With the coming of Spring and at the beginning of May when the chinook season opens I start to get the itch as I have for the last 30 years to try and find an early run fish.
In my mind these are the best eating fish there is and because their numbers are not that numerous at this time of year it makes it all the more of a challenge to find them.
Depending on the time table of the freshet it will determine if I will be bar fishing or float fishing for them at this time of the month.
Last year in May we took a few of them bar fishing but this year because of heavy rain and the early start of the freshet bar fishing has been out of the question because of dirty water conditions. Actually the Fraser was near a two year peak this past week.
Even thought the water has been dropping rapidly this week and bar fishing may not be far away but I think this recent high hot spell will see the river once again rise, delaying the bar fishing a few more weeks.
Anyway yesterday was a day to see if I could find some suitable water to float fish.
My day started around 7:30 as was anxious to get out on the water as I had not been fishing since the first of April. The first order of the day was to pro cure some prawn tails as I had no ghost shrimp that I usually like to use. I have taken the odd fish on prawn tails in years past but really thought they were a unproven bait in my mind anyway but I know some anglers have taken Steelhead on them so they do work. I would test them over the next two days but I had roe as a backup.
I loaded up the Leaf Mobile with enought supplies for an overnight trip and headed to pick up Leaf Craft #2 at its place of storage. Before I headed to the river I did a few chores in town and dropped into the local FOC office to see how things were going, enforcement wise on the Fraser.
On arriving at the office I talked to one of the officers and he tells me they are moving their office to a new location. Tongue in cheek I quip "to Agassiz"
, no he says to an, office on South Sumas Road.
He tells me they are doing patrols 7 days a week this year and will be steeping up enforcement on both recreational and First Nations fisheries this year. So expect to be checked more this year when out on the river. I am also told as they have some additional staff as well.
The officier told me some bad news fish wise, the chinook count this year so far is only 17% of normal, not much in the FN nets they have checked or at the Albion test Fishery which I also had noticed was low. I told him sometimes the high water can effect netting because of debris etc. Maybe I was only hoping this was the cause and when I left the office my parting remark was" I only need one".
With Leaf Craft #2 loaded and on my way I finally was on the water at 4 pm on the nose.
I afix a nice looking prawn tail and after the first cast I am waxing the line as I reel in. With this wax on the line I find the line will float and when you get a pull down it makes picking up the line easier as it has not sunk.
I am using the float Randog gave me a couple of years ago, a nice looking home made float with "Randog" etched on it.
I had used it a couple time before but it has never gone under.
It looks good in the water riding high and proud, with this angler hoping it would be doing a disappearing act a few times in the next two days.
Around ten minutes into the fishing while enjoying some grapes, I look up and no "Randog" float in sight,
I drop the grapes and I have a fish on but it turns out to be a 12 inch pike minnow.
The pike minnows really are enjoying the prawn tails as in the next hour I land 3 more, the biggest 14 inches. Even though they are not what I am looking for, it is good to have a fish on once again, even if they are coarse fish.
As I continue fishing I notice one of the released pike minnows is a little worse for wear and is floating near the top of the water.
I had never seen this before, a crow dives down at least half dozen time to try and pick it up, it even sat down on the water in trying to grab it but with no success.
I am enjoying the fresh mountain air with only the sound of the river and the occasional passing train interrupting the peaceful setting. Good once again to be away from the busy city, that Chilliwack is becoming. I think back to 1808 when Simon Fraser who's name (of course) was given for the river I am fishing. Fraser and his men who were exployers for The North West Company would have passed within a few yards of where I was fishing. Also the thousands of gold miners starting in 1858 would also traversed on and along this mighty river.
These men from alll corners of the globe were hoping to make their fortunes but instead many gave up their lives to the swirling chocolate waters that were now racing right in front of me, towards Georgia Strait.
I would have loved to seen the amount of fish that would have been in the river in those days, what a sight it would have been, maybe a fish every cast. Look what man has done the last hundred years to that once bountiful resource, as greed by all users, including me at times have depleted some of the stocks to dangerous levels. Will there be fish for future generations? I so hope so, if not our governments and us to some extent as well will be responsible for not forcing them to do a better job of managing this renewable resource.
Enough about history.
At around 5:15 my float goes under again, the bite looked a bite different.
It went down slowly, not jerky as most coarse fish bites do.
I strike but nothing. Next cast, same spot "Randog" float down again, strike, weight, fish taking line,and the tell tale flash of a sizeable fish, no PM this time.
With the first spring of the year on, the heart of this happy angler is pumping real good, so good when the fish first comes to the net a bad netting job because of too much excitement the fish escape the landing net's deadly trap. Luckly the 2/0 barbless hook holds fast for a second chance and a smallest 6 to 7 pound spring buck is netted. Small but still nice.
The fish is marked on this now pleased angler's license, bled, cleaned and quickly packed in ice to keep cool in the 30 plus degree heat.
With 3 hours of fishing time left, should I set up camp for the night or continue to fish? I usually stop fishing when I have retained a salmon species when a limit is one a day but I thought I would not get another. After all I had been told there was very few in the river.
Why not have some fun with some pike minnows as there seemed to be enought of them around.
With another 8 or so more PM hooked I was getting lots of practice setting the hook and the "Randog" float was enjoying the frequent dunkings as well.
While fishing for the PM's I saw a couple of more springs roll, one a rod lenght away, so close I could see its eyes and the spots on its back and tail.
Shortly after seeing the spring that rolled in front of me the float is under again and for the second time of the day another spring is on, a fish maybe a pound bigger than the one I had retained but a lot brighter fish. I bring it to the boat as quickly as possible so as not to tire or over stress it. As I get it near the boat I am glad to see it is lightly hooked and after a photo of it in the water it is an easy release to continue its journey to its spawning grounds up river.
Time to quit now, have supper and setup camp for the night.
As darkness falls I have trouble falling asleep, looking foward to tomorrow's adventure I guess, when I will be joined by good friend Gary. I finally falll asleep by trying to count the stars far up in the heavens, sort of fitting I think as I feel so lucky to be fishing in God's country.
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Topic: In Search For The First Spring In The Spring. (Read 8032 times)