Started the day out thinking that I was going to head to Kawkawa Lake with a few friends to fish for kokanee. Plans changed later in the day because of the pouring rain and not wanting to sit in a float tube for 4 hours soaking wet. Decided that I would hit the Vedder for the 6th time this March, and try to get back to 50% on the trips after being skunked on the last one.
Ryan texts me at around 1:30 and we decide to meet at Fred's. We walk in for a quick chat with Chris and decide on the area we will be fishing (got in on the hot spot
) We get to the lower part of the river, walk out of the parking lot and...
Water is really chalky with about a foot (maybe a little more) of visibility. I stare at the water for a few minutes deciding whether to stay. I say we may as well fish it, we are here. Plan was to give it a half an hour and then head to the upper.
We get to the first run and I fish it for 20 minutes, maybe. I have a blue and black Bent Rod's jig on at the moment as I don't normally fish dirty water (confidence issue). I pack my rod up and walk towards Ryan who is not even halfway down the run. I say screw it, I'm leaving. Ryan tells me to stay because there are fish around, then compromises with me to stay for another 30 mins.
I take the jig off and rig up a 8 pound maxima leader with a gammy hook. I take out 2 peices of old spring roe from september (they were already huge and it looked like I had a baseball on the end of my line). The roe is pretty nasty looking, freezer burnt and just not great all together, but who cares, the fish can only see a foot and I'm not wasting good roe in this water. I also seem to have a knack at catching fish on crappy roe, as the last one I landed was taken on frozen roe
First cast, FISH ON!
I yell to Ryan and he comes running down towards me.
After the hook-set I somehow tangled the string hanging off my jacket hood around my reel.... Now I cant reel in, great
I am almost to the point of cutting it when I finally get it off. During this time the fish had been taking line and coming back towards me so I had to keep walking backwards to keep tension on
The fish glides in about a minute later, a very chrome hatchery doe. First hatch of the season, and last time I let one go, it took me the rest of the season to finally get another so she gets dispatched.
I give my friend the roe and head to Fred's to weigh her in. 7 something was her official weight. Brought her home, fellet her and got out the roe which is very small and immature. While felleting my friend wants more roe, so I take him more crappy freezer burnt spring roe that I wont use any other time besides now. I sit and chat for 30 mins or so and then leave to drop off a fillet at my grandparents house, then came home and ate the fish
Another point of interest..... the fry are everywhere now. Saw tones yesterday and today. Cutty fishing should be very good pretty quick, along with my favorite, COLORADOS!
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Topic: Chilliwack River, March 24th 2009: Back to 50% (Read 972 times)