We have been back from Denmark for almost a month now. Although we are really glad to be enjoying the mild weather, we still have not touched a fish yet this year. A couple of days ago, seeing that we were going to have a break from the rain, we decided to spend a day searching for some winter bull trout.
Unlike interior bull trout, these coastal populations are amphidromous, meaning that they spend their life travelling between the ocean and rivers. In the winter months, these fish tend to congregate in rivers where most of them will end up spawning.
It was just another typical day of winter trout and char fishing. There was a lot of walking with little success. Watch the video to see if our persistence was paid off at the end!
Taking advantage of the much milder weather that we have in Southern BC than Denmark, we decided to give steelheading on the Chilliwack River a go last week. As usual, we fished with our good friends Chris and Lew who are seasoned anglers. With over 30 years of steelhead angling under their belts, it is worth listening to whatever advices that they offer. The fishing was unfortunately slower than what we had anticipated so Chris and I had a conversation on what to look for when fishing for steelhead on the Chilliwack River, as well as how the fishing has been this season and what the steelhead broodstock capture program is all about.
After landing only one steelhead this past week and losing four, I was anxious to see if I could raise my 1 for 8 land to hook ratio this week. I do feel a bit guilty for fishing on the weekend but I try not to go to a run where someone else is fishing. It also was a good time to scout out some new spots and with no broodstock capturing on weekends, I did not have to carry the tube around. Also I did not have to keep my eyes on other anglers to see if they had a steelhead on that could be a brood fish for the program.
I was tired out from yesterday’s trip after guiding Rodney and Nina, as well as looking after the tubed fish before the hatchery staff picked it up. I worried like a mother hen when they were in my care as I did not want anything to happen to them. I checked them every so often in the tube that they are doing ok. I remember a few years back when I unzipped the holding tube too far and the fish took the opportunity to get clear of its dark temporary home and gave me a wet splash goodbye.
I got to bed early because of this strenuous work week. Five days on the river and walking on the rocks made it almost worse than working. Of course getting to sleep early meant I was awake early too. After making some coffee then picking up a few bottles and tins, I made it to the river at first light.
As I arrived at the run where I was going to start at, I found Doc there, who donated the wild fish yesterday. He said that he took a nice hatchery fish yesterday too so he had a good day all around. After chatting with him for awhile, I left the run for him to fish as he was there first. I slipped down to the run below and after maybe 10 minutes, I saw Doc’s pole with a nice bend to it. He was working down towards me so I went up to take in the action. It was a good thing as the fish left the main run and started down some fast water with a log jam along the shore. Doc would have to climb over a couple of logs as it was too deep to wade past it. I took the pole as Doc slipped over the logs, then I handed him back the rod. He played the fish with some good weight to it, into a nice piece of back water but the fish was very stubborn to give up, so strong. Of course at times this made getting one to the beach successfully a challenge, I had found that out during this past week.
Finally we saw that it was a wild, too bad it was not yesterday as we do not take broods on weekends except by the the upper boundary of the river, just below the hatchery. As Doc eased into the shallows, I slipped out the hook, a nice buck which I would say close to 14lb. I told Doc that maybe we could catch it early next week. We then headed up to where he had caught the fish but two spey anglers were just settling into the top of the run, I left it to them to try their luck.
I tried a couple of other runs but I had been keeping my eyes on the Friday Hole, just downstream a bit. I had seen that no one were at it yet so I decided to make my move. This is the spot where I missed some sort of fish four times the other day. It took me about five minutes to get to the run, while I picked up a 20 cent returnable bottle on the way.
As I reached the run, two fellows were just approaching it on the other side of the flow. One was tying up his gear or doing something as he was sitting on a log. The other chap moved into the casting position just as I was putting my pole together and a fresh bait on. He had made 4 or 5 casts with no action in the small fishing area. which I really like because if a fish is there you should find it rather quickly. I made one cast of my own while the fellow casted a couple more before he moved up a tad to fish another spot on his side of the river.
On my second cast down went the Maple Leaf Drennan. Yesterday I lost my ML Drennan so I decided to change float types, maybe it would change my fortunes which it now had as a fish that felt like a fair sized one was twisting and turning below the surface. It did not show itself, then decided to vacant the main part of the run. I told the fellow on the log who was watching the action that I hoped he does not go down the channel on his side or I would be out of luck. The pole that I bought some time ago from The Master had a very nice bend in it. My heart was beating a little faster than normal. Suddenly the fish said I am out of here and bolted downstream, but luckily on the channel of my side. Line was now peeling quickly off the centerpin, one of the ones that my dad bought many years ago in England. I was in hot pursuit and splashed across a small section of water with some loose sand below me. I lost my balance and sank to my knees but with my adrenaline running high I quickly regained my feet and on I went again.
