It seems a long time that I have welcomed you all to The Journal on FWR, your top fishing web site on the net. Welcome to you all, at the beginning of another weekend, I hope you are able to get out and cast a line in one of our precious rivers in British Columbia.
Nearly 3 weeks battling a cold, numerous energy sapping meeting seemed to dampen my spirit to get out as much as I usually do at this time of the year. I started out fishing in earnest the early part of the season hooking into 6 that all were lost or broken off, although not sure if a couple of them were steelhead.
Also after tubing 19 steelhead last year for the hatchery program my total has been 0 after a month of the program for 2007. I am glad others have picked up my slackness. Maybe I will surrender the tubes for someone else next season.
Today I really did not plan to fish as after a relaxing double double at Tims I had checked the river around noon at Lickman Road and thought visibility was close to 16 inches. As well not many anglers seemed to be out so I guess fishing was slow.
After my boo at the flow I headed home and filed a clarity report on the page, I also noticed no one had filed a report for the day so far. After lunch I checked back on the page and noticed kingpin had filed a report that he though visibility was maybe a foot.
I answered back in jest,that there is not much difference in a few inches and added I would check it again later in the day, with a updated report. I also added I may take the pole with me but I though the clarity would mean it would stay in the Leaf Mobile, especially if it was indeed was only 10 or 12 inches.
I stop at the Canal first and it did not look much better than 4 hours before, I do a golf ball walk and find 4 balls along with about $1 worth of tins. I notice only 4 anglers fishing in the area from the Freeway Bridge to the top of the Canal. There was more golfers on the course trying to hit that little white round thing than the fishers trying to hit a fish.
The colour was a bit discouraging so I though maybe I should just go home and watch a hockey game but I remembered it was just the Canucks so that would be pretty boring so I though I would go and check the garbage bags at Hoogies and see if they need changing.
I see a few anglers working the water as I drive down to the Hydro Bridge. I turn around there and decide to try a few casts at a run I noticed a fellow hook a fish a couple of weeks ago, when I was fishing on the other side of the river.
I donot even put my waders on, I grab the pole and head over the bank. As I start down the gravel slope I lose my footing, trip and slide down on my bottom to the gravel bar below. I do it with such a flourish two anglers fishing below hear the clatter and turn to look at this beak making a grand entrance to the river edge. I have during the slide somehow sunk the hook into my hand, banged my elbow, and slammed my Avon reel on the rocks as I tumbled down, what a way to start my fishing trip. As I gain my feet blood drips from my hand as I pull out the hook, luckily the reel seemed okay but my elbow ached a bit.
I put on a pro cured shrimp and start casting, trying to let on nothing has happened but I am sure the other anglers were laughting at my performance. I fish there for 15 minutes and keep thinking of what kingpin had said, visibility only 10 inches, a foot at best. As I peer at it maybe it is only that or is it the clay on the bottom that makes it look worse.
Anyway I decide to give it up, another blanked trip and my elbow hurts, time to take my pride or what is left of it home, anyway it is nearly supper time. Maybe I will get some sympathy from my wife.
As I drive towards the exit by the parking lot I glance at the side stream, the water looks clearer there, I brake the Leaf Mobile to a halt and jump out for a closer look. It looks clearer here, was it the speed of the current that keep some of the clay off the bottom or what but it looked over a foot now.
What the heck might as well give it a try as it is only 5 o'clock and each passing day now sees more daylight as Spring is not the far away.
I decide to put on the waders but decide to leave the other gear including the camera in the Leaf Mobile as it would be in sight of where I am fishing.
I trot up the Rotary Trail to where I could cross the side stream. Before I cross I decide to check a large stump where I have found a few floats. No floats there but it looked it could hold a steelhead as it offered some cover and with the recent jump in the water had created a nice little spot. I re thread the shrimp and cast outside the stump, I am not sure if I was looking away or walking along the rip rap but when I look where the Maple Leaf Drennan should be it was gone. Thinking it was most likely just bottom I just picked up on it, as it cleared the water the shrimp I see is now gone, how did that happen, was it a fish or what.
On goes another bait and as I cast I am still wondering what had happened. I have positioned myself in a better spot to cast. This time I am watching the red topped drennan with an eagle eye, cast one, nothing, cast two the same, cast three, it too remains dry. Maybe it was just bottom after all and the shrimp had just slipped off.
Just as I am getting ready to wade the river to try a couple of other likely looking runs on the next cast I see the MLD dipping downward, I strike, contact as I feel the head shake of a fish, it immediately races in the direction of the stump, I reel frantically, trying to pick up the slack. Just as I start to catch up to my quarry, the steelhead reverses fields, line pleasantly peels off the Avon's drum and heads toward the middle of the river.
I am so excited I look around to see if anyone is within view so I can yell "I HAVE A STEELHEAD ON".
As the fish now begins to tire from its frantic runs, trying to rid itself from the annoying hook in its jaw I slip down to the river edge and draw it towards me. Just then some lady joggers come by me on the trail, I turn toward them to draw their attention, hoping they would see me with my first steelhead of the season now near the beach. They seem to ignore me, more interested in talking with each other. I now have seen it is a wild, a doe, not big, 7 pounds, maybe 8 if I lie a bit. I admire my catch's beauty briefly before I easily slip the hook from her mouth sending her on her way, no camera for picture but that did not really matter. I had landed her safely and that was all that mattered to me, my jinx now broken. As my Valentine present, be it two days late gained deeper water she disappeared back to the deep, gone from my sight but not from my memory.
I fish a few other runs for 30 minutes more but nothing more happens but I am happy as an angler catching their first steelhead ever. I head back to the Leaf Mobile, time to leave the river once again knowing I will return shortly to seek out, hopefully another majestic steelhead.
Maybe now I will start
rolling, rolling, rolling right along as I have got off to a slow start but just like the Leafs when we start winning there is no stopping us.
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Topic: Miracles Do Happen, The Journal For Feb. 16 (Read 3850 times)