Well I lost the story the first time so here we go again, I just love typing and I am babysitting so what else is there to do.
As usual a very warm afternoon welcome to The Journal on Fishing with Rod, your top fishing web site in the North West for fishing information, fish tips, river conditions, tall tails, videos, environmental issues and much more
My morning started with an early trip to Tims as I was in no hurry to get to the Vedder. After the jump in the river levels yesterday I was sure it still would be toast today.
After coffee I was off on a leisurely drive to Peach Road in the Leaf Mobile, to check things out.
When I arrive others are doing the same thing gazing at about 2 or 3 feet of visibility I thought is was, it is indeed fishable, much so. Some people are working the flow already. We jump in our vehicles and head to our individual “Hot Spots”.
When I arrive at mine I take note I am 30 minutes past the first light bite. As I head for the crossing I see 2 others slowly, carefully picking their way across, unsure of it. I quicken my steps and make the crossing easily and quickly, taking note the water levels has dropped about 5 to 6 inches overnight.
I am the first to the run, I set up my rod and on goes some Procured Double Red Hot chinook bait, dried somewhat in Mule Train Borax, it looks good enough to eat, I am confident the fish will want it too. With the water levels up from our trip two days ago I settle in to the lower part of the run and make my first cast and I miss one, I was not ready I should have been, conditions picture perfect.
I miss a few more before my first contact, a chinook, 15 pounds or so. In about 5 minutes of a deep running tussle it is laying in the shallows, now tired. It is a clipped one too, my second adipose clip on the Vedder this season. It knows the direction to go as it leaves my grasp quickly, unharmed, frighten I am sure but safe for another day, lesson maybe learnt.
My next fish is a nice sized coho jack, unclipped and it returns to its roommates below the Vedder’s shimmering surface.
More bites, a lost salmon of some sorts, I am enjoying another bluebird day on the Vedder, what a fisherman’s life I have. I still have the run to myself. I always wonder about those that complain of the crowds, I always seem to find that isolated spot, during the week anyway.
The next fish hooked at the end of the drift becomes airborne right now as it feels the # 1 hook irritating it jaw, like a tooth ache I would think or is the restraining order my 10 pound test line that is causing it to clear the water several times. It has coho written all over it, my pulse quickens as it twists, turns and rolls, trying to shed that hook. The silver sided beauty whose body is made more pronounced because of the early Fall rays of sun now appearing well above the mountains is reflecting off its sleek body, making it one of God’s most beautiful salmon.
I start to wonder, will what I think is my frayed leader hold in this battle between me and my quarry, also will it beat Diane’s 13 pound coho from two days ago, I donot care I know its over 10 but how much?
Finally it surrenders, tired, exhausted from all the maneuvers it has displayed, I slide it towards shore, looking for a missing adipose, if there is one it will not matter all that much but as it flips on its side in a few inches of water the adipose is not there. The sliding continues onto the sandy beach, its mine, one of my biggest coho from the Vedder, ever for me, I am pleased.
I have not much longer to fish as I have an appointment to make but I loose another fish, miss a couple and then another is on, deep running, long runs, a Chinook. My leader is indeed frayed as pop; the salmon is gone as I am.
Before I leave I give some of my roe to an American I met 2 days ago. I had given him some short floating tips then, short leader, a couple of feet off the bottom, float running smooth, keeping slack picked up so you are in direct contact with your float as well the float low in the water, straight up, not on its side, holding back in the long lining way of fishing. I hope he had success.
As I leave heading to the Leaf Mobile I see above me a fellow fighting a fish 50 yards below him. His companion runs into the water and gaffs it in the back. From a distance it looks chrome, a coho maybe. As I get closer I see an adipose, I close in for a closer look, the fellow that hooked the fish has the gaff with a fish twisting on the end of it. The gaffer now has the rod in hand with a betty setup, no float. I ask is it a coho, no answer but he says something to his friend who then throws the fish into the water, blood streaming from the gaff wound, its a clean chum. They continue on their way as do I as I have no time to peruse this matter further because of my appointment. The sorry end of a perfect trip for me.
After my appointment I take it to Fred’s to get the official weight. Dean the barber calculated it out to 11.825, can I call it 12?
It is one pound smaller than Diane’s but who cares as I said earlier it is one of the biggest ever for me from the Vedder. The challenge of hooking playing these beautiful coho salmon on our precious Chilliwack Vedder River sure makes a trip to the Vedder all the more enjoyable. The coho may have been few so far this season but bigger which may make up for the lack of them. I can hardly wait until the next time, maybe tomorrow for me, what about you?
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Topic: The Journal From The Vedder River For October the 8th, 2008 (Read 3790 times)