Well this could very possibly be the last report of the 2009 Steelhead season if the weather keeps up with the rain and rising temps
Was going to start the day out early, but looked at the weather network last night and decided that no one would go out anyways with the torrential rain they were forecasting. I slept in till almost 11, which was the time that my friend said he would call. 11 on the dot Jared gives me a call and asks if we are still going, I said of course. He says he doesnt have any rain coats with him, I say he can borrow one of mine then
.
He goes to save on to get prawns (the hot bait as of late) and we head out at around 12:30. We first decide we will fish Peach road. We work all the way down to a run we named Riffle Run (during the salmon season) and had nothing to show. I tell Jared we should head right up to the top, which has been good to us pretty much every trip out this year. This area was the area where Jared hooked his first Steelhead of the year, and was 14 for 16 at the time (hook-ups to trips). Since then I had gone 4 more time to this area and had been skunked except for a few trout, so things had to go up
We arrive around 2:30 and the very first cast into pretty much the exact same spot where Jared got his first, I have a very hard hit. I miss it and tell Jared. I start video taping, 4 drifts later there was no love for Jared or the prawn at the end of his line. I tell him I want to fish and he seems disappointed. I then tell him I will hand off my rod if I hook the fish. He agrees and lets me fish.
Very next cast the same spot float down hard again, I miss one more time and this time the drennan shatters on the rocks behind me
While Im re-rigging he works the water hard on the prawn, but nothing. I come in behind him and cast at the head again. Around 10 casts later I decide the fish is not coming back. 10 steps downriver, cast along the edge and BAM, fish on. I yell "Fish on" and Jared runs over expecting the rod
I decide to give it to him and he starts fighting what I felt to be a rather large fish. I video tape it and he brings a beautiful hatchery doe to the edge that is bullet chrome. The look I got would have determined the fish to be around 12 pounds or more. Next thing you know the fish takes a dash and spits the hook. Jared is more upset than I am (although you won't be able to tell in the video) and I tell him we should get another chance today, as there are VERY few anglers out at all.
We go up to Spook Run (a run we named after spooking a Steelhead out of the shallows the first time we were ever there) and work our way back down. There is no love and by now the water is getting a lot murkier, going from 5 feet on arrival to around 2 feet. On the way down I tell Jared the water came up, he asks how do I know and I tell him to look at the rock that was not under water before, but is now
The crossing back was VERY difficult, a harsh reminder to always watch water levels when it is raining this hard, we were also crossing BLIND because the water was now watse deep and only had 2 feet of visibility
. We come home at 6:30 and were happy to have shaken hands with a fish once again.
Summary : Our upper area is now 15 for 21 (hook-ups to trips). The fish was hooked on steelhead roe, fishing about 3 feet deep from top of float to hook. It came back 3 times before being hooked and was a super clean fish for that high up at this time of year. Jared is now 0-2 in his first Steelhead season
A reminder for people to ALWAYS be careful when you do a wade, the way back might be ALOT harder than it was before.
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Topic: Chilliwack River, April 12th 2009 (Read 1318 times)