Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum
Fishing in British Columbia => General Discussion => Topic started by: frenchy on January 27, 2006, 07:08:46 PM
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Hi Guys,
I am new in BC. I come from France (that is why there will have tons of mistakes in my message, sorry about that) and will stay here at least two years. I went fishing the Vedder for steelhead a couple of time. The river is very nice and it seems that there is a lot of fish, but it is so crowed... it is very frustrating to fish there. You arrive at dawn and if you are lucky you are the first guy to fish one spot and then for the rest of the day you fish where at least 10 guys already fished. Giving that most of these guys fish the vedder for years, I really think I have almost no chance to catch a fish :-\. Moreover, when I go fishing, I really like to see almost nobody ;). So I would like to fish another river, not necessarily for steelhead (I never caught one, so i am not an addict ;D). Bull trout and dolly would satisfy me.
For me a good day fishing include scenic view, peaceful and good chance of catching one or two fish by day.
Do you have any suggestion? What about the Squamish? I heard it is beautiful.
Thanks a lot
Frenchy
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The Vedder is a huge river. You do not have to fish with the crowd. Walk to another spot if you do not like the crowd.
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Read some of the posts and the info about the fish your after on this site. There are lots of places to fish without big crowds, and if your willing to walk a bit you leave most behind. Or get to the Vedder at the hot spots at 3 a.m. and mark off your turf and stand tight, defend your ground.
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Lots of space it you have the time to check out the system and do some hiking. ;D
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i agree if you want to walk there is plenty of river to explore that hasn't been fished over,spend some time and check it out you will find it to be worth the effort,
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Lots of space if
you have the time to check out the system and do some hiking. you are retired. ;D ;D ;D
Bonjour Frenchy... and that's about all the French you'll hear from me... :-[ Welcome and we hope you enjoy your stay. The English in your post is just fine, in fact it is better than some of the local Canadians' posts. ::) ;) What biology research are you doing over here?
Today Shane and I were saying/thinking the same thing as we ventured to the Vedder for the first time this year, "Wow, it's crowded!", even though it is relatively quiet compared to salmon season (ever been to China Town? ;D ). Like previous posters have said, quiet spots along the Vedder can still be found with some walking and exploring. Although there are many others fishing today, we managed to find some runs just to ourselves by walking ten minutes in between fishing times. :)
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Frenchy if you go during the week (when the rest of the *bums* have to work) then you'll get most of the hot spots :) I have sat to mon off, So I try to hit the Vedder on Mondays. However I haven't caught a steelie (yet) either.
BUT fishing isn't always about catching. It's the thrill of the hunt, seeing what Mother nature has to offer. Fish to relax, have fun, get away from the real world. Not to catch fish ;)
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It is true that I only went there only 10 times. I don t know the river, that is true, but I tried to walk. The first time I came to the river, I began at Lickman Road and arrived at Vedder road, the other times I was around On the way, walked up and down... and I am sure that all the spot I fished were fished at least 10 times the same day... Perhaps is it because I fish on sunday, but I think if I don t catch a fish in the first minutes I fish I have almost no chance to catch one. And I really think I will have more chance if I fish a river less crowed, even if there is less fish... Every article I read and dealing with steelhead fishing told that they are not really difficult to catch if you find them... So it seems that the firsts guy fishing the pool have a chance to catch something. And according to what I read on FWR, it seems to be true, most of the reports show that the fish are caugth early in the morning. If fishing the vedder requires to wake up at 4h30, drive 1h30 fish 1h and drive back 1h30, I am not sure I am ready to do that...
But perhaps I am wrong.
Mick
PS: I am studying evolution and especially the origin of biological diversity. For example understand how from one ancestral salmon species emerged the 5 species that live in BC rivers.
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Reservoir dog, I agrre that catch a fish is not essential ( do I really believe that ???), but it is important (at leat for me) to feel I fish well, and it is not the case on the Vedder
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Mick, sections of the river that have been covered by other fishermen during that day can still produce. Our experience today was a good example. After being the first ones fishing a run and producing nothing, two people fished it right after us and pulled out two fish. These fish may simply have moved into the run after we left, or they were simply not interested in our offerings. Because of these unknown factors, steelheading is an exciting fishery that takes years to understand.
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OK,
It is just that when I planned to come here I thought it was the angler s paradise ;D ;D ;D.
Did you guys often catch fish after 9am?
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Set the alarm for 3 a.m. Frenchy and "carpe diem".
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Frenchy, if your heart is set on catching a Steel, then just get out there, toss everything in your arsenal at the river, and
hope Pray, the gods like you that day. I'll be out there Sunday, cause I have a prior appointment on Monday... If I catch somethin great, if not then oh well.
At least for a few hours I will have managed to get the hell outta Vancouver.
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once again the problem is not to cactch fish, but to enjoy fishing and it is not totally the case when I fish the vedder.
