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[fishseeker]

I am trying to learn as much as I can about the Salmon fishery this year - only had limited opportunity last year so I never had I chance to head out to the Vedder previous season.  I have been really itching to get out there as much as possible this year.

My wife is not at all interested in fishing but she decided to head out with me out of curiosity I think .(IN spite my warnings that she might be bored
We I left at about 5:45am and arrived at the Vedder crossing around 7am just before first light.  It was pretty crowded near the bridge already and I wanted to explore so I moved downstream of that area – my wife decided not to follow because that side did not make for easy walking.  It wasn't too hard to find some isolated spots so I started short floating Colorado blades in areas of the river that looked a little slower and where fish might be resting (It's all still guesswork for me at this stage).   After getting nothing and seeing nobody else with anything I eventually moved back to the bridge.  Didn’t want to leave my very patient wife in the car too long either. I noticed some people getting into chums but it was too crowded for me to move into the better spots - I fished the faster flow for a while.

Eventually someone kindly informed me that Colorado blades were not the best way to go and suggested that I should tie wool no more than the size of a pea. He also advised me to keep my leader long, about three feet below my weight.  I did as he suggested but found it problematic - the long leader kept getting tangled around my float. Eventually I shorted it to about 18 inches and that was a lot easier to work with.    Also, not sure the long leader wouldn't lead to foul hooking fish.

Anyway, still nothing for me so, not knowing the river well, I decided to explore downstream and headed for the Keith Wilson Bridge - all well known spots I am sure so I don't believe I am giving anything away here.   There were a bunch of people fishing under the bridge so I waded over to observe what they were doing and to try my luck again - lo and behold the folks directly below the bridge were into fish after fish but the people just below that were not getting much.  (Note: Coho and very fresh looking chums were being caught).  I also noted that they were all using pea sized wool setups pretty much the way I was told – except for the long leader below the weight so I think I was right shorting it. 

Seeing this I tied up and tried to emulate as close as possible what the more successful people were doing.   After that it was a little frustrating because I did not get a thing while the people just  5 to 10 meters up the flow from where I was standing were into one fish after the next.  I checked the depth they were fishing and emulated that, checked the rig they were using, emulated that.  Tried to emulate the way they were swinging the float. Nothing for me.  One interesting thing I noticed is people were just swinging the float with quite a bit of tension between the rod tip and the float.   Not sure if this achieves a natural drift but it hardly matters – that seemed to be the approach that was working.  I am still not sure if I was doing something fundamentally wrong or if I just needed to be directly under the bridge to get my presentation in the right zone.  I suspect that may have been the case because people further down were not getting much either.

I got chatting to one of the people there and he told me they were into a lot of Coho around 3pm.  Like me he started upriver and didn't get into much but found it much more productive downstream - it certainly looked that way judging by the number of people I saw into fish versus what I saw near the Vedder crossing.  He also reckons there might have been a wave of them moving up and we just happened to hit that wave.   I wonder if anybody else made the same observation.

Something I found surprising is Colorado blades worked well with the chums on the Stave but it did not work well on the Vedder.    So far I have not seen anybody using this setup on the Vedder or the Stave.   Even though it was a bit of skunker day for me it was great to get out and learn some more – since I started fishing last year I have really got to appreciate how beautiful it is outside Vancouver.  Even my wife enjoys getting out with me just to experience something different to what we see in Vancouver.   I did not grow up in Canada and I sometimes think people here do not really know or understand what they have.

Hopefully in time I will get to know the Vedder will enough that I won't need to hang out with the crowds - not that I have anything against that entirely.  It's a great opportunity to learn from others who know more.

[tooler91]

Don't let anyone fool you into thinking that blades do not work well on the Vedder for salmon.
I witnessed my fishing partner just last week hook and land 2 very bright chums (one buck and one hen) in less than 5 minutes under the bridge.
They do work, especially after those fish see yarn roll past them all day.

