure sounds good. The Ultralight Shirt with COR3™ will keep you in the game all day without worries of sunburns or heat stroke. It comes from the lightest weight fabric ever conceived for a fly fishing shirt that breathes and dries like no other and COR3™ fabric treatment which adds sun protection, odor fighting anti-microbial properties as well as advanced wicking! Remem-ber you can't stay cool without moisture management and Simms is the king. By the way it's not necessary to have your refresh-ment blended, the Simms Ultralight Shirt with COR3™. UPF 30 Sunprotection.

Sage Seagrass Shirt It’s all the rage, long sleeve, technical “tee” shirts for fly fishing with strong evapo-rative properties, breathability and wicked sun protection. Welcome to the Sage Sea-grass Shirt! This technical fly fishing shirt provides the protection and comfort you need when spending extended time on the water. Not to worry about the long sleeves in the summer heat, as this technical shirt breaths to keep you comfortable and dries quickly to increase evaporative cooling. All this comfort doesn’t even take in ac-count the exciting bamboo-coal infused fabric for anti-bacterial and anti-fungal prop-erties. Once again Sage on the cutting edge! The Sage Seagrass Shirt for serious and not so serious fly angler that would like a cool, technical fishing shirt.

With long sleeves, a slightly extended collar and UPF 30+ sun protection, these shirts are an excellent choice when keeping the sun’s rays and the water’s reflection off your skin is a must. The polyester and bamboo-charcoal fabric also means that your shirt will stay smelling fresh after a long week in the tropics. Bay, Smoke, Burnt Orange and Sage.” Sage Seagrass Shirt

Simms Ultra Shirt


Simms Sungloves Simms sungloves give you maximum sun protection for your hands while fishing or doing anything in the sun. There is nothing worse than trying to tie knots with sunscreen all over your hands or even worse in your eyes. Now that is a thing of the past! These lightweight, second set of skin, sungloves protect like no other. A whole trip can be ruined from just one day of lax cov-erage. FEATURES: SPF 50+ sun protection 4-way stretch breathable fabric SunGloves have full coverage for wrist and back of hand Fabric blocks approximately 98% of UV rays

Another area that we need to take more care of is our heads. Ball caps have been the norm for many years and they offered good protection to the top of ones head and the face. However the ears and neck were left exposed. This style of hat is perfect as it drapes down over the neck and ears while very light weight and sunproof. The sun sheet (drape) can be removed from the hat or rolled up to the hat rim. There are many similar versions available. Simms Sunshield Hat UPF 50 sun protection. 100% lightweight nylon with HT Teflon® water & stain resis-tant treatment. Longest hat bill available provides maximum sun blockage. Removable mesh-lined sun sheet attaches securely to hat. Hook and loop adjustable closure. Dark under bill.

Sometimes a little style can work as well at giving you sun protection. The full or complete brim hat accomplishes nearly the same effect as the Sun-shield Hat in that it offers some protection to your ears and neck. Not quite as much as the Sunshield Hat but you will look at lot better. The downside to a full brim hat is weight which is directly related to the ma-terials the hats are made from. Oiled cotton, heavy cording, a liner and little in the way of ventilation.

Simms went to the best when they decided it add sunscreen to their lineup, they went Dermatone! Dermatone has been protecting outdoor athletes from more than 23 year so you know they’re doing it right. Protect your skin and your fly fishing trip with Simms Sunscreen Lotion. This made for fly anglers is fragrance free and has a SPF 30+ sunblock rating.


B.C.’s Flathead River Valley is a win-dow to our past. Tucked into B.C.’s southeast corner, the Flathead is a mod-ern-day Noah’s Ark for many species whose habitat has vanished due to hu-man activity.

National Geographic magazine calls this area “one of the most diverse and ecol-ogically intact natural ecosystems in the temperate zones of the world.” Never settled, the Flathead River Valley teems with many species that are threatened elsewhere, including grizzlies, lynx, fishers, wolverines and gray wolves.

The Flathead, with the greatest diversity of plants in all of Canada, is compared to Africa’s Serengeti for its richness of plant species—more than 1,000 wild-flower species alone. Water in the Flat-head River is so pure that scientists use it as a benchmark by which to measure water quality in rivers around the world.

