A warm welcome on Valentine's Day to The Journal on FWR, your top fishing web page in the Northwest for fishing information, fishing tips, environmental issues, tall tails, videos and much more.
After taking the last two days off as after fishing on a wet and cool Monday morning that saw my cold resurface. As well fishing seemed slow of late from what I could gather.The Master had only connected with only one fish in three trips. I heard of a few others being hooked including a big one lost by Dave on Tuesday.
I met up with Dave who has just retired while I was taking a look at the river on Tuesday morning. I had attended his retirement party on Friday and gave him 5 floats including a Drennan, a couple of DNE's and two Balsa ones as a retirement gift, all affixed with the Maple Leaf logo attached to the top of each float.
They were all beauties and had been rescued from Vedder River log jams.
When he told me he lost the biggest steelhead he has hooked in 20 years I asked what was the matter as with a Maple Leaf Float on that should not have happened. I looked at the Maple Leaf DNE he was presently using but I noticed no logo. When questioned about this he said "took it off". We have a laugh as I believe he being a Canuck fan he could not be seen with it on. I said no wonder you lost it but he said he was actually using a foam float when he had the fish on.
Yesterday I visited the KWB area, lots of anglers fishing this area and besides it was such a lovely day. Maybe Spring is not far away. I was told fishing was slow today with only a couple taken.Tooth Pick had one in the tube and I saw the boys pick it up while I visited other anglers on the bar.
With the thought that maybe the fish that had been holding around KWB had moved up river a bit I decided to give it a try this afternoon.
After reading two days worth of newspapers over a double double at Tim's I finally made my way to the river at 12:30 after first checking at Lickman and Peach, not all that many anglers out, water was lovely.
I then preceded to work a few runs further up river and then while working the same runs back towards the Leaf Mobile I see a little slot that I previously had walked by. I donot know what made me walk back up stream to it but I did. On the second cast into it the Maple Leaf Drennan dips, I strike and I could not believe it as a fish catapults out of this little spot that was not much bigger to hold a wash tub in.
It heads for a bunch of snags but I am able to pull the 10 pound fish, give or take some, away the woody debris, it heads over some fast water into the next run. I am hoping wild as I want to get the second one into the tube before Stevie O gives up on me and takes my tube away.
The first one I tubed was Lew's fish from last week. As the fish tires I see it is indeed a wild so off my shoulder comes the tube and I open it up to receive the silver beauty.
The fish is easily slipped into the now gaping tube and I then remove the #2 hook that I have gone back to, after using a bigger one on Nick's advice as I had missed a few fish with the #2. I did not have bite using the 1/0 or maybe it was a 2/0.
With the brood stock fish now safely in its darkened temporay home and with the tube tied to a cut off beaver stick I phone Lynne at the hatchery and give her the location I am at. She says Kelly will be on the way shortly.
I phone Lew and tell maybe he should come out as maybe we can find another, he says he will.
The hatchery truck arrives just before Lew does with the steelhead now safely and successfully transfered to the blue carrying case for the trip to the tank on the Chilliwack River Hatchery truck. I ask how many fish tubed so far and I believe they said it was getting close to 50.
Lew and I work the runs for a bit before he decides to head home for a Valentine walk with his wife. I cannot do that as my wife's band is playing for a Valentine gathering at a OAP home. I have a couple of hours to fish so I head downstream some.
As I cut up some steelhead bait from last week's fish another anglers stops by for a chat. As he looks at my bait he says " a bit gooey isn't it". A little taken back I say, "I have taken a fish today on it", I say no more.
I work a couple of runs, working my way down stream. I notice a cormorant fly over head, he circles and touches down in a run above me. He dives, searching for a small fish or two for his dinner. As then he swims down to the next run I want to fish. I hope he does not scare a steelhead that could be in this nice looking spot that lays ahead.
As I reach it I work my way through it and near the tail out the Maple Leaf Drennan is gone, I strike nothing, bottom? Next drift same thing, whats going on, third drift, down again, same results, most be some line or a snag.
New bait attached, drift on the way to the spot, way she goes again, strike, something solid, comes free, must be a snag. Next drift down for the 5th time, strike again this time the solid thing shakes itself, yes it is a fish but the shaking is short lived, gone, darn, 5 chances, where is Lew to hook this fish for me.
Now I figure this will be it as a few more drifts are uninterrupted but no, again the red topped Drennan dives downward, again. For the 6th time inside of 5 minutes I have had this steelhead take a liking to my offering, I strike and this time I have contact, for about 5 seconds as just as line starts to leave my center pin it goes slack, double darn, make it a damn. I am deflated big time and feel like a big beak.
I try to temp this fish with a roe bag and a shrimp but this fish has finally smartened up, no more chances but I donot deserve any do I ?
As darkness starts to fall I decide to give this run a rest and try a couple of runs before I return to see if this suicidal fish may have both a short memory and a high pain level.
As I return back to the run where I believe I have never had as many chances at the same fish I put on a new bait of which I have only three left. Maybe I make 6 or so casts and are just about ready to give up when downtown again, for the SEVENTH time no less. I strike hard and fast, yes he is there like the first time, the feeling is solid like before, headshake like before, taking line like before but this time the line does not go slack as the battle is on. It feels strong and it uses its strenght to head up and down the pool a time or two. Its getting dark but I see the flash of its silver sides, I am please now. The fish trys to vacate the run, I slacken off some and I am able to ease it within view. Its a wild, thats ok but too late in the day to tube. A quick picture and the 13 pound buck, give or take some is sent back to his run.
Its 5:30 now, time to go and I relive this experience over and over in my mind as I cross the river, back to the Leaf Mobile.
I meet a walker on the trail, I say "nice evening for a walk", "beautiful" he says as we pass each other.
Beautiful it sure is I think as I skip happily down the trail, thinking of two nice steelhead to the beach in an afternoon of fishing. It just proves one does not have to go out early in the day to get into some fish but you know I think I will get out on the flow early tomorrow as who knows, that suicidal steelhead may want to give me another chance to tangle with him, for the 8th time. If he does he will be hatchery bound. Today will be a Valentine Day to remember for a while as I was going hand in hand with two of natures most beautiful fish with one of them just like courting, it can take time to hook that loved one.
Happy Valentines Day to you and yours from The Journal.
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Topic: A Valentine Fish, A Suicidal One Too, The Journal From The Vedder, Feb.14 (Read 3678 times)