Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum
Fishing in British Columbia => General Discussion => Topic started by: Byronnn on September 25, 2015, 09:00:01 PM
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So I'm new to salmon fishing this year, had lots of luck at Furry Creek and now I'm trying to work into the fall season.
Today I was super excited to go to the Vedder. I've been watching all Rods' videos, doing tons of reading, and I caught a couple pinks by jigging the Vedder mouth earlier this month. I bought some wool and scent recommended by Sea-Run and had a bucket of Firecured pink roe and I was rearing to hook a Chinook!
Started near the Vedder bridge at 6:30am, found a deep pool moving at a quick walking pace and starting casting roe. Spent an hour working through depth, different spots in the run, and a bunch of different presentations. Got nothing! I mis-cast once onto another angler's line and got yelled at, threatened, and invited to fight. Around this time I realized that the other 6 people fishing the run had 12' of line below their floats and were ripping on the rod at the end of every drift. Flossing! And one of them was flossing with roe! Most of them caught big springs within an hour but no fish were biting my presentations so I moved on to other runs in the area. Looked for walking pace, deep areas.
Worked another 3 runs trying different depths and presentations and got nothing. Literally everyone else I saw before noon, except for 3 people + 4 fly fishers were 'float fishing' with more than 10 feet of line below their float, ripping on the rod at the end of a drift, occasionally hooking something. One guy approached me and told me that my float depth was too short and I needed the weight to drag through the school of fish to catch anything...
So I drove to the end of Lickman road, it looked all blown out with no good runs so I didn't fish there. But I met a guy who said he landed a jack in the lower river that morning and sympathized with my distaste for the flossers. He offered to show me his spot so we went there and lo and behold there was 20 people float fishing with 12 feet below the float (in 8 foot water), occasionally hooking something. We worked the run with roe and wool for an hour and got nothing despite many jumping and rolling fish. Many of the flossers hooked fish.
So then I went to a hole near the mouth of the river that I found earlier this month and I cast a Koho spoon. After a half hour I hooked a small Coho but it shook the hook close to shore. Nothing for the next hour, tried a few spinners and spoons. I saw a couple guys leave with big chinooks, said they caught them on Kitimats and Orange buzz bombs a few hours prior.
So I decided that on the way home I'd check out a couple potential bar fishing spots I'd found on google earth. There were 4 spots on Dyke road and Nicomen Trunk Road near Deroche, but once I got there I found they were all full of riprap or gated off! So I still can't any bars to fish between Mission and Harrison river, accessible by car/foot.
So after a 13 hour day of fishing and driving, applying all the things I've been learning and studying for the last month, I got 1 hookup and saw 3 fish legitimately caught, and about 50 other fish flossed. It was nice to get out on the river but it kinda seems like a waste of effort, time, and money to study fish habits, tides, rain, river dynamics, techniques and presentation types and have nothing to show for it. And the bulk of the community I met on the river today were jerks or confused flossers.
I think today was the most discouraging day I've had in years. Is this a typical day of fishing for someone just starting out? Am I just terrible at this? Maybe I should hire a guide and try to make some more friends who fish. Any input you guys have would be appreciated, I'm at a loss here.
TL;DR: Studied everything about fishing available online, tried it all on the Vedder today, got nothing except yelled at by flossers. Is this normal?
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Don't be discouraged... Keep fishing the correct way...you will get them...I don't like moving around as much as u did for salmon...find a good spot hopefully with some room...let the fish come to you. I am heading up Sunday early am...could always meet up could show you a few things. Hell I get skunked too. It's fishing.
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Go explore. Park somewhere near the river. And walk. Walk some more. Walk some more after that. Away from all those F@&$ing pigs. Find that slot that looks fishy. The one that has lots of room below it for the fish to move up. Yes the spot where nobody is. This spot may only be a slick the size of a VW. Did I mention to look below it and make sure that the fish are going to want to move up through there? Fish there. You're going to have a hard time fishing ethically around rippers, because they are spooking out the fish.
