"SKEENA- ANGLER
ROB BROWN

‘Sockeye secrets —

VERY SUMMER I make my. way
to the Skeena River bars, not be-
cause they are the most productive

“ these excursions, The entries include notations
on wildlife as well as details more common to
fishing diaries. As a result of this amall exer-
don, the formless assumes form, :

Since the implementation of a pilot fishery for
them, the habits of sockeye have assumed a cen-
tral place in my summertime observations.

Before the actual field work it was necessary
to do some research. Angling gray beards were

' almost unanimous — Skeena sockeye have
lockjaw. Anglers told of fishing over thousands -

spots to find fish, but because’ the “||.
AbaBitat is invigorating, Since’ ‘stall details: ‘slip.
away 60 easily, and because they often prove to
-be a'key piece. in a later puzzle, I keep a diary of ©

and hooking none. A few fishermen had stories °

of successful landings, but when I pressed they

: became vague, as elusive as the fish. I read that

Alaskan fishers had no wouble catching sock-
eye, Thinking fly pattem might be the key, I in-
terrogated one tourist and came away with a
handful of red bucktails on number eight hooks.

. The Babine-bound sockeye resolutely ignored -
‘them. Still, there was hope. Sockeye had been ‘
- off limits to anglers for decades, The men fish- ~

ing over and through schools of sockeye were

not fishing for those. fish. Now that sockeye -
were legal targets, I expected anglers to fish -

with greater deliberation finding successful
techniques in the process. I was not dis-
appointed.

: «First Jim Culp phoned to order a dozen olive

Woolly Buggers, the pattern one of his clients
had used fo catch fourteen fish in one afternoon,
Next Ed Chaplow and Marshal! Perrin began
reporting steady catches from the Ferry Island
Riffle on silvery blue patterns, in Ed's case, and
red dressings in Marshall’s. - I had a smail ar-
senal of proven flies. ..

Finding sockeye was easy: the fish signaled

their presence. with’ the distinctive, crisp flip of

their forked tail that sets them apart from other

salmon, but it was a long ‘time before I realized
that fishing them where they were flipping was
futile. Doug Webb told of watching migrant _

sockeye in the recently closed down hatchery at

_ Likely, As the fish moved upstream into faster

water, said Doug, they turned from a crowd into
a wedge, often with a single individual at the
head of the chevron, much like geese cutting
through ‘an October sky, It is Doug’s theory that
a fly swimming by the point of the wedge is
more likely to be right in front of a fish’s nose,
and therefore, more likely to be accepted.: -

This anecdote led to a breakthrough. On a bar:

a short distance above Usk, I ignored a large
school: of flippant. sockeye and moved ‘to the
head of the strand. Ia an hour! had my limit,

Over the course of the next few weeks I con-

fish on purple, green, silver and*red patterns.

Marshall Perrin had some excellent catches on ~

some red yam fastened to a nickel-plated hook.
Flash” wing: at: the bottom so that it would

cluded thet fly pattern ‘was secondary. I hooked - :

"Webb. tied an egg pattern with a blue ‘Krystal

swim upside down.-- a fly I’ve christened ;

Sunny. Side Up — and proceeded to beach no
fewer than twenty sockeye with it onc evening.

If patter is not very important, the depth at: :

which the fly must be fished is. The current wis-
dom holds that the fly should be fished as close
to the bottom as possible, Since the fish are

usually caught in two to three feet of water itis -

unnecessary to use one of those ungainly,
leaden lines. A regular high density sink tip ten
to fifteen feet in length with a sparse or slightly
weighted fly will work fine, =|

There appears tobe one spot on cach bar

where the fish have assumed the V-shape, and

where the speed and depth of the current im-
paris just the right motion to the fly. The Ferry

Island sockeye fishers have learned this lesson

with the result that anglers who fish there are
getting up before cock’s crow to be first on the
hot spot.’ve heard this line of fishers referred to
as a conga line. It’s not. Conga lines move. On
the world’s great salmon and steelhead streams

anglers fishing for anadromous fish employ an

etiquette called rotational fishing. It’s a gener-

process. Once an angler reaches the end of the

beat he moves‘ to. the back of the line again.”

‘When a successful angler has beached a fish he

gives up his position and zetums to the back of-

the linc. It’s a generous and civilized approach
: that makes the angling a more pleasurable expe-
rience for all, The static shoulder to shoulder
fishery I've seen on Ferry Istarid is conducive to
acrimony and frustration. ..
. While it will never rival steelhcading, the

lenge. and, because it cai be pursued in shirt
sleeve weather, is a pleasurable experience: :

_ ous ethic whereby anglers make a few casts :
then take a few steps downstream and repeat the.

