With about 15 minutes of fishing time left I decide to try “The Early Run” once more. I am now fishing the old roe that had been in my bait box for at least 3 weeks, maybe longer.
I work the spot in the run where I had hooked the chum earlier, for a few minutes before I work towards the tail out
The seagulls are now heading in waves to their evening place of rest, Cultus Lake. I say to myself “time to go too, last cast”. We are having our badminton Christmas party so need to get home to get ready.
I make that cast to no avail but as I walk out of the run I observe a bit of a slot, right at the tail out, what the heck one more cast will not hurt.
As the ML DNE float drifts into the slot it dips a bit, that looked unnatural, it goes a couple of feet more and dips again. Most likely bottom but I strike, half heartily.
What’s this, I am feeling a head shake, another chum? No this fish feels strong and it is peeling line off my old Avon reel, heading into the fast water. Gosh maybe this is a steelhead, yes it is as it clears the water, with a tell tale steelhead leap.
It is now vacating the run; I have no chose but to let it go and follow it, stumbling over the rocks while at the same time trying to keep the line tight. Oops two snags below but I am able to keep the fish on my side of them, whew.
We have now reached the next run, a nice place to land the fish but my quarry is not tired yet, don’t rush it, I am now feeling the rush of having a steelhead on.
Next question, is it a hatchery. I have guided it closer to me 3 or 4 times but not close enough to see if it has an adipose or not. The fish tries to gain its freedom with another leap. I finally get it close onto the shallows to see it is free of that fin.
The fish makes a couple of more runs into the deeper water again, twisting and turning each time it feels the gravel on it’s stomach. Finally it tires after the 10 minute tussle and I slide it safely ashore.
I can hardly believe it, my first steelhead of the year, on my first trip and only after a couple of hours of fishing time. I certainly have received an early Christmas present.
I check my cell phone to get the correct date before marking my license also I have to phone Rodney to give him the good news.
Even though I had not yet entered the Wally Hall Jr Memorial Steelhead Derby I head to Fred’s Custom tackle to weigh in the bit of chrome. Chuck reads out the weight that is just under 10 pounds. Gosh if I would have entered the derby earlier I would have knocked Buck off the top rung.
Before I leave the store I now pay the $10 entry fee, thinking another of these wonderful game fish, maybe the derby winner will lurk, one day in “The Early Run.”
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Topic: Chilliwack River, December 12th 2011: My First Steelhead Trip Of The Season (Read 5142 times)