The Flathead River Valley is threatened by plans for mountain-top removal coal mining and other mining and energy de-velopment. The BC government is con-sidering one proposal by Cline Mining Corp to demolish a scenic Flathead mountain and remove 40 million tonnes of coal. Pollutants and slag from this

strip mining operation will be dumped into Foisey Creek, a headwaters stream of the Flathead River that scientists have identified as critical spawning habitat for threatened bull trout.

Other companies want to mine gold and drill for coalbed methane in the Flathead Valley. For the past three years, because of these industrial threats, B.C.’s Outdoor Recreation Council has listed the transboundary Flathead River as one of the province’s most endangered rivers.

The Flathead River, which flows through southeastern BC into Montana, tops British Columbia’s most endan-gered rivers list for 2009 due to con-cerns about a controversial proposed open pit coal mine. The Flathead, which was number two on last year’s list, is widely considered one of North America’s wildest and most beautiful waterways. “The Flathead supports important trans-boundary fish popula-tions while also sustaining the highest density of inland grizzly bears any-where in North America”, said Mark Angelo, Rivers Chair for the Outdoor Recreation Council and an Order of Canada recipient.

Yet, while the US section is protected,

the BC stretch faces a number of threats, the most prominent being the proposed Cline open pit coal mine. Given the size and location of the mine in the river’s headwaters, water quality would be im-pacted and recreational, wildlife and wil-derness values would be greatly compro-mised.

The Flathead Valley is the only large unsettled low elevation valley in south-ern Canada. As a result species like griz-zly bears are able to use lush riparian areas that they have been displaced from almost everywhere else. Because the Flathead River has never been dammed nor have its banks been tampered with to prevent flooding it is also home to a rich shifting mosaic floodplain that provides outstanding habitat for birds. The reason for its undeveloped state is that the Flat-head River flows south to the US, the soil and climate are not very suitable for agriculture, and the cross Canada rail-line passed one valley north through the Elk Valley, leaving the Flathead unset-tled. The Flathead Valley is the only large unsettled low elevation valley in south-ern Canada. This creates a unique situa-tion that makes it perhaps the most im-portant area for maintaining large carni-vores and many other species in North America.

BC’S MOST ENDANGERED RIVER THE FLATHEAD


The core area of the Flathead contains one of the world’s great concentrations of biodiversity and presents a globally significant conservation opportunity. The valley bottom and areas adjacent to the river along with the south-eastern third of the Flathead Valley in British Columbia easily ranks as one of the most biologically important places to protect on earth. This is because it is a free flow-ing river in the only uninhabited low elevation valley in the most biologically productive part of the Rockies. The Flat-head serves as a critical link between the lower 48 US states’ carnivore popula-tions and the large gene pool of Can-ada’s north. It is both a critical core area and corridor in the Yellowstone to Yukon region. It is also the missing piece of the world’s first international peace park, a World Heritage Site and Biosphere Reserve. Expansion of the Waterton-Glacier Peace Park into the Flathead valley would provide a pro-tected core breeding area for wildlife in a part of British Columbia that has none. If this extraordinary opportunity is not worthy of a sustained conservation ef-fort, nothing is. The Flathead River is one of North America’s wildest rivers. It is a trans-boundary watershed, originating in the remote interior of southeast British Co-

lumbia. The river flows through an uninhabited valley in B.C. across the border into the state of Montana, where it empties into Flathead Lake. In Mon-tana, the Flathead River is a federally designated Wild and Scenic River and forms the western boundary of Glacier National Park. The transboundary Flathead supports important native fish populations, in-cluding bull trout and westslope cut-throat trout, both of which are trans-boundary populations, shared by the U.S. and Canada. Bull trout are a sensi-tive species, native to cold, clear wa-ters like those in the Flathead River. They spend their adult life in Flathead Lake in Montana, then migrate up river (up to 275 km) to spawn in select tribu-taries throughout the B.C. Flathead, as well as the Montana tributaries. Bull trout have highly specialized habitat requirements and are very sensitive to water temperature and any form of habitat degradation. Bull trout are listed as threatened under the US En-dangered Species Act and blue-listed in British Columbia. The tributary streams and mainstem of the Flathead in B.C. are critical spawning and rear-ing habitat for bull trout, westslope cutthroat trout, mountain whitefish and sculpin.

