Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum
Fishing in British Columbia => Fishing Reports => Members' Fishing Reports => Topic started by: chris gadsden on December 22, 2005, 02:17:15 PM
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Just looked at the river at 2 o'clock at Lickman Road. Conditions are not the greatest with visibility in the 14 inch range. May go out and poke around for the last two hours of daylight, if nothing else maybe find a couple of FA's drennan floats in a log jam. ;D ;D
Sure nice to be only 5 minutes from the river. :D
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Do you think that the Upper is in a bit better shape??? It was yesterday!! :(
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Do you think that the Upper is in a bit better shape??? It was yesterday!! :(
I would think so but it is close to 13 degrees out and I see the snow line is above the mountain tops. No rain for most of the day though, if it would hold off tonight it should be ok in the am.
Have pro cured up some more prawn tails, then I am going out as soon as they colour up. Even with the colour of the water now a steelhead will see it or smell it if it goes by him close enough. ;D ;D
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Have pro cured up some more prawn tails, then I am going out as soon as they colour up. Even with the colour of the water now a steelhead will see it or smell it if it goes by him close enough. ;D ;D
Chris, do you use raw prawns with the shell still on or those you see in shrimp rings with just the tail on or some other way. Thanks. I usually just use those big shrimp that are ready to be eaten.
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Have pro cured up some more prawn tails, then I am going out as soon as they colour up. Even with the colour of the water now a steelhead will see it or smell it if it goes by him close enough. ;D ;D
Chris, do you use raw prawns with the shell still on or those you see in shrimp rings with just the tail on or some other way. Thanks. I usually just use those big shrimp that are ready to be eaten.
Yes the prawn tails just with the tail on, just bought 2 packs for $12.99 at Safeway. Around 65 to 70 pieces per package.
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if ya wanna get a lil crazy... i use the bigger tiger prawn tails, natural, but boiled for 30 secs in salted water. (coarse salt). i cut em in the middle just above where the shell ends , eat the end and save the tail, and i'll usually do up a dozen for a day. I stick em in jars with a generous helping of pro cures prawn oil. when i rig em i put a tiny bead and a small spin n glo above the prawn. all i can say is ..... deadly in any steelhead river i've used it
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I went out to for the first time ever steelheading today, Of coarse by my self. I went to a local river and it the river looked to be in good condition so i started chucking everything i had and from spoons to roe to jigs. noting . so this guy shows up and says he got a nice 6 pound wild on a bubble gum worm down stream were i was fishing , then i thought to my why aren't i using a pink worm . So used it for a bit and had no luck so i decide to pack up and try to my first steel another day. Like tomorrow
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chris do you have a picture of these prawn tails? :)
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and sorry, but how would you rig them one? through the bait loop?
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and sorry, but how would you rig them one? through the bait loop?
I just thread them on. I have not figured how to up load photo's but I have a picture of a fish I got tonight. ;D I will take a picture of a prawn tail as well and send to Rodney to post for me so you can see what they look like.
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Is it still raining out there? Water getting better or worse?? Good job on the fish Chris, I wonder what it is!!! ;D ;D
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thanks alot chris
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BeakoBeGone... I just got in the door from walking the dog and to answer Big Steel's question - YES, it is coming down in sheets here in Sardis and it is really warm.
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BeakoBeGone... I just got in the door from walking the dog and to answer Big Steel's question - YES, it is coming down in sheets here in Sardis and it is really warm.
About time you joined up instead of lurking. ;D ;D
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Look at me now!... I've almost got the master signing on too. I'm off tomorrow, are you fishing? CEJ and I need to find some water if it's fishable. WHERE? WHERE???
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I'm heading to Prospera to cheer on the Swiss. I'll check back after the game...
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It looks like my lengthy instruction of profile photo addition is not so confusing after all. ;)
Hey, take that chit chat to private messaging, we don't want to know your secret spots. ;D
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With a few prawn tails now ready to go made my first stop a bit above the BC Electric Bridge but did not like the look of the water. A fly guy just breaking down his equipment and two other drift guys fishing just where the road first comes close to the river. Water high in this area so moved up to the Twin Cedars for a few casts but they all came up empty. Visibility about 2 feet now.
With about 45 minutes of daylight left headed back downstream to the Crossing.
Quickly walked out to the river and the sidestream was certainly up around a foot or so from when I fished it on Tuesday. Fiished a couple of likely looking slots that could hold a steelhead but the drennan stayed above water.
Moved to the third spot, a little spill over just above a root wad of a fallen cottonwood tree, depth around 3 feet. ( will ask Rodney to post the picture of the area so you can see where a fish can lay)
On the first drift through float goes down fairly slowly, just above the root wad. Thinking it is just maybe part of the root system I pick up slowly. All of a sudden I realize it is a fish as the float is moving upstream. ::)
My thrill is short lived as I did not set the hook so the fish falls off, darn, what was it. Have to go for supper, part two to follow. ;D
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Nice, way to leave us hanging Chris! ;D ;D
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I think his trying to get back on the Canuck fans ;D
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Ouch, is the rain really pounding down now, and the wind as well. Does not look good for tomorrow now.
Part Two of today's outing now.
I thread on another prawn tail with my hands shaking slightly with the thought racing through my head that my first steelhead is only seconds away.
I flip my offering just where the small pocket starts to deepen, 20 feet or so above the root wad, the drennan drifts slowly into the "hot" zone, my eyes focused on the red capped drennan, looking for a tell tail dip or hesitation of its journey.
