Knots

PALOMAR KNOT

For joining to leaders or lures, the Palomar Knot has few equals. It also works well with fluorocarbon fishing line. The Palomar resists slipping and has retained 100 percent of the line’s original strength.

HOW TO TIE THE PALOMAR

Double about six inches of the main line and run it through the hook eye.

Double the loop back and make an overhand knot around the doubled line, leaving a loop large enough to pass the hook or lure through.

Pull the loop down and around the entire hook or lure.

Moisten well and draw tight by pulling both ends of the line.

BERKLEY BRAID KNOT

The Berkley Braid Knot is a great overall choice that works wonders with monofilament and fluorocarbon fishing lines as well. Crowned a champion after defeating solid contenders including the Fish-n-Fool and Triple Loop Knot, the Berkley Braid Knot has few if any weaknesses.

HOW TO TIE THE BERKLEY BRAID KNOT

Double the main line.

Insert it through the hook eye and back up the main line.

Going from top down, make eight wraps around both lines.

Thread the loop through the gap between the hook eye and last wrap.

Moisten and tighten by pulling on the main line, tag end and loop.

Trim the tag end and the loop.

EUGENE BEND KNOT

Easy to tie and extremely strong, the Eugene Bend, also called the Eugene Slip Knot, is a great choice for monofilament and fluorocarbon fishing lines. When tied correctly, you’ll hear a slight pop when you draw it tight.

HOW TO TIE THE EUGENE BEND KNOT

Pass the tag end of the line through the hook eye and form a long loop.

Wrap the loop around the standing line four times.

Run the tag end through the loop.

Moisten and draw tight.

UNI TO UNI KNOT

A standout for joining lines of relatively similar diameter, the Uni to Uni Knot is a great choice for adding a monofilament or fluorocarbon leader to your mainline. The Uni to Uni preserves up to 90 percent of line strength, and is a stronger connection than either the Surgeon Knot or Blood Knot. 

HOW TO TIE THE UNI TO UNI KNOT

Using the same tag end, make 6 to 8 turns through the loop and tighten by tugging on the tag end.

Repeat steps 2 and 3 with the leader material.

After moistening, pull the standing lines in opposite directions to bring the knots together.

Tip: When joining lines of different diameter, making an extra wrap or two with the thinner-diameter line helps secure the Uni to Uni.

Lower Gnat Lake

Species:  Rainbow trout

Tackle: Spinners are effective.  Flies, roe are probably the best bait. On occasions trout are going to grab a worm, squash it, spit it, and then pick it up again. This nibbling routine can make a cautious fish difficult to catch on an uncovered hook point. Artificial lures for trout are approximately the same variety as for any other sport fish; primarily the size is generally smaller. 

Allan Lake

Species:  Allan is stocked with brook trout

Tackle: Fishing for Brook Trout is similar to river fishing for Rainbow Trout. Small spinners like #0 Mepps or #0 Blue Foxes work best. They will also hit worms and natural bugs like Grasshoppers or May Flies. Fly fishing with artificial flies is an excellent method. The most convenient bait for river fishing is the Berkley Trout Bait.

Tahltan River

Species:  Salmon (sockeye, humpy, coho), Whitefish, Dolly Varden, Steelhead, Rainbow trout, Burbot

Tackle:

Salmon- Salmon prefer low lighting conditions, thus making days with an overcast more successful for salmon fishing than other days. In addition to overcast days, dawn and dusk provide optimal light conditions for salmon. You can still catch salmon on bright sunny days but they will be in deeper water and slightly less active. It is widely known that the most successful type of live bait for salmon fishing is to use roe (eggs), but there are other options, too. Many fishermen are now switching to “cut bait”, which is basically a strip of fish, usually a herring or a smelt. There is also the option of using a “spoon” which is a thin, artificial lure that mimics the movement of fish when it moves. Flashtrap spinners are very successful as well.