In addition to native fish species, the Flathead supports a population of tailed frogs, the most primitive frog in the world. Like the native fish, the tailed frog is sensitive to habitat degradation and is the only stream-dwelling frog in Canada. The tailed frog is blue-listed in British Columbia (a list under BC’s En-dangered Species strategy for species not immediately threatened with extinction but of special concern because of sensi-tivity to human activities or natural dis-turbances). In addition to the river itself, the rich, riparian valley and floodplains of the Flathead support a rich diversity of plant communities and wildlife. The Flathead supports a greater diversity and abun-dance of carnivores, such as mountain lion, grizzly bear, lynx and wolverine, than any other area in North America. The riparian floodplain is a natural travel corridor for wildlife, allowing seasonal movement in the rugged topography of the Rocky Mountains. In addition to habitat connectivity, the floodplain and riparian areas contain important bear food with abundant early spring and late fall foods.

FAST FACTS

The watershed encompasses 4134 square kilometers with 38% of the drainage in B.C., and 62% in Montana.

BULL TROUT


The watershed supports over 300 species of aquatic insects, 10 species of native fish and 12 species of introduced fish.

Forms the western boundary of Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, a des-ignated UNESCO International Bio-sphere Reserve and World Heritage Site

British Columbia Blue-listed species: grizzly bear, Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, northern goshawk, turkey vulture, Lewis’ wood pecker, tailed frog, bull trout, mottled sculpin

US threatened: grizzly bear, lynx, bald eagle, bull trout

US endangered: wolf, peregrine falcon

In 2003, the BC portion of the Flathead basin supported approximately 55% of the bull trout spawning population in the transboundary Flathead River.

The Flathead Valley serves as a source population of grizzly bears and a vital connector for grizzly populations north and south. So important is the Flathead that scientific research on grizzlies be-gan there in the 1970's and continues to this day. Research has demonstrated the Flathead to be home to the highest den-sity of grizzlies anywhere in the interior of North America. Now proposed moun-tain coalmines, coal bed methane devel-opment and gold prospects threaten to industrialize this critical habitat for griz-zlies. Grizzly bears already encounter diffi-culty using their habitat in the Flathead and adjacent territory. Recent research has demonstrated the difficulties facing grizzlies in the southeast Kootenays, including the Flathead. Highway 3 acts as a barrier to female movement, and only a very few males have been shown to cross the highway. The long-term im-

plication of this will be the isolation and weakening of the grizzly popula-tions in the southern Rocky Mountains. Industrial energy development ac-counts for some of the most intensive and destructive land use by any re-source sector. Coalmines literally tear down mountains, and coal bed methane development reduces entire landscapes to a mish-mash of roads, pipelines and drill pads. These activities destroy griz-zly bear habitat, as well as block griz-zly bear migration and movement from

either north or south. These activities simply are not compatible with the con-servation of grizzly bears. Action is required if grizzly bears are to persist and thrive now and into the fu-ture. The key to grizzly bear conserva-tion success in the Southern Rockies requires that further habitat loss be pre-vented, grizzly mortality be reduced by the creation of a sanctuary area in criti-cal habitat, and that the bears ability to cross Highway 3 be restored. The Flathead provides irreplaceable link-


age and core habitat for grizzly bears in the region. British Columbians face a crucial decision. The landscape can be converted to industrial energy develop-ment for short-term gain, or it can be retained and restored for wildlife, water quality and human enjoyment of a wild landscape. The futures of grizzly bears in the Rocky mountains depends upon keeping the Flathead wild and con-nected.

FAST FACTS:

Flathead Valley and Headwaters Area: 234,000 Hectares (ha)

Number of Grizzlies in the Flathead area: about 100 (pers. comm. Bruce McLellan)

Number of cubs per litter: 1-4; average: 2.66

Years cubs stay with mother: approx. 2 years

Age at first breeding: Females 5-5.5 years

Lifespan in Wild Flathead: 20+ years

Weight at maturity: Males 93kg; Fe-males 53kg

Home Range Size: Males 463 sq km; Females: 104 sq km

Average Daily Movement of a Grizzly Bear: 2.4km

Primary Foods: roots, forbs, fruits, ro-dents, ants, ungulates, carrion

Average annual number of Flathead grizzlies killed by hunters in the Flat-head: 2.9

Length of Hwy 3 wildlife corridor: 113 km

How to tell a grizzly from a black bear: a) hump on shoulder, b) rounded ears, c) dished face, d) shape of foot/track, and e) length of claws

How to travel safely in bear country: a) travel in groups of three or more, b) make noise while on the trail, and c) carry and know how to use bear spray

The largely undisturbed nature of the Flathead provides an important low ele-vation wildlife movement corridor up the Rockies from the US to Canada that is rare elsewhere. It is a key link be-tween Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta and Glacier National Park, Mon-tana. At a regional scale maintaining a connection from the top of the Flathead and adjoining Wigwam Valley across the Elk Valley and highway 3 up Alex-ander Creek and up the west side of the Elk Valley and the adjoining Bull River to the Banff area is critical to the sur-vival of large carnivores in the US. This is a key link in the Yellowstone to Yukon corridor.

