Welcome to The Journal on Fishing with Rod your top fishing website anywhere for fishing information, videos, environmental issues and much more.
It has been a long time that I have written one of these. It seems that doing a number of FB pages, Fraser Valley Illegal Dumping Alliance, my church, Fraser Valley Salmon Society, my own, working on the Wild Salmon Caravan, trying to help rid the damaging ocean located fish farms from our oceans and of course taking time to fish and hunt. It is a good thing I have been retired 20 years now. Oh yes and videos, I think I have around 2,000 on my channel, I have not found time to check.
Now I have started writing this at 4AM to get one done.
I remember I wrote the journal often when FWR started back in 2001 when I first met Rod at a river cleanup on the Chilliwack River put on by Vic Carraro. A lot of water has passed under the bridge since that day. Of course this meeting spawned a lot of cleanup activity that goes on to this day. As most know Rod and I along with Lew Chater, Terry Bodman and others saw the Chilliwack Vedder River Cleanup Society formed in 2002 and continues to this day although I was the unofficial chairman until 2 years ago it has been the dedication of many directors that have led to hundred's of tonnes taken off the riparian zone of the Chilliwack Vedder River watershed. The recent BC Rivers Day, (Worlds River Day) the 17th put on by the CVRCS was another successful day with around 250 people taking part. Thanks to chairman Nikki and her team for a great day giving the river an important facelift once again.
This gets me back to my day on the river yesterday, Thanksgiving Day, we certainly have a lot to be thankful for with the Chilliwack River at our doorstep.
Yesterday morning I though of maybe making my first Coho Salmon trip to the Vedder although not a good idea with it being a holiday. Also I have taken my share of salmon over the summer and really donot need many more for the coming winter. Some have been canned , more to do and some to smoke. If you thought they were sockeye you are wrong as many know I donot take part in that activity.
When I got to the river at first light the river in the Lower was very crowded, I even heard some got there at 4AM, no wonder I saw people with lawn chairs.
I decided to do a river cleanup instead and the bars where not too bad but it amazes me that where people park along the Vedder Canal dyke road it is littered with garbage, coffee cups etc. It amazes me fishers would do that. Would they throw them out on their property at home? No excuse for that.
As going out to one of the gravel bars I met Marvin Rosenau who I have worked on many environmental issues together with others too. We celebrated our success in preventing gravel extraction on the Vedder for 2 years now. Thanks to Marvin hard work and dedication for stopping this damaging activity. Gravel extraction is not good on any river system and it is people that benefit from it that keeps pushing for it. It is of no benefit to the fishes home that's for sure.
Marv now tells me the next issue is the building of 2 bridges around Herrling Island in the Heart Of The Fraser, google it if you want more info. Marvin is going to send me a petition we need to sign and stop this that will damage turgeon and salmon rearing grounds.
With the cleanup complete with maybe 20 pounds picked up along with a bonus of a few tins and one DNE float it was time to go home for lunch and do some work around home, including cleaning 4 grouse from a recent 5 dayhunt that included a week on the Wild Salmon Caravan, check my FB page for videos and pictures if you wish but it will take time to get them all done.
With all this done I went out for an hour to fish the flood tide. Only two other anglers were in the run on my side of the flow and left soon after i got there one angler said as he passed by said he had taken a few including 2 jack coho salmon. He offered me some shrimp that he was catching them on but I thanked him and said I would stick to my roe.
As the tide rose the fish came in too and after numerous misses I connected with a small clipped coho jack salmon that I retained as my wife enjoys them and eats one all by herself, well they are not big.
As the geese flew to the Fraser River for their evening of rest, it was time for me to head for my rest too and supper my wife would have ready for me.
As I waded across the river I knew fish passing by me under the cover of darkness would be following their instinct and heading upstream to their home too, to complete their spawning ritual, helping us to have fish for the future. Let's make sure we protect their home from environmental damage, that is the lest we can do.
Well it is $:30 AM, time to grab that lawn chair and join those on the river now sitting in theirs, thanks for reading The Journal.
PS Rodney has invited me to fish with him and his dad tonight should do that like the old times when we first met in 2001, at 75 how many days will I have to do that?