A warm early morning welcome to the The Journal on FWR you web page for the best fishing information, pictures and stories on the net.
Well it is only one more sleep until the big day and a couple of hours when I will once again be out on the flow, no rain at the present and it held off for most of the afternoon yesterday so hopefully the river will once again bounce back into shape today. A bit of a cool Easterly blowing at the moment.
Yesterday the first stop was at McDonald's to get the latest news, gossip and hear some tall tales at the long table. Actually it now is 3 short tables that the regulars now have to sit at.
The Long Table at Riverside is now gone as is the structure, sorry to see it gone from the landscape. The former building that was razed by a fire just at a time when I started fishing the Vedder. There was so much history there and just think of the many beautiful steelhead that came through her doors to be admired and boasted about over thousands of cups of coffee. Maybe one day another building will once again grace the shores of the Chilliwack.
A few fishers are deep in conversation as I arrive, I see two are wearing their fishing attire, waiting like me for daybreak so we can check the river conditions before heading to our secret spot.
I get a seniors coffee, not as good as a Timms mind you but half the price and settle into a chair and join in the story telling. Good to see a friend that I played fastball with many years ago who moved North a few years back, in the land of some good fishing.
Friend Gwyn slips through the doors pulling up a chair, a while after his arrival I ask him if he would like to be guided this morning although from some success he had earlier maybe he should be doing it. I receive from him my Christmas present, some freshly smoked steelhead that will be enjoyed Chrismas Eve.
As daylight breaks we too break towards the flow, as we near the river I see between the wet snow now falling it is fishable.
We quickly grab our gear not a minute to loose as the river could go out at any time these days.
We get to fish the runs we want first but a few others in within sight distance, up and down river.
I point out to Gwyn the Iron Bar run where I pulled a fish of some sort to the surface a few days ago, as we fish it we find no one home there. We are both fishing roe bags along with some wool.
We fish a run or two below the Iron Bar run but go no further as other angles there. I tell Gwyn lets head up for a bit and then go to Cookies where I will buy you your breakfast, your Christmas gift.
Gwyn heads up, I decide to thread on a Shrimp, and throw a few casts in the Iron Bar run. On about the second or third cast at the tail out the float goes sideways a bit, like it did the day I pulled to fish to the top. This time I am on it right now as the Maple Leaf Drennan starts to disappear from sight.
This time I am rewarded as I have contact, I see the chrome flash of a fish. I shout to Gwyn above, he appears not to hear me or see the bend it my sage rod as the fish is now taking line, it appears not to be that big but as I turn my attention to it once again it boils to the surface of course I am excited, hopefully I will be beaching my first steelhead in a few minutes. I shout to Gwyn once again, he hears me this time and starts to head down towards me. Just then the fish flashes silver again but that is the last I see of him as the line goes slack, the Maple Leaf Drennan bobs to the surface, gone. As Gwyn reaches me I have to admit I believe it was a steelhead but one never knows as reports of a few dollies being caught so one never knows for sure and with the fish maybe being 7 pounds tops one never knows for sure but I want to think it was one.
We fish for a few more runs but the wet snow and rain are taking a toll on the conditions and visibility slips to around a foot from the 2 foot mark when we first started so it is time to call it a day.
As we enjoy the best breakfast in town I relive the story of the possible steelhead that has moved my record to 0 for two even though they can not be confirmed as steelhead but at least they gave me some hope that I am getting close to getting one, will it be today or in a few days down the road, I know it will come as will Chrismas, in a few hours.
For now all I can do isl dream of that bar of chrome that will more than fill my Christmas stocking.
Once again Merry Christmas from The Journal, time to get ready for this morning's trip.
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Topic: Finding Action, The Vedder, The Journal For Dec.23 (Read 3597 times)