I reached two logs that had been cut off by beavers. I did not know how but my line was under them. With a bit of effort, I was able to pass the rod under them. In the meantime, the line was quickly evaporating off the reel. I had no idea if the fish was still there, I was afraid to look and see how much line was left on the reel. To make matters worse, I was using 8 pound test leader and 10 pound test main line. The water was really moving too, so I was thinking the fish must have been gone by now but since I had come this far, I kept following it. I had not gone much further and the line was around a small root that was sticking out of the cut bank. it took me 30 seconds to knock the line off with another stick. I had to watch that the sandy bank did not give way. One has to be so careful especially with the excitement in ones veins while fighting a steehead. Actually, while getting the line free, part of the bank fell in. As I moved on, I had another log to contend with. When I reached it my line was again around another small cut of limb that was also hard to free. I had to ease myself over the bank a bit so I was able to reach out to flip it off, which with a bit of luck I did. Back on the chase, I had to go upstream a bit to forge another side stream. Finally I was on a gravel bar with only a small log jam below that did not look like it would be a challenge like what I had just passed by. I had a little trouble walking properly as all the scrambling had made my sweat pants slipping down on my legs a bit, luckly they were underneath my waders.
I held the rod high and saw the line down from me, nearly 100 yards. I tightened up on the pole a bit, yes I felt the pulse of the fish telegraphing up the pole. I could not believe that it was still there. After losing 7 out of 8 fish in the last month with no obstacles to deal with, how did this one stay on? I winded as I continued the downstream march. A chap from our discussion forum and others around me were watching the show that would have been funny on video I am sure. Too bad Rodney and Nina were not here today. A fellow behind the log jam did not see me coming and we shouted to him that a fish was just above him. He slipped out of the way as I held the rod high to easily clear the low jam. I had clear sailing now. After another 5 to 10 minute of battle, I saw that it was a hatchery fish that came to shore to stay. Because I had put my pack down before I started fishing at where I hit the fish, I had to borrow a pen from the forum member. I told him to go up and try the same spot. Two other people were making a line to it too. I sat on a log but the pen would not write so I had to walk up to where the pack was to get mine. It looked about 400 yards but it felt further. As I went up to my pack, I was amazed by all the obstacles that I got by. I must take a picture of them one day.
I took the doe to weigh in at Fred’s Custom Tackle. It came in a tad over 11 pounds, not huge but we now have fresh fish once again.
It certainly was nice to catch a fish in the Friday Hole on a Saturday.
It has been over one week since we returned from Denmark to Canada. Although rainy at times, the mild weather is definitely a very welcoming change after weeks of snow and ice on the other side of the Atlantic. It has also been over a month since I connected with my last fish. To fix the cabin fever, I am eager to get out to find a tug or two. Today I briefly visited one of my regular spots, Garry Point Park, hoping to entice a bull trout or cutthroat trout. No such luck unfortunately, even though the water clarity was more than satisfactory. January is always a tough month to find a fish down in the Tidal Fraser, due to the lack of food and colder environment. It was still a rewarding morning, as I saw a large beaver swimming against the outgoing tide and a statue-like heron hunting for fish. News from Chris on the Chilliwack River is suggesting improvement in the steelhead fishing, so we may need to venture into the valley to find a tug and cure the fishing bug.
After a couple of good sea trout fishing trips in early December, I have not had a chance to fish properly. We’ve had snow, rain and freezing weather in the last several weeks. On New Year’s Eve, we decided to give it one last go before the wild celebration since the weather was seemingly nice. We lasted about 30 minutes in the sub-zero temperature before giving up.
The sunny day was not to be wasted, so we drove around the Danish country side and snapped some photographs. The rolling meadows, wind mills and old farm houses make the area an ideal subject for scenic shots.
The clear sky on New Year’s Eve gave me the opportunity to keep putting the camera to work. The 300mm lens allowed me to finally get some full moon shots!
Today the temperature rose from -10C to around 0C. Even though everything is no longer frozen, the snow has started falling again. With our scheduled Trans-Atlantic leap back to Canada next week, it is doubtful that another coast fishing trip will be possible before the departure from Denmark.
There isn’t a whole lot to do beside staying warm inside by eating, eating and eating some more!
