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Topic: st.mary's lake flyfishing |
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exkamiflyfisher
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Hey all. I'm headin to st.marys lake the weekend after the long one comin up n Going to be doin some fishing.
Anyone have any advice?
Thought I may take a break from trout-can anyone post a picture/link to their favourite smallmouth fly? I would like to tie some up.
I really want to do some topwater but looks like it might get super warm in the week ahead of my trip which may force them a little deeper.
Don't bother making the leech suggestion...that's common knowledge! ha
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ric
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Good luck with St.Mary's, I was there a couple weeks ago and had a hell of a time trying to fish. Usually the smallies in that lake are aggressive and hit everything but not the weekend I went. Don't know if you've been to St.Mary's before, but be prepared for the wind. I've been there about 8 times, and the wind gets pretty nasty. I think only 2 of the 8 times, the wind didn't bother us. It sucks to go that far, and spend the money on ferry's and lodging, etc., just to have the wind blow your boat all over the place and ground you for the day. Throwing a fly around should be even a bigger challenge. Watched a couple guys in their pontoon boats trying to row and kick their way back to base, it was painful to watch.
Also be prepared for the weeds. It was bad when I went, but it's probably even thicker now. There's also Cusheon Lake on Saltspring you can try if St.Mary's isn't producing.
As far as what fly's to use, give the guys at Reaction Bait & Tackle in Abbottsford a buzz. They know their stuff when it comes fly fishing for bass.
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exkamiflyfisher
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Yeah I was doin some reading on smallies at our latitude and by the sounds of things at that time of year most were possibly in their postspawn chillout. I hear it goes for about two weeks after spawning...or possibly the cool unsettled weather... i guess they are super sensitive to barometric changes.
I was checkin out the depth chart on www.anglersatlas.com
..haev you ever fished the drop off by the sunken island at the north end of the lake? It looks like a honey hole on the map
Thanks for the heads up about the wind. I no longer haev my own boat down here ( just my bellyboat) so I'll rig up an anchor to help out.
(In the past I would take a bit of quick mix cement in the bottom 1/8th of a two litre pop bottle and place a U hook in it then just tie some rope to it and you're off to the races!)
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Dogbreath
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Been there twice in the past 6 weeks days it's been fair to good for Trout and so/so for Bass.
The wind was really bad one day couldn't get out at all.
That hole you're talking about is better toward the point, Bachman's Point we call it since that's Randy Bachman's house.
His dock always hold fish but lots of places that always have fish had zip these past 2 trips for whatever reason.
The past 4 years have been poorer fishing there for don't leave your Trout gear behind since Trout there has been better than any time in the past 20 years.
The water in May was super clear but started to cloud up/stink of algae quickly just a few weeks later.
Some places on the lake seem to be filling up with weed faster and faster making fishing tougher.
Remember that Smallmouth like to orient to structure with quick access to deeper water close by, find that and you'll find fish.
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exkamiflyfisher
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Hey all...
just got back from a great weekend on saltspring. Fishing was great. first couple days just threw some artillery off the dock at lakeside garden resort. got some action in the evening on a white buzz bait. Didn't land any but had 4 on and about 15 hits. Average size was max 1 lb i would say.
Got on the boat sunday and had great success for bass. biggest was maybe 1.5 lbs. Man those fish fight 3x their size though! My little 5 weight rod was bent right over!
It was quite breezy so I just trolled leech patterns...olive being the best. trolled the point along the drop off by the island and along the whole west side of the lake. My girlfriend threw spinnerbaits towards the logs as we trolled by and got a couple hits. i figured you need to jig somethin deep here to be ulimately successful though. over all, landed about 13 fish. best time was in the evening by far.
No trout though! I figured on the drop off i'd hit something...I imagine i would have had to put a full sink on to get into them though.
I'll put some pictures up later.
cheers
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exkamiflyfisher
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Testin this out
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=269728&id=500335812
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=269731&id=500335812
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=269733&id=500335812
some bass from st. mary lake
Skinny white boy with farmers tan alert.
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Proudcdn
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Glad to see you had some luck ... Wow those are small smallmouth. But as you said they do fight nicely.
They do get bigger there don't they?
I am headed to St. Mary's the weekend of the 20th and will be hoping to land a few myself.
Cheers.
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exkamiflyfisher
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Yeah I'd hope they get bigger...I imagine I may have not been deep enough? I have no clue...new to the whole bass fishing scene. St.Mary is supposed to hold some record smallies...but I haven't seen any pics so who knows.
Like I said, lots of logs on the drop off on the westside of the lake...looks like it should hold big ones!
