Got lazy yesterday so delayed my first trip to the Vedder until this morning. I was anxious to try out my new Maple Leaf Stealth. It was of course decorated with a nice blue and white Leaf logo proudly attached. I was a bit surprised they did not come with the ML logo already stamped on them as it certainly would increase there saleability.
I was armed with a dozen roe bags that I had tied up last night for myself and 2:40 who would be joining me in the hunt for our first coho of the young season.
As I reach our chosen run daylight is beginning to break, I see another angler settled in at the top of the run. As 2:40 is still a few minutes behind me I decide to head for the Blue Cup Run and get a head start on him.
I slip in below the other angler and affix a dime sized roe bag and flip it out mid stream just as 2:40 appears, coming over the bank. I turn back to admire the Maple Leaf Stealth and just as I begin to think how nice it rides in the water much to my amazement it slips quickly from view. I am a bit slow on the strike therefor no resistance is felt.
Well look at that I think to myself as I begin to reel in, a take on the first cast of the day, the first cast of the coho season.
The Stealth and the rest of my terminal gear has only gone a couple of feet from its early morning swim when I feel the tug of a fish, and then I see a swirl, maybe a trout I start to think, however whatever it is continues to attack the roe bag, I continue to reel. I must have a least 3 chances as I keep feeling a tug followed by a swirl I strike but no hook up. Just as I am about to lift the Stealth out of the water another swirl, another tug and final this suicidal fish has finally hooked itself as it takes a few feet of line off the centerpin, good to feel a fish again.
As it flips around, trying to free itself from the annoying hook, most likely regretting its eagerness at the same time I notice it is a coho jack, in the 15 inch range. As I bring it near the shore keeping it in the 8 inches of water I am looking for a adipose but there is none to be seen so I decide I will keep it, having no fresh fish since the trip to the Thompson a few weeks ago. 2:40 just reaches the scene as I send the fish to fish heaven. I give him his share of the roe bags, he drops quickly into position, a few yards below me, hoping maybe the bite is on.
We see some good sized fish slipping over the shallows above us, some continuing their journey upstream while other dislike having their backs out of the water and splash their way back into the safe depths of the run. Hard to tell if the are chinook or the prized coho we were seeking.
Over the next hour we have several chances but the takes are very light and we cannot make contact, out of practice setting the hook I guess, no more suicidal ones either.
2 :40 has to leave so I decide to stick it out a bit to see if the incoming tide may bring in some fish from below. Just as I start to think a double double would be more productive the newly baptized Stealth dips quickly. This time I am on the take and have contact, the fish just as quickly breaks water and I see it is a sucker, close to 2 pound worth.
I bring my second fish of the day to hand and gently release it, watching it scurry around my feet for a second or two, stirring up some silt before it heads to deeper water.
A fellow on the other side of the river is then into a fish, also a jack that he releases, he tells me it was a wild fish. I notice he is using deli shrimp, never used them before for coho.
I pack up and head back to the Leaf Mobile picking up a few bottles, cleanup some line and find 3 floats including a drennan but now after today it will be strictly Stealth floats for me as how can you beat getting the first coho of the season on the first cast.
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Topic: Christening The Maple Leaf Stealth, On The Vedder, Sept.19 (Read 7126 times)