I did not get an early start at this year’s Boxing Day Steelhead Derby as I was recovering from celebrating Christmas Day, even though the action I had yesterday had me somewhat enthused. I was hoping of course maybe I could land my 3rd Boxing Day Derby steelhead. I am not sure how many times I have entered but it would be around 10 I guess. I also thought of the time when I had lost three on derby day, including breaking a good sized fish off, above the float too. That year, I did not get an early start as I was helping the derby ticket sale at the club house.
I arrived at the club house to get my ticket at around 8:35am and Travis was there already with a fish hanging on the board. The first fish weighed in at 8:17, hitting the scales at 6.25 pounds. When I had just gotten my ticket, in came two more fish in short order with Gary’s nice fish at 13.01 pounds. The time was 8:40am with Ken a couple of minutes behind, a 11.74lb fish. Boy, maybe the early bird does get the worm after all. The good news looked like that it may be a banner derby.
I snapped a photo of Ken’s fish being weighed by Clive then I headed to “The Point” for a great buffet breakfast for only $8.50, senior rate. A number of other anglers were taking a break from fishing and were enjoying the fine array of foods. Make sure you drop in when out fishing that way, I am sure you will not be disappointed in the food that they are serving. While I ate, another angler came in and he had a fish too. Shortly after that, I heard Pete also had one that turned out to be the winner.
Wow five fish and it was only around two hours into the derby. I gobbled down the rest of my breakfast in a hurry now and out the door I went, with steelhead on my mind.
I arrived at the scene of yesterday’s action and saw a good number of anglers on the flow but none in where I had the fish on yesterday, but I was sure that it had been fished before my arrival. I fished another run first using prawn tails for starters. I then moved with great anticipation to the hot spot but after fishing it up and down with prawns and roe bags, the Maple Leaf Drennan did not even wiggle. I phoned The Master to see if he was fishing but he was after webfeet on the Fraser. It certainly was a nice day to be either fishing or hunting. It was fairly warm as the guides were not freezing up but the wind made it feel a bit cooler than it really was. Many non fishing families were enjoying walking along the river trails and gravel bars, another great way to celebrate the Christmas season. You certainly do not have to be an angler to enjoy our precious rivers.
Pistol Pete who had called earlier came down from up river with the same success as me. He decided to try down by the Hydro Bridge while I moved to some runs below the so called Hot Spot. The runs turned out to be non-hot too but one angler said he saw one taken on the “other side”. I talked to a few others who had seen nothing but heard rumours of a wild and hatchery taken “down further”.
I reversed fields and head back from where I started and fishd the runs again. A chap on the other side said he was now fishing where Pete got his. Of course it was on the “other side” from where I was fishing but it looked like I am in the right area to be fishing.
Time was closing in to the derby deadline of 2:00pm so as I wanted to be there to get some pictures and video I headed towards the dyke and the Leaf Mobile. First I tried a side stream on the way out and just before I made my last cast, I saw a glimmer of light reflecting off something, I thought that it must be a blade or spoon lying on the bank that someone had lost. On the way out I climbed down the bank from the trail to check it out. It turned out to be a fairly expensive watch so if you lost one on the river give me a shout.
I got back to the club house right at the derby deadline but of course It did not matter as I had no fish to weigh in. I headed to the board and saw that there were ten fish, which was less than I thought after seeing six brought in first thing. Pete McPherson had wrapped up first place which was nice to see as he has worked so hard on so many fishing issues over the years since I have known him. Of course, most of you know him too after his many years at Fred’s Custom Tackle in Vedder Crosssing. Pete is not only a top rod but one great guy.
I filmed a bit of his fishing story and also some pictures with his Kingfish and the coveted Ferguson Furnell Trophy with so much history behind it, dating back to 1938. Many great anglers’ names are on it, many now sadly gone to the happy fishing grounds in the heavens above. Reading those names on the trophy brings back memories of them to many of us as they were fishing partners and dear friends.
The award ceremony was ready to go and a good crowd was in attendance. When Pete received his awards, he was a popular winner. Paul the Chilliwack Fish Game and Protective Association’s President was handing out the trophies and the prizes and there were lots of them. I even got my name drawn for a $50 gift card, which was great as I can use it for a New Years dinner with my wife.
Thanks to Paul and his committee for putting on a great derby and a good sum of money will once again go to fish enhancement projects.
When I left to catch the hockey game, the prize draws were still going on. I think a good number of those who entered and came to the clubhouse won something.
I was not lucky to catch a fish but a watch and a $50 gift certificate were OK too. Of course, meeting some old fishing friends and members of Fishing with Rod was great too. Maybe next year you or I will join that elite group of anglers including now Pete McPherson on the Ferguson Furnell Trophy.