‘|. sockeye fishery offers a different kind of clial-

ad King of ‘the Mountain title
mo Sunday,, July 23, the eleventh
. time he has broken the tape in

: | a “ni for 18 years.

- the Terrace Mountain Nature

.artived at ‘the “arena ‘finishing
line more: than a minute and a
hale” ‘clear’ of Terrace’ s Colin

38% 27, “quicker than last year
” but ‘Still three seconds off his
~ oWn ‘record:

. "title for fastest female runner,
7 teenager ‘Tara Moran crossing

. her :’94°° triumphant effort.
_ Lyndsay . Belisle of

. for’ the’ runner ‘up spot, five

, with” four. divisional wins,
Justin Keitch taking the 16-19

-. chasing the divisional winner
“home

‘class; her 52:42 leaving | her
__ better than four minutes clear
“of Prince © Rupert’s Tracy
‘Dolan.

the Masters Female. crown

_ Lynne Eastman with’ walker’
‘Cathy Frezell third. ere

~~ McMillan of New © Alyansh
‘was: fastest Under-16 . male,
poe beating. out ‘Tristan Reed of
‘Terrace and Dave Younger of
‘the .Queen Charlottes outran .
Terrace’s Lenny Lacombe and
Pete Nickerson in the Master

| The council-staff squad eked out a 3-2 victory.

_ TERRACE STANDARD

‘Harrison still proved uncatch-
able...
The Smithereen captured the

event that has only been

“Breaking out of the bush of

Trail with a comfortable lead
already | established, Harrison

~ was clocked at

Smithers also claimed the

in 47:17 to clip 16 seconds off

the
Hazeltons . again. ‘had to settle

minutes further back.
Terrace. athletes came away

years male after two years of

while Nikki Forfar °
eamed the nod: for- Under-16
females.

* Diana “Wood was - fastest
among in the female Open.

‘Terracites ~ ~ Gail |

Sheasby and Sherrie Hamer ~~

crossed together to share third. ..
And Rose Schibli cruised to -

ahead of ‘fellow hoinetowner .

oh other’ results, ‘Walter |

The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, August 2, 1995 -

Harrison, Moran in repeat |

; HE WASN'T close to his own
‘course record, but Richard

ON THE home stretch, Terrace’s Calin Parr comes off the Terrace Mountain: Na
ture Trail to start the final, paved leg of the King of Mountain race, on his ' way, to.a.
_ second place overall finish behind perennial winner Richard Harrison, ,

Men’s division. _
Runners enjoyed excellent

conditions for the $km run, the ‘a

u Vote catcher?

USING THE two-handed approach coaches are
always trying to impart to thelr charges, mayor |
Jack Talstra makes sure of the out at first in ac-
tion at the annual Intra-city softball garie. Council |.
members and management staff took on city em-.

ployees last Wednesday night in a game where.

sharp defence blunted both sides baiting oe o

long hot spell. having ensured ng | ensured the pant ‘was fun

ANOTHER weeekeni’s Hot]
racing at ‘the. Speedway track.
was highlighted: by. a new a

track record.

Coming off: two. ‘wing Sotire 2

day evening, “Gord: Klassen
clocked ‘an “18:79 lap: in Sun-

day’s time trials. to break ‘his th
in ‘the other. two. Stre
Klassen then went on to win ©

own Hobby class record. |

that day’s ‘A’ Hobby Trophy

Dash and Main and rounded it

out with a victory in the Poker
Jamboree. Gary. McCarthy, and

rookie driver George Ryland

picked up the: remaining. two
races of the weekend,

In the Super Stock (Sports-
man) division, -Ernic.. Perkins:
picked up the Dash’ each’ day,
Brent McCarron ‘claiming both. |

Mains and Mike Lemky and
points leader Albert Weber
sharing the Heats.:.

Weber had less to. celebrate a
later in the day when he blew - i
the motor, leaving “a ‘lot of’

work to be.done to get ready
for this weekend’s Memorials,

Vicki Johnson, in the #776,
car, had a solid weekend, win- -
ning two of: three °C ‘Streets -
Saturday . evening. but ‘missed

duplicating.’ ; the: .

dirt and spun in the Main.

. - Rookie. Cheryl. Grace came
‘away with a‘deuce and Mor- Hi
*wyn  Wolnowski. won. ‘the

remaining’ ovat to. “take over. a.

“Debby . Reinhardt ’ continu

Michalchuk ‘ented “Satur.
es s. Heat. — he later. woe

| pels ardt 1 (058

55 in. Sunday's Trophy. Das
- following. 2 Vic
afternoon when, looking like a spin: +
sure’ winner, she” gribbed the caine a all his’ ‘oppom

rookie: °.

their” duel in *C’., tee

sions and any in
where | : ._ Fraser” an

and ‘tolled. .to