Another warm welcome to the regular readers and new guests to another edition of The Journal on FWR.
After a very successful start to the week on Monday and Tuesday I looked forward to seeing the float going down numerous times today. As well I planned to add to my tubed fish for the hatchery total of 15 and caught total of 24 out of the 32 hooked.
I eagerly prepared my bait and equipment and was on the road by 6:30 as daylight comes earlier each day now.
I arrive at the river after my 7 minute drive and of course all the early birds including "The Master" are ahead of me, mostly likely waiting patiently for fishing time at their chosen run.
As I get my things together out of the Leaf Mobile I see movement just behind me. At first I think it is a large black dog but I quickly see by its slow gait it is a large beaver. With daylight now approaching and after night of falling trees it is heading for it's den most likely in an undercut bank somewhere. As we humans begin our day the beaver is just ending theirs.
Another vehicles arrives and the occupants pile out in a hurry, I tell them they are late.
Later I met up with them and discover it was Biffchan and his brother who I was taking to was good to finally meet them personally.
They head to their chosen run and me to the scene of Monday's action. Three other anglers are there already, no sign of "The Master" but I knew where he was.
I had decided I wanted to be closer to the dyke in case I was able to get a wild for the tube so as it is easier to get it to the hatchery truck.
Lots of room for us all to fish but there is no action anywhere and I just are getting ready to move on after an hour or so of fishing when the bottom angler tangles with a nice fish. I move in position in case it is a wild but no it is a hatchery that succumbs to a rock to the noggin.
I now decide to stay a bit longer as maybe the bite is coming on. I see another angler coming up the dyke with a fish. Shortly after he comes over our way as he knows the others that are near me. He is bubbling with excitement and one would thought he had won the lottery which maybe he had as a steelhead is a fine prize in any anglers book.
He tells the others he was in to 4 this morning and I believe he was in the run I started in yesterday where I had found nothing. It looks like I have started in the wrong place this morning and as Biffchan and his brother stop by for a visit I decide to head out with them and head to the "Diving Board Run" where I landed the wild buck yesterday. Biffchan and his brother had nothing in their starting run but saw 3 I think it was, by an angler on the other side of the run. "The Master" told me later it was indeed 3 the fellow had on landing one and losing two.
Just as I arrive at "The Diving Board" Red Toque (Frank) whose picture we posted yesterday is into another today. I move to it but it is another hatchery for Frank that ends his day once again.
I snap a picture of the landing and the happy angler. A number of anglers are there so I move to a small slot above and i just get fishing and John's pole is nicely arched, I slash downstream for a look see. Just as I get there John's fish tosses the hook before we can see if it is a wild or a hatchery fish.
I move back up to the slot but nothing doing so I decide to go to the next run as only 3 anglers in the big run so lots of room.
As I start to wade to the run I notice a nice looking red topped float caught in the boulders, drennan.
It is the second I have found in as many days. Of course I still have hope for finding the Maple Leaf Drennan #1 but this was not it.
Just as I retrieve the float cell phone rings, it is "The Master", "where are you" he says? I tell him Diving Board. He says, "well you should be up here as there is fish everywhere,
I have just taken a hatchery doe and have been into 4 others". "O there is another one on right now" as he gives me the play by play. I tell him I had just left there 30 minutes ago and there was nothing much happening. "Well it is happening now and KE was into 4 right where you were fishing, on the other side" as he continues to rub it in a bit. Well I guess I left to early as it sounds like it is anglers are leaving the area like they had been shopping at a fish market.
I fish the top run while keeping a eye on the group below but no action. As I try to cast around a root I miss cast and breakoff everything including the foam float. Time to get serious and put on the newly found drennan, now christened Maple Leaf Drennan #3.
As I tie up I get another call, it is Terry out for I drive checking on an illegal camp that has been setup along the river. The City of Chilliwack Bylaw says no camping along the river which is in effect partly because of all the mess a lot of these campers leave behind.
We decide to go for lunch at Cookies and catch up on things as Terry has been busy running The Provincial Curling Championship the last few days here in Chilliwack.
I then take Nick's advice and head to the "Hot Zone" I had vacated earlier today. As my early mornings are catching up to me I decide to have a short nap in the Leaf Mobile that turns into a hour before I am awaken by that cell phone again.
It is Don the Conservation Officier doing a follow up on the small creek damage I reported last Saturday. Things are moving ahead on this file.
Stdslayer out for a walk drops by during the end of the call, he has had a good morning tubing a couple of bucks, well done. As I once again move to the river I see lots of anglers around but I have my starting run to myself but find nothing. Don and Don come down and we fish together for a while then decide to head for a coffee break at Tim Hortons.
After coffee they head fishing and I decide to check a new area to see if I can find MLD#1. I find a half a dozen floats but no drennan, mine or otherwise. Also I clean up $4 worth of beer tins out of the river bed. With an hour left in the day I go to a run that has produced fish for others this year but my record stays intact for this area, my day stays perfect, not one bite.
Maybe I ran around too much today but that will change tomorrow as I will wait them out where I was today but with my luck they will most likely be somewhere else but that is steelheading isn't it.
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Topic: Running Here, Running There, The Journal For Feb. 22 (Read 4117 times)