After bagging a coho salmon on Monday, another one on Wednesday, I thought that I would be able to perform a hat trick by showing up today.
This morning at 5:00am, I dragged my dad, who's in town for a visit, along to North Vancouver. The condition was rougher than Wednesday. Constant waves pounded the beach so it was hard to wade for better line control. Just after our arrival, one gentleman connected with a smallish coho but lost it as it approached shore. Another angler released a fish, most likely a wild coho salmon or a pink salmon. Fish could still be seen feeding in the shallows. The odd leapers could be spotted further out at times. I hooked another fish just after 7:00am, only to see my lure falling out of its mouth while it leaped into the air. We quitted at 7:30am to avoid the commuting traffic. The quest for a hat trick is not over.
We returned home for a few hours of rest and work, then we headed out again around noon to the Tidal Fraser River for some pink salmon action. The tide was extremely low but based on several reports, it seems that some fish are moving through during low tides. We arrived at the first spot only to find hundreds of pink salmon surfacing as they migrate. Unfortunately we seemed to have caught the tail end of the school. Ten minutes later, it was back to silence.
After an hour of casting and no results, we decided to head for another location. Vince and his dad joined us after we met up. Fresh blood could be found on the rocks at the new spot, which is always a good sign. We also found some guts and heads laying around. For those who choose to clean their fish by the river, please throw your leftovers far into the river. It would benefit small living creatures in the water and also keep the fishing site clean for the next users.
After seeing a couple of rises, Vince got into the first fish. It was a medium sized female pink salmon. I was into a fish next, a rather mpressive one I thought. This bull took one run after another but in the end he simply got too tired to run anymore. It was rather bright, but the hump was already developing, so back into the drink it went after a quick photo.
A few minutes after that, I got stung by a wasp!
I sat on the sideline complaining about the pain, letting others to catch up on the pink salmon catches. They were not successful.
After shaking the pain off, it was back for some more action. Immediately I missed one, hooked one briefly, then hooked one solidly but it shook the lure off after a good run. After that brief excitement, Mark showed up for his after-school spin off.
He was not so lucky once again today. I hooked and landed one more bright doe to end the trip before the tide turned at 5:30pm.
Water clarity is improving. Schools of pinks are small and still scattered around, but you would connect with a fish or two if you wait it out at one spot during one tide change.
Happy weekend pinking.
Author
Topic: North Vancouver and Tidal Fraser River September 7th, 2007 (Read 1611 times)