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[chris gadsden]

A late evening or rather early morning welcome to all readers and quests to The Journal on FWR, your top fishing information web page.

As you may have noticed I have not written The Journal for a few days as things have been very busy in my world the last few days as I reported in my last post. From writings newspaper articles, minor hockey day in Chilliwack,Sportsman show, meetings, the gravel excavation issue on the Fraser, numerous e-mails to deal with and of course fishing.

Yesterday, Tuesday I was anxious to get in some serious fishing as I had only connected with one steelhead this week. That was on Monday that I lost after a few headshakes as I was asleep at the switch that moved my record to 26 for 36 or 27 for 37 if I count the one I caught twice back a week or so. Of course I was very pleased that the Leafs had rolled, rolled, rolled right along  over Montreal the night before. I had to miss most of it as had a meeting to attend.

On the brood capture program it was nearing an end and we only needed a few wild bucks. I had tubed 17 of the total to so I hoped maybe to pick up another 3 to make it a even 20. Of the 17 I believe 6 or was it 7 were ones I caught, the others generously given by others anglers. Thanks to all that did. Actually Dale from the Abbotsford hatchery (Freshwater Fishery Society) asks me to send his thanks to you as well.

I hit the river just after first light and hooked up with stdslayer who by the way is having a banner year as he is over the half century mark in fish landed. We fish the run for a while but after around 45 minutes or so I got itchy feet and decided to move on and work down river maybe find a float or two and check out a couple of runs. As well it was very cold as snow was falling fairly low down on Sumas Mountain as it was cloaked in a grey mist, maybe winter is not gone yet.

I found but one float on my trek so the call of the coffee in my thermos got the best of me and I sloshed my way back to the Leaf Mobile. As I sipped the steaming brew I noticed stdslayer had been joined by some others so I left them to their task.

I drove around warming myself as the heater of the Leaf Mobile quickly warmed the cab and the chilly occupant. I stop at a popular run,  nibble on some snacks, watching the anglers like a red tailed hawk in search of breakfast, hoping to see a bend in one of there rods so I could spring to action with my brood capture tube.

With nothing happing I decided to head to a run where I had recently lost a fish and missed an other. As I arrived saw an angler there so for some reason I turned around deciding to head home for a early morning nap as I had to meet some people at 12:15 as I had been asked to film some more footage at the Agassiz Rosedale Bridge gravel excavation. More on that later

On the way home I saw friend Rick walking along the bar so i decided to go and ask him if he would like to go to Tims for a coffee as we have not visited for a while. Just as I get out of the Leaf Mobile I see a pole with a nice curve in it. I quickly grab one of the tubes from the LM and I arrive just in time to pop a nice wild buck around 15 to 16 pounds into its temporay home.

[chris gadsden]

I phone Lynne at the hatchery and she says Ron will be right down. I go back to the LM to make a few calls and then I decide to head down and fish a bit while I wait for Ron. Just as I leave the Lm I see another pole with another nice arch in it so I hot foot it towards the angler. This is a good size fish and it takes Alex a while to maneouver it to the shore. It makes a few more dashs before it surrenders to my waiting hands as we see it is a wild buck close to 18 I would guess. It fits in the tube with 4 inches to spare.

I then grab my rod but have only a few casts in when Ron arrives and he is pleased to see we have two for him. He tells us that is the last two he needs as he slips them both in the tank ready for transport to the hatchery. I snap a picture of each, I believe Rodney has posted one on the March update page, he may post one here later as well.

Rick and I head for Tims and just as we get our brew we are joined by Jackie and husband Keith, also a fisherman so we have a good time telling tales and covering the gravel issue.

With the clock now nearing 12 time to grab the video camera and head to meet the chaps doing the checking of the redds. As we near the site snow begins to fall and I have to have one chap hold a rain coat over the camera as I capture a tragic scene of alveins dead in the beds (redds). Only two spots were uncovered, each telling their story of how the causeway built across a Fraser River side channel blocked the flow enough to dewater and drop the water level a few feet exposing heavens knows how many pink and most likely chum redds as well containing what someone estimated many millions of now perished alveins. I would not personally would want to put a number on it but it is many.

As samples were gathered and placed in bottles I could feel tears welling up in my eyes, as to me this unnnessary disregard to these fish who were given no chance at life, to head to the ocean, then to complete their life cycle in two years. All this in the name of gravel excavation is it price we and the fish have to pay? Surely more care could be taken and if gravel most be taken why not on more friendly places.

There is much more to this story as things will be developing in a big way today, I am sure you will see in in print and on your TV screen in the next day or so if not sooner.

For now I am heading to the river to try and relax before the adventure and The Journal continue this morning most likely not a pleasant one.

(O before you ask the evidence was turned over to the local FOC office and a complaint was lodged) There was some report that the operation was shut down late yesterday, will daylight show that the causeway was removed overnight to cover the evidence. I am told someone is checking on that now. Stay tunned.

[TrophyHunter]

Thanx for the update on the Fraser!!  it makes me sick to see what they are doing..... how can anyone justify the death of so many salmon?  what are they thinking? makes me sooo angry.. I will definately be sending an e-mail with my thoughts!!

[Lew Chater]

Just talked to Chris from the gravel site on the Fraser where he has been all morning with a CBC News crew. The causeway is still in place and the news item about the damage to the spawning area will be shown on CBC News tonight at 6:00 pm.

[TrophyHunter]

Thats awesome... Chris does some pretty amazing work!!!

[gofish]

Does anyone have the technology to tape at 6pm?  I am stuck at work and would like to see what is happening out there but wont be able to watch. Don't suppose Rod could post any of Chris's clips here?? 
thanks guys

[chris gadsden]

Will be taping.

[cohokid]

aww man i missed it at 6 bummer

[Nicole]

Here is a permanent link to the story:

http://www.cbc.ca/bc/story/bc_salmon20060310.html

http://www.cbc.ca/clips/Vancouver/ram-lo/060309_salmon.ram

Cheers,
Nicole

[rjs]

Nicole.... I get some type of error saying not a movie file with your link

[BigFisher]

Worked for me . It's to bad we build dams only to find out later its done more damage then good.

[johnny]

Worked great Nicole, thanks! And thanks to Chris and Rodney along with whoever else brought it to the media's attention!

[gofish]

thanks Nicole- got it through your link. Good work out there Chris, good to see its getting some attention
 

[Steelhawk]

Another one of DFO's double standard. Sporties will be dead meat if DFO find you anything wrong. Yet they allow such massive kill of alevins by approving such project.  Where are their biologists? Don't they know such undertaking, if not done right, will kill millions of alevins in redds? They are not even there to supervise that the bridge should not block off the entire downstream channel, killing millions of alevins.  What the heck they do during the day if they can turn their head after approving such massive undertaking at the fish rich Fraser? Some heads should roll for this gross failure.  

[Fish Assassin]

Not the first example of DFO's double standards and it won't be the last