Source: Flathead Wild internet site

PENTICTON FLYFISHERS PAGE 10 PENTICTON FLYFISHERS

Normally I would like to talk about new products or fishing trips that I have experienced. But this time around I am going to talk about fishing partners. Now fishing partners come a dime a dozen as there are many will-ing to go out on some form of water at anytime. What I want speak of are those fishing partner(s) that one looks forward to heading out with that at any given time whether it be rain, cold temperatures or that perfect day. I am willing to fish with many peo-ple as I enjoy the opportunity to get to know an-other fellow fisherman. I will though admit; I have very few that I consider great fishing buddies. Now, this is not to say ill will of others but it's a bond that many can admit too but rather keep to themselves. Reasons can vary from anything such as they are the only ones who can put up with you or, a true friendship that is meaningful and hard to find. You can book trips across the country, a nearby lake, river or even outside Canada. It is these trips that are the ones we look forward too. Often ending up as another memory they can laugh or brag about. A true fishing partner will encourage you if your having a bad day, such as equipment issues or just plain bad luck. But, they are also willing to give you a hard time if you do something real dumb or comical that is worthy of a repeat performance around the campfire or at a Tim Horton's. These companions are hard to find and even harder to hold onto as our lives become more difficult to manage and understand. They will listen to family problems, health issues or even offer you reno advice and muscle power if needed. Some of these fishing partners are your spouse, long term friend or a family member. Often times we forget to tell them how they make your fishing experience more enjoyable, even the times when they tick you off. You can offer them the first crack at the run on a river or deny them a good spot on the lake if your doing well. We know we can't make it too easy for them, but sympathy is a good trait to exercise. It may get you out of a jam in the future. Karma is a thing not to mess with. So when your thinking of your next trip remember this article and make your fishing partner know they are a pain in the butt and that you like fishing with them. I would like to introduce my newest fishing partner Zoe. She'll never judge me , out fish me or take my hole on a river, but I will say to those who I fish with that are good friends to have on any lake or river and I really do enjoy out fishing them. :) Enjoy your fishing season. Nick Pace

Zoe


Link Lake Fishing this year started out with a trip to Link Lake where the quality rather than the quantity showed up. The weather was great with some feeling the evening temperatures were too cool for long times at the fire as most retreated to their abodes by 9:00 pm (where was Bruce when one wanted him?). The larger tin tents held the late gatherings of fisher people who had more sto-ries to tell but they were huddled around the ceramic heater rather than the camp fire. We took the marshmallows away from Penny-April as the heaters are hard to clean if they drip. The fishing was good with Denis Atkinson recording a 3.5 lb trout after cleaning and in the cooler for a day. The two chronie fishing lads were there with their 30 plus days and many double headers (they each had doubles at the same time). Some re-ceived flies from them but could not match their production even sitting next to them. The rest of us used nymphs and leaches for good success and great stories around the early fire at appy time. Being the first trip of the year many things were forgot and other items were broken which made for an interesting trip. The fridge in my camper died before I left home and the wiring would not work. I now have a new fridge and the harness has been replaced. Living out of coolers is do-able but the loss of the fridge is very inconvenient and one wonders how I lived in a tent for so long. It is a good think Link Lake is not too far from Princeton, for those who did not bring enough drinks, and Penticton is close for those who went back for must have items. A good time was had by all who attended.

Agur Lake George Graw and I went into Agur Lake for a day of fishing and George caught the first fish, the largest fish and the most fish. Yes, you heard it here first, George Graw out fished me in every category. We started out the usual way like what are you going to use? George used a 52 Buick and me putting on a black leach pat-tern on sinking tip lines. I tried a couple of flies and went back to the leach but did not have the success George did. During one of the many times George al-lowed me to net and release his fish I noticed the 52 Buick had a yellow body something he did not care to mention. I had not tied a Buick with a yellow body but I have them now. There was one other boat on the lake and they were catching fishing and come to find out they were using, you guessed it, one of George Graw’s flies. If you have coffee with George you get the total

scoop. I was feeling bad that will all my perceived knowledge George out fished me until I realized he was sitting in Irene’s seat and fishing out her side of the boat which gave me some solace. I did take home 3 nice fish so my mother-in-law, Penny and I could have a fish feed so no one will have to feel sorry for them.

