Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum
Fishing in British Columbia => Fishing Reports => Members' Fishing Reports => Topic started by: chris gadsden on December 02, 2006, 06:55:13 PM
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A warm welcome as usual to The Journal on Fishing With Rod, your top fishing web page for the latest fishy news across the globe. As I am taping the Leaf game that I am certain will be another win, I will give a brief accounting of my late afternoon jaunt out to the Vedder.
I then will settle in an enjoy the game.
I had intended to make a run out to the Vedder at first light but the 3 degrees of frost combined with the delicious meal and events after made me instead visit Tim' s to read the paper and then attend the Long Table at McDonald's to catch up on the local gossip.
I also questioned some of the top rods in the Valley when they had caught their first steelhead of a new season and I believe the earliest was in October. I cannot really remember when I have taken mine, maybe mid December, will have to check the book. Maybe others that read this can add the date of their earliest catch of Mr Iron Head.
Anyway I finally get organized mid afternoon, tying up some new leaders and some roe bags, a little under a quarter size as I knew the visibility would be not the best, even after the cold of last night.
I park the Leaf Mobile in a high visible spot to try and thwart any attempt by any crook who would attempt to violate her by breaking a window to gain access. I wish she could talk as that would most likely paralyze the would be thief and then would be easy picking on my return as the bear spray I carry would add to his discomfort. ;D
I pack my gear, camera and cell phone in a back pack making sure the latter two items are in a zip lock bag in case I happen to get a early start on a Polar Bear swim. I take a staff as well to help steady my 63 year old frame. i wonder how I am fairly mobile on the badminton court but like a fish out of water when walking the rivers these days. As I plow through the foot or so of snow I find the staff is indeed a great help, so one could say the rod and my staff comfort me. ;D
As I reach the river proper I almost think I am on a moonscape, every thing has changed so much since the flood of 2006. I quickly see the area I am in it appears at a first glance to be for the better as there is so many good looking holding spots. I even shiver a bit, not from the cold but from the thought that I believe I can smell a steelhead in the area, now that going a bit far CG. ;D
I see the water is ok with visibility at around two feet as I wade the first side stream, to reach the first run I am going to try. A nice freshly made roe bag is slipped firmly on the #1 Gammy with a Maple Leaf Drennan carrying the payload. I must change that to a Maple Leaf Stealth for the next trip as I like them equally as well.
I then get itchy feet to do some more exploring so head upstream a bit, I think I am treading on virgin turf as I can see only eagle, heron, duck and seagull tracks, all feeding on the dead that are everywhere. Some of the chum are like mummys, incased in a tomb of ice their grimace of death staring skyward towards the heavens, fish heaven maybe. I wonder as I tread around their bodies, respecting them as much as I would any other creature be it human or other animal. I wonder if any of them were some of the 140 chum that a number of us rescued from a premature death during the flood. I hope so, we sure wanted to give them the chance to complete their life cycle and not die in a drying up mud soaked pool.
I finally stumble on some human tracks, someone with the same idea as me I guess. As there is some good looking runs above him that need checking I continue onward. Besides I will be doing an article for the Chilliwack Progress on the upcoming Boxing day Steelhead Derby so I require a picture as well.
Taking about pictures I think the Leaf game should be over now so will take a break so to take in some moving pictures, of the Leafs winning. ;D ;D Back shortly.
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what a cliffhanger, the suspense is killing me! I think I better go tie up some roesacks ;)
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Great read so far Chris, as usual!! Thanks. But I am sorry to inform you that the Laughs lost again. ;D
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As I am taping the Leaf game that I am certain will be another win, I will give a brief accounting of my late afternoon jaunt out to the Vedder.
"If you're a Toronto fan, you know tough" - Ron Ellis
Squandered a two goal lead to lose again in shootout. Telling it like it is. ;D
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Thanks for another good report, if only you stopped mentioning these leafs, would these reports be great. How well did you find the visibility of the water you were fishing? might have to take a walk down the river and explore too.
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Chris must not like shootouts.........
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Awsome read once again chris!!! Hopefully canucks roll to victory tonight!
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Good one!!!!!!!!
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So depressed from the lost last night as went to bed leading 2-0 and watched the bitter end this morning. Hate shootouts unless we win so I will complete The Journal later tonight as a full day ahead that includes a steelhead trip this afternoon before the rain comes and puts the river out.
A bonus for those that read The Journal you can get two for one tonight. ;D ;D
Taking about going fishing I feel better already, anyway it will not be long until we are rolling, rolling, rolling right along ;D ;D ;D as early as this week. Love those Leafs. ;D ;D ;D ;D
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(http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y240/footree/flames1.jpg)
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(http://espn-i.starwave.com/media/apphoto/e930113c-3d63-408d-bd75-9254243219a9.jpg)
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thanks for the report ;)
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There's no actual fishing report in this fishing report!! Common, bring it on.
