Rivers good for trout.

Give it a try. At the very least you will be practicing casting and presentation. You can fish the Coquitlam River as well. There are not a whole lot of fish there, but again you can hone your skills. Later in the fall there are some coho and chums in the system. The best way to learn how to fish (and by extension, what systems hold fish, is to go out and f-i-s-h). You see some water, don't start off by asking if it is good fishing, try it yourself. I have discovered some real gems in this fashion, which I don't share with anyone online. I know that you are learning to fly fish, but the best way is to explore your own abilities and all the water you can. Doesn't hurt to read a lot of books, magazine articles and search or browse through the many threads on this site as well as bcfishingreports.com. Almost all of the questions you have been asking are covered already on these 2 sites.

Sorry if my posts and suggestions come off as condescending, that is definitely not my intention. As you may have guessed from my handle, I teach for a living. I have found over the past 20 years or so, that the students who do the best in classes are the ones who take the responsibility for learning on themselves, and don't relay on someone else to "teach" them. All I was saying to fineangler was that if he really wanted to learn the art of fly-fishing, personal exploration and experience will far outweigh anything anyone else can tell him. I have no knowledge of the particular water he is referring to (and seeing as you did nothing more than repeat Dinsdale's advice, I assume you have little advise on that water as well), but I would assume if it is tributary of the Pitt, it has coho and perhaps chum in the fall. It would also seem likely it has a spring-time influx of cutties feeding on salmon fry. It is possible (likely) that there are resident fish (rainbow, cutty or bass) in the system, but in what numbers or size I couldn't guess. As no-one (including Spiker) else responded with any suggestions, I think my advice to give it a try isn't too poor. For the first 5 or 6 years I was fly-fishing, I did explore many fish-poor waters, but on them I learned how to control my casts, how to get a drag free drift, how to detect the bottom when nymph fishing and I caught the occasional (albeit usually small) fish. I read, and still do, The Gilley, A Primer of Fly-fishing by Haig-Brown. I explored water in person, but even more so by reading Backroads Map Books, Best of BC Lakes, Irresistible Waters and many other books. I kept up a subscription to BC Outdoors Sportfishing magazine. I have in the past 2 or 3 years, discovered this site and a few others on the net and check them regularly, gleaning as much as I can and offering advise when I feel it can be used. Combining all of the above is one way to improve as a fly-fisher. It’s not the only way, but I have found it to work very well for me and have no hesitation recommending it to others. I do a lot of work myself before I flat out ask for someone to tell me where or when to fish. If that makes me uppity or unhelpful, don’t read my posts.

As far as finding out which systems without a doubt hold fish, check stocking reports. Prof had a good point in stating that one shouldn't merely ask where to fish. Relying on that information puts you at the mercy of other's experiences. Maybe the person you asked is a nightmare with a flyrod and has little skill and therefore didn't catch fish on a given river or lake or they're a great fisherman/woman but hit it on a bad day. Trying out unknowns is part of the joy of this sport and catching fish is not necessarily the only enjoyable reward. There's so much to learn when it comes to flyfishing that if it's quick and easy success that you want, and this certainly is not to be undervalued as it will keep you coming back for more, try fishing stocked lakes and rivers. After you have some successfull days using attractors on less crafty hatchery fish then make the next step to outwitting some naturals. I mix my season with a little of both. The reading Prof suggested is great stuff and will add a more educated element of strategy to flyfishing. There's nothing like catching a fish through making the correct decision on pattern, colour, location or any other factor. It's so much more rewarding than lucking out. If you suffer frustration from getting skunked try focusing on the great outdoors and beautiful nature which surround you when fishing... sometimes this is the only thing that keeps me sane when I'm getting out fished by a five year old with a plastic Canadian Tire rod from shore.

Apparently I pissed some folks off with my attitude, so let me try to clarify a few things before this thread goes to the sin bin. I tried to answer fineanglers questions

m wondering if there are any good rivers around the Coquitlam area,

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I did give him the skinny on the Coquitlam River.

theres a little river that runs off the pitt down on the ****. do you know about that and if its any good?

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I don't know what the stream is or is like, but if fineangler has been to the water in question, one way to find out if it is any good is to put a line in the water when you are there.

My point was simple that this forum for me has been a very good resource and it seemed that the attitude was get out and read books and learn the hard way which I felt was a bit harsh.

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Spiker, I said in my second post that what you call the "hard way" isn't the only way, but it is a very valuable way. If you aren't willing to do the hard work like I and many others have done, why should we give you all that we have learned. On the other hand If you are not willing to do the hard work, then you will likely not have very rewarding experiences and will not be on the same waters I am likely to be on. I don't mind sharing my knowledge with others in the sport, and I felt that I was giving fineangler some pretty good advice about how to gain fishing knowledge when no-one rushes up to answer "Where can I fish?" Maybe fineangler tries his little stream, has great succes sand comes back on line with some information to share himself. Finally, if fineangler or anyone else had said "I'm a new flyfisher and am looking for someone to go out on the river with and give me some pointers." I am sure that there would be more than one taker. I don't mind going out on the water with anyone who wants to fish. I have been able to learn something from almost everyone I have ever fished with regardless of their level of experience. If I have secret waters, or techniques, I don't mind sharing them with someone who is putting in the same commitment I am, but there are things I don't put on the net, because I don't want everyone out there with a computer to have access to some things.

whats the point of a forum if not to share info?

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That's precisely what I did. Info isn't only where, when and what to fish. Info is also that which can guide you to become a better fisherman through you own work. I believe I mentioned 3 or 4 ways to gain fishing knowledge including using this forum. If all that is "harsh" then you had better get a life. I have raised 2 boys to manhood and I can assure you that they would have a much different definition of harsh. So everyone stop your whining and lets all just fish. Hope to see you all out there on the flow. Walk twenty minutes past the guys who fish the first spot and never move from it and you'll find me