I got up early today and instead of making my own coffee I headed to Tims and caught up on some newspaper reading over my early morning brew.
I wanted to get to the river early incase the bite was earlier than it has been. I was still looking for my first adult coho of the season. They seemed scarce to most of us but the amount of coho jacks I have found should prove that next year should be good.
I got away later than I wanted as got caught up in a fairly touchy email that I wanted to send out before I left.
A 5 minute drive had the Leaf Mobile at the parking area and in short order I was skipping my way to the run where some of us had success yesterday.
Dog walkers and runners were also enjoying an early start to their day as I reached the Rotary Trail. Horrors, as I look in the direction of the run I wanted to fish I see splashing at the crossing I would also be making. I see 3 figures making their way across the flow, they seem to be uncertain of the crossing in the breaking daylight.
I quicken my steps as I am being a bit of a beak as I want to beat them to the spot, if they are heading to it.
I quickly wade a little lower down than usual so cutting a little time off the route.
As I see the run as I climb over a bit of rise in the river bank I see a solitary figure barely outlined against the trees on the otherside of the river. Thats OK as room for 3 or 4 anglers to be able to cover the best part of this excellent piece of coho water.
Next I hope this chap is not fishing in a way that so many practice this day and as I reach the run I am greeted by a "good morning". Maybe I was not as cordial as I should have been, I was out of breath in my rush to beat the others to the run, a beak I was being in more ways than one.
I settle in 25 feet or so below the other angler and are pleased to see his setup is similar to mine. On goes my first piece of roe and as it hits the hot spot on the run the Maple Leaf foam float is swimming below the surface. (I broke two Maple Leaf Drennans yesterday
on the rocks after missing fish hence the foam one)
I strike and I am rewarded with a nice battle with 12 to 14 pound hen chinook that is released back to the pool.
Boy looks like the bite is going to be good and early today but things do not happen that way so I talk to the other angler and find out he, Whitedevil is from this forum so we have something in common and we have a great time chatting, waiting for the bite to come on.
Finally there is a bit of a flurry and by the time I leave shortly after 9 we have had a few bites and I have landed two clipped coho jacks and a white chinook jack Whitedevil said he would post his results as he was going to continue fishing.
I bid goodbye to Whitedevil and head for a little breakfast before I do a few errands in town. I decide to check out the Bell area on the way home and pickup another clipped coho jack on my second cast that I retain but nearly loose it to some juvenile seagulls as I put it on gravel bar a few feet away from me, I shoo them away as I want it for dinner not their lunch. I miss another fish in the 15 minutes I fish the Bell.
I decide to cleanup some garbage at the Diving Board run and in cleaning it up I see 1 chinook, 4 chum and one nice coho on the beach. I meet some friendly anglers as I cleanup a bit of litter and I am rewarded by $2.50 of tins too.
I spot a Drennan lodged between two rocks but I am too lazy to cross the river to get it, maybe later today after a nap.
All in all an enjoyable day catching a few fish and meeting another great member of this fishing web site, what could be better. O by the way this was a sort of The Journal written quickly as a nap calls.
I hope the weather holds for the weekend anglers as the fish are there even though the coho are hard to find but that fishing, isn't it?