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There's no actual fishing report in this fishing report!! Common, bring it on.
Well got back from a two hour trip this afternoon, covered some nice water once again. Visibility I thought had improved from yesterday by nearly a foot. saw a few anglers out exploring like me and one fellow I talked to had landed a coho. He was across the river so was hard to hear him but I believe he said it was a colored one. He also said he had a very good year on the Thompson which does not surprise me as he is an excellent steelhead fisherman.
Back to complete yesterday fishing report ;D ;D and The Journal.
I find the maker of the footprints who is fishing a nice piece of water. I ask him if I can take his picture for the article I am writing for the upcoming Boxing Day Steelhead derby which by the way will be a grand affair by the looks of it.
The angler tells me it is OK to shoot the pictures I require. After snapping a few frames when I ask him for his name he says because of the line of work he is he says maybe not a good idea to use it. I said thats fine maybe on second thought maybe we should not use the picture, he concurs.
I move up river from him to the next piece of good water and on the second cast while star gazing when I look around the Maple Leaf Drennan is no where in sight.
Thinking maybe it is bottom I pull gently on the line. The next thing I know, line is peeling off my centre pin like no ones business. My first thought of course is steelhead, the fish has really got lots of power and pent up energy. This though lasts for maybe 15 seconds as I then can see the coloration of a chum. ::) It turns out to be a fairly fresh buck pushing 15 pounds that has taken the freshly tied roe bag. It puts up quite a fuss as I get it to the shore and remove the hook before sending it on his way, thanking him for giving me a bit of a thrill for a few seconds.
I fish for another hour or so with no success other than discovering some good looking spots to fish in the future. Many of the old named runs like the famous KE, The Root, Rodney's Wading Pool, Red Toque, Black Hat, Ridley's Rocks, Green Toque, The Cement Run and many others have disappeared because of the recent high water event. But a few of old runs, The Kozak where I took my biggest hatchery steelhead many years ago, Three Fish and the good old Friday Hole have reappeared after being dry land for many years.
Many other runs in our circle of anglers have yet to be named but I know I will name the first one I catch a fish in will be Steelhead 2006 and that day is not far away, I hope, I certainly do not want to have to name it Steelhead 2007. ;D ;D
Good steelhead fishing to all from The Journal on a Sunday evening in Chilliwack, your fresh water fishing capital of British Columbia.
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AAHHHH, thats better. Too bad it was not a steelhead but you got some action.
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Nice read chris...I thought you had her there for a second or two...
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Attached files are photos of Chris' trip. Log in to view.
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beautiful pictures !! really like the first one :o
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Great report Chris. Nice pics as well. ;D
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i'm gonna spend from dawn till dusk on the river tomorrow... going solo but will have my camera handy. I can't wait to rediscover the river once again... these huge flood/blow outs do make it a whole lot more interresting that's for sure.
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i'm gonna spend from dawn till dusk on the river tomorrow... going solo but will have my camera handy. I can't wait to rediscover the river once again... these huge flood/blow outs do make it a whole lot more interresting that's for sure.
Not want to discourage you from making a trip but the river could be out due to the milder weather today. Saying that the upper may be ok, anyway time to do some exploring.
Maybe someone else can report what it looked like as I did not get near it as I was duck hunting. ;D
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beautiful pictures !! really like the first one :o
Thanks very much, note the lone fisherman (Great Blue Heron) in the picture looking content after a successful day of fishing or is he just cold. ;D
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how did u do duck hunting chris? were there many birds flying or have they been pushed to the river?
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Nice report. A fish to the hand would have made it even (but only a little) better.
Chris the leafs Lost ;D
BTW, one of the twins just coughed it up to make it 4-0 in favor of Edmonton. ;D
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how did u do duck hunting chris? were there many birds flying or have they been pushed to the river?
One shot, one mallard. While out fishing yesterday crossed one of the off river spawning channels built for chum. It was full of spawning and dead chum. Of course there was a good number of mallards feeding on the carcasses, do not want to cook up one of those ducks as the smell will be there to Christmas. ::)
If you are hunting a corn field you should not incounter a fishy duck. With the mild weather the ducks should start to return to the fields. The good part is a lot of the water in the fields has iced up so not so many places for them to be.
As the Chilliwack Vedder most likely be in and out with the rain we are having it will make the choice easier what to do, duck hunt. ;D ;D
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Thank you for the read... I really enjoy reading your entrys...
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i hear ya chris, me and my brother have wacked 27 in 2 trips together, makes great pepperoni
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wonderfull entry again , I hope you are saving all your entry's and hope to see them published one day .