I took the day off today and went steelheading again ... my third time out this year. So far, 1 for 2
. My son, Dan, was supposed to join me on this, St. Pattie's Day, as he's on Spring Break this week and next, but he wanted to sleep in (what is it with kids when they hit 15 ... they don't want to fish anymore
... oh well, I know he'll come back to it at some point in his life!). I waited around for him this morning to see if he'd join me, but no-go. So, I departed a bit late from North Delta ... around 6 a.m. The morning was partly cloudy and cool (3C) ... perfect for fishing. I reached the Lower Vedder around 7:10 a.m. and started off at Lickman Rd. run. Almost turned back when I saw the cars and crowd ... about 30 or so fisherman at the Lickman Rd. run
!! I joined in, but I wasn't thrilled
. There were 3 or 4 fish caught while I was there. I was relegated to the lower part of the run. Just the same, my float went down hard once, but I missed it. Not quite sure if it was a fish, though
. Couldn't help but notice Chris and his Make Belief cap
who was fishing the opposite side. Nothing for him either as far as I could tell
. I only stayed there for about 1 hour, then headed up to Wilson Rd. Only 1 car there ... hmmm ... promising. The water was low, but I chose some nice water to drift. Unfortunately, the fish weren't cooperating (IF they were there at all
!). I drifted right down to the main run where the Springs were aplenty in the Fall. The water was very, very low. I could see the bottom clearly ... but no fish
. There was only one other guy and his son fishing the run, besides me. I spent about 1 hour there but eventually gave up as it was getting much brighter out and warmer. Thought it would be a good time for lunch, so I took a break. After lunch, I stopped in at F
red's Custom Tackle and bought a few more roe bags they had just made up. They looked really good as they were much smaller than what I was using. I got some pink and orange ones. I then headed up to Ranger Run on their advice. When I got there, I was surprised to find noone there
! I don't think I've ever seen this run void of vehicles. I thought ... maybe I'm in luck. I took the beaten path and realized I hadn't been to this run for at least a couple of years. Its changed quite a bit, but the head of the run is pretty much the same ... deep pool. That's where I started. A couple guys soon came by and they mentioned this past Wed. had been really good at this run (sure, always the day your not there!). I stayed there for about 45 min. and then it started to pour cats and dogs and, of course, I left my rain jacket in the car! So, I decided to head back and try down below again if it wasn't raining too hard there. By the time I hit the Tamahi bridge, the rain had pretty much stopped, so I thought I'd hit the Train Bridge run. I hadn't done that one for a few years. When I got there, there was one other guy there. I fished just up from him, almost under the bridge. After my third or fourth cast, I had a huge strike ... and a few head shakes ... then off
. The guy beside me saw the few seconds of action and we both thought things would pick up, but alas they didn't. Funny thing, eh, when you've had a strong take ... you end pounding the water for ages thinking you're bound to get one again. Well that might apply with Salmon fishing, but not for Steelhead! I must have fished this run for almost 2 hours. I finally gave up, headed back to the truck, listened to the Canucks vs Blue Jackets for a bit (and the Canucks take a 1-0 lead
) and tied up a few more hooks. Its about 4:15 pm now and I'm thinking "skunk" today for sure ... just another typical Steelhead day
. I figure with only about 90 minutes of light left, I might hit that Lickman Rd. run again ... surely it can't be as packed as this morning, I thought. While driving back from the Train Bridge along the river, I noticed a very nice run off in the distance, nice narrow slot, with deep green water, and noone fishing it! I thought, why not. I pulled the truck over, climbed down the bank, and over the rocky bar. Knowing all to well Steelhead love the tailouts, I started at the head of the run and worked my way down. The water was perfect and I figured there just had to be at least one Steelhead in there. As I approached the tailout, I thought I'd put on a fresh roe sack ... Steelie pink (thank-you, Fred's
!). My first cast into the tailout, and my float is buried. FISH ON
! YAHOO!!! What a thrill fighting these silver ghosts. It must have been 5 minutes and I still didn't have the fish anywhere close to me, so I'm thinking how long is my 8 lb. leader going to last. Well, it did last and I finally managed to get the fish close enough to see its a Hatchery and a pretty decent size at that ... 11-12 lbs. or so. I managed to get it close to me and just as I'm going to strike it with a rock, I have a change of heart ... I decide to let it go ... gave one back to nature today, I figure ... but only after a pic. Taking photos by yourself is tough. You've got to hold the fish with one hand, then fumble to get your camera out, ready & shoot, all the while keeping the fish in the water so it can be easily revived/released. Where is that someone when you need a quick photo, eh? Oh well, it sure was a great day on the flow today! Enjoy my couple of pics!
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Topic: Steel on St. Patty's Day! (Read 4448 times)