[milo]

The only thing the 'more successful ones' were doing that you weren't was to stand at a vantage point and yank the float out of the water hard at the end of the drift. With the long leaders that would have produced you some fish, garanteed.

That spot at KW bridge is infamous for the snagging techniques that take place there 24/7. I am, of course, making a blanket statement here that may not apply to some, so those who fish the KW bridge run and are ethical fisherman, please disregard this. However, the few times I have observed people fishing that run, all I saw was snagging. (hard to avoid the 's' word when KWB is in the equation).

Do not despair if you don't get into fish yet. Your approach is correct, and all it takes is some practice until you figure it out. When you fish with wool, you don't necessarily wait for the float to dip. Even the slightest hesitation, or even a light tipping of the float, may indicate that the fish is mouthing your presentation. If so, set the hook. In general, unless you are fishing bait (especially roe or egg sacks) those float don't often go under. And yes, by all means, keep that leader on the short side. It has the advantage of allowing you for a faster response when fish bite and you will not snag or floss fish.

As for the colorado blade, all you have to do is make sure you keep the blade spinning without creating much drag. It takes some practice to figure out the size and colour of the blade depending on the swiftness of the run and the conditions of the water, but you can always start with a silver number 3 and go up or down from there depending on the conditions.

Keep up the good job of going around and asking questions. Your perseverance will in time be rewarded.

Cheers,

Milo

[Sinaran]

Much appreciation for the report!!  What you have done today reminded me of when i first started salmon fishing just 3 years ago.  (except for the wife part...o.)  I was fishing along the shore line under KWB and try to immitate those who were catching fish as much as i could.   I was even short floating with a spinning setup. pathetic thinking about it now.  I didn't catch my first salmon till my 4th trip ... a friend of mine gave up after 2 trips, so i guess if u keep learning and improving your techniques and knowledge, u would eventually get the hang of it. 
I agree with you on the priceless scenery we could see while fishing at the valley.  If you appreciate what the nature has to offer while fishing, you are not skunked even if u don't catch a fish.

[fishseeker]

Well now I feel better - I guess everyone has to go through this skunker period in their early career.   Thanks much for the feedback.

Milo, thanks for your answers.  I have enjoyed reading some of your other posts on this forum - very informative.  I have been fishing number 5 blades that I made up myself and found they worked pretty well with the chums on the Stave. (Really interested to know how you decide what size is appropriate for what conditions).

All your answers get me thinking more about techniques I should be using with blades and with wool under a float - I really don't want to snag fish, just not fun.  I will be posting questions on these techniques in the general disussion forum.

[fishseeker]

not everyone goes through a skunk period in their early days as anglers,  it depends on when you started fishing and what you were targeting, if you plan on fishing Vedder coho for you initial foray into salmon fishing then you learning curve will be a lot steeper than people who start on chum or pinks,  if you try steelhead , expect an even steeper curve,  now if this was in the 80s and early 90s  fishing wasnt so bleak with many good returns and many MORE places to fish than the vedder but due to DFO and MOE practices and total mismanagement your going to have to expect to struggle until your skills vastly improve

Yep, I think I can appreciate that and I have beenf targeting chums mot of the time with some good fishing at least half the time.  (...and despite what you say I aint giving up It wouldn't be worth bothering if it was too easy).   I always hear how great things were in the 80's and 90's, all I can say is it's before my time - it's pretty sad but I wasn't here then so I don't know what I was missing.  I enjoy getting out there even if I get nothing - just enjoy it more when I do get something.

[summersteel]

even once you have become vey successfull and experienced, some guys who are not  good fishers at all will try to give you advice to use thier 5 foot leaders and dredge the weights across the bottom. They don't even know that they are flossing fish. Stick with your instincts, the blade and short floating, you are on the right track.

[fishseeker]

Will do.  Thanks bug pumper.  It's good to know.  I have done quite a bit of reading on this site plus others so I am starting to get a sense of what might be ethical and what isn't.   In any case, long leader just seem really hard to cast.