Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum
Fishing in British Columbia => Fishing Reports => Members' Fishing Reports => Topic started by: chris gadsden on December 19, 2006, 12:37:51 AM
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As always a very warm welcome on a late Monday or early Tuesday morning to The Journal on Fishing With Rod your top fishing web page on the net for fishing information.
Finally with a bit of frost in the dying days of Fall with Winter only a couple of days away, time once again to try for an early run Winter steelhead. As I turn the the Leaf Mobile towards the Vedder I am certainly hoping for improved water conditions. The last while the mild and rainy weather has made the lower river in my mind unfishable as visibility ran from a few inches to maybe a foot. Then there is the clay that will slide into the river at anytime creating less than ideal conditions.
As I swing by McDonalds I see Dave there so I drop in and give him a small piece of a fin clip so he can get a DNA reading from one of the two sockeye I caught last Friday in a Fraser backwater while fishing for cutthroat. As I reported they both had grabbed the 3 single eggs I was using.
Rodney has yet to post the pictures so I will ask him to do so here so you can see them, a real oddity to catch them so late in the season I think.
I reach the river just after daylight and quickly make my way to the river and are fairly pleased to see visibility now approaching 18 inches, fishable.
As I make my way to the first run I see the water is up from my first two trips nearly 2 weeks ago. The only tracks I see are some made by a bruin, most likely feeding on some of the rotting chum last night. I see 2 other anglers working some runs above me, none below.
I quickly work through numerous runs. I find in most cases if a steelhead is there he will take on the first few casts, that is if you get it in front of him. In a lot of cases it is the sweepers that will stay at a run and cast and cast but that is when the fish hole up in traps like they did last year, not my cup of tea. I am please to see so many runs mostly small spots that I like to fish especially in the colored conditions we are and will be faced with this season. It seems we will faced with this conditions a lot this season in the Lower river anywhere, where I like to fish. I just do not like the upper don't ask me why as I really do not know why although when I started fishing steelhead years ago, with The Master we just did not go up there, not necessary as we always did well in the Lower.
I work down a far as I want to go and start fishing back up stream from where I came.
First cast into a small slot, Maple Leaf Drennan goes side ways a bit, thinking it is bottom I just pick up, bad idea as a fish comes to the top, I see its back only, for only a split second darn was it an ironhead a chum or a coho. I would never know as it has easily tossed the hook, the roe bags of course is torn up with the contents gone. I affix another fresh bag now very excited with the though of what may be lurching in the silt laden waters below. Of course I am still wondering what I had on for the fraction of a second.
I throw a few more casts nothing happens, no second chance to see what has got the blood pumping.
I move to another similar slot, leaving the other spot to rest a bit before I return to it. On the first cast into this spot Maple Leaf Drennan dips again, this time I am on it, solid but it is a snag or my weight has caught under a boulder. I try to free it but the line breaks, the 20 gram Maple Leaf Drennan floats free, I give chase, I have one chance to retrieve it but I miss on the lunge and it floats away to make someone who finds it very happy. My poor drennan that I had put on this morning with the Leafs logo freshly taped on only lasted a few hours and did not get a chance to enjoy battling a steelhead.
I retie, putting on a 28 gram drennan sans the logo. I return to the spot of the action but nothing happens. Snow starts to fall and I am getting hungry for lunch so head back to the Leaf Mobile for some munchies. On the way back to the Leaf Mobile I spot something red, in a fresh log jam pushed there by the recent high water event, I go over to check it out. I am pleased to see it is a 28 gram drennan, sure did not take long to replace the lost one. ;D
Back at the LM while having lunch Lew and Terry stop for a chin wag. They are checking the garbage situation along the river as the CVRCC is meeting with the City of Chilliwack, Fraser Valley Regional District and the City of Abbotsford today to plan our 4 cleanup dates for 2007. We will have them for you tomorrow, hope as many of you will attend some of them this year as it is because of the volunteers like you that the Adopt a River program has been a success the last 4 years.
With lunch complete I have a hour to fish before the LM goes in for her Christmas present, a check up from Dr. Ernie and Dr. Chad.
The time goes quickly, it always does when you have to get somewhere. However nothing more happens so back to the LM. On the way back I bend down and to pick up a beer tin. Beside it I see a small change purse, it feels heavy, gold in it maybe. ;D No it is full of pennies, mostly American. When I count them I find 41 and one dime, not enough for a coffee but hey maybe that 41 st penny will be a lucky omen for what will happen today. It is already Tuesday morning so I will be back at the river in exactly 7 hours. I feel lucky already, just being able once again to get out on the river in an attempt seek out a steelhead, maybe for the one that was or wasn't, we will never know but today I will be ready, you can count your pennies on that. ;D ;D ;D
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Rodney has yet to post the pictures so I will ask him to do so here so you can see them, a real oddity to catch them so late in the season I think.
:-[
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those fish are really late and aren't coloured up alot yet! :o
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awsome read once again chris!
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Thanks, Chris - every read an adventure!
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Great read keep it up :)
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A great read Chris. Thanks
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You got lucky finding that Drennan! The only ones I find are always cracked. To avoid losing them don't you put a bobber stopper below them above your weight in case you break off. I've saved many a sliding float that way. The other thing I use quite often is a bead with a tooth pick crammed in it. The bad luck I seem to have with Drennans is using them too late into the season up a the T because when it gets too cold up there they freeze up and one little tap on a rock when you're casting or a slip while doing the rock dance causes them to shatter like a light bulb on pavement. And at $8.00 a pop.... that sucks!