Dolly Varden: The world record according to IGFA is 20lbs 14oz, but I have caught one nearly 29lbs in the Tahltan river. Most Dolly Varden that an angler will encounter will be 4 lbs or less. Lighter Fly gear offer exciting fishing for Dolly Varden as these fish are strong fighters. A 9 foot 4 wt, 5 wt. or 6 wt. graphite fly rod that has a matching reel spooled with a sinking tip fly line and a 9 foot 6 pound test leader will work for most areas. Flies that are productive for Dolly Varden are Zonkers in White and Natural, Egg sucking leeches and flesh flies, Glo Bugs, Wooly Buggers in White, Flash Fry in natural colors, Alevin, Bow River Bugger, Conehead Kiwi Muddler, Baitfish Minnows in Grey and White, Battle Creek Light. Deep Minnows in Olive/White, Red/White and Gray/White, Alaskan Sockeye Fry, Janssen's Minnow, Stinger Clousers in Olive/White and Gray/White, Salmon Fry. 

Steelhead- Several different techniques work for catching steelheads. They include: drift fishing, float fishing, fly fishing, spoon fishing and spinner fishing. Do some research on these different methods and see which one(s) might be right for you. Artificial Lures Work – There are a variety of different artificial lures that are effective in catching steelhead. It usually comes down to personal preference, but we recommend the Panther Martin UV Spinner. Break out the Eggs – Steelhead consider fish egg sacs to be delicacies and during spawning periods they will be honing in on this tasty meal.

Dease Lake

Species:  Northern Pike, Lake Trout, Burbot (Ling Cod), Arctic Grayling, and several species of Whitefish.

Tackle:

Lake Trout: Lake Trout like small lures more than big lures. The very best lure is a small Sutton Silver Spoon . You can also use #1 or #0 Mepps, Panther Martins or Blue Foxes. Small Cleos or a small Mepps Cyclopes are also good. A 1-oz weight with 6-pound test dark green line is good for fishing down to 40 feet. A 2-oz weight is good for fishing down to 65 feet. At the Dease Lake fishing derby, a 32lb lake trout was caught in 2016.

Burbot: Seine twine works best for the fight they put up, and set-lining is popular in winter with leaders. They eat other fish, so this makes good bait, also minnow lures. Burbot are called snake-fish for a reason, they can curl around and bite so you have to grab them behind the head. Current is important, burbot don’t like fast-moving water. The world record burbot was caught in Lake Diefenbaker Saskatchewan and weighed 25.2 lbs.

Pike: Traditionally the best lures and probably the most popular lures are the Red-&-White Daredevil and the Yellow 5-of-Diamonds Daredevil. You use the red in clear water and the yellow in murky water. Spinnerbaits, Crankbaits, Bucktails and Williams Weedless Spoons also work well. When using a Daredevil, try casting up high and just before the lure hits the water, jerk it towards you so the lure slaps the surface. This slap sound seems to trigger a better feeding response from bigger Pike. The record pike caught in Alberta weighed 26lbs.

Pike are also well known for hitting surface lures. Jitterbugs and Spooks are excellent for Pike. A growing trend in Pike fishing, which is getting very popular, is fly-fishing for Pike. With large Pike flies, you can drop the fly in an opening in the middle of thick weeds, which would not be practical for normal lures.

Whitefish:

Hook and worm is one of the most popular ways to catch a Lake Whitefish.

• Tier-drop Jig with Meal Worm– Ever see someone patiently jigging while sitting on a bucket? Chances are this is the methods they are using and in most cases it is the best way to catch Lake Whitefish
• Ice Fishing– In the winter months ice fishing for Lake Whitefish is very popular among angles.      Set-ups include small spoons, barrel swivels, teardrop, all using a wax worm at the end.
• Night Fishing– One of the best times to catch a feeding whitefish is to get them at nightfall. These fish do most of there feeding at night as the tend to rise up from deeper waters.
• Small Baits– Due to the small size mouths of these fish they are sometime hard to land. Small hooks and baits are key when trying to catch a whitefish.

Grayling: Most small flies work well with Grayling. Start with dry flies as they can be more entertaining than the wet flies. Keep in mind that Grayling feed mostly on insects so anything from grass hoppers to wasps to black ants will work. The Prince Nymph or Royal Coachman are great Grayling fly fishing flies.