A warm welcome to The Journal once again on FWR, your top fishing web site in the NorthWest for fishing information and fishing tails.
With the forcast for heavy rain and wind today a planned fishing trip to a wilderness river was cancelled. After a coffee at Tims the rain had not really materialized here in the Valley so I decided to give the Vedder a try. I fuel up the Leaf Mobile at $1.09 a litre, what a price, I remember getting it for under 50 cents a GALLON.
I return home and thaw out some shrimp in a zip lock bag and pour in a little red procure. While the procure is doing its magic I load up the Leaf Mobile with the rest of the gear and head to check the river's color.
With little rain the last while I thought it would be fine and on arrival at the Lickman parking lot I see it is, 2 to 3 feet visibility. Two anglers are just heading out and I try to give them some encouragement that there is some fish around as The Master has been into some this week and of course I hooked one on Tuesday. I add, if they put in some time they should be able to find a fish or two
As I am getting ready to head to the other side of the flow friends Keith and Jacqueline who I had just had coffee with a hour ago drive in for a look at the river. I cockily tell them I am going to get a fish today, maybe putting some needed pressure on me to try and land my second of the season. This year has been one of my worse for finding fish but then I have not fished with the enthusiasm I usually have. I hope age is not dampening my usual love for fishing.
Before we part I tell them to check their computer later for a picture of the steelhead I am going to catch.
I decide to also give "The Master" a call to see if he is fishing, he is not, he is getting ready to head out tomorrow to do some radio tagging of some rainbows up country. He tells me to try a spot where they have picked up some steelhead this week.
I promptly head there and on arrival I see no one else around, I slip on the now thawed shrimp and begin casting at the top of this run, nice ripply water too. If I remember correctly it is the same area I landed the last steelhead of 2006, in April too.
While looking at some swallows darting around above me, looking some insects I guess I turn my gaze back towards the water and see my float is gone, how many times does this happen to me. I strike but it was too late as there is nothing there but the shrimp, all intact.
A few casts in the same spot yields nothing so I work down to the tailout with nothing to show for the 100 more yards of fishable water. I think about going back to where I missed what I believe was a fish but decide to head downstream, will try it on the way back. I work down towards the Hydro Bridge but even though I fish some good water the Maple Leaf Drennan stays top side. I notice a couple of campers on the other side of the river, here for the weekend I guess. A truck stops beside the campers with two fellows bailing out, it is Coho Cody and his dad, I believe they said they had connected with two. I say "nothing yet but I am confident I will find one", maybe partly because I am feeling overdue.They head on their way, I continue working my way downstream a bit more before retracing my way back upstream. Just before I get to the run I had had the hit 90 minutes before I stop at another likely looking spot.
Two anglers come down towards me from above, one of them says a friend has hit 4 up river a bit today, "The Master" was right, there is fish around. The fellow says he caught his biggest of the year a few weeks ago where I was fishing, a 17 pounder. We wish each other good luck they head down river, I towards my starting run. When I get there I see 2 fly chuckers fishing it. I think maybe I should leave it to them and go for a coffee and return later but they are nearing the tailout and I had missed the fish 50 yards or so above them so I decide to fish that spot and not get too close to them.
I fish my way down a bit and stop well above where they are fishing. I admire the way they could cast their presentation. Anyway as I said I did not want to interfer with their fishing so I started working back up to the top of the run, as I near the top of the riffle and are almost ready to leave for that coffee the Maple Leaf Drenan is gone, I strike but nothing again, similar to the first strike, shrimp OK. What goes here?
A few more casts yields nothing but all of a sudden red top gone, I strike, yes it is a steelhead, after a brief head shake it tears out towards the other side of the river. The run of this fish makes me think it is a fair sized one, it also breaks water a couple of times, the fly guys do not see me with the fish on at the start. I bring the fish towards me after that line peeling run. The bottom fly guy finally sees me with the fish on, he nods to his friend who turns to look at me, I now see it is a hatchery doe, not as big as I first thought maybe 7 pounds tops. It is a little colored but as I slide it ashore I decide to take my first steelhead of the season, finally fresh fish for the wife.
As I pick up the steelhead the top fly guy says, I think in good humour, "Don't you get sick of catching them on gear"? I say something to the effect " Haven't been out much this year, I have fly rod at home", little does he know this is only the second steelhead I have landed this season, the first hatchery too.
I take the fish up to a log and mark my 13 day old license, filling in the top spot. I want to take a picture to send to Keith and Jacqueline as I said I would do but I did not want the fly guys to see me taking a picture of such a small fish and as well a little removed from its prime.
I decide to take the picture out of view so I head up to the trail and find another spot to snap the photo. Just as I have completed the picture taking the two fly guys come by, I ask them if they have found anything. I believe it was one word only "no".
I phone "The Master" thanking him for the tip about the hot spot and head back to the Leaf Mobile. I change the 3 clear garbage bags I have placed in the area, all three are at least half full, I am glad anglers and others are using them. I finally head for that coffee in Yarrow, content with the fact the Friday the 13th is not always unlucky except for the Canucks that are behind 2-0 as I type this. At least the Maple Leaf Drennan float was finally successful in landing its first hatchery for 2007.
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Topic: Lucky Or Not On Friday The 13th, The Journal From The Vedder River (Read 2929 times)