Bob Melrose Fishing Tips
Welcome to Bob Melrose Fishing Tips
Septemeber Seduction
There is a magic in September. A promise of things to come, not really rivaled by any other month. So why is September so seductive to so many anglers? And why do we spend so much time and/or money pursuing a fish that we have to release?
Steelhead Paradise
John Fennelly wrote a book back in 1963 that let the word out of the incredible Steelhead fishing to be found in the waters of the Skeena drainage. The book was titled “Steelhead Paradise”.
Value Added
In over 50 years of selling outdoor equipment, and especially fishing tackle, I have come to realize that most of the things I have learned I have learned from the customers that frequent the tackle shops. They are the real experts as they live their passion and play it forward.
The Promise of Steelhead
Just glancing over the Tyee Index for Steelhead, and must say the numbers look encouraging. The 1998-2002 seasons were the glory years, and those of you fishing then probably have many fond memories of that period…
Bear Information For Anglers
A sustainable fishery at the Babine River is dependent upon a safe environment for both people and bears. To achieve this, BC Parks sets out some guidelines for fishing at the Babine River…
Staying Sharp
How sharp are you? Whoa, not talking about you losing it, talking about losing fish. The single, most important, thing you can do to having more success in landing fish is to have sticky sharp hooks.
Sockeye Fishing on the Babine
A few unwritten rules are used to keep your fellow anglers friendly. Allow about a rod and a half length between up and downstream anglers. Unless you know how to cast in tight quarters find a spot that allows you more room. Ethically you should not barge in between two anglers. New anglers should start from the downstream end and work up as anglers leave or quit….
Summer Doldrums Cure-- Float Trip
The cure for the summer doldrums is a float trip. Pontoon boats have really opened up the fishing opportunities on some of our rivers. Some of my most recent pleasurable memories have been the floats with friends down our many rivers
They Found some Sockeye!
When fly fishing for Sockeye the need for a good strong hook is critical. We are constantly hooking bottom so we need a very strong hook that holds as sharp a point as possible in these conditions.
Where Have All the Sockeye Gone?
While it is too early to make an accurate estimate of the Skeena’s sockeye run this year, the forecasts don’t look good. Run size is estimated to be 684,000 to 713,000. That is a far cry from the large record runs of 5,000,000 fish returning to the Babine many years ago.
Luck of the Irish
There are not many situations that can quicken an anglers pulse more than being on one of our Northwestern rivers when the salmon are in. The sights of salmon rolling, yells of “Fish On”, the expletive deleted of fish lost, and the excitement up and down the river is hard to beat. This weekend the waters of the Nass, Kitimat and Skeena drainage will host some of the biggest Spring/Chinook Salmon in the world and their hopeful anglers.
Eye's Wide Open
Want to watch a pretty good angler? Watch a Great Blue Heron. They move slowly and quietly, and are very observant. All the qualities an angler should possess. All the really good anglers I know are keenly aware of their surroundings, in other words they don’t miss much.
Father's Day 2010
The most precious thing you can give your kids is Time. Possessions come and go but it is the time you spend with your kids that matters.
Eagles, Whales and Salmon
The second week of June really gets things going for the saltwater angler bound for either Kitimat’s Douglas Channel or Prince Rupert area waters. Now the bigger runs are approaching our coasts and reports are becoming much more consistent from all reporting areas.
Fishing Buddies-Paying it Forward
Do you remember your first fishing trip?
I sure do. It was back in Southern Ontario, we lived in Welland, right on the Welland Canal and just a couple of miles from Lake Erie and Niagara Falls. My Dad was just out of the RCAF.
June is Busting Out All Over
Well you can’t say much about May. Can you.? May weather was cooler than normal and of course the May holiday weekend gave us snow and unseasonably miserable conditions. The lake I was fishing last weekend the leaves were just starting to unfurl.
Will that be Pepper or Lead?
I heard a swish and looked up just in time to see the yellowish cloud. It caught me full in the face. I dropped gasping to the ground, eyes and throat on fire, struggling for air. My buddies thought I was playing around. Not so
First Trip
In the journey of life we sometimes have to make some tough choices. This weekend is one of them. Should I tackle the “honey do” list or go fishing?…
Catch and Release Study
Catch and Release Study
Catch and release is a key component of the BC fishery and is mandatory in most of our Steelhead management. So, it was very interesting to view the results of a couple of recent studies.
Think Small for Fall
As mentioned in an earlier story there are many methods, presentations, lures and flies that will take Steelhead. Your favourite is guaranteed to catch more fish because it spends more time in the water. On any given day an anglers survey will show a wide variety of gear that has tempted those beautiful fish.