One more thing if you hook up my new electric fishing motor backwards and it does not work, it is not broken so no need to swear a lot. The motor is smarter than me as I just hook it up properly and it works just fine.

Fish Outs and Trips 2009 By Tom Dellamater


Idleback Lake Phil Rodgers and I took our pontoon boats up to Idle-back for an evening fish when I found out my air pump valves are not working. I am hoping this is my third thing so it is over. In setting up I asked a fisher-man how things were and he announced that the chro-nie boys had a couple. He said his fishing was very slow. I told him not to worry as Phil and I were there. After getting set up I kicked out about 75 feet and hooked into a fish which prompted the man on shore to holler out, “What took you so long?” It cleared the water but I did not get it into the boat but it was a good show any way. After an hour or so I hooked another and again not to the boat. There was very little coming off the water and the weeds were just starting to show which left the shoals very clear with no hiding spots. Phil had a couple of fish to the boat by then and the biting stopped. We ended early but vowed to return.

Dee Lake My company took some of the supervisory people to Dee Lake lodge and rented cabins for us. We fished the four lakes; Dee Lake, Island Lake, Deer Lake and Crooked Lake, in the chain down to the dam. We could not get into Beaver Lake but had a lot

of shore line to fish. The fish were willing but the 14 inch size was the most plentiful. On Saturday after-noon I dialed into the fly of the day a green bodied, gold tinsel wrap and a brown pheasant tail hackle. This fly was hit in the first 10 feet and almost as often every time it went into the water. I was able to try different flies and then go back to the killer and it worked every time. I tried colors and sizes as it was fun experimenting just how close I had to come to achieve success. I gave flies to a couple of different boats and they had success but I was stripping and they were trolling. It was a good weekend but the mosquitoes were so bad that one sat in the cabin at 6:00 pm to get away from them. One guy had so many bites, we called him bait, that he left Saturday night. The rest of us left Sunday morning in a cloud of mosquitoes, windows down and chasing them out the window. The bug spray attracted more than it re-pelled and even on the lake after supper there was no

relief from them. It is a pretty lake with lots of bug activity along the shore line and small Elk Hair Caddis work well in the lily pads in the evening near dark, but keep your mouth closed. Coming up will be Idleback, Bamfield and the Kettle with a possible trip to Washington State so more later.

By Tom Dellamater


Because I do most of my freshwater fishing in British Co-lumbia I’ve developed a keen interest in how they manage their fisheries. Many Evergreen Fly Fishing Club Members make the journey north each year in search of large plentiful kam-loops trout. In May of 2006 I took the opportunity to visit the Dragon Lake Egg Collecting sta-tion. During May each year the station is busy collecting eggs from kamloops trout which are used to stock about 35% to 40% of all lakes within the province of British Columbia. Last May three million eggs were collected from approximately one thou-sand two hundred fifty Blackwa-ter kamloops trout. Of this group 1,000 were females. During my trip last May I talked with several friends while fishing Dragon Lake who said the fisher-ies people were collecting eggs and probably wouldn’t mind if I dropped in for a visit. So one very cold morning in early May I decided to take my camera and drop in for a visit. I’m glad I did. The workers were quite friendly and had no reservations of me visiting. I asked many questions and took a number of photos. I’d like to share with club members what I learned that morning. I was greeted by Kurt Vinge, who ran the station last year. I spent most of my time, however, with Derek Ingram, a Fish Culturist with fisheries. He explained what they were going to do that morn-ing and how they would be doing it. There were about five or six men working on various tasks associated with the egg gather-ing. I was impressed by what ap-peared to be a well organized and dedicated group. The following is a commentary on what I saw;

Fish were already contained within a trap in the creek where the egg station is located. When all was in

readiness the youngest member, who probably had the worst job, was using a large landing net to scoop fish out of the holding trap into a temporary pen. Fish were then placed briefly in large containers which con-tained an anesthetizing solution to temporarily put the fish to “sleep.” (See photo 1) The worker then removed these fish, 80% of which were females, to a small table where they were then “milked” of either their eggs or sperm. I was surprised by the small size of the fish that were spawning. It has always been my impression that “spawners” were large fish. Once the eggs and sperm were removed these fish were then placed in a temporary holding pen to recover from the anes-thesia. They were later trucked to the south end of Dragon Lake where they were released back

into the lake. Mortality rate for these fish is sur-prisingly very high. Many do not recover and die, providing nutrients back into Dragon Lake. I was told about 25% survive!