It's a big river, and there's lots of room for those who are willing (or capable) to walk the extra (sometimes only 5-10 min) mile to find there own little stretch of water.
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It takes many trips to learn what technique works for you. What works for one person doesn't necessarily mean it will work for you. There is also no substitute for on the river experience so all those videos and articles you've watch and read are just a starting point. If I were you, I would concentrate on fewer spots and really learn the fish traveling lanes in those spots instead of trying that many different places in a single trip. If float fishing with roe isn't working for you, then try other things like cast spoons like you did at Furry Creek. Keep track of your successes and mistakes and use it to better prepare for your next trip.
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From the sound of your report you are doing things right. Don't be discouraged. It will come.
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Couple more weeks and the snaggers will be catching pink zombies and you will be catching chrome coho standing next to them.
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I've been in the same boat. Probably my 3rd year on the Vedder. I also studied videos, took notes on what kind of water to fish, and also ran into flossers and honestly still do even tho I move around to less populated spots.
flossing is discouraging because it seems that they are getting into so many fish and all you focus on is the bent rods while you might not be getting anything. Until yesterday I had never landed anything besides a pink on the Vedder.
Just keep with it. Dont be afraid to adjust your float. I've been fishing some deep holes and move my float up and down every so often to see what works, where the fish like to presentation might differ on water conditions and so on.
somedays its not your day. Ive been hitting a nice run with some slack water filled with fish. Yesterday it was like I couldnt keep them off, day before that, almost nothing seemed to want what i was offering.
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From the sound of your report you are doing things right. Don't be discouraged. It will come.
Also, ive fished next to a snagger and the amount of times he had to re-tie and the amount of gear he lost while I lost nothing was great. Maybe he snagged a fish, but hey it cost him god knows how much in gear.
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I've noticed many of the people you are talking about, but many of them are not actually flossing (or trying to floss), they just don't know any better. When fishing for springs, it can be very productive to target the deep choppy runs. In that kind of heavy water, you need a long drop under your float, and it is next to impossible fish roe there because it doesn't drift well. A little piece of wool, neatly trimmed, floated 1 foot above the bottom seems to do the trick. By which I mean your lead needs to be 1 foot from the bottom, because your leader will be straight downstream in that current since wool is neutrally buoyant. If you use a short leader (18 inches) you will find you are not snagging or flossing any fish. I've found I actually outfish the people with longer leaders because they can't keep their wool down on the bottom as well in the fast current.
Often all it takes is a couple of people fishing the right way and having success before everyone shortens up their floats and leaders. Also, it can often be several hours between schools when you are fishing a good run, so don't get discouraged. These fish are all cruising upriver pretty fast, so if fish seem to leave your spot, just wait until another group appears. It is easier than trying to chase the fish all over the river.
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Sounds like regular fishing to me. I get skunked maybe 5 outa 6 times. I try to develop the mindset that it's not so much about catching fish as it is about leisure time spent on the water. If you're obsessed with catching fish, throw a few bucks at the hatchery pools.
For me, it's about being outside, exploring, experimenting, and the constant sense of optimism. Maybe this cast. Ok, maybe this cast! Ok, ok, this one, lol!
Though it's definitely nice to catch fish as well, but it's unrealistic I think to expect it, especially starting out.
Just enjoy being out on the water, and try to get a little better at something each time.
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I absolutely feel the same way about the Vedder gong show! I remember my first season on the Vedder, so much of the exact same bs the OP describes, it was ridiculous. I'm always very considerate when giving people room and yet I was told several times to GTFO because certain group of "anglers" takes ownership of a 100 yard run, and then you get the car break ins and all. Shortly after I switched almost 100% to streelhead when on Vedder. Guess what, yes it's definitely a finer bunch of anglers overall and ample room for yourself to fish, BUT almost every second float you see is sideways or bobbing from ticking the bottom! Yes, those same gentler form of flossers are still there, with those same 12ft deep setups, and again as described those are the people getting fish on the busy runs. Like I said advantage is at least you get to get away from people more easily.
