Lost this report last night, so I will redo it this morning
So...I was dying to get to the Vedder to catch something large, and the stars aligned to allow my good friend Cam to come out with me. We eager left the picket line yesterday at noon and made record time to my favourite spot around Vedder crossing. Apparently, some others have noted this spot as it was busy, so we drove to another bit of water I like up higher on the river. Empty - sweet.
We fished the confluence of two channels for about 2 hours. Almost immediately I hooked up with a nice sized fish floating roe. It jumped a few times, and I noted it was a coloured chum. I stopped playing the fish, and walked 100 m down to Cam to let him bring it in with the old "hold my rod" line. Cam had the misfortune of growing up the on the Prairies, so he was saying all morning how much he wanted to catch a big salmon. Well, he was pleased with the size, but not the condition of the "snaggle toothed" monster he brought to shore.
A few more casts and another chum.
Now this is what I would call my first real fishing trip of the season due to my beloved Squamish being toxified. So....it seems I was a little "rusty" for lack of a better term. First off....I failed to properly stock my tackle box. Second off....I wasn't reading the river that well. Reading the river you ask? Well...for 2 hours, we were fishing this tail out where the river forked around a bar. All the while we were fshing the side with few fish, and watching large fish rolling on this beautiful pool on the other side of the bar. It took me 2 hours to realize that you could easily walk to the bar from up stream! DUHHH....so having waders, I bid Cam farewell, and made the journey across to the bar.
Roll after roll, and I am salivating while I break out my travelling tacklebox to set up another roe bag. Rusty mistake number two....I only have 4 hooks left. Crappy.
Set up number one....float goes down on second drift, and my rod tip almost touches my hand. Snag I wonder?...then the snag moves with a nice cut move to head to fast water....I rush up stream to try to arc it into shallow water instead...I catch a glimpse...its a slightly coloured spring, and its BIG. either way ..I guess this is rusty mistake number three, but in my walk to the bar, I had set my reel to the "no give" setting...or whatever its called...so snappola...the line breaks.
set up number 2 - shaking hands and adrenaline...this one sails wide over the pool, and is probably still hanging from the branches
set up three....cast and float right in the money zone, and another fish on..this one has speed and spunk...does a nice little move and ...nice....its a beauty coho also on the large side. It flashes and runs down stream, but not before finding the one branch that was submerged. Snap.
Set up #4 - the last set up...cast and float twice, and this time not only does mt rod bend hard...it is actually pulled horizontal and almost right out of my hands. I have caught some big springs, but this thing was a monster. Fortunately, it made a HUGE jupm in front of me that Cam saw, so I am justified in my "fishing tale." Cam said it had a head bigger than mine on it...lol. Anyways...even keeping the rod upright was hard on this one. I tried to take my time, but it was racing dangerously close tot he submedged branch, and then close to the open tail out......either way, my 20lb test was simply not enough to tame this easily 50+ pound fish and after only about 3 minutes, snap.
This white whale went on to dance in front of me, happy to be free of the line...skipping at least 10 times on its way out of the pool.
Out of time, and out of gear, Cam and I retreated from the river satified to have taken in the beauty of the Valley.
Vince 0, Fish 5
and 10 Timmy Ho's coffee cups collected.
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Topic: Vedder - Wednesday (Read 1838 times)