Final segment
With the fish I lost now free and on its way upstream once again I get the rod back out into the flow confident it would not be long until my bell that I have now had time to attach will start ringing as loud as a church bell.
Gary is also confident of a upcoming bite as he in close to his bar holder, sitting in his lawn chair that is in about 2 feet of water. The wind has now picked up so the mosquitoes have fled the scene, so now we will have a few hours of peace.
I visit for a while with the 3 anglers above us while keeping a watchful eye on the ML bar rod from a distance. I feel it will be exploding any minute.
During my visit they said that they had lost one like us before we had arrived.
It was then back down to home base and I climb into the LC that is anchored in about 2 to 3 feet of water and work on fastball stats. Boat traffic is consistant, going in both directions as guides move their clients from a half day of salmon fishing to try for a sturgeon in the second half of the trip. Each time a boat goes by, especially those that seem to come so close to us
I have to stop writing on the ball forms because of the waves created, luckily I donot get seasick easily.
The bottom boat, in the line below us moves to the top of the bar, anchors and in no time is into and lands a nice fish.
I find out later it was a guide friend of mine who phones me later in the day as they are now sturgeon fishing up river. He tells me during the conversation the fish they landed was the third one they had hooked that day, a prime fish in the 15 pound range. The call is cut short as they are getting a sturgeon bite and he has to hang up but I hear him giving instructions, "watch the right rod" before the line becomes silent
Things slow down in the afternoon doldrums and I concentrate on the stats.
I notice a boat coming up rive with 2 uniformed pepole aboard and I tell Gary, "here comes some FOC officers" but I see as they come to shore it is 2:40 who jokily says "see your licenses".
He and his partner who work for FVRD Parks department are busy taking some bird houses to a park on the Harrison River.
They have little time to visit and are on their way, I get back to the ball stats and concentrate on fishing at the same time.
All of a sudden the bell tolls, ball score sheets and papers go flying as I once again I firmly set the hook.
I feel something is there but it does not feel very big. I wonder maybe the fish has slacked line me and is swimming right towards me. I reel frantically, hoping this was the case. My bar weight appears and in tow is a large pike minnow,
one that would have captured the top prize in last Saturday's derby.
What was this fish doing grabbing my glow and way out there in the swift current of the Fraser. The pike minnow is very plump in the stomach, a female full of eggs as now is when they spawn.
It is back to my task of stats as all boats and the occupants are gone for a while, until the late afternoon shift appears including one that favors the Canucks who appears at MLB. the skipper anchors below us and in no time is into and lands a fish, it is around the 12th that we had seen or been told about today, in the MLB area.
The lucky boat leaves shortly after and we are once again on our own. I tell Gary that once the mosquitoes appear we are gone. I know it will not be long as the wind now begins to slacken and the sun prepares to dip behind a mountain to the North of us.
The cell phone again rings and it is my sister wondering if I have caught a fish for a family BBQ slated for Monday night to celebrate Canada's birthday. I tell her about the salmon loss and said all we had was a pike minnow that is not the best of table fare.
I have been talking to her for about two minutes when lo and behold the bell really starts to toll and the rod is bouncing in tune with it.
"I have one Fran" I say as I lurch out of the boat seat eagerly grabbing the thrashing rod. I hear in the excitement Fran say "I will turn the speaker phone on and you can describe the action as we have some guests here". I reply OK as I lay the phone on the consul of the LC.
Gary by this time is coming down once again to get the net as I am once again enjoying the feel of a blunt nosed chinook, out about 50 feet from me. The battle is going well so far as I do a play by play for my audience 30 miles away.
Gary is just reaching the LC when I feel the line go a bit slack, you know how it FEELS WHEN YOU LOOSE A FISH, as I say to Gary and the rest of them "GONE AGAIN".
"There goes the BBQ" I say as I pick up the phone. Just as there is no fish on the end of my fishing line there is no one on the end of the telephone line?
I dial my sister back and she tells me she pushed the wrong button on the phone and lost the connection, I tell her I lost the fish as well.
By now the bugs are back looking for their evening meal as the wind has completely died down. Gary and I agree we have had our chances and prepare for the trip back to the launch.
Even though we did not have a fish to take home, it I guess is secondary in the whole scheme of things. We have pleasant memories of another trip out on the Fraser River, a river like so many other rivers in British Columbia that has so much to offer to us and others that enjoy the outdoors. No wonder we call it Beautiful British Columbia, lets, as we celebrate Canada Day throughout the Province make sure we keep it that way, at our campsites, fishing areas be it lakes or rivers and at other outside activities spots.
Another thing that was beautiful today as well was, the number of fish we saw or heard about, a welcome sign maybe for this year's chinook returns. Lets do all we can to make sure this trend continues for all species of salmon. Remember we owe it to both the fish and for the future generations to do so.
Happy Canada Day and good fishing.
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Topic: Quick Action On The Bar, The Journal For The Last Day of June. (Read 5904 times)