Fishing Fun and Games > Angler Profiles

Brian Chan

Brian Chan has been an avid stillwater fly fisher and fly tier for over 30 years. Brian is a professional fisheries biologist who, for many years, managed small lake recreational fisheries for the province of British Columbia. Since 2003, Brian has been with the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC where he heads up the Sport Fishing Division. His current duties include the promotion and marketing of freshwater fishing in the province.

Brian is also a fly fishing author, video producer, lecturer and angling guide. Some of his more recent works include the books “Morris and Chan on Fly Fishing Trout Lakes”, “Stillwater Solutions Recipes – 30 proven patterns by Brian Chan and Phil Rowley, and the DVD “Expert Techniques for Stillwater Fly Fishing”. He is also a regular contributor to several fly fishing magazine publications, a regular guest on several TV fishing shows and a co-host of The New Fly Fisher Show.

Brian’s favourite fishing haunts are the many trout lakes surrounding his home city of Kamloops but he can often be found wading rivers in other provinces and states, as well as making forays to the Northwest Territories and the Yukon for big lake trout and pike.

Brian has a number of professional fly fishing industry affiliations including Sage, Mustad, Rio, Islander, Superfly and Outcast Sporting Gear.

Questions:

1. What is your first fishing memory?
Catching Pile Perch of the wharves of Coal Harbour in downtown Vancouver using a handline and pieces of mussels for bait.

2. Tell us about the biggest fish you ever caught.
While fishing for Dorado (Mahi Mahi) in the Sea of Cortez I hooked a Striped Marlin which when finally landed was estimated at 145 pounds.

3. Where is your favourite place to fish in B.C.? Why?
That’s a really hard question to answer because there are so many incredible places and fisheries in this province that I have been able to fish. But, if I have to choose one it would be the small trout lakes that surround the city of Kamloops because they are so rich in food that the trout grow quickly and grow large.

4. Any tricks of the trade? (special bait, and lucky underwear...)
I love to fly fish lakes and the best trick/advice I can offer is having patience. This means allowing your fly to get down to the desired fishing depth, retrieving flies slowly through the water and waiting for the insect hatches to begin each day.

5. What piece of fishing etiquette do you wish every angler abided by?
Respect other anglers fishing space, be it on a river or lake, so that one is not crowding out other anglers.

6. Why do you fish? What keeps you fishing?
Everyday on the water is a challenge in terms of trying to figure out what where in the lake or stream the fish are feeding, what they are feeding on, at what depth they are feeding. One has to figure all this out before the feeding period is over. That’s why some days we have great fishing and other days are not so good. That’s what keeps me fishing. And I almost forgot, I like the pull on the other end of the line!!

7. What is your best piece of advice for a new angler?
Don’t be afraid to ask questions, your local tackle shops are tremendous resources so get to know them as they are a wealth of information.

8. What are the three best resources for a new angler? (book, website, store...)
New anglers should visit www.gofishbc.com for learn to fish guides, regional fishing guides, links to buying licenses and regulations.

Then visit your local tackle store for information on the most current fishing hotspots in your area or areas you may want to visit.

Click here to read Daniel Erasmus' angler profile.