whitefish

[phearless]

I don't know about anybody else, but I like whitefish.
There I said it.
Rocky Mountain Bonefish.
They have saved a few cutty days for me.( O.K. more than a few )
The other thing is they really aren't that easy to catch.They seem to catch on to a pattern very quickly,and can be very picky about colour and size.
Also with their small underslung mouths,you have to pretty good to hook them consistently.Excellant practice for trout on the Holy waters.
Fished on a two to 4 wght they provide excellant sport in the winter.
As a plus, any nymph patterns you slay the whiteys on is also great for cutties.
They also are great eating in mid winter.I know they are boney, but the beautiful flaky white flesh is very good.

[Eric]

yep bone fish of the north! I have friends who target them all the time. they can be pretty good sport on light wt rods. I don't get to fish for them much in winter cause i am usually out there targeting steelhead But sometimes bring along a trout rod depending where i am fishing.

[mcameron]

What exactly dothey look like? Does anyone have a picture? I have had people tell me its a whitefish and then another say a squawfish.

[Rick Baerg]

Here is a picture of a White fish and a Pike minnow. White fish and Squaw fish (politically correct name is Pike minnow) are two completely different fish. A White fish is considered a sport fish of BC and A pike minnow is a coarse fish.

White Fish


Pike minnow - picture by Darryl Martins of RFT

[nosey]

I like whitefish too, I find them to be way better table fare than cutties and a nice way to ease the boredom while steelhead fishing in the Fraser. So far my most successful method of catching them has been with my drift fishing gear with a single jensen egg and a little green wool. I've tried targeting them with my fly rod with very poor success ( i've even gone home and gotten my fly rod because I've been hitting them on gear handy for me because I live about 300 meters from the river) so any tips on flies and presentations that work for them would be GREATLY welcomed.

[phearless]

Hey Nosey.
Small is one thing that usually helps with whitefish.
Little winter stones size 14-16.
Soft hackles in the film when they are working a hatch.
Dries if you are lucky enough to get them rising.
I usually weight my nymphs and might use a twist on to if required to keep it down.
Try dead drifting the nymphs, sometimes they like it to swing at the end of the drift and take just as the fly starts to rise.
For the soft hackles, depending on current speed, just cast down and across and hold on.
They can be tough.Very particular on fly selection some days.
I have noticed that once a couple of fish have been duped, the rest are on to you. Two choices, change flies and stay, or, move to some fresh fish. Nothing saying you can't come back later.
Let me know how you make out.