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[chris gadsden]

Before I give the report for today please donot forget the CVRCC cleanup on the Vedder River tomorrow. It is very rewarding to give something back to the river that gives us so much enjoyment during 10 months of the year.
As registration starts between 9 and 9:30 you have time to catch a steelhead before the cleanup starts or if you donot get one at first light you will have plenty of time after as we are wrapped up shortly after 12.

I will buy lunch at Cookies Rest. for any FWR member that brings a fish to the registration table between 9 and 9:30 and then takes part in the cleanup.

Today's report.

As usual got a bit of a late start and after arriving at the river I see numerous anglers all ready making their first few casts.

I swing my brood capture tubes over my shoulder, packing two today as confident of catching a wild one myself and getting one from the numerous anglers that will be out as Friday is usually a busy day. I head for the "Hot Spot" and as I get near it I am intercepted by Harold from New Westminister that wants to talk. I tell him I want to get to the run as quick as I can so not to miss the chance at tubing a wild one. Harold continues talking as I keep on my mission as he is following me right at my heels.

As the run appears in sight I see around 6 anglers already settled into their chosen spot. As I pass Scotty who is at the top of the run he says nothing yet. I slide in to a nice part of the run above Ed who distracted me yesterday and I missed seeing my float going down. We joke about it and he asks me if I have forgiven him yet,"of course" I say but do not talk to me today" I add.

I see Blueback along with his trusty dog Krispy (hard to forget that name as it reminds me of Krispy Kream donuts) arriving at the top of the run and in no time flat I hear a jubuilant shout, I look upriver and Blueback's rod is nicely arched. I put my rod down and head towards him hoping maybe it is a wild for the tube but it is a nice hatchery doe that he plays and lands as I help him push it ashore. We both notice the Gammy is holding on by a thread. It has been a good week for him landing two hatchery but best of alll being a dad for the first time. A very happy future to you and your new family Blueback. O yes, he tells me it was his first cast of the day when he connected,a double good week, makes me jealous.

I head back to my place in the sand and the next fish is taken by Harold, a white fish.

Not much more happens until my float goes down, I strike but nothing, is it also a white fish I wonder as there is a few around I hear. Anglers come and go as there is up to 12 anglers in sight most of the time. Next Ed's friend above is into a fish, that hits the beach in about 1 minute. I was ready to pounce like a cat on a mouse if it is a wild but it is a hatchery doe, very small 4 to 5 pounds.

Shortly after my Balsa float really goes for a dive again, I am again right on it but nothing. I know it is a fish of some sort but is it another white fish who knows. I am getting low on roe bags and pull up a log to tie up a few. I am nearly finished and the cell phone rings, it is Nick who is fishing with Steve today. "Time for breakfast" he tells me, "see you at Cookies". As I have missed breakfast it did not take much convincing for me to forget fishing and head for the Leaf Mobile.

Over breakfast Nick says he had one steelhead chase his bait to the beach as he was reeling in but it let go before he could strike. Being an aggressive fish on the next cast Nick gets another chance but barbs the fish and then the steelhead got the message that he better not give the Master another chance and does not come back.

After lunch I double check that the donuts and coffee will be ready for the cleanup from Tim Hortons that we have to pick up at 8. With that in order back to the flow, I am just getting settled in then I see two hatchery fish taken, one on my side of the river and one on the other, is the bite on or most likely they are moving fish. Shortly after this I see another fish on,on my side too, I try to draw their attention as I move towards them on the dead run through a side channel of mud and over some rip rap. As I get near the action the angler's line go slack, broke it off. "It was a 12 to 14 pound wild", the unlucky angler says and he apolizies to me for having me have to run so far, to no avail. He also tells me it was the second he had lost in the last hour. I wait around the area to see if he will be third time lucky but he is not.

Lew arrives and we fish were I had started in the morning but nothing. With the clock near 3 I then have to drive to Abbotsford to pick up the Adopt a River signs we will be presenting to 5 groups around 9:15 tomorrow at the cleanup. As I walk up to the LM I see some other anglers looking up river and they tell me a fellow fishing with a lady has just taken a hatchery.