Fishing Partners, the Good, the Bad and the Ugly
As that first frost hit the other day and the leaves started to race each other to the ground I realized just how close we are to the wind down of the season. Once again I reflected on how many trips I had promised to make and didn’t take. That’s life, and like the 50th birthday card one of my fishing buddies gave me now 15 years ago, it said “Don’ t think of 50 as over the hill, just think of it as picking up speed.” Time moves much too fast and the fall moves fastest of all.
The Urgency of the Fall
As fall approaches a sense of urgency overcomes us. We love the fall for its pleasant days and cool nights, no annoying bugs, glorious colours, fewer people on the fields and streams. But, we also know that could change overnight with the harsh reality of the cold and snow. The diminishing daylight warns us that time is finite and the clock is ticking. What we don’t do now may never get done.
Cloudy Water & Fish Handling and Ethics
Local and visiting anglers often plan their fall trip to our Steelhead streams months or years in advance. Some of our guides have a limit of rod days and consequently have a waiting list of clients. Mother Nature with the help of “Murphy” often throws a wrench into the works with fall rains and clouded waters. All is not lost however with a little extra planning and/or research.
The Art of the Troll
We often hear the quote that “90% of the fish are caught by 10% of the fishermen”. It is probably close to the truth. Did you ever notice how the anglers who are really ‘lucky” also seem to have a wealth of experience? One angler who I had the pleasure of fishing with, always would give the same answer to the question “What did you get them on John?” He would reply “Skill, and a wee bit of luck.” John wasn’t being a smart ass he was just saying he had done his homework.
Fathers Day Fishing 2009
I spent Father’s Day weekend fishing and that is good. Although my kids and grandson are scattered, one in Halifax and my daughter and grandson in San Diego, I had the great pleasure of spending the weekend with a good friend’s Father and his two young boys. He had asked me to join him at a Central BC lake the family had a home on and to teach him how to fish the lake. I had never fished the lake myself, it is quite a large lake and not known as a destination for premium fishing. I took on the task with a little trepidation hoping the trout and kokanee would cooperate.
Fly du jour
Looking back through my old fishing journals of the last thirty years reveals an evolution in the fly du jour. Back then the steelheader tied on a Skunk or a Skunk. We varied the size but the Skunk was the fly du jour of the day, month or year. Sometimes you tried something a little more exotic such as a Thor, Skykomish Sunrise or Burlap. Inevitably you would reach in the box and tie on that old familiar friend, the Skunk. After all the Skunk had prevented a skunk many times and you don’t want to throw an old friend into the feather pile to slowly rust in peace.
Coho and Steelhead Returns Summer/Fall 2009
We hear much in the media about the catastrophic returns of salmon to the Fraser River System. Fortunately the Skeena system has been spared from the poor returns. Although Sockeye Salmon numbers are down we are still allowed to fish and keep those delicious Sockeye. However when it comes to Steelhead and Coho returns we have good news.
Salmon Outlook Summer-Fall 2009
How about some good news? We are getting so used to bad news with economy, prices, taxes etc it is time for good news, at least for the angler. July is the month when many anglers make the pilgrimage to their favorite coastal salmon streams, rivers and saltchuck. This years outlook is quite favorable. Numbers are expected to be at least as good or better than last year, especially for Coho and Chinook Salmon.
Free Family Fishing Weekend 2009
June 19-20-21 / 2009 is a free weekend for the family to get out and enjoy the great fishing BC is so famous for. Hosted by various government agencies and supported by tourist and sportfishing industries it is a excellent means to introduce friends. family, kids to the pleasure of fishing and the outdoors without buying a licence.
Halibut
Halibut are a favoured target for the West Coast angler and no wonder. They are excellent eating, grow to very large sizes, and fun but heavy work to land. The world record halibut for rod and reel is around 450 pounds! That is a lot of steaks. Unfortunately, any halibut over the 80 pound mark are egg laying females and should probably be released to preserve the stock. We grow some very large Halibut here in BC and every year you hear of triple digit fish being taken off our coast.
Trout Lies
There is an old saying among fishermen that “all fishermen are liars except you and me , and I’m not so sure about you”. In this weeks tips we will tell you about the trout’s lies. Those fish lie too, but it’s not about stretching the truth but where they live.
Steelhead Paradise
Steelhead Paradise was the name of the book authored by John Fennelly in 1963 that first chronicled the wonderful Steelhead fishing to be found in the waters of the Upper Skeena drainage. Of course, the locals had known for years of the abundant and large Steelhead in the Kispiox, Sustat, Babine, Bulkley, Suskwa and Morice. Back in the 60’s I made many trips from Prince George out to the Bulkley, Morice, Suskwa and Kispiox Rivers and unfortunately like most anglers of that time success was measured by whether you limited out or not. We look back at pictures of Steelhead spread across the tailgate of the truck or the lawn and remark about the “good old days”.