Reading many cool and interesting reports (Chris Gadsdsen's Journal among others) has inspired me to do my own report(s), (Many more to come so stay tuned
).
Okay with that said, here I go. I had set the alarm clock for 7 AM last night and was hoping for an exciting day out on the water with tolerable weather. As I woke up after a good night's sleep, I peeked out my window to see that the rain had held off for the most part and that it was cloudy with a couple patches of sky. I quickly gathered up my things and was almost ready to leave for the river, but I had forgotten to tie up some fresh roe bags the night before, so I had to make some now. I then proceed to tie up 8 juicy roe bags which would last the trip as I also was bringing along some Jensen eggs and blades. I was then ready to head out to the river.
It would be a brisk walk as I always get excited before each steelhead trip with the hopes of hooking an illusive Iron. My pace doubles for the most part.
As I approach the lower river, I witness just how different the river looks from how it did in early November. Boy have things changed! All the runs that I used to fish were underwater, but on the bright side, I saw many new runs with some nice pools which looked "fishy". I decided on a spot and started casting away. Since it's the beginning of December, one cannot expect a lot fishing wise. Steelhead are a needle in a haystack now, but the numbers will continue to improve as the days go on. I thought to myself, wouldn't it be something if I can land a hatchery fish and enter it into the Wally Hall Memorial Derby as the first fish entered on the first day? It played on my mind as I covered multiple runs. Without any action at the first few spots I tried, I decided to head further down lower to scout out some more spots. I ended up coming across a beautiful piece of water that looked like a good steelhead holding spot. On my first cast through the run with my roe bag, the float cautiously dips slightly. I was hesitant to pull back as it didn't appear to be a full take so I just pulled the rod slightly to see, and sure enough a fish is on the end of the line. Of course the hook comes flying back at me within seconds as I believe I set the hook too soon. Oh well, time to re-bait as the roe bag had been crushed. Looking for a second chance, I cast into the spot and unfortunately, it seems as though my chances of hooking the fish again are slim. Multiple casts in, I feel as if the fish (whatever it may have been) spooked off. Before moving down, I decided to try a silver hammered Colorado spinner which I had purchased from Rodney at the Used Tackle sale in November.
I thought that since the fish already has seen a roe bag twice, maybe the spinner will trigger a strike. Sure enough, first cast in, the float dips violently under the surface and I react quickly and set the hook. Fish ON! The adrenaline was pumping at this point. I start to see flashes of silver and my heart continues to race even more. I thought to myself, its fighting like a steelhead but there's a chance that it could be a late-run chum as I know you can find some bullet chum this time of year. I'm slowly working it to shore, but the fish has other plans and decides to book it down the run. Before I even have a chance to collect my thoughts and start chasing it, the hook pops out and the fish is gone. I had to have a chuckle as it was quite the excitement. I then proceed to fish the run for a bit, but to no avail, the fish is gone. Disappointed, I regain my composure and head down lower to fish a couple more runs before my trip comes to an end. I continue to fish through a couple runs but to no avail. Near the end of my trip, I bump into a friend who's been fishing the Vedder for the past 35 years. I proceed to tell him about the hookup I had earlier. He tells me he hadn't seen or hooked any fish where he was today, but he says he saw one caught last week. We give our farewells shortly after and I then head back home after the long trip. Time for some hot cocoa. As I check some various fishing websites now, I see that a nice doe was brought into Fred's this afternoon. Could it have been the fish I lost earlier? Who knows. Until next time, tight lines!
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Topic: Chilliwack River, December 1st 2015 : First Steelhead Trip Of The Season (Read 8822 times)