I quickly make the trip to Abbotsford and back with the signs and have a few more minutes to fish but nothing but just as the day ends Ben on the far side of the river lands a fish, in the darkness we were not sure if he retained it or released it. So today there was fish all around me from daylight to dark but I seem to be in the right area but the fish seem to perfer other anglers offering more than mine.

I close the report with a caption for a picture Float Drowner took and Rodney posted.

Chilliwack/Vedder River Cleanup Coalition directors Lew Chater and Chris Gadsden admire the new Adopt a River signs tonight with Nick and Steve who will be taking part as well in the first cleanup for 2005 on Saturday. Come out and do your part in cleaning up the river bank, enjoy some coffee and donuts courtesy of Tim Hortons of Chilliwack, meet some new and old friends and maybe meet the Master for some fishing tips, I will be first in line.

[Buckeye]

Wow, so many beaks all in one picture!

 

[chris gadsden]

Wow, so many beaks all in one picture!

 

Beats having to be working on a beautiful Spring like day like some people we know.

[Athezone]

Thanks for the report Chris and both Dorthy and myself are looking forward to the clean-up tomorrow and maybe a little fishing afterwards before we head to Hope to visit with a couple relatives. Don't know if I'll be able to take you up on that offer of a free lunch Chris as getting the girl up early on Sat. to fish might be pushing it but I'll give a good try you can bet on  that. With this nice weather the steelies sound like their getting more aggressive on the take which is good for us. Anyway's I'll say bye for now and see you and hopefully many more members of this board out to help a great cause and give back some to the river that gives us so much. Good Fishing All.

[Float Drowner]

Float Drowner and the Mrs. will be in attendance tomorrow to help out.  Looking forward to it.

[Steelhawk]

With all the actions reported by Chris & others in the lower river, have to get out to get into the action. But as an afternoon steelheader in general, my best effort to get up early is not good enough. By the time I got there, fishermen already heading out.    Look what I missed judging from Chris's report. Fish were everywhere in the good lower runs. 

Plus, my usual hunting ground is mid/upper river rapids, with the recent floods the river changed quite a bit in the lower river. I picked the wrong location to start in the lower river, ending up only seeing trees and very unlikely waters, and no fishermen in my area hooked into any thing while I was there. Chris, HELP, I need to know where the Hot Spot is...

After that, I made another mis-calculation, by deciding to head back up to mid river where I know all the good waters. Well, obviously the major schools of fish are either in lower river & uppper river, as all the great spots I tried in mid river yielded nothing, nor did I see any one into a fish. Great place though, solitude and private, very few people where I went, and great looking waters but no fish. Me & the river, nice!   

With half an hour to spend at 4:30 before heading home, I decided to try a nice run closer to lower river. My reason being the steelies have to swim up from lower river & that classic steelhead run should hold some fish. But it is a long run, and I have to cover the water instead of fishing just a pocket in the rapids. Nice thing is, no one is there.  Pulling out my secret weapon, I started to cast and fan-drift, take 2 steps, and repeat the process.  As there are about 2-3 ft visibility, I watched the float cutting a arc path 2-3 ft down stream in every cast so no fish will miss my presentation. Judging from the lead bounce, I identified the 2-4 ft depth zone, where a steelie may likely sit. Every time the float got to that zone, I lowered my rod and tighten the line, ready for a strike.

10 minutes into the drift, wham! there it is, a violent strike on the metal lure by a big steelie at the 2-3 ft zone . From the subsequent jump I can tell it is a beauty around 16lb. But my hook set was solid as my rod was lowered ready for the strike, and it held on despite repeated runs, jumps, twists and shakes. The 2/O gamy penetrated the jaw solidly.  15 minutes later, a wild buck beauty came in, total chrome. But unfortunately there is somehow a large wound in the underbelly, probably from a seal bite. Given that, he gave me quite a battle, and a nice way to end the day.

[chris gadsden]

A very good report funfish and glad you got a fish to the beach. I wish I was around to tube it but on second thought with a large seal bite you mention I probably would not have as with the protective slime gone from around the cut it would become infection and would not survive while being held until it was ready to be spawned.

Once again a good and enjoyable report and excellent to see others writing fishing journals, we soon will be able to form a FWR book club.