Since catching that fine sea trout over a week ago on the Danish coast, I have not been able to get out and try my luck again. Snow has been coming down hard for a few days and with temperature dipping down to -10C, this fair-weather fisherman finds it more enjoyable to stay indoor! To avoid cabin fever, we decided to leave the fishing rods at home and headed to one of the nature parks just outside of Copenhagen. Dyrehaven is a rather large forested park that has three species of deer grazing inside it. With the forest floor blanketed with snow, this was a good photo and video opportunity for us. Enjoy the video below and we wish everyone a happy and safe holiday season!
After last week’s brief success, I returned to the old spot for the second time and hoped for some bigger catches. To my surprise, I was lucky enough to see some activities as soon as I arrived at first light. The video tells the entire story. Enjoy!
Beside one coho salmon trip and a couple of brief outings to my usual spots in Steveston, fishing in this past November for me was a bust. For this fair weather fisherman, gale force wind and bucket loads of rain made it rather unappealing to be outside. Whiners definitely don’t catch many fish!
I was somewhat relieved to get away from all the storms last week, not to a tropical paradise, but back to Denmark where I spend each Christmas. Even though the weather is not exactly better on the other side of the planet, it is refreshing and motivating to have a change of scenery and target species.
Winter along the Danish coast means sea trout fishing, which I have tried for several seasons now. I have not had much solid result until last season, after studying maps and trying out dozens of spots. Figuring out where these fish might be is only half the challenge, getting them to commit to your presentation is the other half. Being a naive freshwater fisherman, I remember showing up with some light spinning lures during my first outing to the coast. They never worked. Half of the time they probably did not even reach the fish because they were too light, the action of the lures also did not match up with their feed. After many trials and errors, I am now equipped with the right tackle and some confidence when I am out targeting Danish sea trout.
Yesterday I returned to a spot where I visited exactly one year ago. During that outing, I was teased by dozens of trout that chased but never commited to my lures. In the end, I had to settle with one small fish that was foolish enough to grab my fly. Ever since that trip, I have been waiting for a replay of the same scenario so I could perhaps attack it differently. For that to happen, the wind has to come from the east, otherwise it would be difficult to fish with both wind and waves pounding the shoreline. yesterday’s condition could not be any better. Although the temperature never reached above zero Celcius, the light easterly wind and clear blue sky gave me a very optimistic outlook of the trip.
The Japanese-made European fish mobil.
Just as the sun was trying to peek out in the far horizon at 9:00am, I made my way to the same rocks where I encountered these fish right away. It is every fisherman’s nature to fish the same spot where we previously had success and seek for similar outcomes. I guess this rewarding feeling is somewhat similar to what gamblers long for.
With the sea being so calm and flat, I could spot every underwater structure around me. Sea trout are not necessarily very far out from the beach. At times they dart between structures, hunting for crustaceans, sand eels and other baitfish. In the winter, some might even rest themselves in the algae bed so they can enjoy the warmth from the sun. I casted and constantly looked for shadows and ripples, hoping to spot a feeder or two. For the first two hours, there was not a single sign of life. If this was my first sea trout outing many years ago, I would have been quite disappointed. Since then, I have learned to accept this as a norm and understood that the fishing can also improve rather fast unexpectedly.
Casting into the calm sea.
At 11:30am, after the sun had brought some welcoming warmth, the morning finally was a bit more exciting. On one retrieve, I spotted a swirl at where my lure had just passed through. I wondered whether it was a fish or just some algae protruding due to some small waves. Just as I was thinking that, a fish hammered the long lure just before it reached the thick algae bed in the shallow water. The modified 4wt spinning rod performed its magic as the silver sea trout splashed on the surface. I kept the rod high as it began peeling some line off the little spinning reel, because too often my fish have been lost when they swam into the thick algae bed. The struggle was short lived, because its size was nothing to brag about. Nevertheless, a small catch is still better than a fishless day.
A little silvery catch.
After setting it free, I was delighted and relieved to have something to write about so quickly. During my past stays in Denmark, it always took several trips before I could find some success. I made some more casts to the spot, hoping that I had encountered a school of feeders. Another thirty minutes went by and I concluded that it was not a school.
