Slipped out to the Thursday Hole on a Friday, a bit after first light. No one was there so was nice to have the while area to ones self.
The pesky smolts were eager for breakfast and were picking off the roe, very lightly as they would not pull the Maple leaf DNE completely down. Maybe after a dozen or so casts the DNE went for a dive and I quickly set the hook followed by a flash with the thought it was a coho but I determined it was a bright chinook jack shortly after, I could tell by the way it was acting.
I verified that as I got it near the shore, it was bright and close to 4 pounds. Just as I got close to beaching it, maybe rushing it to much the fish gained its freedom returning quickly from where it came from.
Off to a good start but nothing more after 30 minutes more before I decided to check out other parts of the area. Besides no fish were showing, even though I was sure theywere there.
I tried a couple more runs with what I thought was a salmon but could not say for certain. Other anglers I saw had nothing either.
After walking around for a while finding nothing but a few tins I was back at the Thursday Hole. Just as I got there Gwyn shows up and he had landed a jack and a dolly so far. While we are taking Rodney phones for a water condition update, its perfect I inform him but the fishing is slow.
Gwyn feels once the salmon start spawning things will pick up for us bait fishers.
We see a machine working the area. Gwyn says the hoe is putting the gravel haul road back to a natural state.
To us that did not make sense, especially spending around $200 an hour to do this unnecessary work. The money could be better spent on some habitat projects. Of course this gravel fiasco is just that.
We decide to go home as I had work to do to get ready for the cleanup on Sunday.
I slip out again a hour before dark but I am blanked again with no bites but I did see 4 large chinook salmon taken by the long liners, its amazing to see so many of them these days. I guess they have moved over from the Fraser and now have switched their betty's for floats that constantly are lying on their sides working their so called magic.