GUIDE'S GUARANTEE GOYETTE SAYS REMOTE LAKE IN BRITISH COLUMBIA IS SURE BET.Byline: Bill Becher Special to the Daily News WHISTLER, British Columbia Whistler, British Columbia, is a Canadian resort town incorporated as a resort municipality, with a permanent population of approximately 9,965. Over two million people visit Whistler annually, primarily for its world-famous alpine skiing and mountain biking at Whistler-Blackcomb. - Salmon and steelhead are the fish that come to mind when anglers think of British Columbia British Columbia, province (2001 pop. 3,907,738), 366,255 sq mi (948,600 sq km), including 6,976 sq mi (18,068 sq km) of water surface, W Canada. Geography . But there also are plenty of wild rainbow and cutthroat trout cutthroat trout Black-spotted game fish (Salmo clarki) of the salmon family, found in western North America. The cutthroat trout is named for the bright red streak beneath its lower jaw. Considered a good table fish, it strikes at flies, baits, and lures. , and Dolly Varden Dol·ly Var·den n. A colorfully spotted trout (Salvelinus malma) of northwest North America and eastern Asia. [After Dolly Varden, a character known for her colorful costume in the novel - a colorful species of char similar to brook trout brook trout or speckled trout Popular freshwater game fish (Salvelinus fontinalis), a variety of char, that is valued for its flavour and its fighting qualities when hooked. The brook trout is a native of the northeastern U.S. (neither of which is actually a trout). If that's confusing, Clint Goyette, head guide with Valley Fishing Guides Ltd., in Whistler, can make it all clear. ``We have the salmon runs in the fall, char fishing is very good in winter, rainbows year round,'' Goyette said. ``You get lots of chances at different types of fish.'' Whistler is better known for skiing in winter and extreme mountain biking mountain biking Sports medicine A sport in which participants use specialized bicycles to navigate rough, steep trails covered with unforgiving rocks Injury risk Concussions, fractures, death. See Extreme sport, Novelty seeking behavior. in summer. But Goyette is out to change that impression. You can catch trout and Dolly Varden in local lakes a short walk from a luxury condo. His company also offers floatplane floatplane: see seaplane. trips for fly-fishing or helicopter trips that can whisk you to a remote lake for fishing which is nearly foolproof. ``I don't like to use the 'G' word,'' Goyette said. ``But catching fish at Spruce Lake is practically guaranteed.'' Getting to Spruce Lake means hiking or flying in. You can't drive there. ``Why fly to a lake you can drive to?'' said Mike Quinn Michael Patrick Quinn (born April 15, 1974 in Las Vegas, Nevada) is a former American football quarterback in the NFL for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Dallas Cowboys. He also had a brief stint in the Canadian Football League for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. , our pilot. The bright yellow Whistler Air floatplane took off from Green Lake in Whistler and provided a half-hour of incredible sights, including bears, bighorn sheep Bighorn sheep a tall (up to 3 ft), heavy (up to 300 lb body weight) wild sheep that lives in inaccessible mountain country where it exercises its principal achievement of prodigious leaping and climbing. Called also Ovis canadensis. Several regional varieties, e.g. O. c. , glaciers and snowcapped peaks. Then it was time to drop into the lake. The plane splashed down and taxied to a dock, where a small rowboat awaited. Goyette sometimes takes in larger groups of anglers who float-tube the lake, but this time we used the boat. Goyette rowed over a shelf to a drop-off where trout hang out. After a couple of casts, I was attached to a nice rainbow that jumped and tussled until we brought it in and released it. We readily caught fish up to about 14 inches. Fishing flies bigger than the natural insects they imitate is one technique Goyette favors. ``If you're hungry and there's a pizza in front of you and you have a choice, you take a bigger piece even though it's all pizza,'' Goyette said. We were using a green woolybugger and slow-sinking lines, but at times the lake erupts with rising fish and dry flies are the ticket. ``Everything's big in B.C., trees are big, bears are big, fish are big,'' said Goyette ``So you can fish a big fly you can see.'' One of the advantages to the Whistler area is the variety of fishing it provides. Goyette said each little river or lake has a unique fish for that area. The rainbows from a lake or river fed from a glacier look entirely different than a fish from a tanning lake. Most of the lakes and rivers have wild, self-sustaining populations of rainbow trout rainbow trout Species (Oncorhynchus mykiss) of fish in the salmon family (Salmonidae) noted for spectacular leaps and hard fighting when hooked. It has been introduced from western North America to many other countries. . No matter what time of year you're here, you can find a place to catch fish. In the heat of August, you just go up in altitude and find spring-like conditions. In the winter, you can take a break from skiing and fish for Dolly Varden in local rivers. If you fish on your own, be sure to bring waders and a float tube to access local lakes. Check Goyette's Web site at www.valleyfishing.com for tips and current fishing conditions. Whistler is justifiably famous for its skiing. But it also has summer activities in addition to fishing like canoeing, mountain biking, golfing, rollerblading, rock climbing rock climbing Sports medicine An 'extreme sport' in which the participant climbs rock formations, with or without ropes Injury risk Fractures, abrasions, death. See Extreme sports. , hiking, ATV (1) (Advanced TV) An early name for the digital TV standard proposed by the Advisory Committee on Advanced Television Service (ACATS). See ACATS. See also ATV Forum. (2) (Analog TV) Refers to the NTSC, PAL and SECAM analog TV standads. touring, guided hikes, windsurfing, wakeboarding Wakeboarding is a surface water sport which involves riding a wakeboard over the surface of a body of water behind a boat. It was developed from a combination of water skiing, snow boarding and surfing techniques. , water skiing, kayaking, white water rafting and camping. With the U.S. dollar strong against the Canadian dollar, British Columbia is an especially good value for Americans right now. And catching a fish is almost guaranteed. Bill Becher covers the outdoors for the Daily News. He can be reached at billbecher(at)yahoo.com IF YOU GO --Valley Fishing Guides Ltd. offers year-round action with half-day and full-day drive-in trips, and day and overnight fly-in fishing trips in the Whistler area. Gear can be provided for fly and spin fishing. For information call (877) 85-TROUT or visit www.valleyfishing.com. The Web site has extensive information about local fish and a frequently updated fishing report. -- WhistlerAccommodation.Com offers condo rentals that start at $150 (Canadian) per night in summer. Visit the Web site or call (866) 905-4607. -- Whistler Air offers sightseeing flights in addition to fly-in fishing with Valley Fishing Guides. Visit www.whistlerair.ca for more information. CAPTION(S): 2 photos, box Photo: (1) A floatplane lands on Spruce Lake in British Columbia. The lake is so remote that anglers can't drive to it. They can only get there by hiking or flying. (2) Trout are so plentiful at Spruce Lake that Clint Goyette, head guide with Valley Fishing Guides Ltd, says catching fish is ``practically guaranteed.'' Bill Becher/Special to the Daily News Box: IF YOU GO (see text) |
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