Keep fishing the ethical way, and when you finally succeed the win will be that much sweeter! Learn the river, scout and talk and exchange with quality people and learn from them. Even if you get skunked many times, there's never a wasted trip, you'll build on every singe trip and good times will come.
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It can be tough, but don't get discouraged. I have fished for an entire weekend and never landed a salmon. But I still enjoyed it. All I can add is that the fish don't disappear. They are still in the river. If every pool you come across is packed with fisherman, then try fishing between the pools. Often there are small pools in behind large rocks, or a seam in a river that the fish will hold. It won't be the 20 fish in one large pool, it will 1 or 2 fish in several smaller holding areas. If there is a small water fall, even if its just a few inches, there will be a coho there. The fish have to travel through that blown out area you decided to pass over also. If you can safely access it and fish it, then try a bigger presentation such as roe with a dark piece of yarn.
You showed you are versatile and that is important. If you can't get a good free drift for your roe because of river conditions try casting. I have seen a Coho come all the way across a pool to hammer a spinner. If they are holding the edge, try jigging. But most important, do what you enjoy. If you enjoy moving around a lot and trying to learn what it takes to catch fish in a variety of conditions do that. If you want to learn a small stretch of river intimately do that. It is about pursuing your passion.
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It bothers me when others are catching fish around me and I can't get a hookup. I've gotten better at identifying what flossing is, and I no longer compare my results to theirs. Fish do bite but I get skunked a lot during salmon season.
On the few stellar days I've had, they've been at or near first light. That's early from Vancouver. And there's a lot of fisherman to compete with for spots. It is what it is.
Worth it though when the float dives.
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Don't get discouraged. Keep at it as you're doing everything right. Many days I get skunked even if it seems like the fish are there and I'm using good bait. It really is just a matter of time before you star getting them ethically. Catching one fish properly is much more rewarding than snagging 15 fish. The sport in sportfishing is tricking a fish to bite. You are never guaranteed to get fish but that's why its called fishing and not catching. Get out there and hone your craft, you will soon be rewarded.
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I think today was the most discouraging day I've had in years. Is this a typical day of fishing for someone just starting out? Am I just terrible at this? Maybe I should hire a guide and try to make some more friends who fish. Any input you guys have would be appreciated, I'm at a loss here.
TL;DR: Studied everything about fishing available online, tried it all on the Vedder today, got nothing except yelled at by flossers. Is this normal?
If you're just starting out, it really does take some time to get dialed in especially if doing it on your own. The learning curve can be admittedly steep. But its a rewarding and enjoyable pursuit so just stick with it. I started to teach a friend of mine how to river fish a couple years ago and it took him three trips to even get into his first fish.
Ignore those snaggers, the fact that you making posts and analysis like this means you are fishing with more insight and thought than those guys likely ever will and your skills will develop all the faster. Sure, they will often 'get' into more fish than you by ripping but whatever, I'll wager it''l come for you sooner rather than later...
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So I'm new to salmon fishing this year, had lots of luck at Furry Creek and now I'm trying to work into the fall season.
Today I was super excited to go to the Vedder. I've been watching all Rods' videos, doing tons of reading, and I caught a couple pinks by jigging the Vedder mouth earlier this month. I bought some wool and scent recommended by Sea-Run and had a bucket of Firecured pink roe and I was rearing to hook a Chinook!
Started near the Vedder bridge at 6:30am, found a deep pool moving at a quick walking pace and starting casting roe. Spent an hour working through depth, different spots in the run, and a bunch of different presentations. Got nothing! I mis-cast once onto another angler's line and got yelled at, threatened, and invited to fight. Around this time I realized that the other 6 people fishing the run had 12' of line below their floats and were ripping on the rod at the end of every drift. Flossing! And one of them was flossing with roe! Most of them caught big springs within an hour but no fish were biting my presentations so I moved on to other runs in the area. Looked for walking pace, deep areas.
