After yesterday's success it did not take much conviencing fom Nick to head out on the river once again on Friday morning.
We met at our usual meeting place, Cookie's Restaurant for a 6:15 breakfast before heading to M. Pool.
We were wondering if the heavy rain the night before would have created a jump in the water level making it impossible to cross the river.
On arriving at the
hot spot I trudged through the darkness to check a mark I had made on the river edge yesterday and was very pleased to see the river had dropped about a half an inch.
A good tip also if you cross a body of water and it is raining, make a mark where you are fishing and keep a eye on it that the water levels are not coming up. A very good idea especially on the Chehalis that can rise very quickly.
Nick with 2 ski poles and I with my wading stick had no trouble forging the tail out of M. Pool.
When we got to the area we were going to fish we could see numerous CO's laying in the run, some coloured but some fresh fish as well. In some cases you can just make out the outline of their tails, chrome bars.
It was not long after starting fishing and Nick had a head start on me with two nice does of 4 to 5 pounds laying on the beach, both taken on roe.
Meanwhile I was having a tough go of it only hooking and losing one while fishing the top part of the run.
We decided to change positions and I still was struggling to get a pull down on my float. Was it I did not have my Maple Leaf hat on.
A few other anglers on the other side were having similar problems as I, that was until Doug appeared on the scene.
"Is that you Chris he says"? "Picked out the spot from your photo on the net", he says.
He tells me he had landed 2 in the canal before coming up river.
It is not long until Doug, also short floating roe, the same as us is into fish landing a CO close to 10 to 11 and a lovely doe while releasing another. He was having fun beaching them on the cut bank and made for some entertainment for us. In the meantime all I could do was loose 2.
Nick calls me up to the top spot and says he is now hitting them on a blade, fishing it with a Drennan float and in no time has hit several and fills out his limit of 4, all does.
I perservere with roe and can not get even a bite. "I will cleanup my fish so why not try my rod with the blade on it Nick tells me". Not wanting to be skunked I agree. What has happened to my fishing ability I think to myself, after the last two trips when I got more than he, luck I guess for he is double the fisherman than I. I guess I was getting too cockey, serves me right.
As I have not fished a blade very much he tells me " throw up stream a bit and then wind it across, they usually grab it more often as the blade is coming across the current then when you are winding it straight upstream he tells me".
On the third cast I feel the tug of a fish but I do not set the hook and the fish wisely spits the hook.
Not wanting to keep Nick waiting I tell him "give me another 10 minutes". Not long after that as the blade is fluttering across the current per Nick's instructions, the float hesitates on its journey and the tell tale resistance of a fish telegrafts up from the end of the line to my excited hands.
"Its a CO and a chrome one besides, close to 9", Nick who is above me on the bank informs the now happy angler. I now also see the fish twisting and showing its silver sides as she trys to spit the foreign object clenched between her teeth.
Nick slips over the bank and skillfully tails the fish for me with the aid of his bait rag, it is close to 9 and one beauty of a fish well worth waiting for.
A couple of pictures and I am now very content to head for lunch back at Cookies.
I may have only landed one but as I have said several times before just being able to get out with a good fishing partner on a beautiful river on a Fall morning is the best part and catching a fish should be secondary.
After the crossing I introduce Nick to Doug and we admire his fish, talk about the day's events before heading to the truck ending another day on the gorgerous Chilliwack River.
PS The fish weighed 9.2 on the scale.
Author
Topic: Vedder 22 (Read 3261 times)