Lake Fishing

The correct/acceptable answer for challenge #5 is: the Stimulator. The Stimulator first appeared in the Kaufmann Streamborn catalog in 1982. Eventually, there were over 120 variations of colors, styles, specific stonefly imitations, and sizes, all produced by Umpqua...

Since the summer of 1970, one of my favourite places to fly-fish is in the Muchalat River watershed. The Muchalat system produces both winter-run and summer-run steelhead, summer Coho salmon, Sockeye and Chinook salmon and some gorgeous, large Cutthroat trout. It is a...

Hook -- TMC 2312. Size 6 through 16. Thread -- Fire orange, 6/0 Uni Thread. Tail -- Yearling Elk body hair, with pearlescent Crystal Flash™. Rib -- Fine copper wire. Abdomen -- Yellow Antron™ dubbing. Abdomen Hackle -- Brown rooster neck hackle. Wing -- Yearling Elk...

The correct/acceptable answer for challenge #4 is: the Red, White & Silver Bucktail. As with many flies of those early steelheading times it had no actual name. Most were known simply by their colour scheme. Bucktail being the generic term for wet flies fashioned...

Over the past several decades, I have been involved with various fisheries research and/or salmon enhancement projects. From sound management practices advocacy, to habitat restoration, to egg collection and incubation, to fin clipping, to broodstock collection, to...

  Hook – Mustad 36890 Salmon hook. Size 8 through 2. Debarbed and sharpened. Thread – Black, 6/0 Uni-Thread. Tail – Bucktail, dyed bright red. Body – Silver tinsel. Wing – Natural white Polar bear hair. Collar Hackle – Hen chicken dyed bright red. Head – Tying...

The correct/acceptable answer for challenge #3 is: the Pink Polliwog. Winter-run steelhead laying in fairly shallow clear water pockets can often be enticed to grab a fly if it is presented at their nose level. Many small streams on Vancouver Island offer this type of...

Hook – Size # 2, Mustad 9174, (3X short, 2X strong) debarbed and sharpened. Head – Copper Cyclops bead, 3/16” diameter. Thread – Fluorescent pink 6/0 Uni Thread. Tail – Pink/white variegated chenille, doubled and twisted. Egg body – Pink steelheader’s yarn, three 2”...

The correct/acceptable answer for challenge #2 is: the Puntledge Worm. In contrast to the Winter’s Hope fly pattern, which was designed to be swung over and through broad steady flows, the Puntledge Worm was designed to probe pocket-water and small plunge pools with...