Worked another 3 runs trying different depths and presentations and got nothing. Literally everyone else I saw before noon, except for 3 people + 4 fly fishers were 'float fishing' with more than 10 feet of line below their float, ripping on the rod at the end of a drift, occasionally hooking something. One guy approached me and told me that my float depth was too short and I needed the weight to drag through the school of fish to catch anything...
So I drove to the end of Lickman road, it looked all blown out with no good runs so I didn't fish there. But I met a guy who said he landed a jack in the lower river that morning and sympathized with my distaste for the flossers. He offered to show me his spot so we went there and lo and behold there was 20 people float fishing with 12 feet below the float (in 8 foot water), occasionally hooking something. We worked the run with roe and wool for an hour and got nothing despite many jumping and rolling fish. Many of the flossers hooked fish.
So then I went to a hole near the mouth of the river that I found earlier this month and I cast a Koho spoon. After a half hour I hooked a small Coho but it shook the hook close to shore. Nothing for the next hour, tried a few spinners and spoons. I saw a couple guys leave with big chinooks, said they caught them on Kitimats and Orange buzz bombs a few hours prior.
So I decided that on the way home I'd check out a couple potential bar fishing spots I'd found on google earth. There were 4 spots on Dyke road and Nicomen Trunk Road near Deroche, but once I got there I found they were all full of riprap or gated off! So I still can't any bars to fish between Mission and Harrison river, accessible by car/foot.
So after a 13 hour day of fishing and driving, applying all the things I've been learning and studying for the last month, I got 1 hookup and saw 3 fish legitimately caught, and about 50 other fish flossed. It was nice to get out on the river but it kinda seems like a waste of effort, time, and money to study fish habits, tides, rain, river dynamics, techniques and presentation types and have nothing to show for it. And the bulk of the community I met on the river today were jerks or confused flossers.
I think today was the most discouraging day I've had in years. Is this a typical day of fishing for someone just starting out? Am I just terrible at this? Maybe I should hire a guide and try to make some more friends who fish. Any input you guys have would be appreciated, I'm at a loss here.
TL;DR: Studied everything about fishing available online, tried it all on the Vedder today, got nothing except yelled at by flossers. Is this normal?
Sounds like a normal day out fishing. Had lots of those, including today: skunked. Will just make the good days that much better!
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Keep at it. There will be days when things just come together for you.
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This is my 2nd season salmon fishing (and I have yet to fish rivers aside from the Tidal Fraser) and I gotta say that getting skunked frequently is the norm in this fishery. This summer was a good example for me with the beach fishery. Just like what others have said, patience, perseverance and the willingness to learn will eventually pay off.
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A lot of folks are spoiled with the pink runs.
If fishing were as easy as reading a few articles and watching some videos everyone would do it.
Keep at it and whether you catch anything or not, you'll learn something every time you go out if you're paying attention and not just casting blindly.
Good luck.
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Discouraging? I shore fished for coho about 20 times in row this year and caught nothing .... , the coho are real late in my area or not coming back to my beach , so I went to my local river today for the first time this year , river was packed of course so I found a new spot and started drifting roe , quiet spot and i was going to move and the a couple of soft bites then BANG fish on ! , about a 7 pound doe , got it to the beach and discovered it was wild - no retention , my first coho of the year sadly had to say goodbye to it , but I was rewarded just after that picked up a 10 pound hatch , so keep on trying you'll get yours
PS , this is my first post and I would like to thank everyone who posts here , I have been reading on this site for a couple years and appreciate all the advice and news
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Too many 'A holes' at the Vedder this time of year.
personally they should just restore Sumas lake and hell with that river...
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Too many 'A holes' at the Vedder this time of year.
personally they should just restore Sumas lake and hell with that river...
Or.... YOU could just stay away. I've met a ton of great people on this river. There is a ton of top rods who fish this river daily and I enjoy running into them. If you go to the river with the idea that we're all a$$holes, and have that mentality, maybe you're the a$$hole. Some of my best coho and steelhead days have come off this river.
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Many days out without fish, many many many. But I still love it.
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Or.... YOU could just stay away. I've met a ton of great people on this river. There is a ton of top rods who fish this river daily and I enjoy running into them. If you go to the river with the idea that we're all a$$holes, and have that mentality, maybe you're the my friend. Some of my best coho and steelhead days have come off this river.
Was thinking the same thing. Very well put! I've met some great, friendly top rods on the river who have helped me out considerably over the years and are an absolute joy to fish with. There are more friendly anglers then A holes on this river unless of course you're fishing the typical snagging areas and even still, most of these guys are inexperienced, not A holes.
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Keep trying and right now is not a good time to judge the vedder for "good fishing" i know some guys are slaying springs but its still kinda quite overall. Coho seem late but that could change any day now.
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I wouldn't assume that the Coho run is going to show up...from those in the chuck seems like it's pretty slow out there.
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I wouldn't assume that the Coho run is going to show up...from those in the chuck seems like it's pretty slow out there.
Lots of coho reported from coal ports and sandheads today.
Coho are on there way.
Ocean boat put away, and out comes the sled. I love this time of year.
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Enjoyed reading this because it reminds me of all my experiences doing this over the last 8 years. One thing I know is no matter how long you keep at this there are going to be bum days and good days. I still get skunked 50% of the time and I still get intimidates by big crowds.
Half the fun is the challenge of it and constantly learning. As one guy mentioned some techniques work for you and some don't. I tried roe many times and was never very successful even though I know it is a very effective technique - always done best keeping things as simple as possible and looking for those runs where fish are likely to hold rather than simply moving through as others have mentioned (A single spoon has always been the most versatile and effective way for me but, over time, I have applied what I learned from that simple technique to fishing jigs and, more recently, fly fishing)
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Wow so many fantastic responses here, thank you everyone for all the suggestions and information. I keep a detailed fishing log and I have copied some of the specific suggestions into it!
I think some common themes here that I will take away can be summarized as:
-Getting skunked is normal!
-Keep fishing! Experience on the water is invaluable
-Walk around and find quieter spots, away from the flossers, where the fish are less spooked
-Move around less. Fish come in schools, up the whole river, so they will eventually come to me
-Try more things! Spoons! Jigs! Spinnes! Wool!
I think the biggest thing I continue to be confused about is identifying good spots. I have a hard time picturing "that slot that looks fishy. The one that has lots of room below it for the fish to move up". I will keep looking.
I definitely believe that it is possible to get into fish more often than not. I think of the huge amount of knowledge and skill in guys like Justin from Sea-Run and Rod from bent rods and it makes me excited for all the things I'll learn over the next few years!
I'm going to the river again tomorrow morning! Everyone here has got me excited again ;D
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Great attitude now!
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Lots of coho reported from coal ports and sandheads today.
Coho are on there way.
Ocean boat put away, and out comes the sled. I love this time of year.
what do you mean ocean boat put away after what ive been reading
and what I kinda saw on Saturday looks like fishing outside is still
a good bet. what do you have for an ocean boat and is it on a good trailer
lmaorotf
cnm
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Lots of coho reported from coal ports and sandheads today.
Coho are on there way.
Ocean boat put away, and out comes the sled. I love this time of year.
ok I think I just figured out the quote thing maybe
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what do you mean ocean boat put away after what ive been reading
and what I kinda saw on Saturday looks like fishing outside is still
a good bet. what do you have for an ocean boat and is it on a good trailer
lmaorotf
cnm
The action out front will end shortly maybe some coho this weekend, then the reports will be all about big whites at mouth of the Cap.( not interested in fishing the gong show at west van).
19' boat on a GALVANIZED trailer lol tell your buddy to check out roadrunner trailers
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I mis-cast once onto another angler's line and got yelled at, threatened, and invited to fight.
Some guys can can be dicks that's just the way it is.
Around this time I realized that the other 6 people fishing the run had 12' of line below their floats and were ripping on the rod at the end of every drift. Flossing! And one of them was flossing with roe! Most of them caught big springs within an hour but no fish were biting my presentations so I moved on to other runs in the area.
Just because these guys had 12' of line below their float doesn't necessarily mean they were flossing. 12' of line below your float is appropriate in 13' of water. You want your presentation in the fishes face which is on the bottom of the river. Now if they had 12' of leader hanging from their weight, a la Fraser BBing style, then you could accuse them of flossing. It sounds to me you are still new and can't tell the difference between legit angling methods and snagging especially when someone said to you...
One guy approached me and told me that my float depth was too short and I needed the weight to drag through the school of fish to catch anything
He is correct. You need to put your gear where the fish are. The difference between flossing and appropriate angling is leader length. The proper leader length is about 1.5' - 2'. This will minimize the accidental hookups when you put your gear where the fish are holding.
people float fishing with 12 feet below the float (in 8 foot water)
Anybody fishing 12' below the float in 8' of water is going to catch nothing and most likely lose a lot of gear. There are lots of inexperienced anglers to be had in the fall salmon season on the Vedder.
So after a 13 hour day of fishing and driving, applying all the things I've been learning and studying for the last month, I got 1 hookup and saw 3 fish legitimately caught, and about 50 other fish flossed.
Your descriptions of the techniques used for the waters you fished are too imprecise (water depth? vs. float to weight length) to make any claims of flossing. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, obviously it does, but I think you need a little more experience before you start making accusations at people that might just be properly fishing the water they are at.
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oh someone got that 12ft personal lol :D
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;) ;) ;)
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And if you really want to mess with people's heads, you use a slip float to fish deep water. They think you are fishing a float depth of 6" in 8 ft of water. Sometimes you get a helpful comment, sometimes they just shake their heads in self righteous pity😋
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Some guys can can be dicks that's just the way it is.
Just because these guys had 12' of line below their float doesn't necessarily mean they were flossing. 12' of line below your float is appropriate in 13' of water. You want your presentation in the fishes face which is on the bottom of the river. Now if they had 12' of leader hanging from their weight, a la Fraser BBing style, then you could accuse them of flossing. It sounds to me you are still new and can't tell the difference between legit angling methods and snagging especially when someone said to you...
He is correct. You need to put your gear where the fish are. The difference between flossing and appropriate angling is leader length. The proper leader length is about 1.5' - 2'. This will minimize the accidental hookups when you put your gear where the fish are holding.
Anybody fishing 12' below the float in 8' of water is going to catch nothing and most likely lose a lot of gear. There are lots of inexperienced anglers to be had in the fall salmon season on the Vedder.
Your descriptions of the techniques used for the waters you fished are too imprecise (water depth? vs. float to weight length) to make any claims of flossing. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, obviously it does, but I think you need a little more experience before you start making accusations at people that might just be properly fishing the water they are at.
Bang on, last weekend I got about 10 spring and one coho jack using about 12-18" leader. Some of those fish were snagged . I regret that however it couldn't be avoided . All fish but one smaller silver spring got released.
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And if you really want to mess with people's heads, you use a slip float to fish deep water. They think you are fishing a float depth of 6" in 8 ft of water. Sometimes you get a helpful comment, sometimes they just shake their heads in self righteous pity😋
Lol That would be so funny ;D
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So I'm new to salmon fishing this year, had lots of luck at Furry Creek and now I'm trying to work into the fall season.
Today I was super excited to go to the Vedder. I've been watching all Rods' videos, doing tons of reading, and I caught a couple pinks by jigging the Vedder mouth earlier this month. I bought some wool and scent recommended by Sea-Run and had a bucket of Firecured pink roe and I was rearing to hook a Chinook!
Started near the Vedder bridge at 6:30am, found a deep pool moving at a quick walking pace and starting casting roe. Spent an hour working through depth, different spots in the run, and a bunch of different presentations. Got nothing! I mis-cast once onto another angler's line and got yelled at, threatened, and invited to fight. Around this time I realized that the other 6 people fishing the run had 12' of line below their floats and were ripping on the rod at the end of every drift. Flossing! And one of them was flossing with roe! Most of them caught big springs within an hour but no fish were biting my presentations so I moved on to other runs in the area. Looked for walking pace, deep areas.
Worked another 3 runs trying different depths and presentations and got nothing. Literally everyone else I saw before noon, except for 3 people + 4 fly fishers were 'float fishing' with more than 10 feet of line below their float, ripping on the rod at the end of a drift, occasionally hooking something. One guy approached me and told me that my float depth was too short and I needed the weight to drag through the school of fish to catch anything...
So I drove to the end of Lickman road, it looked all blown out with no good runs so I didn't fish there. But I met a guy who said he landed a jack in the lower river that morning and sympathized with my distaste for the flossers. He offered to show me his spot so we went there and lo and behold there was 20 people float fishing with 12 feet below the float (in 8 foot water), occasionally hooking something. We worked the run with roe and wool for an hour and got nothing despite many jumping and rolling fish. Many of the flossers hooked fish.
So then I went to a hole near the mouth of the river that I found earlier this month and I cast a Koho spoon. After a half hour I hooked a small Coho but it shook the hook close to shore. Nothing for the next hour, tried a few spinners and spoons. I saw a couple guys leave with big chinooks, said they caught them on Kitimats and Orange buzz bombs a few hours prior.
So I decided that on the way home I'd check out a couple potential bar fishing spots I'd found on google earth. There were 4 spots on Dyke road and Nicomen Trunk Road near Deroche, but once I got there I found they were all full of riprap or gated off! So I still can't any bars to fish between Mission and Harrison river, accessible by car/foot.
So after a 13 hour day of fishing and driving, applying all the things I've been learning and studying for the last month, I got 1 hookup and saw 3 fish legitimately caught, and about 50 other fish flossed. It was nice to get out on the river but it kinda seems like a waste of effort, time, and money to study fish habits, tides, rain, river dynamics, techniques and presentation types and have nothing to show for it. And the bulk of the community I met on the river today were jerks or confused flossers.
I think today was the most discouraging day I've had in years. Is this a typical day of fishing for someone just starting out? Am I just terrible at this? Maybe I should hire a guide and try to make some more friends who fish. Any input you guys have would be appreciated, I'm at a loss here.
TL;DR: Studied everything about fishing available online, tried it all on the Vedder today, got nothing except yelled at by flossers. Is this normal?
Wecome to Salmon season on the Cheddar...completely normal. In a couple of months the pretenders will exit stage left and the contenders will take centre stage...
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@mojo7
You hooked 11 fish out of which "some" were snagged. To me "some" sounds like more than two fish, so if I take optimistic guess of three that would mean over 25% foul hook ratio. If I'm snagging every third fish I would change up techniques or move to a different area.
One question: Just by any chance was a pinch of green wool the ticket that day?
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Getting nasty ;D
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The difference between flossing and appropriate angling is leader length.
I beg to differ.
The difference between flossing and appropriate angling is in the INTENT. I know people who can floss fish (especially coho) like there is no tomorrow with leaders no longer than 18". Just like there are people who fish 3' leaders (recommended in very clear water conditions) who are not flossing by any stretch of the imagination.
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I beg to differ.
The difference between flossing and appropriate angling is in the INTENT. I know people who can floss fish (especially coho) like there is no tomorrow with leaders no longer than 18". Just like there are people who fish 3' leaders (recommended in very clear water conditions) who are not flossing by any stretch of the imagination.
Bang on milo. Couldn't have said it better myself. My buddies and I occasionally use 3 ft leaders when the water gets real low and it gets so annoying when you get 'the look' from guys. Look at tamihi Rapids for instance, those guys are using 12-14" leaders and are flossing fish after fish. It's all in the intent of the angler period.
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Wecome to Salmon season on the Cheddar...completely normal. In a couple of months the pretenders will exit stage left and the contenders will take centre stage...
