Eric Reesor
New Member
I am new to this forum so I have no idea whether or not advanced still water fly fishing techniques are actively discussed here or not.
In mid June next year I will be camping on Quadra Island. I have always wanted to try for Cutts on the Main Lakes group. I use an Outcast Stealth and am just wondering if anyone here has ever tried still water fly fishing with scuds on those beautiful little lakes? I know sticklebacking the shallows should work well there for the Cutts but I have a hunch that under the right conditions there might be very good scud fishing to be had. Cutts in my experience are quite leader shy but if there is a little chop then they might just take to the shallows to feast on the shrimp without worrying about birds of prey as they are wont to do in crystal clear still waters of those beautiful lakes.
Getting out rowing and searching for the right spot is what is best about still water fly fishing and is what it is all about IMO, but also knowing what to fish and where and when has played a major roll in my success as a still water fisherman over the years. Sharing information is important as is not jumping to conclusions about what works best on any given day or on any body of water. I have yet to fish with scud on the West Coast and wonder if it might be a missing link in how to still water fish for the elusive Oncorhynchus clarkii on both Vancouver Island and places like the incredibly beautiful Quadra Island lakes. Certainly trolling around a worm on lakes like Sprout all day is boring as all get out and at best a very uninteresting undertaking to say the least. When the bite is on with Garramus, leaches, mayfly, caddis and chironomid the fun is the most rewarding fishing imaginable IMO, far and away more rewarding than setting down riggers and puttering along on ponds as most are wont to do while fishing here in BC.
When I have had a chance to have good look at those incredible lakes I did notice that there is very little signs of large caddis populations that would excite the fish into taking pupa and dry. But as we all know that can be very deceptive and there might be times that the lakes turn on with caddis. Big mistake would be to not take both chironomid and caddis along just incase things happen.
I have read from the studies done on those lakes that the scuds are extremely plentiful as the water is well oxygenated and the bottom habit is ideal for large populations of Gammarus and their tiny relative, the bane of all flyfishers the tiny Hyalella. There are also reported to be decent populations of sculpin so the options using diverse wet fly techniques are certainly there on the Main Lakes. How well three spine stickleback are doing on the Main Lake would be interesting study because they certainly are almost extinct in most of the lakes around Victoria where I live and in most of Southern Vancouver Island lakes where trash fish like carp, perch and bass have come to rule the roost.
Hello to all fellow fisher men and women and above all best wishes for a happy and prosperous new year.
Eric
In mid June next year I will be camping on Quadra Island. I have always wanted to try for Cutts on the Main Lakes group. I use an Outcast Stealth and am just wondering if anyone here has ever tried still water fly fishing with scuds on those beautiful little lakes? I know sticklebacking the shallows should work well there for the Cutts but I have a hunch that under the right conditions there might be very good scud fishing to be had. Cutts in my experience are quite leader shy but if there is a little chop then they might just take to the shallows to feast on the shrimp without worrying about birds of prey as they are wont to do in crystal clear still waters of those beautiful lakes.
Getting out rowing and searching for the right spot is what is best about still water fly fishing and is what it is all about IMO, but also knowing what to fish and where and when has played a major roll in my success as a still water fisherman over the years. Sharing information is important as is not jumping to conclusions about what works best on any given day or on any body of water. I have yet to fish with scud on the West Coast and wonder if it might be a missing link in how to still water fish for the elusive Oncorhynchus clarkii on both Vancouver Island and places like the incredibly beautiful Quadra Island lakes. Certainly trolling around a worm on lakes like Sprout all day is boring as all get out and at best a very uninteresting undertaking to say the least. When the bite is on with Garramus, leaches, mayfly, caddis and chironomid the fun is the most rewarding fishing imaginable IMO, far and away more rewarding than setting down riggers and puttering along on ponds as most are wont to do while fishing here in BC.
When I have had a chance to have good look at those incredible lakes I did notice that there is very little signs of large caddis populations that would excite the fish into taking pupa and dry. But as we all know that can be very deceptive and there might be times that the lakes turn on with caddis. Big mistake would be to not take both chironomid and caddis along just incase things happen.
I have read from the studies done on those lakes that the scuds are extremely plentiful as the water is well oxygenated and the bottom habit is ideal for large populations of Gammarus and their tiny relative, the bane of all flyfishers the tiny Hyalella. There are also reported to be decent populations of sculpin so the options using diverse wet fly techniques are certainly there on the Main Lakes. How well three spine stickleback are doing on the Main Lake would be interesting study because they certainly are almost extinct in most of the lakes around Victoria where I live and in most of Southern Vancouver Island lakes where trash fish like carp, perch and bass have come to rule the roost.
Hello to all fellow fisher men and women and above all best wishes for a happy and prosperous new year.
Eric
Last edited:
