Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Wool]

  I screwed up a few days ago and got a little wet but, had a PFD on and was reminded of last year in the cannel.
  End of August, I was having a blast with pinks down by the big parking lot on the bend up from the bridge, in Chiliwack. Spent 2 days in low water having the time of my life, meet some cool people as well as 2 men I would never forget and have always wished I'd thanked them for their patience with idiots like me. First gentleman was a older man, that I had a conversation with about the great fishing and he asked me clearly, why I wasn't wearing a PFD and gave me a fatherly warning of what could happen when you go in...of course I humored the man smiled and agreed to stop at Fred's and get a vest....didn't happen. That was a Sunday, and it began to rain and rain. Monday after work I couldn't help myself and headed up from Vancouver in a heavy rain just to hook up for a couple hours.
  I know some of you have fished that area and know off the bank is deep to the left and pretty level straight out for about 40 feet, but, the water pressure on the body will move you and I got off balance and took about five or six steps to the left down stream. The water was now above my belt and i was in trouble. Did a mention this was all within my first cast and had a fish on?
  What I remember was slow and in picture-like form; there was a man fly fishing against the trees, telling my calmly to take small steps and work my way back, towards the shore down stream. I remember spending most of my energy just trying to maintain position, then the thoughts of letting go and how I would ride it out. The fish was in the current and pulling like a horse. Somehow I lost the fish and used my Fenwick to help me stabilize and I managed to get about 10 feet closer to shore. I remember the fly fisherman giving a whistle and pointing at the tree, that washed down and pasted right where I had been standing... The most surreal thing I ever seen.
  Somehow i got out of the water, barfed, and congratulated myself for my willpower.

  I heard a story the next morning of a man and his daughter that went down the river that same day and it really hit me how stupid I really was.

  I stopped at SeaRun and bought a self inflating vest and had a talk with myself on what was I  trying to accomplish. I hope the 2 guys know how much I think of them and appreciate their help and hope this story of my foolishness wakes up someone else before this season gets going.

Your life is worth a hundred bucks... 

[Tylsie]

I know someone who drowned floating down the Chilliwack in the summer years ago, and that person who drowned shore fishing the Fraser a couple years ago was a good friend of my ex-gf. People don't think about it. I do a large variety of fishing so I bought the NRS Chinook. It doubles as my fishing vest and is really comfortable. I don't think it is approved in Canada, but it is everything I want and I know it has saved lives in the USA. Can't see how Canadian waters are any different. I hope people take this seriously and prepare. 

[island boy]

i was thinking about the upcoming sockeye season and with peg not being accessable, there will be alot less shore room. people taking chances in dodgey areas. wonder how many fisherman will be lost this year?

[Wool]

  I bought a blue Mustang, probably the basic, but, it took a little getting use to. I don't even pay attention to it now. Didn't mean to tell a sad story, but, if you think about it, it can give you a chance. Us older guys falling over from a heart attack from stress, chum holes or God forbid, a bouncing Betty to the head from across the river, lol! Just seems I owe it to my kids, you wear a seat belt?? I also don't won't my Milner and Sage rod turned into a crutch! Lol
 Stay safe and be smart.

[Flytech]

I've always been scared of the water, I think that has given me false confidence. Now that I have a son, I am going to make sure I'm wearing my cammo VFD.

[DanL]

Late last fall at the Vedder in waist deep water I set the hook on a coho, took a couple steps backwards to keep the tension on the line, caught my heel on a small boulder and fell backwards right up to my neck. It was a spot with almost no flow so all I had to do was stand up and we had a good laugh but goes to show you how fast things can get away from you.

Not hard to imagine if that happened in a another spot things could have gone very differently...

[Wool]

What about the fish?

[DanL]

Nope, gone as soon as I went down. Too much slack line I guess 

[Noahs Arc]

The real question is, why are you standing up to your waist in water?

[vancook]

The real question is, why are you standing up to your waist in water?

Exactly, I never understand the people standing up to waist in water. The fish swim where they're standing. Fish from the shore and fish that waist deep level of water.
Some never learn

[DRP79]

The river is definitely a place where a little fear and common sense will do you good. That being said, I dont think there is a more inadequately named phrase than "common sense". It is not very common.

I have a Mustang PFD but have not used it at the Vedder. I have yet to fish the Fraser but it would definitely be worn there.

I am fully aware of the dangers the river can hold and therefore do not take chances. Rarely if ever will you see me in water above my knees. If a wade seems dicey, I find a different spot. No fish is worth not coming home to your loved ones for.

[HOOK]

Rarely if ever will you see me in water above my knees. If a wade seems dicey, I find a different spot. No fish is worth not coming home to your loved ones for.

This is exactly how I go about it. I have done those crazy death wades in the past, gone swimming a few times and had a couple close calls. I thankfully "learned" the hard way without it costing me my life.

I will still go waist deep but only if its a soft current or almost dead water.

[SkagitDreamer]

Wow, what a grim reminder to put safety first. The following wasn't the Vedder but perhaps sharing could help someone realize the inherent dangers.
There was a particular time in my adrenaline-laden quest for steelhead along Campbell River when a friend and I (clad in old rubber chest waders) were working our way downstream in water too deep to traverse in, let alone fish. Feeling myself bob lightly in the current, l managed to get to shore with the help of luck and overhanging trees. It would have been most unfortunate to be floating by Roderick Haig-Brown's former residence feet up. There were a lot of possible dangers however, our lack of judgement was número uno. On the Chehalis one year, I barely missed a surge of water (laden with trees and debris) that had dammed upriver. Even in ankle deep water this would have proved to be lethal. Casting downstream in the same river, only calf-deep, I was taken out by a large submerged log. Scary stuff. Even when you account for everything, including one's own ignorance, things can still go awry quickly. Every stream or river deserves respect.

[Spawn Sack]

Have to agree with HOOK and DRP79 on this one.

I have a Mustang self inflating vest. I wear it 100% of the time on the boat, but never on the Vedder. As DRP said, if I'm facing a sketchy looking wade, I find another way around, or I just go fish somewhere else. 99% of the time I'm fishing on shore or in to my calves/knees if the water deems it necessary to wade out a bit. If the water is too fast or even remotely sketchy I don't wade out. IMO if you DO fall in and are wearing waders, your CO2 vest almost certainly does not have enough flotation to keep you above water, and without a crotch strap will likely get pulled right over your shoulders.

If wearing waders make sure you have a wear a wading belt! I like the strechy neoprene ones. They stay snug and are more comfortable than one with no strech.

Now, if I go shore fishing on the Fraser I DO wear my PFD. Generally I am wearing old runners and shorts. Also it seems the places I go everyone insists on wading out, so I have to as well unless I want to be snagging everyone in the legs everytime I reel in  So I wear the PFD as if I were to slip and fall it might give me a chance.

I do see the odd guy wearing a PFD on the Vedder, and it's usually someone wading WAY out to their waist, or crossing somewhere quite sketchy, or fishing on some rock upriver and one slip and it's gonners. My point is don't be fooled into thinking your PFD will save you especiallyif you have waders on. If you are wading and fishing safely, esp on the Vedder in the lower water months, you shouldn't need one.

Kind of reminds me of my youth and when I jacked up my truck, put big m/t tires on it, a winch, etc. The extra confidence offroad just got me into WAY more trouble, stuck beyond belief several times, etc. Now that I drive a stock 4Runner I never find myself in such situations, as if I need to go through someplace that looks too mucky, or I dont think I have the clearance, etc, I try to find another way or or I abort and go check out a different lake.

[clarkii]

I was fishing around Fernie recently,  and was having a few fish come up to dries.

Just after my dad walked down, soaked.  His foot got caught on shore and he fell head first into the water.

The water had less then 1 foot of visibility, and not feeling bottom he reached for the pull tab.

He didnt get a good grip, failed to lever over and then grabbed a rock and swung round.

Now we wade up to our waist in places.
Yes there are places that might be were fish hold.   But if your in slack with a ways to a seam, or you have already worked it through and are finding the players.

In some cases the auto inflates would jetison, as a result I always check were the pull is on my manual when I put the vest on.  I urge everyone do the same if they buy one