Making the most out of your day - Utilizing online resources

Although Internet forums are a great source of information before heading out for a day of fishing there is a wealth of additional online resources available to increase your knowledge.  I like to make the most out of my time on the water so the more prior knowledge I can obtain the better.

Tides:  BC Tides
Sure, a lot of the lower mainland rivers are a ways from the ocean, but tides still influence water levels as well as fish migration so they are useful to keep track of.  The tide has an influence on all of the tributaries of the Fraser to varying degrees all the way until Hope.

For example, the high tide at Sand heads reaches the portion of the Fraser that the Vedder river flows into.  At this time of year approximately 5 hours after a high tide you can expect the next wave of fish to start pushing into the canal portion of the Vedder river.

River Water Levels:  BC River Water Levels
A number of flows in the lower mainland have their water levels monitored 24/7.  This information can be used to see how much that recent rainfall has effected the river you hope to fish the next day or to determine the patterns of water release from one of the dammed flows like the Cheakamus.

On the vedder for example flows below 1.6 m are very low.  Flows between 1.6 m and 2.3 m are ideal.  Flows over 2.3 m are quite high and many locations will be close to or totally unfishable.  Keep in mind clarity can also be an issue, but having a rough idea of what to expect will make your decisions easier.


Test Nets:  Albion Test Nets
The Albion test nets are a great resource to determine how many fish are currently pushing up the river.  They are used to monitor the movement of chum up the river but springs and coho are also caught.  As you can see from a current report that there has been a marked increase in the numbers of both chum and coho over the past week.

Google Earth:  Google Earth
This is the ultimate fishing management tool IMO.  I mark all of the locations I fish.  The southern half of the province is filled to the brim with my waypoints and information.   You can then add information to those waypoints which can act as a resource for when you want to revisit a given area in the future.  You can also use it to scout out new fishing spots, alternate accesses for spots you already fish etc.

For streams, I mark individual runs, notes on how the flows differ from the images (which are generally a few years old), notes on how runs fish at different water levels (See water level information) etc.  For lakes I include information like elevation, ice off dates, hatches encountered, and the list goes on...

Fish Wizard:  Fish Wizard
This stripped down version of our governments mapping program is of more use to the stillwater enthusiasts among us.  It can be used to find topographical maps of lakes, recent stocking records, historical stocking records, topography, and access.  Always wonder if that pothole you drive by has fish in it?  Fish wizard will have your answer.  Note it does not function too well with some browsers (Internet Explorer)

Hope this helps you get a little more out of your fishing trips in the future.

Cheers,

J