After the sperm has been added to the eggs a small amount of fluid, usually water, is added to stimulate the sperm. The chosen few free swimming sperm cells complete their duty almost im-mediately and the rest die within seconds. These dead sperm cells and other organics are then washed. Clean water is added, swirled and the surplus is then poured off. This addi-tion, swirling and pouring out

Fish Culture Technician with containers of fish asthenistizing

Freshwater Fish Stocking in British Columbia By Jerry Buron


of "dirty" or organic laden water usually takes about a minute and may require 3-4 washes de-pending upon the amount of visible organics.

This washing process not only gets rid of the organ-

ics but it also gets rid of them in preparation for the disinfection process. A low concentration of Iodine is used to disinfect the eggs prior to trans-fer to a hatchery and any remaining organics can bind with the iodine lowering the efficacy. The disinfectant is used to prevent the formation of Flavobacterium psychrophilum (“flavo”) bacte-ria.

During the course of the three weeks or so of egg collec-tion, their goal is to harvest 3 million eggs for two hatch-eries in the province of British Columbia. One-third of

fertilized eggs were going to the Clearwater Hatchery in Clearwater, BC and the remaining two-thirds were to be trucked to the Fraser Valley Trout Hatcher in Abbots-ford, BC. After my early morning visit to the egg collection station I returned to my campsite at Robert’s Roost and headed out on Dragon Lake for another day’s adventure match-ing wits with the lake’s trout. As I fished that day many questions crept into my head. Questions of, “Why was the size of the spawning fish so small?” “Why do so many of these spawning fish perish?” “Why are only the

Blackwater strain of trout planted in Dragon Lake?” “Why is the size of the fish continuing to get smaller each year in a lake that appears to be a food factory?” The questions kept popping up with no source for an-swers! Coupled with my questions were a number of miscon-ceptions I and others have developed. You know all of us “fishing experts” have explanations for everything.

Fish Culture Technician washing fertilized eggs


Some popular misconceptions include Blackwater trout don’t grow very large, hot weather two summers ago in the province caused an entire years worth of planted fish to die off. Why not plant other strains of kamloops trout in the lake, etc., etc.? Several years back the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC was created for the “purpose to conserve and en-hance the freshwater fish resources of British Columbia for the benefit of the public…” I believe this group is beginning to have a real impact on the quality of freshwa-ter fishing in the province. I’ve seen the results of their work along with the Ministry of Fisheries in such places as Sheridan Lake. Last week at the Fly Fishing Show in Bellevue, I had the opportunity for an extended conversa-tion with Ken Scheer, Angler Participation Coordinator, Sport Fishing Division of the Freshwater Fisheries Soci-ety of BC. He was gracious enough to answer many of those questions I posed to myself earlier. “So Ken, what’s up with Dragon Lake?” “Well Jerry, even though lakes are much smaller than say, the ocean, they are still relatively complex and require continuous management. Regarding the current fishery you can’t argue that the fishing itself on Dragon lake is poor. When seasoned fly fishermen can average a fish an hour or more in the boat I think we would all agree the fishing is pretty good. However, I think most would agree that fishermen traveling to Dragon Lake, located close to the middle of our province, are there to catch the “big one.” To that end, and in response to your observation about fish size in the trap would you believe the average fish size is only down about 2-3 cm or an inch over the past 5 years? However, while the average size reduction of ma-ture fish is small, the size and occurrence of “big fish” in the fishery appears to be sig-nificant. Significant enough that between ourselves and the Ministry of Environment biologists we are looking for ways to improve it. This year we will be stocking about 5,000 or 10-15% less fish into the lake. Dragon Lake is productive but every lake has its limit in regards to fish bio-mass production. Also, we are going to try both the Pen-