First cast nothing, second, third and fourth the drennan drifts without any obstruction. Have I scared my quarry? On the fifth cast when I think I would not have another opportunity the red top is gone, I strike this time, a nice head shake follows and then the fish like it did previously swims towards me. My 62 year old heart is starting to quicken. O I hope it is steelhead so I can rub it into BS for all the abuse he gave me today on Sport Chat. ;D The fish then turns headed for the root, I try to hold back a bit to keep it from the roots. The fish does not like this restraint and boils to the top. I now see it is a Chum. :o Disappointed a bit but at least I know a fish can see my bait in the coloured condition and I now know chum like prawn tails as well. ;D
The fish stays on for 30 seconds or so before falling off. As I have only one more run below to fish below me I put on another prawn and a few casts later, another fish has gulped down the prawn tail. Starting to think these guys may prove to be more productive than I first thought. This fish is another chum or the same one that enjoyed the two previous prawn tails so much he could not resist having a third one for his evening meal.
I fight this chum to the beach and snap a picture prior to release as I have noticed some posters like to see a picture of the landed fish. Although this was just a chum it is still a fish and should be appreciated and respected as much as a fresh run steelhead would be. It, along with all fish that call our rivers, streams and water ways their home must be treasured by us all. Besides it gave me a few minutes of excitement. ;D
As I remove the hook from the roof of the buck chum of about 8 or so pounds shows it displeasure to me by raking my thumb with it developing dog's fangs. Should have used pliers I guess. ::)
With the fish now safely released and I am sure now hiding from danger right under the root I head to the last spot I wish to fish as darkness is closing in around me. Waves of gulls along with the odd string of Canadian gesse are heading to their nightly roost at Cultus Lake also signalling the end of daylight and their day of feeding in the surrounding fields.
I run into a father and son angling just below me. They have nothing today but the dad said the fellow fishing with him a few days ago had lost a steelhead.
The last run I fish gives me no more challenges so I head back to the Leaf Mobile as the rain starts up again. I am content with my short trip, my second of the year in search for the first steelhead of the new steelhead season.
I stop at Fred's to register for the Wally Hall Junior Memorial Derby and run in to Toothpick Tom and Jon.
I tease them both that I got one and get a little mileage out of them before caving in that it was not a steelhead. ;D I notice on the board that at least 3 steelhead have been weighed in, I believe the top was a bit over 12 pounds.
It is time to get out there thats for sure, the steelhead are there and of course so are the chum. ;D ;D ;D
Pictures of chum, the slot he was in, of the prawn tail cured and plain for cohokid to see when Rodney has time to post them.
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Good job on the chum Chris, I was rooten for you!! Very good report as well!! Thanks. ;D ;D
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I pro cured a bunch of deli shrimps the other day in hot pink and they look real nice. Sounds like my arsenal is going to include Pink worms, roe, bugs, deli shrimp and jensen eggs as the main baits. If the derby's cancelled, I'll be dissapointed as all my bugs that I have kept alive for 13 days so far will go to waste :o.
You can still cook the bugs up and then freeze them. They do not stay on too well after being cooked but can be held on with thread or Spider Wire. Fish them in slower water. I have caught a good number of steelhead this way. Also if you wish the cooked bugs can be wrapped in netting and tied up, they look sort of like an Egyptian Mummy then. :-X
The way I cook them is put them in a pot of boiling water that has a bit of pro cure, salt and borax added. Donot really need the two latter items, I donot know why I really use them other than may toughen them up abit.
When they float to the top I calll them good, spoon them out and put on some paper to dry a bit, then freeze in a double zip lock bag. You can mix in some borax with them as well. They then will not be so messy when you use them later.
O, if you cook them on your families stove make sure your parents are out or in bed as they can smell a bit, Donot spill the procure or you will be leaving a tell tale stain on the counter. ;D ;D
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Wish I had known that earlier as quite a few have already died :P. Oh well thanks for the info Chris. Does the procure color up the bugs alot?
Yes using double red hot does but it does work as I have caught numerous steelhead and springs with them. Once again they are very fragile when done this way.
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Nice job. Well this definitely is a weird year. According to hatchery it seems chum end early Nov. but this is late Dec. !!!!
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Photos posted for Chris.
(http://www.fishingwithrod.com/albums/album35/DSCF0003.thumb.jpg) (http://www.fishingwithrod.com/albums/album35/DSCF0003.jpg) (http://www.fishingwithrod.com/albums/album35/DSCF0005.thumb.jpg) (http://www.fishingwithrod.com/albums/album35/DSCF0005.jpg) (http://www.fishingwithrod.com/albums/album35/DSCF0011.thumb.jpg) (http://www.fishingwithrod.com/albums/album35/DSCF0011.jpg)
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Well on Tuesday when my dad and i went fishing to the vedder around the campground area...on our way back, we saw 7 chum and all were very very clean :o :o :o with no mold or anything wrong. quite surprised as most were dead and almost desinigrated.
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hey chris those prawn tail look sexy, might have to make a trip to the local safeway ;)
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if you travel to Steveston at all, you can get prawns and shrimp cheap fresh off the boats. They sell a perfect size for steelhead for $1.00 a pound. Bought 3lbs the other day and have cured them up using that new cure made by Pautzke in a killer looking orange color. Did some in pro Cure red also. Can't wait for the river to start dropping.
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Bederko, I recognize the dog and the North River boat. I guess by the comments made by Chris he doesn't like lurkers. Those prawn tails Chris is using make for expensive bait. What ever happened to good old bait Chris ?
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Bederko, I recognize the dog and the North River boat. I guess by the comments made by Chris he doesn't like lurkers. Those prawn tails Chris is using make for expensive bait. What ever happened to good old bait Chris ?
Getting too lazy to do it up and besides is so messy. ;D ;D