Last week Vancouver celebrated its 125th birthday. Our two Vancouver papers published a collection of interesting historical highlights. What I missed seeing was the contributions of Vancouver to B.C. sport fishing. Since I didn’t see anything printed on the subject in those papers, I have decided to share over the next few columns, what I know on the subject.
Rufus Gibbs, of Gibbs/Nortac Tackle, settled in Vancouver in 1908 and established his Gibbs-Delta Tool and Stamping Works on Main Street. The business was destroyed by fire in 1912 and reopened at 56 Dufferin St, where Gibbs, along with his regular work, experimented in making fishing lures. His most famous being the Clendon-Stewart and Stewart salmon spoons.
Aside from business, Gibbs enjoyed fishing and philanthropy and was noted as generous supporter of the Vancouver Boys Club. Among his munificent support of church works, was a generous donation to the historic St. John the Divine Church in Yale, which saved it from
demolition in 1945.
A man of curiosities, Gibbs chose to live his life alone; 42 years of which were spent on an entire floor of Vancouver’s Patricia Hotel, without a television or a car.
Rufus Gibbs, not just a Vancouver icon, was and still is a B.C. sport fishing icon of both fish and men.
The report
Fishing on our Lower Mainland lakes is good. Try working the north east area of your favorite lake from late morning through mid-afternoon with. For rainbow and cutthroat try: Chironomid, Bloodworm, Black Gnat, Royal Coachman, Coachman, American Coachman, Professor, Woolly Bugger, Micro Leach, Sixpack, Dragonfly Nymph, Halfback, Doc Spratley, Baggy shrimp, or Zulu. For kokanee try: Red Abbis, red Micro Leach, San Juan Worm, Bloody Butcher, Blood Worm, or Red Spratley.
The Fraser River and sloughs are good for cutthroat and dolly varden. For cutthroat try: Rolled Muddler, Mickey Finn, Eggo, Tied Down Minnow, Epoxy Minnow, Professor, Lioness, Coachman, Zulu, Chez Nymph. For dolly Varden try: Large (#4 to #1) Eggo, Dolly Whacker, Bucktail, Epoxy Minnow, Big Black, Muddler, or Zonker.
The Vedder River fair to good for steelhead, dolly varden and rainbow. For steelhead try: big Black, Popsicle, Steelhead Nightmare, Polar shrimp, GP, Thor, Squamish Poacher, Kaufmann Stone, Purple Peril, or Eggo. For rainbow try: Eggo, Kaufmann Stone (black or tan), Zulu, Sixpack, Tom Thumb, Irresistible, Chez Nymph, Big Black, or Renegade.
The Stave River is good for rainbow and cutthroat.
The Harrison River is fair to good for cutthroat, and rainbow.
You can find more at “The Reel Life Press” by Jeff Weltz
