After hooking two steelhead the last two days and seeing as well as hearing of better results from other anglers I told Rodney last night it might be worth a trip to the Vedder this morning. Besides water conditions were improving after the recent high water as well the weather was spring like which makes fishing very comfortable. Also warmer water can make the fish more likely to bite your offering.
We decided to meet at 7:15, to fish the spot I had lost the 2 fish this week and had seen others landed. I was certain there would be fish there but as we all know in fishing, nothing is certain. Of course I was eager to get my first steelhead to the beach after my very slow start to the season. As well many others were reporting they were into good numbers of fish this season that made me wonder what was wrong with me. Hopefully it was not age catching up with me.
I arrive at the meeting spot but Rodney is not yet there, maybe he is caught up in traffic. As I am tubing for the brood stock program I decide to head to the river to be there at first light encase someone else hooks a wild. When I reach the run it is crawling with anglers so I head to another small spot, just above the recent hot spot so I can keep an eye on the others encase they hook a possible wild for the tube.
After fishing the small run for a bit with no success my cell rings and its Rodney, he says "slept in 30 minutes but I will be there shortly". On his arrival we join up and fish the main run as the first arrivals start to leave as there has been no activity at all. While talking to Jon, one of the anglers fishing the area says he misses a fish but it will not come back. I also phone the Master for an update on a different area he is fishing but he does not answer the ring but a couple of minutes later he phones back. He says "I was reaching for the phone on your call and my float went down at the same time and I could not answer as it was a steelhead". Nick tells me it was a small hatchery that he lands and releases, he also relates he lost another a tad earlier. I say you are having better success than we are, Rodney tells me I have taken him to the wrong spot. I guess what I said early nothing is certain in fishing. Rodney also hears from another couple of anglers that they helped someone land a fish a little above where we are.
We had decided to meet Nick at Cookies Grill shortly after 11 for lunch and take a break away from the river which is always a good idea if you are going to make it a full day of fishing. I find I do not fish well on an empty stomach.
We enjoy a good meal, fellowship and hear the detailed stories of the 4 fish Nick was into. Of course we had no stories to share and Rodney reminds me of my poor guiding this morning. Of course we are eager to give Nick's area of success a try but we can not convince him to come with us as he had some things to do. He details the spots to try, off we go with about 4 hours of fishing time left in the day, hope now high.
I tell Rodney I want to first check a new spot but not sure if we can wade to it. We stop to take a look but Rodney says it looks a little tricky to wade so he heads to Nick's hot spot. I am able to wade the side channel with a staff and at the head of the run I slip on a fresh bait before the first cast. On about the fourth cast the Maple Leaf Drennan hesitates a tad before it plunges out of sight. It sort of looked like it could have been bottom but I set the hook, not as hard as I should I guess. Immediately I know it was not bottom as the pulse of a head shake telegraphs up the rod to my hands. It not a big fish but I am pleased as it is my third fish hooked in as many days. Now the trick will be to raise my 2011 average to 1 for 3. The fish heads downstream and I let it go as there is a better spot to land and possibility to tube it if it is wild. The fish does not want to slip over a shallow riffle to the side stream right away but finally does and after a couple minutes of back and forth action I bring it towards the shore. I see it is about a 7 pound hatchery buck. As it flips on its side in the shallows I decide I will keep it as we have had no fresh fish of late. Just as I move towards the now docile and still steelhead the hook pulls out. I move a little faster now but I guess the fish sees this strange shape coming towards it and also now feels free of the hook, it quickly rights itself then heads to deeper water and is gone from my sight. I can hardly believe my eyes being so close but so far to it being mine, I feel some what disappointed.
I remind myself there is always more steelhead to find and most of the fun is being able to hook them and know you are not losing your touch. I fish the run some more but no companions are there or are not biting so I head to where Rodney is fishing, in Nick's hot spot. After I park the Leaf Mobile I cleanup a little garbage and talk to Dave and Mark who are checking out the river. I also phone Rodney to see how far away he is and I decide I will join him for the last hour or so of the day. He tells me he has missed one, encouraging.
I tie up 6 fresh roe bags before I head Rodney's way. We meet up where he missed the fish a bit earlier but find no takers. I head a bit further down to another nice spot, actually very nice, not deep but plenty good enough for the water conditions as well it is good covering water. It was not many casts when down the float goes down but no results are forth coming on the strike. I am sure it is a fish and I am right as on the next cast the hook set yields results as a bright bit of chrome comes to the surface, rolling too. I think it wraps itself in the line for a bit before it come untangled and head downstream, it looks in the 10 pound range. I wave to Rodney and he comes on the run for some photos. By the time he gets to where I am working the fish towards shore I have gone downstream a couple of hundred feet from where I had hooked it. It is in a bit of a back eddy and I do not think I was keeping a proper tension on the line for just as Rodney arrives the hook pops out, darn, make it a double darn.
Well now this is looking bad, especially for today as daylight is slipping away fast. That is always the way isn't it when one finally finds some fish? I move back up to where I had hooked the now free steelhead and on goes another roe bag, I now confident in them. Almost in the same spot, on the first cast the MLD is downtown again. Just as I am thinking wow another Ironhead a small fish clears the water and falls off. It looked like a couple of pounds, a trout or dolly I guess. I am glad it was not a steelhead as we would be looking at a 0 for 5 count. I fish the spot a bit more and then decide to explore the lower end of the run, before we run out of light.
I am casting and walking with the drift and looking at the water below me and when I look for the Maple Leaf Drennan I can not find it, must have been looking away for a good 15 seconds, must be hung up I think, not thinking fish one little bit.
I wind up slowly and when the line becomes tight I feel a pulsating sensation, yes feels like I am hung up, but wait, the line is heading upstream, fast, before I catch up to the line again a steelhead is racing toward me towards the shoreline. Finally, in a bit of shock to say the least I have control and I am battling my third steelhead of the day. I signal to Rodney again and he is on the run again, getting his exercise. When he reaches me and the steelhead this time the fish is still on. A little more of the fight is still left and while this is taking place we see the angler on the other side of the flow has also found success and is fighting one as well. A double header!
As I get the fish near shore we see no fin and a small fish of about 6 pounds is brought safely to shore snapping the losing streak at 4, 5 if you count the trout. I am happy with the little doe that is silver as one could hope for and now feel I have regained my confidence in hooking and landing this mighty game fish, the fish of a thousand casts, most likely in my case many more but that is now a distant memory. As I mark the first space on my 2010 - 2011 fishing license the other angler is doing the same, we then give each other a wave, a wave of success.
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Topic: Chilliwack River, January 27th 2011 (Read 3092 times)