nask stock and the Blackwater stock for the All Female Triploid (AF3N) component.” “A concern that we have is that the catch and release mortality rate, which increases as the water temperature rises, is much higher than the standard of 5% and Pennask fish might handle the stress better than the Blackwater stock does. Speaking of this, anglers – and I include my-self here, need to be responsible and realize that catching fish in temperatures above 20 degrees Celsius or 70 de-grees Fahrenheit is very stressful on the fish. Dragon Lake does not have a summer thermocline or refugia area for the fish to either hide or recover in. Ultimately, if the Pennask do better we would switch to 100% Pennask for the AF3N stocking portion.” “This is a change from last year in that we are reducing the overall stocking numbers by 10 ,000 fry, or effectively 5,000 yearlings, and making a switch to 50% Pennask for the 10,000 AF3N yearling stocking component. These changes probably won’t be measurable/quantifiable for a couple of years.” Ken also cleared up one other popular misconception; “You only plant Blackwater kamloops in Dragon because they produce more eggs per female than other strains of kamloops!” Well the truth is a five pound Blackwater or Pennask female would each produce approximately 3,000 eggs while a five pound Tzenzaicut female would pro-duce about 2,100 eggs.” During the past year I have learned a great deal about the fish and fishing in British Columbia. BC is a wonderful

place to fish for trout and ana-dromous strains. If you have-n’t tried it you owe it to your-self to do so! The Cariboo-Chilcotin Region, where I pre-dominately fish, has literally thousands of lakes with well stocked trout waiting for the eager angler. Contrary to what many believe, the more who fish, practice good conserva-tion of the fishery, actually help create awareness and a force for continued care of the management of the fishery we so dearly love! Jerry Buron

References: Interview with Ken W. Scheer, Angler Participation Coordinator, Sport Fishing Division, Bellevue, WA, February 9, 2007.

Conversation with Brian Chan, Vice President of Sportfish Divi-sion of Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC, Bellevue, WA, Feb-ruary 9, 2007.

Interview with Derek Ingram, Fish Culturist, Dragon Lake Egg Collection Station, May 2006

Gofishbc-Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC, www.gofishbc.com (excellent website with a wealth of fishing information for the BC angler)

BC Stocking Reports: www.gofishbc.com/stockingreports.htm

2009 FISHOUTS

Salmon Lake Sept 11 to 14

Kettle River July every weekend

PAGE 16 PENTICTON FLYFISHERS

Link Lake May 22,23

& 24

Darke Lake May 30

Idelback Lake June 27 & 28

Ripley and Madden Lakes

early May- Date to be arranged

Leighton Lake and

Tunkwa Lake Aug 8,9 & 10

Headwater Lake

Early May date to be arranged


Small Mouth Bass The smallmouth bass is generally brown with dark vertical bands, rather than a horizontal band along the side. There are 13-15 soft rays in the dorsal fin. The up-per jaw of smallmouth bass extends to the middle of the eye.

Males are relatively smaller than fe-males. The males tend to range around two pounds while females can range from three to six pounds. Their average sizes can differ, depending on where they are found; those found in American waters tend to be larger due to the longer summers, which allow them to eat and grow for a longer period of time. Their habitat plays a significant role in their color, weight, and shape. River wa-ter smallmouth that live among dark water tend to be rather tor-pedo shaped and very dark brown in order to be more effi-cient for feeding. Lakeside smallmouth bass however, that live for example in sandy areas, tend to be a light yellow brown to adapt to the environment in a defensive state and are more oval shaped. M. dolomieu is found in clearer water than the largemouth, espe-cially streams, rivers, and the rocky areas and stumps and also sandy bottoms of lakes and res-ervoirs. The smallmouth prefers cooler water temperatures than its cousin the largemouth bass,

and may be found in both still and moving water.

Because it is relatively intolerant of pollution, the smallmouth bass is a good natural indicator of a healthy en-vironment, though it can better adjust to changes in water condition than most trout species.

Carnivorous, its diet comprises cray-fish, insects, and smaller fish, the young also feeding on zooplankton.

The female can lay up to 21,000 eggs, which are guarded by the male in his nest.

When fly fishing for smallmouth the proper weight and length rod should be used as well as, a strong leader and tip-pet. Select a fly rod that casts large flies with little effort and handles the fight of a fish without exhausting the fish. A 9 foot 6 weight is a good choice. Leaders and Tippets need to be strong enough to hold up to the fight as well as, the hook set as smallies can strike with vigor. Leaders in 3x or 4x 9 ½ feet long will hold up to most circumstances and turn a fly over well.

