DAY 1, MAY 31, 2005
I awake at 4:15 am, a mix of excitement and the fact I had no time to get ready the day before. Was foolish to play badminton twice, including a late night session. I played terribly and hope my fishing skill would be better.
I knew at least "The Master" (Nick) would be getting into some of these acrobatic rainbows and I would be happy to once again to document the trip on video. This is a two fold purpose, to enjoy the trip over and over again in the years ahead and to preserve the tips I would learn over the next 3 days. I hope one day we will have simple means to transfer highlights of these tapes to this forum for those interested to view. Then I would not to write these reports out and more time to fish.
I arrive at 6:30 am on the nose at Nick's house and he is ready, allready to roll as he is always on time, not late as I am a lot of the time. If I am late it gets the trip off to a bad start as I get "what happened this time GADSY" he asks me.
I quickly seperate what I need for the trip from the Leaf Mobile which Lew, George,Terry and others call my "office", that is most likely too polite a term to describe it.
We are on our way body of water to start the adventure at. I donot care as this was only the second year of fishing chironomids for me, just to get out is good enough for yours truly. As most of you know know there are hundreds of lakes around Merritt and Nick knows so many of them, just like the back of his hand.
We are passed by several others vehicles loaded with their fishing crafts of all sorts, all with the occupants I am sure with the images of dancing rainbows in their heads just like me as I remember back to a little over a year ago when I took the biggest fish of our trip, lucky I know or was it skill?
The first stop is our ritual of having breakfast at the Home Restuarant in Hope that is partly filled with other eager travellers glad to be escaping the confines of the big city 100 miles away.
Breakfast is quickly consummed and we are onto Highway #5, the miles pass quickly as Nick and I relive our 30 plus years of friendship that first started on the fastball field as we were both chuckers, of course he was a lot better at pitching, like he is a far better fisherman than me.
We pay our toll of 10 dollars and I remark it would be nice to have the toll off. I add to Nick as I volunteer for a certain political party that I hate to admit at times, I would try to sugggest we try to remove the tolls before the next election. Maybe I better run myself and campaign on that issue but hey if I got elected there would be no time to fish.
Sorry Rodney this is not suppose to be a political forum.
As we see the Coldwater River off to the left Nick tells me chinooks would be in the lower sections of it already. Marvelous fish aren't they?
We talk about the weather and he tells me the temprature of the water should be around 12 to 15 celius roughly for the best angling He adds it should be about that at the high levels lakes we will be fishing.As well it has cooled down a bit after the first hot spell of the year a few days back.
Nick who has been talking to Brian Chan, a famous fly-fisher and author says things were starting to pick up lately, which I am glad to hear.
Final I have to ask "what lake are we going to try first", the reply is, "an unnamed one" he says with a grin on his face. Surprises can be good I guess.
As we traverse the dusty road, part of it on the old Kettle Valley Railroad we see countless beaver dams, deer and other bird life that to me are a bonus and I love to film them. To add to the joy not a soul in sight, heaven.
Final we are at the lake and the air temp. is 12 degrees, and the water 11 about the same due to the hot weather I have mentioned. We launch quickly as the mosquito's are plentyful and big as jet planes.There is lots of swallows feasting on these menace to society, why were they created I think and I marvel at the winged feeding machines as they twist and turn just above the rippling water surface. I just answered my own question didn't I?
We work our way down the lake with Nick watching keenly for hatching chironomids. The odd trout also breaks the surface and breaks the silence of the lake at the same time. I am told by my compainion they are picking off the sedges that are putting their life on the line from these creatures the lurk below in the depths of the 30 foot lake.
It is not long until Nick of course is into fish number 1 of the trip, as he lands the 14 inch silver fish. Nick on landing this trout he sees it has a very deformed mouth that spoiled his silver beauty somewhat. He has had no difficulty of feeding it appears as he is a plump fellow. Nick carefully "spoons" the stomack of this fish before release, to check the colour of the hatching chironomids they have been munching on so as to try to find a matching colour. Some are green, the same colour chironmamid I am using
and a silver which I believe Nick calls it a chromie.
I am next up, as I try to cast which I am not that good at most of the time I can not get my chironamid and the 12 foot or so tappered leader to clear the water. I soon find out why, I have a fish on which I take some ribbing from my partner in trying to cast a fish.
A pair of loons circle us now, looking for an easy meal. Their occasional wail signals we are with nature at its best. The call of ducks and other song birds as they go about there daily chore of feeding themselves and their newborns is something that I never get tired of. How lucky we are to be here and the fish we are catching are an add on, in my books anyway. I think of those that are at work and at school and can not be at a similar location as we are. But their day will come, like mine did seven years ago after 35 years of work. That is why we must all work hard to look after nature and her environment, we owe it to those that will come after us.
As I type this one of my grandchildren, just 1 year old is hooting with glee in his highchair, enjoying his supper my wife is feeding him. It gives me all the more resolve to keep working for our fish so as to give him the same opportunity I had and stiill have if he chooses the great sport of angling. If I give up, I have let him down very badly and thousands of similar children and young adults throughout British Columbia, Canada and the world.
I interrupted myself here but these thoughts came to me during my edit, sorry.
I did not get the thrill of seeing my indicator go down or for that matter I do not see the fish either as I lose it after about 30 seconds. Not to to be dispared I am into another 5 minutes later, a 13 inch fish that is netted, spooned and then released, 1 for two, and ahead of my guide on fish hooked. Nick quickly ties me up with a lost fish also taken on a sinking line.
He then moves ahead with a nice good two pounder or a little more. I tell him he is a beak as I am suppose to get the biggest.
Then he is into another using a mayfly as a 3 pounder is brought to the net.
We are missing the odd fish as well as the ones we are landing when around 3 my indicator goes down, I strike, a fish that Nick says is close to 4 clears the surface by a few feet a couple of times.
My joy is quickly dashed as it throws the hook on the third jump as the reason for its acrobatics prove succcessful. I take more ribbing but Nick suffers a worse fate asa the next fish he hooks he breaks off so my turn to do the taunting.
The time has passed quickly and around 6, time to head to Merritt, get a motel, and satisfy our hungry stomack that are more interested in a meal than the fish were on day one of the trip it seemed.
The count for the day is, Nick has a tally of 4 for 7 and I, 1 for 5, with the only saving grace being I had the largest on.
I tell Nick that it is warm up day and we should do better tomorrow.
Talking about warming up we did some of that as Nick's battery for the electric motor had gone dead so it made for some paddling on the no outboard lake. We will have to buy a new one tomorrow. Funny there is always some incident on a trip that makes it memorable.
Once again we battle the mosquitos at the launch so we move quickly and in no time flat we are heading for Merritt 90 minutes away.
We find our Motel and freshen up and then head for supper that is adventure in itself. For those interested this fishing diary will continue later with some pictures as well. There was more fun ahead, well I think so anyway but others may find these long stories not to there liking but that is the beauty of a forum, you only have to read what you are interested in.
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Topic: Three days On Merritt Lakes With The Master (Read 4912 times)