But that is OK, I will find a solution... on the vedder or on another river :o
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Birdman, that sounds like a tone from an elitist. ;D I hope it doesn't grow to something too extreme. ;) People fish because they want to catch fish. If I want to go out and enjoy the scenary and the experience of nature only, I ride a bike, have a picnic, hike a mountain, drift down a river in a raft. When I go steelheading, I hope that I catch one. If I don't, I get disappointed and frustrated, but not to the point where I will throw my rod in the water and give up fishing. Somehow people have this attitude that steelhead is holier than other fish species and only a certain breed of fishermen should be fishing for them. People have their own reasons when they fish, which should not be questioned and looked down by other anglers if those reasons are legal. I have yet to retain a hatchery steelhead since I started, simply because I usually have enough salmon for the whole year and catching and releasing them provides more than enough satisfaction for me. I have no problem with those who head out with the intention to retain a hatchery steelhead. Frenchy is only here for two seasons, so it's understandable that he has the urgency to catch a steelhead or two and finding it frustrating after multiple attempts.
Back to the timing factor. There are many times when first light did not produce, instead bites came on between 10am and noon. Other times the fish remained tight lipped throughout the day, until the last 30 minutes of daylight. Temperature change? Water level? Tide? Schooling behaviour? What triggers the bites? everyone's personal experience will derive into a theory.
There are also other fisheries during this time of the year that people easily forget. Give those a go if steelheading becomes too tiring.
Frenchy, do you flyfish or gear fish?
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I am studying evolution and especially the origin of biological diversity. For example understand how from one ancestral salmon species emerged the 5 species that live in BC rivers.
Ah, my kind of man! ;) ;D
Welcome aboard, frenchy! :)
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Frenchy, you should go check out that OTHER river you mentioned. It is very beautiful. You may or may not hook something, but there won't be many people getting in the shot when you pull out your camera to take a pic of the great scenery and/or wildlife. It will scrub your soul clean.
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I like fishing in general ;D
I like flyfishing, I like gear fishing.
That is true I am only here for two years, so if steelhead is really the holy grall and if it tooks 10 seasons to catch one, perhaps I waste my time and should go fishing something else. If I want a holy grall, I have the atlantic salmon in Europe... ;)
What are the other fisheries you are talking about Rodney
Thanks Nina
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Frenchy, other fisheries are just as slow, if not more, this time of the year due to low abundance of food source and cold temperature.
From now until April, other fisheries in Southern BC include:
Squamish and Cheakamus River- Bull trout and steelhead. The steelhead fishing does not usually pick up until March and April. They are in even lower abundance than the Vedder River and it is a total catch and release fishery for all species. The fishing is slow, but like Derek said, very scenic, and photo worthy.
Sloughs and streams on the North side of the Fraser River between Mission and Harrison River - Cutthroat trout. Highly migratory, requires a lot of time to find them. Experienced anglers also do not consistently hook them as their movement is so unpredictable.
Local lakes - These are usually stocked with rainbow trout by the Fraser Valley Trout Hatchery starting around mid March. The trout range between 10 and 14 inches in length.
Carp fishing - Starts as early as late February.
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If it's Steelhead you want I suggest waiting until the weather and water warm up in a month or so. The colder the water the slower the fish. If the crouds bother you here's a tip I got from Tom Johannesen, hit the Vedder the day after everybodies licence expires. The meat fishers don't renew their licence until they make their first trip to the interior lakes. Sice I got that advice from Tom I don't even bother with Steelies until April 1st. Also Summer Steelhead are much aggressive than their winter cousins making them allot more fun.
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thanks bigsteel...decided it wasn't worth bitchin about..going fishing early sunday am, don't need to fight the worlds battles today...good luck,
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Not offended at all!! I believe that everyone is entitled to there opinion!! ;)
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Frenchy, I recommend you PM Chris to link up with him if you want to catch a steelhead. The guy seems can't miss and he has released so many hatch steelies that I lose count. ;D If you like to fish w/o a lot of people around, try my style in the mid river rapids. There are rapids area less known than Tamahi. The last 2 trips I hooked 5 fish and they were all hooked way past 9:00 AM. Two were hooked late in the day. I have not found any one fishing near me either, in fact not a soul around to help me land my fish. So, before you give up on the Vedder, spend time to explore. The fish are there, even in uncrowded spots. Good luck.
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when I first started Steelin' was just myself and dad...no internet...no one we knew who fished these beasties.....was 3 yrs of 120 miles one way about 20-30 times a year....3 yrs of learnin' the ropes....no floats....simply bouncin roe-bags thru the runs..u gotta be payin' attention with this method...steel of 10 lbs hit like a small bait fish most of the time......first fish was a 12lber.....took it in some back water just downstream from the crowd.....who ever said 90% of steel are takin' by 10% of the fisherman is bang on....you need to know how to read the water....and know where fish will likely hole up betwixt runnin' rapids on their way to do the deed.....and don't use a bait just cos someone said to....if yer not hookin' up....use a different bait....another thing I found was to go smaller as the day wears on...your milage could vary
mojo
ps confidence is a major player in this game
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Allo, comme ca va? Ca va tres bien.....thats bout it from me....im not sure how busy the Chahalis(i know i didnt spell that one right :-[) and like everyone else said, find your own magic hole...or get there pretty darn early before the regulars get there...good luck...adiós amigo. :)
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oh ya..just one more thing frenchy...just wait for our summer and fall salmon fisheries...absolutely world class...you simply wont believe your fishing rod!!! :P
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Alouette Lake is good all year. After they did that fertilizer thing the fish have grown quite big, not a steelhead but close. Troll for action at this time. Pay parking made me stop fishing there.
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Really thanks a lot for all your answers
It really conforts my opinion that Canadian are friendly :D
I hope to see some of you near the river next time (but not all at the same time ;))