Top water flies can be used to represent many things from mice, hoppers, crick-ets, lizards, etc. Sub surface flies are available to mimic many bait fish, craw-fish, leeches, and some are unique attrac-

tion patterns. Being an aggressive fish, smallies are not that fussy on the presentation of a fly that is appealing to them. Once a pattern is found that creates strikes by fish, pay attention to how the fly is being fished. If the fish stop hitting that fly, change up fishing a new one the same way.

Places that you can go to that are very near include Skaha Lake at the South End, which provides numerous spots for bass. Also Osoyoos Lake at the North end and Vaseaux Lake all over.

Source: Internet

Wikipedia


Picture Gallery Tunkwa Lake 2007


CLASSIFIEDS CALENDAR of EVENTS

For Sale—15 ft Sage graphite Spey rod, line weight 10, 8 3/4 oz, 4 piece, used only ten times. New condition. Price $375 O.B.O. Call Ken Cochrane 250-860-9128 or email at [email protected] Wanted—Pictures, locations and descriptions of damage to the wilderness caused by off road vehicles. See Bruce. FOR SALE, 1974 Grew, 19 1/2 Ft., fiberglass, very stable, 6 cylinder inboard, needs body work, c/w Shorelander Trailer, new brakes and tires, asking $2000.00. Please call Tom to view @250-492-3049, Penticton

Sept 3—First General Meeting of the fall. Come out and see and hear what has been going on with members over the summer months and also see what the club has planned for the fall session. Time 7 pm. Sept 16—Executive meeting at Phil Rogers house. Time 7 pm. Oct 01—General Meeting Time 7 pm. Oct 8—First fly tying session of the fall. Time 7 pm. Oct 14—Executive Meeting at Phil Rogers house. Time 7 pm.

www.bcwf.bc.ca

www.bcfff.bc.ca

www.pentictonflyfishers.ca

www.troutwaters.ca

Tying and Fishing Techniques

The Penticton Flyfishers meet the first Thursday of every month except July and August when we meet at nearby fish-outs. Club meetings begin at 7 pm at the “OLD CPR” Train Station on Hastings St., and everyone is welcome. Membership costs $40 per year (Junior membership is free) and includes membership in the B.C. Federation of Fly Fishers, the B.C. Wild-life Federation, The Federation of Fly Fishers (International), and the Okanagan Similkameen Conservation Alliance (OSCA). The club is registered as a society and its function is to promote the sport of fly fishing, to educate, and to conserve and protect the environment. The club is actively involved in conservation projects throughout the Okanagan and surrounding areas. If you would like more information about the club, its membership, projects and programs, please call any member of the Executive (see inside front cover).

Bruce Turnbull Bruce Turnbull

We are all starting to use more and more of the foam based patterns. The pictures above will give you an idea of what I’m talking about. The patterns are dry patterns for the simple reason that foam floats and it adds a degree of sturdiness that a traditional pattern can not give. Some patterns can be pretty accurate as to the bug they are portraying so there is no problem in getting trout to take the fly.

You are more likely to use a foam style fly while river / stream fishing and not so much on still waters. River Trout are forced to make quick decisions as the food tray flows along in the current, and this leads to trout darting out from some form of cover to nail the fly, long before its brain has even formed the thought. Instinct. I won’t get into specific patterns in foam, for that go visit Nick and the Lads at Trout Waters.

Some examples of what I call “Cross Over” patterns include the Humpy. Tradi-tional is a shell back of Caribou hairs, now there is the shell back made of foam. I have fished both for many years and see no dif-ference in takes but, the foam pattern lasted a lot longer.

The Stimulator, traditionally a dubbed body with a wing of Elk or Deer hair and then a hackle collar. Beautiful. Now the foam pattern arrives and I find myself torn between the traditional and the new age. Same outcome as before.

Then we get entirely new patterns made with foam that do not look at all like an insect and they come with names that en-forces the image. Chernobyl Ant. Yikes.

In any case you should have some of these FOAM flies in your kit and give them a

try. The worse that can come from this is a day outdoors.

One final point is that foam patterns are gen-erally bigger flies. I have not seen many smaller than a Size 14. Wear a hat too!

FOAM PATTERNS

penticton fly fishers july august 2009

Documents

bc page

executive page

photogallery page

presidents report page

tom dellamater page

endangered river page

nick price page

smallmouth bass page