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[frenchy]

Hi Guys,

I am new in BC. I come from France (that is why there will  have tons of mistakes in my message, sorry about that) and will stay here at least two years. I went fishing the Vedder for steelhead a couple of time. The river is very nice and it seems that there is a lot of fish, but it is so crowed... it is very frustrating to fish there. You arrive at dawn and if you are lucky you are the first guy to fish one spot and then for the rest of the day you fish where at least 10 guys already fished. Giving that most of these guys fish the vedder for years, I really think I have almost no chance to catch a fish  . Moreover, when I go fishing, I really like to see almost nobody  . So I would like to fish another river, not necessarily for steelhead (I never caught one, so i am not an addict  ). Bull trout and dolly would satisfy me.
For me a good day fishing include scenic view, peaceful and good chance of catching one or two fish by day.
Do you have any suggestion? What about the Squamish? I heard it is beautiful.

Thanks a lot

Frenchy

[steelieman]

The Vedder is a huge river. You do not have to fish with the crowd. Walk to another spot if you do not like the crowd.

 

[troutbreath]

Read some of the posts and the info about the fish your after on this site. There are lots of places to fish without big crowds, and if your willing to walk a bit you leave most behind. Or get to the Vedder at the hot spots at 3 a.m. and mark off your turf and stand tight, defend your ground.

[chris gadsden]

Lots of space it you have the time to check out the system and do some hiking.

[searun17]

i agree if you want to walk there is plenty of river to explore that hasn't been fished over,spend some time and check it out you will find it to be worth the effort,

[Rodney]

Lots of space if you have the time to check out the system and do some hiking. you are retired.

Bonjour Frenchy... and that's about all the French you'll hear from me... Welcome and we hope you enjoy your stay. The English in your post is just fine, in fact it is better than some of the local Canadians' posts. What biology research are you doing over here?

Today Shane and I were saying/thinking the same thing as we ventured to the Vedder for the first time this year, "Wow, it's crowded!", even though it is relatively quiet compared to salmon season (ever been to China Town? ). Like previous posters have said, quiet spots along the Vedder can still be found with some walking and exploring. Although there are many others fishing today, we managed to find some runs just to ourselves by walking ten minutes in between fishing times.

[Reservoir Dog]

Frenchy if you go during the week (when the rest of the *bums* have to work) then you'll get most of the hot spots I have sat to mon off, So I try to hit the Vedder on Mondays. However I haven't caught a steelie (yet) either.
BUT fishing isn't always about catching. It's the thrill of the hunt, seeing what Mother nature has to offer. Fish to relax, have fun, get away from the real world. Not to catch fish

[frenchy]

It is true that I only went there only 10 times. I don t know the river, that is true, but I tried to walk. The first time I came to the river, I began at Lickman Road and arrived at Vedder road, the other times I was around On the way, walked up and down... and I am sure that all the spot I fished were fished at least 10 times the same day... Perhaps is it because I fish on sunday, but I think if I don t catch a fish in the first minutes I fish I have almost no chance to catch one. And I really think I will have more chance if I fish a river less crowed, even if there is less fish... Every article I read and dealing with steelhead fishing told that they are not really difficult to catch if you find them... So it seems that the firsts guy fishing the pool have a chance to catch something. And according to what I read on FWR, it seems to be true, most of the reports show that the fish are caugth early in the morning. If fishing the vedder requires to wake up at 4h30, drive 1h30 fish 1h and drive back 1h30, I am not sure I am ready to do that...
But perhaps I am wrong.
Mick
PS: I am studying evolution and especially the origin of biological diversity. For example understand how from one ancestral salmon species emerged the 5 species that live in BC rivers.

[frenchy]

Reservoir dog, I agrre that catch a fish is not essential ( do I really believe that   ), but it is important (at leat for me) to feel I fish well, and it is not the case on the Vedder

[Rodney]

Mick, sections of the river that have been covered by other fishermen during that day can still produce. Our experience today was a good example. After being the first ones fishing a run and producing nothing, two people fished it right after us and pulled out two fish. These fish may simply have moved into the run after we left, or they were simply not interested in our offerings. Because of these unknown factors, steelheading is an exciting fishery that takes years to understand.

[frenchy]

OK,
It is just that when I planned to come here I thought it was the angler s paradise .
Did you guys often catch fish after 9am?

 

[troutbreath]

Set the alarm for 3 a.m. Frenchy and "carpe diem".

[Reservoir Dog]

Frenchy, if your heart is set on catching a Steel, then just get out there, toss everything in your arsenal at the river, and hope Pray, the gods like you that day. I'll be out there Sunday, cause I have a prior appointment on Monday... If I catch somethin great, if not then oh well.

At least for a few hours I will have managed to get the hell outta Vancouver.

[frenchy]

once again the problem is not to cactch fish, but to enjoy fishing and it is not totally the case when I fish the vedder.
But that is OK, I will find a solution... on the vedder or on another river 

[Rodney]

Birdman, that sounds like a tone from an elitist. I hope it doesn't grow to something too extreme. People fish because they want to catch fish. If I want to go out and enjoy the scenary and the experience of nature only, I ride a bike, have a picnic, hike a mountain, drift down a river in a raft. When I go steelheading, I hope that I catch one. If I don't, I get disappointed and frustrated, but not to the point where I will throw my rod in the water and give up fishing. Somehow people have this attitude that steelhead is holier than other fish species and only a certain breed of fishermen should be fishing for them. People have their own reasons when they fish, which should not be questioned and looked down by other anglers if those reasons are legal. I have yet to retain a hatchery steelhead since I started, simply because I usually have enough salmon for the whole year and catching and releasing them provides more than enough satisfaction for me. I have no problem with those who head out with the intention to retain a hatchery steelhead. Frenchy is only here for two seasons, so it's understandable that he has the urgency to catch a steelhead or two and finding it frustrating after multiple attempts.

Back to the timing factor. There are many times when first light did not produce, instead bites came on between 10am and noon. Other times the fish remained tight lipped throughout the day, until the last 30 minutes of daylight. Temperature change? Water level? Tide? Schooling behaviour? What triggers the bites? everyone's personal experience will derive into a theory.

There are also other fisheries during this time of the year that people easily forget. Give those a go if steelheading becomes too tiring.

Frenchy, do you flyfish or gear fish?