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Author Topic: Fraser River Steelhead Ice-Fishing  (Read 6877 times)

dave c

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Fraser River Steelhead Ice-Fishing
« on: December 07, 2013, 07:32:46 PM »

Took my dogs out for a walk along the Fraser today and was amazed at the amount of ice. Do any of you old-timers ever remember a time when and if the Fraser ever completely froze over?  Just curious.
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dnibbles

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Re: Fraser River Steelhead Ice-Fishing
« Reply #1 on: December 07, 2013, 09:04:38 PM »

I'm not an old-timer but it has happened several times in my days. I believe it pretty much froze over a couple years back (2008?) in some spots. Or maybe I just drink too much.
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Dave

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Re: Fraser River Steelhead Ice-Fishing
« Reply #2 on: December 07, 2013, 09:33:13 PM »

Late 90s for sure ... remember driving over the Mission bridge , ice up and ice down.
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sbc hris

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Re: Fraser River Steelhead Ice-Fishing
« Reply #3 on: December 07, 2013, 11:15:04 PM »

Its happened a few times in the last 10 yrs. or so. Not enough for me to play hockey on though :P
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dcajaxs

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Re: Fraser River Steelhead Ice-Fishing
« Reply #4 on: December 08, 2013, 07:07:57 AM »

apparently a church in Pitt Meadows came across the ice on the Fraser from Langley a long time ago. Not sure what year though.
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opwins

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Re: Fraser River Steelhead Ice-Fishing
« Reply #5 on: December 08, 2013, 10:06:30 AM »

When I lived in Mission as a kid I remember the Fraser River being completely frozen and some guy actually drove his truck across it.  I remember it distinctly because my parents could not believe there eyes.    This was the early 90's (1991 I believe) and we had serious arctic outflow winds for probably a 4-6 weeks and near 20 below plus each day
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HOOK

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Re: Fraser River Steelhead Ice-Fishing
« Reply #6 on: December 08, 2013, 11:29:57 AM »

When I lived in Mission as a kid I remember the Fraser River being completely frozen and some guy actually drove his truck across it.  I remember it distinctly because my parents could not believe there eyes.    This was the early 90's (1991 I believe) and we had serious arctic outflow winds for probably a 4-6 weeks and near 20 below plus each day


How did I not hear of this growing up in that little town ??

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RalphH

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Re: Fraser River Steelhead Ice-Fishing
« Reply #7 on: December 10, 2013, 06:59:33 AM »

My wife's Grandfather always told us the river froze so solid in 1918/19 you could skate from Mission to New Westminster and stage coaches from Surrey came across the river rather than use the BN Railway bridge.
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Outdoorsman

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Re: Fraser River Steelhead Ice-Fishing
« Reply #8 on: December 10, 2013, 08:54:32 AM »

If he wasn't losing his marbles, and that's a true story.... that is damn cool. Could you imagine doing that nowadays? Just whipping on the hockey skates and skating up to army and navy from maple ridge?! Haha.
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Suther

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Re: Fraser River Steelhead Ice-Fishing
« Reply #9 on: December 10, 2013, 12:36:28 PM »

If he wasn't losing his marbles, and that's a true story.... that is damn cool. Could you imagine doing that nowadays? Just whipping on the hockey skates and skating up to army and navy from maple ridge?! Haha.

He'll no. It's like 20km,  and the trip home would be all up hill!
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chronicfisher

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Re: Fraser River Steelhead Ice-Fishing
« Reply #10 on: December 10, 2013, 04:32:39 PM »

I remember one of my elementary school teacher used to say that before the bridges were built ppl were able to walk to surrey from new west in the winter time.but as time passed and the river got more polluted the faser stopped freezing over during the winter
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scouterjames

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Re: Fraser River Steelhead Ice-Fishing
« Reply #11 on: December 14, 2013, 10:36:46 PM »

Bored at work LOL - thought this was interesting tho....

On January 9, 1862—the Fraser River froze over from Lulu Island to Hope. You could walk from one side of the river to the other. In fact, the first reference to hockey being played in British Columbia notes the game was played on the frozen surface of the Fraser during this brutal cold snap. “Hockey sticks were fashioned from cedar,” writes John Cherrington in The Fraser Valley: A History, “and the male portion of the population—bureaucrats, parsons, storekeepers, woodsmen and Indians alike were all engaged in this exciting game upon the broad river.” The local native people said it was the coldest winter in their history.

“Cattle and horses died along the upper river,” Cherrington tells us, “and some settlers starved to death.”

In his memoirs, the Reverend John Sheepshanks—who had taken part in that hockey game—wrote: "I cannot easily comb my hair, for it is frozen together. All the bed clothes near my mouth are stiff with ice. When one proceeds to breakfast, the cups and saucers are stuck hard to the cupboard. The bread is frozen, and must be put into the oven before it can be eaten." Feel warmer now?

Also saw an article about 1922 when the Fraser froze over....

Can't see it at work, but have a look at this from 2009 www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pNpbc5_N9s

« Last Edit: December 14, 2013, 10:43:36 PM by scouterjames »
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norton

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Re: Fraser River Steelhead Ice-Fishing
« Reply #12 on: December 15, 2013, 09:08:11 PM »

Before my time , my dad drove across cultus lake , to go hunting on vedder mountain. Winters were a lot colder back then.
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