I returned to the same area with a fly rod after a well deserved lunch break. Perhaps a small fly would outperform the big lures being retrieved at a faster speed. I worked it across the waist-deep water systematically, hoping that there would be some fish hiding in the shallow algae beds. After an hour, there was finally a tug. The first was undetected as I tried not to lose my footing while stepping off a rock. A few strips later, it tugged on the fly the second time but I still was not prepared to set the hook. I immediately shot the line out again, tempting aggressive sea trout that have nothing on their mind except feeding is not difficult. As soon as I started stripping in the fly, the same fish or its companion took another swipe at it again. Unbelievably, I managed to miss it too. It ended as quickly as it began. The next dozen casts could not do the trick. This is pretty much what coastal sea trout fishing is all about, they come and go within a blink of an eye.
The rest of the afternoon was just as unproductive. With the sun disappearing at 3:30pm, I packed it up before the fingers froze. One catch in early December is definitely a good warm-up of this year’s winter sea trout fishery for me, I look forward to see similar or better results before I return to Canada in mid January.
Bull trout such as this maybe small, they are still very enjoyable to catch on light gear.
For over a week now, I have been haunted by a seasonal cold that just does not want to unleech itself. This kept me indoor and away from the tributaries where coho salmon fishing has been at its peak. The constant rain has not helped either. To kill the fishing bug, I decided that the best thing to do was to drop by the local beaches in the Fraser River estuaries for an hour or two each day. The main target species is not salmon, but trout and char, on light tackle. After half a dozen outings with both fly and spinning gear, I seem to have noticed an interesting trend.
In the past, my success has always occurred just after the tide peaks. Last week’s high tides occurred around early afternoon, but somehow, rain or shine, I was unable to locate some fish, yet the same spots where I had just fished would produce in the last hour of the day. Bull trout could be seen following my spinner or fly closely behind and either attack or turn away when they ran out of water to swim in.
Normally fishing in the Fraser River estuaries is more tidal dependent than light dependent because the poor water clarity already provides enough cover for fish during the day. Perhaps when lighting becomes low, these bull trout are more willing to hunt in the shallow water.
This weekend, I decided to put that theory to the test. Yesterday I began fishing at 1:00pm but did not manage to hook a fish until 5:00pm. The bites were furious. Another fish was fooled once the first was released. This was followed by three more chances, including the sighting of a rather large fish following behind my spinner.
Taking in the November sun while waiting for the bites to come on.
A collection of small spoons, spinners and crankbaits is your ticket to plenty of bull trout action.
I returned today to the same spot with great anticipation that I would connect with just as many fish. I began at 2:00pm, three hours before sundown. The first two hours were again fishless. With one hour of sunlight to go, I reached yesterday’s hot spot and casted the 1/8oz green spinner that has always done well for me. It took only two turns on the reel handle before I felt a solid tug, but the slow reaction never resulted in a hook-up. I was quite confident that it may come back as it only felt the hook briefly. A few casts later, I felt a light tug as the lure approached me. I continued retrieving and felt a stronger tug. Once again, the slow reaction never resulted in a hook-up. At this point, a big cargo ship cruised by so I decided to take a break while the big waves pounded the shoreline.
Once the water calmed down again, I sent the spinner out again and was prepared for another take. As if it was rehearsed, another fish (or the same fish) went for the spinner again when it rached the shallow water. This time I was quick on the hook-set and the rod shake confirmed the hook-up, but it was short lived. This fish spit the hook and sent the spinner flying back toward me after staying on for a few seconds.
Deflated, I decided to walk to another spot then come back just before dusk so these fish could settle down a bit. I returned 30 minutes later and an unsuspecting bull trout immediately attacked the lure. This fish took a few strong runs but was unable to escape. It measured just under 17 inches long, the best one so far this season.
Excited, but I was also aware that my time was running out because the sun had already set. I made a few more casts into the same spot without much result. I decided to work the beach systematically by moving several feet after each cast. When I was about 50 feet away from the spot where I hooked the first fish, another fish attacked the lure in the shallow. The strength of this fish suggested that it was a larger specimen. It also put the small spinning reel to work for a couple of minutes before I was able to guide it into the net. This fish measured just under 19 inches long!
With two fish brought to the net within ten minutes, I was already quite satisfied. I dried myself up and kept working along the beach, hoping that there were more than two fish in the area. Five more minutes went by and to my surprise, another fish decided to grab the lure in the shallow water. This fish was a juvenile compared to the other two, only around 14 inches in length.
While the fall salmon season is gradually tapering off, fishing for trout and char in the Fraser River and tributaries will only improve. Fishing in Southwestern BC indeed takes place year-round. The bull trout fishery in the Fraser estuaries is close enough to the city that one could easily take advantage of it by doing these short outings. For more information, please read this article.