Good luck...post soem pics!
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exkamiflyfisher
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forgot to mention...from what I read I'd say that one where I'm a shirtless douche is probably average for the lake.
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bass master 99
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I will be going there next weekend so its good to hear that the fishing is pretty good. But on other news i was up in the okanagan at tuc el nuit and i caught a bass but it wasn;t a smallmouth or a largemouth. I think it was a ozark bass since ozark is just below the border. But i will post pics of it later to show the coloration which was basically one colour and a little yellow closer to the tail. I also caught one of these bass in the canal run in penticton, but besides that i went to vaseax for an hour or so and landed 1 alright sized one and hooked into about i'de say a five pounder, it was huge and i saw it come right into shore towards my lure and saw it slam the shit out of it. It was such a rush.
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exkamiflyfisher
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right on man. I do feel bad that bass aren't native...but it sure is fun to not know if you have a trout or bass on the end of your line...kinda like ocean fishing when it could be anything. Just as long as things are kept under control and only a few places have this variety it's great...just gotta be careful around the salmon!
I will head up to the okanagan later this summer. was it smallies you were hittin in vaseaux or largemouth? I wouldnt mind tryin some flyfishin in osoyoos and vaseaux. bass are a good change of pace...a new challenge. but like i said, I will leave it up to the professionals to control their spread. There are definitely some places where they can be placed without any real adverse affects on native species...hell half the lakes we fish today were initially stocked with "native species" and never held fish to begin with! post some pics if u can..aswell as some good spots!
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ric
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Glad to see you caught some fish. There are a lot of bigger fish in the lake. We've caught many in the 2 to 3 lb range and every so often you catch a hog. This is a pic taken in early June of this year (may have seen it before), of one of the larger fish I've caught in St.Mary's, so they are there. Exkamiflyfisher, how'd you like the cabana? I've seen Lakesides web before, but was a little skeptical of the place.
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exkamiflyfisher
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JESUS
man what the F was i doin wrong? I got minnows compared to that!
The cabanas were great. just make sure to bring your own BBQ since you just get two gas burners (which you can unhook and attach to the Q). They were only 80 bucks a night...showers etc were clean...quiet. no complaints!
Gimme more info on that fish...maybe it was prespawn and more fatties were out munchin on things? I'm really disappointed in my catch now lol
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ric
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Thanks for the cabana info, we always stay at Greenacres Cottage resort which isn't very far from where you stayed, it's a little more expensive but their cottages/cabins have everything you'll ever need including the barbeques and the boats.
As for the fish, got lucky I guess. I was fishing about 30 yards from shore and I'll guess about 10-12 ft deep in those thick, long weeds that grow under the water (I'm sure you stagged a couple). I was chucking a 3/4 oz jig with a Green Pumpkin tube and BANG, there he was. Girlfriend caught two just a tad smaller than mine in basically same situations, just a slightly different tube. We usually fish the Northwest area of the lake, but if you want, go to the south, southeast corner, they have some biggin's in that area, as well as some perch. I would have loved to have caught it on the fly, but like I said in a previous post, it was just too windy when I went.
Next, I think we're gonna try Elk Lake near Saanich. Apparently it's right off the highway and the lake has smallies, rainbow's and sunfish. Might have to stay a night to justify the cost of the ferry's.
Anyways, keep me updated of any future trips and successes you have.
Ric
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exkamiflyfisher
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nice right on bud.
Yeah I'm heading to the island later this summer for sure for my buddies stag party. we are doin the surf/ocean fish thing there. I'm thinkin of heading off a couple days early and hittin those lakes just oustside of vic in my belly boat. I had fished them years ago when I first bought that piece of shit banjo minnow. But I hear they can be some great areas to throw a cast in, size wise.
Make sure to pop a post on about trips you've had in the area...wouldn't mind using the info to guage wether I go on the trip or not. I start dental school in the fall and I'm worried about havin to put the rod away again for a few years...better get some in while i can!
cheers
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bass master 99
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it was smallies in vaseax but the best spot that i just found out while i was leaving is around the north end around the lily pads. get in your belly boat though cause suposidley its really shallow. all you really gotta have is a weedless fly and fish it around the endges. thats what the expert in the hardware store told me to do and that guy knows what he is talking about.
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bass master 99
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i heard there was a spill of somekind today and that most of the fish were killed
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exkamiflyfisher
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In st.mary? or vaseux?
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bass master 99
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st mary, my buddy told me and then later told me he was trying to keep me away as a joke, i wasn't laughing
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