In Pursuit of Bigger Bones | Targeting Bonefish in Xcalak Mexico

Mark Pendlington of Westcoast Sporting Journal and I first met back in early 1996 at an Outdoor Show in BC Place. He was promoting his fishing program, and I was putting on fly-casting demonstrations. Throughout the three-day event Mark and spoke several times, and he asked me if I had any interest in shooting a […]

The Little Hatchery that could… Percy Walkus Hatchery

Deep in the heart of Wuikinuxv Territory and tucked away at the head of Rivers Inlet in British Columbia’s Great Bear Rainforest, quietly lies a Canadian coastal phenomenon. For some, it’s a shining example of Pacific salmon conservation in an age of dwindling resources and human foolishness. For others, it’s a passion play and a […]

Enhancing your Stillwater Skills

What makes an angler excel from being an average angler to one that consistently lands fish on every trip to a lake? Becoming a better Stillwater angler is not by accident but more from studying one’s surroundings and the insects that inhabit the water you are about to fish. While watching other anglers on the […]

Targeting Coho in non-tidal waters

Pursuing coho salmon in non-tidal waters will definitely put an angler’s abilities to the test. On any given day, you can have anything from a spectacular outing to a day that you go through all your flies in efforts to get a single strike. The main reason for this is because coho stop feeding once […]

Fall Stillwater Fly Fishing Tactics

The Fall Stillwater Fly Fishing Season is here! The arrival of September typically coincides with some cooler early fall weather patterns. Stillwater fly fishers anxiously await those dropping air temperatures as they stimulate more active feeding of the trout found in those literally hundreds of productive trout lakes scattered throughout the interior regions of BC, […]

Summer Fly Fishing Tactics for Stillwater Trout

The months of July and August typically offer the warmest days of the year for much of Western Canada and the western states. It is also the time for summer family vacations and fishing is often a big part of these getaways. There are literally, thousands of inland lakes to choose from plus many offering […]

Learning more about Dragonfly Nymphs

Throughout my many years of Stillwater fly-fishing dragon nymph imitations have produced more fish for me than any other imitation. The reason these large nymphs are so productive in our interior lakes is due to the fact they are so recognizable to fish as an easy food source.   Year-round Delight Equally as important, the […]

Chironomids – The Most Significant Stillwater Insect Hatch to Master

When it comes to talking about the most prolific and prolonged aquatic insect emergence found in freshwater it is the midge or chironomid that wins hands down. With an estimated 2500 species of chironomids found living in lakes and rivers throughout North America, they reign supreme in productive stillwaters.  Species of chironomids range in size […]

Preparing for the Stillwater Season – A Spring Fishing How-to Guide by Tom Johannesen

Winter tests even the most patient stillwater angler Winter is tough on most avid Stillwater anglers as they patiently wait for the ice to leave our numerous interior lakes. The first big decision to make when planning a trip in the new year is which lake to visit first when the lakes start becoming ice-free. […]

GO GREEN – Fly Colour Can Make a Big Difference

May Have Been Wrong All Along… When my fifth good sized Sea-run cutthroat came to hand in just one over an hour, my fishing buddy finally put his ego aside for just long enough to ask me what the heck I was using. As my productive little fly pattern didn’t have a name, I simply […]