I don't think I'm a contender, but I'll be there. ;)
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There is no denying that fishing today is very different from fishing say 25 years ago; that said, I think you have to decide for yourself why you are into fishing. If it is your passion, then hone your skills patiently in any system, and discover for yourself what works and what does not. All your reading and research have not gone to waste, but they are only good for a starting point, and the rest is up to you. As for those elements who act out and are hostile, just leave them be and do not engage them; its not worth dying for. I was out early on the Vedder yesterday near the KWB and already lots of people. I managed to fine a slot to fish and even though there were lots of people on the opposite bank, we all paid careful attention to timing our casts and it was great. Everyone caught fish including myself, two bright chromed coho. Then came five guys from the US, and they marched INTO the river ahead of everyone else which made it impossible to cast for those facing them and those beside them. To make things worse, they allowed their drift to extend into the zones of some 6 or 7 guys below them and then problems started. I had two choices; yell at them and have a war of words or move because it was impossible for me to fish on. I chose the latter. The point I am trying to make here is that you are free to choose ways that would make the experience a little better for that day. In fact the fella standing right next to them very politely said to them that what they were doing was inconsiderate and not meaning to be rude in telling them that. It didn't even phased them and they just carried on. So the tangled lines continued for some time. Bottom line is this: Fishing is my passion, and I will not let anyone spoil it for me. But I will not go down to their level and give them the satisfaction of any kind of confrontation. I am always happy to move on.
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There is no denying that fishing today is very different from fishing say 25 years ago; that said, I think you have to decide for yourself why you are into fishing. If it is your passion, then hone your skills patiently in any system, and discover for yourself what works and what does not. All your reading and research have not gone to waste, but they are only good for a starting point, and the rest is up to you. As for those elements who act out and are hostile, just leave them be and do not engage them; its not worth dying for. I was out early on the Vedder yesterday near the KWB and already lots of people. I managed to fine a slot to fish and even though there were lots of people on the opposite bank, we all paid careful attention to timing our casts and it was great. Everyone caught fish including myself, two bright chromed coho. Then came five guys from the US, and they marched INTO the river ahead of everyone else which made it impossible to cast for those facing them and those beside them. To make things worse, they allowed their drift to extend into the zones of some 6 or 7 guys below them and then problems started. I had two choices; yell at them and have a war of words or move because it was impossible for me to fish on. I chose the latter. The point I am trying to make here is that you are free to choose ways that would make the experience a little better for that day. In fact the fella standing right next to them very politely said to them that what they were doing was inconsiderate and not meaning to be rude in telling them that. It didn't even phased them and they just carried on. So the tangled lines continued for some time. Bottom line is this: Fishing is my passion, and I will not let anyone spoil it for me. But I will not go down to their level and give them the satisfaction of any kind of confrontation. I am always happy to move on.
Very smart approach, ICA.
I wish I had your self-control. Although, when dealing with Muricans, I tend to be more careful these days because chances are pretty good that some of them pack heat and might not be mentally stable enough not to use it to resolve a stupid river confrontation. :(
That said, I would usually give offenders a polite explanation if they tangle with me more than once, informing them (again politely, but assertively) that I will cut off their main line if it happens again. If they do tangle me again in spite of the polite warning, I cut off their main line and brace for whatever. Usually, all I get at that point is a good number of very loud and very unquotable expletives to which I never reply, but they either leave or start fishing without being disruptive to others.
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I've seen you in action Milo. You don't mince words and good for you.
I do tend to not bother confronting, but it is still important to let the idiots know that their actions are being watched and noticed.
BTW nice to see you back online as well.
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There is no denying that fishing today is very different from fishing say 25 years ago; that said, I think you have to decide for yourself why you are into fishing. If it is your passion, then hone your skills patiently in any system, and discover for yourself what works and what does not.
Things are different, but that's how we evolve. That's why I fish all year for many species and I'm happy with any catch. There are many quiet spots out there, and you're 100% right.