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Avoid using Drennans in freezing weather. Doesn't take much to crack it.
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You got lucky finding that Drennan! The only ones I find are always cracked. To avoid losing them don't you put a bobber stopper below them above your weight in case you break off. I've saved many a sliding float that way. The other thing I use quite often is a bead with a tooth pick crammed in it. The bad luck I seem to have with Drennans is using them too late into the season up a the T because when it gets too cold up there they freeze up and one little tap on a rock when you're casting or a slip while doing the rock dance causes them to shatter like a light bulb on pavement. And at $8.00 a pop.... that sucks!
Yes I started using them last year but I could not find where I but them, I know I should have bought another pack as they are certainly nice to use. I really donot mind losing drennans as I have found a good number of them in all sizes the last few years, I problem have about two dozen at least now. ;D Will never use them all. Also it will be a thrill for anyone that finds one with the Maple Leaf logo on it, or as FA would say who in the world would be doing that to such a nice float. ;D ;D Also I have some Maple Leaf Stealths which are a good product also, one will be going on next.
Thanks for the tip re the stoppers as I am sure others will pick up on using them also.
Forgot to mention in yesterday's report a member of this forum was making fun of me using a back pack.
I am trying it over a vest for a few reasons, it is easier on my aging back, It sits higher than a vest so does not get wet when wading deeper water, stuff does not fall out like it did in my old vest and I find it easier to find stuff when I need it. By the way I put every thing in a zip lock bag so it keeps dry at all times.
The pack may look a little beaky maybe one step above packing a tackle box along the river but so be it, when one gets over 60 one becomes a little senile anyway, it goes with the territory. Anyway the Leaf hat makes up for it, a sign of real class. ;D ;D
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million thanks to Chris "the adventurer" Gadsden for sharing all these addictive yet interesting experience. :)
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Even better (and cheaper as an added benefit) is cutting an elastic band, tying it and cliping "the wings". In my case, I have found this works much better than the stoppers.
BTW - don't mean to highjack your thread, but does anyone on here know "Stealhead King". I found one of his balsa floats in case he wants it back.
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Even better (and cheaper as an added benefit) is cutting an elastic band, tying it and cliping "the wings". In my case, I have found this works much better than the stoppers.
BTW - don't mean to highjack your thread, but does anyone on here know "Stealhead King". I found one of his balsa floats in case he wants it back.
Rodney and a number of us do. ;D For a moment I thought you were going to say you found my MLD from yesterday's outing.
By the way nothing today except a few foam floats, a few more anglers out but I thought the water was a little more colored than yesterday, in the morning anyway.
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THanks... Always nice to read your entry...
Those rubber stopper does come off though. Best for me is one on top and two on the bottom. I also found that the skin color one works a lot better than the black one..
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Neat reading! Socks went after the eggs? Wow!
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Boy it sure is great to have a guy like Chris on here with his journal. It sure keeps the excitment of steelheading going between trips. Thanks Chris for another great read.
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Great read, thanks and good luck on the rest of your journeys
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balsa floats are the best in cold weather, don't crack, are really light, and just as sensitive! I only hae 3 left so i need to get a new batch going! Tight lines boys!
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personally i find foam floats are the best when you cut and shape them to size, cheap so you dont try to drown yourself every time you lose one
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personally i find foam floats are the best when you cut and shape them to size, cheap so you dont try to drown yourself every time you lose one
Just like chasing ducks. ::)
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Neat reading! Socks went after the eggs? Wow!
Yes it is the first time catching them on single eggs. Have caught them on Ghost Shrimp, roe, prawn tails and pink wool, all in clear water conditions of course. ;D ;D
As well with spinning glows the odd time, #2 and 0's bar fishing the Fraser in not so clear water conditions. As well I caught two mooching plug cut herring in Iron Noggin's territory in 1986. ;D ;D
No rain tonight so far in Chilliwack so trip #5 in the offering tomorrow. Got to keep searching searching and exploring for that steelhead, they are there, we just need to bump into one, lets hope for at least 18 inches visibility tomorrow.
Doesn't it get one excited, just thinking of seeing that first flash of chrome of the new season with a couple of somersaults thrown in for good measure, gosh it may be hard to sleep tonight. ;D ;D ;D
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What is it Christmas eve??? ;D
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What is it Christmas eve??? ;D
I hope Santa delivers a fresh run steelhead to me tomorrow. ;D ;D
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Just repeating what many others have said Chris, thanks so much for your journal reports! They are such an enjoyable read. And Happy Holidays to you too. I hope Santa is good to you tomorrow too!
Hugs :)
Deb
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Thank you for the great read as usual. Fish or no fish, the journal keeps us in touch with the river. :)
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yes, Chris, your reports are hard to beat. Excellent reading evrytime. Speaking of that first encounter of the season with a steelhead.... last year by this time i had beached 3, this year... shook hands with one on tuesday... but no solid hookups yet. The whole late season, egg biting sockeye thing is pretty wild... strange things are afoot with our salmon these days eh?
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Thanks very much Thomas, steelhead Journals may not be too frequent this year, today I had to write The Journal in Hunter's Cabin. ;D