After celebrating Thanksgiving dinner yesterday with family and friends it was a day get back out on the river to shed a few pounds that were added at yesterday's feast. We are so fortunate in this country for all we have and I know we complain about things but we live in a country of opportunity as well as plenty and yes the fishing is not bad either.
I hit the river at first light and I see fires burning, set to keep the early risers warm from the 0 or a little less temperature. Fall is now in the air, you can feel it when you breath in, I love it, as the fishing will be good and the ducks will be flying too. Also I will be doing some cutthroat fishing, fishing for brood stock. That is always fun as lots of bites ,when you can find these gorgeous trout.
I settle in at the lower part of the run and fairly quickly I am into a chum which I decide to retain for smoking. Yesterday at the party I took the other chum I had landed and it was devoured very quickly as all seeemed to like smoked fish.
I miss a couple of fish and see one hatchery coho taken. I also get a fresh male pink with the hump just starting to show. I though these guys were finished but it looks like they are not. It gets a bit crowed at the run so I decide to go after some garbage and tins. There is always lots in the river bottom that have drifted down from above but is is a bit of a pain to get out the sand.
I run into Sassyboy and his friend. Sassyboy has a chinook jack but he says it has been a bit slow but should pick up later when the tide changes. I continue down river and see lots of anglers and as many tins. On the way back to the Leaf Mobile I am please to meet Hue-nut. We have a good chin wag and he tells me fishing has been slow in the area he was fishing too. I tell him I am going to Tims and he says he is a Starbuck guy, too pricey for this old timer but I had plenty of tins collected to buy his and mine, I should have gone along to Starbucks but I have only been there twice before, maybe next time.
After reading the paper over a nice cup of java I take a look at the Fraser and I see the tide has not turned yet. A few more tins there and I slip back to the Vedder. Sassyboys friend is the only one fishing the run. He says Sassyboy is chasing a float, downriver through the gauntlet of people, a drennan I believe it was.
On my first cast in the Sassy Run I am into a fresh run chum doe, certainly cleaner than the one I took, she is sent on her way of course. Sassyboy returns sans the drennan and starts fishing at the top of the run, I am below, first in line. I then connect with chinook jack, a clipped one too. I retain it as it may give me a prize when I sends the head in.
Other anglers begin to show up and in the next couple of hours the bite is on and I cannot remember how many I missed or connected with, close to 3 dozen I guess. I land more chum, another clipped chinook jack that joins the other for science. Fresh pinks too and I like to believe I had two coho on but none to say for sure. I did see a large silver flash, either a coho or a bright adult chinook. Finally I run out of bait and call it day, certainly one with the most bites I have had in a long time too.
Maybe tomorrow will see coho # 2 hit the beach as all the bites today have got me fired up. I guess the fish smell the rain coming and are as excited as I was today, a great Thanksgiving Day.
Author
Topic: Chilliwack River, October 12th 2009: Thanksgiving Day And So Many Bites (Read 2727 times)