Today was the first day of the brood capture program on the Chilliwack Vedder River so I thought I should make an effort to get out on the Vedder even though I am fighting a cold. Last year I only contributed 3 steelhead to the program so I had committed myself to try and do better this season. It is the volunteer anglers that contribute a good portion of the 70 odd brood stock each year
I am pleased as I leave the comfort of my bed to see no rain had fallen last night, so much for the rainfall record.
I am now hopeful we may get some decent weather now that has made the Vedder unfishable for so many days this season.
I had made arrangement to meet CEJ on the river around first light, after a short stop at Tims for the usual extra large double double.
On arriving at the river I see CEJ's truck but no sign of him as I strap on my gear and the brood capture tubes. As I reach the first run to fish I notice the river is in the best shape it has been in some time. As I make my first cast I think there should be some fish around in such conditions.
In the first run that I fish for about 10 minutes the drennan float is buried 3 times but each time I strike nothing is there. As I leave the run heading to the next spot I am going to fish I figure it must have been a trout but who knows.
As I near the second spot the "root run" where I have hit and landed 2 fish this season I see CEJ leaving spot number 3 already, boy is he on the move this morning.
I have no takes in the "root run" so move to the run CEJ had vacated.
I fish it for maybe 10 minutes starting at the top of the run moving downstream. Always a good idea to start casting at the top of the run as sometime in the early morning steelhead can lay close in. If you start at the bottom of the run you can spook them as you move up stream.
Starting at the top allows your drift to reach water below you where if a fish is laying he can not see you.
Anyway partway down the run my Maple Leaf drennan disappears, for some foolish reason I pickup instead of setting the hook properly.
All of a sudden I see the silver flash of a fish as my line go slack as the steelhead easily discards the hook.
What a rookie move that was I think as I send the next cast into the same spot thinking this fish will not give me a second chance but a few feet above where I had seen the flash float down again, a solid strike this time but no tension, roe bag still intact.
As I make the third cast I am thinking was that a different fish or what. I have not much time to think as down goes the float again, am I ever ready this time.
Immediatly after setting the hook line is peeling nicely off my centre pin.
The fish does not show herself but repects the pool (does not leave it) and after 5 minutes or so of a spirted battle I have the hatchery doe of about 10 pounds laying at my feet. CEJ appears from upriver at this time and gently eases the hen back to the run.
There was no way I considered retaining this fish as having kept 2 out of the 3 I have landed so far this season I did not need a fish to eat and besides I wished to continue fishing, especially hoping for a fish for the hatchery.
CEJ tells me that he figured he missed a fish first thing but because he had to leave early he wanted to fish as much of the area as possible. As CEJ starts to work the run I notice a wind knot in my leader lucky that it did not break while landing the steelhead. As I retie a new leader CEJ has another solid take but the fish would not give him another chance. As he has to leave I walk with him down river, figure I will leave the run to rest as we still have the area to ourselves.
As CEJ heads for his truck I try a few minor runs before heading back to todays "hot spot" the KE run.
I start at the top once again making a few casts then taking a few steps downstream. As a near the tailout on a long drift I am looking at some angler that has moved into a run below me, I look back in the direction of my float.
Where is it? I strike, solid, no movement at all. Just as I start to think I am snagged as I have drifted to a fairly shallow part of the run a fish boils to the top of the water. I am shocked and very surprised at the same time as this fish does not respect the run and bails downstream right now. It moves downstream and upstream not wanting to go over a shallow riffle. I am pleased as the roots of "the root run" await if it does so. Finally as it tires it surrenders to the riffles and I follow it hoping to be able to keep it away from those root obstacles. A fly fishers who has just arrived in the area sees me with the fish and trots over. I ask him if he can give me a hand with the tubing if it is a wild fish. "Of course, will be pleased to" he answers. I apply as much pressure as my 8 pound test leader will stand as I pull him clear of the roots. For the first time I see he is a wild fish as the adipose fin appears above the water, a buck in the 12 pound range. I flip the holding tube off my shoulder and hand it to the fly fisher and ask him to unzip it. The fish turns again towards my enemy those roots but once again I am successful in turning him and finally I have him at the shoreline and tuck him safely in the now gapping tube. As I revove the hook I notice it is holding by just a thread, one more run and he would have gained his freedom instead of heading to the Chilliwack Hatchery.
I tie the tube firmly to the now friendly roots in 2 feet of slow water and call the hatchery that I have a steelhead for them. R says he will be down in about 20 minutes for the pickup.
As I always do, I stay close to the fish and the tube checking on the fish in his darken enviroment that every thing is fine with them. If anything happened I would just feel terrible and I have never had a mishap with a fish over the years, touch wood.
As I wait for R a fellow comes to "the root run" and on his first cast he is into a fish.
This fish takes off downstream line bailing from this angler's reel. I grab my spare tube and follow in hot pursuit.
The angler does not know what awaits below, a jam with many limbs and logs sticking out into the river. I know all about them and was luckly to get around them with my second fish of the year a few days ago.
Anyway this fish has gone by the jam but the anglers line is around a few limbs, I lean out and I am able to get them off a couple. However the line is now around a small log, line continues to leave the reel as the fish must be in the rapids by now. As the angler tries to work free of the log all on a sudden there is a loud bang as the rod explodes into a couple of pieces, loud cursing also erupts from the now rod less angler who is holding about 2 feet of his rod butt and luckly his nice centre pin. Part of the other end of the rod is still on the log and I grab it in a last attemp to free it. As I apply some pressure another loud bang as I am left holding about 6 inchs of the now very short rod. At the same time his line has also snapped as well and everything fish and all has disappeared from sight.
I apologize to the angler for what I had done but he says you tried your best or something to that effect. Another angler who had joined us on the trip downstream said "quite a show that was" I said "you got that right to bad you did not have a video camera"
As the now empty handed angler leaves the river I return to check on the tubed fish and everything is fine.
As I await the hatchery truck I miss another fish that does not give me a second chance. As the hatchery truck arrives Ron quickly sees me and no time has the fish safely in the holding tank as I try to get a picture of the fish as it is removed from the tube to the tank but do not get too good a shot.
As R heads back to the hatchery I go back to the river to get my rod and make a few casts but by this time the area is becoming crowded with anglers. This happens often when fish are being caught as word spreads very quickly out on the river, quicker than on the net.
That is what I tell a few anglers that complain about my stories here on FWR, there is no secrets on such a heavily fished river as the Chilliwack Vedder River. Once again life is way too short to worry about such minor things as catching fish but once again everyone is entitled to their opion as I am to mine.
As the watch ticked near noon time to head to Cookies for a lunch break.
As I wish to go to badminton I will complete as I often do the rest of today's story later, some more action by some others.
I may have a couple of photo's that Rodney may wish to post or not, will forward them to him to decide.
Rain coming down hard this afternoon and now so do not know what the river will be like tomorrow.
Photos below (log in to view).
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Topic: An Interesting Day On The Vedder, January 16 (Read 6064 times)