As very tired after a long day on the river, the playing and landing a steelhead I donot know how long or well written this journal will be. Excuse the spelling and grammar errors Lew and Terry that will be worse than usual.
Will step back a bit to yesterday. I scouted the area I was planning to fish on derby day and as I noted in my post "Warming up for the derby" I had noticed some good looking spots and I made the decision I would spend most of my derby time there.
As it was News Years Eve I had promised my wife we would go out for dinner and then take in a show but that would be after the Leaf game.
The hockey game got the evening going very well and put me in a very good mood as the Leafs outclassed New Jersey
rolling big time crushing the team from Hell. This victory was with a good part of the Leaf team crippled with injuries.
As the show my wife wanted to see started soon after the completion of the hockey game we headed for Abbotsford and the show, dinner would have to wait. More winning as admission was only a fiver each and free popcorn as well, New Years Eve special.
As we settled in for the show more winning as a usher comes in and says we have won some prizes for sitting close to a lucky marked seat. We won a T- shirt, a hat (Not a Leaf one
) and two movie tickets. Maybe we won because we were the only one at this particular show.
I ask my wife what is this show you have brought me to as no one else is here, the usher says some have walked out on it on previous screenings.
I tell my wife we will have our own private screening and it will be like when we went to our first movie, a drive in theatre 40 years ago.
It was not the worse show I have seen and anyway my wife picked it. I thought maybe there may be some fishing in it as it was called Wolf Creek but there was none of that, enough said.
With the horror movie done with and my wife clinging close we walked to the car in a hurry then off to dinner. Entering the place they said it was a News Years Bash and wanted $99 each.
I said anywhere you could seat us just for dinner which the waiter was able to do. I decided in keeping with a fishing tone for the weekend I had halibut to appease the fish gods for tomorrow. The band playing was even in a fishing mode playing Mack the Knife about a shark isn't it?
With diiner completed the drive home was like driving down the middle of a stream as the rain was just pelting down. What would the river be like in the morning I wondered.
Arriving home I watched the highlights of the Leaf game on several channels while putting on 110 yards of line on the reel. I then saw the old year disappear and the new one come in before finally getting to bed.
5 o'clock came too early but I was on the road by 5:15 searching for a Tim Hortons, darn all closed so headed for the Fish and Game Clubhouse. I had told David I would give him a hand punching tickets hence the early hour.
Before my arrival at 6 am at the clubhouse I checked the water with my torch and saw the water was perfect.
On entering the clubhouse a number I already see a number of anxious anglers there including dead head waiting to have their tickeys punched ffor the shotgun start.other like me were buying their tickets. I had to settle for the coffee there, not like Tims but better than nothing. Spent the next 30 minutes selling tickets, joking and chatting with the crowd that grew to around 30 or so. Some good reports as Gwyn had been into 5 already this year and heard later Dale had 3 yesterday including a hatchery. What was with me only a chum in 4 trips. Also I have a dinner for 4 bet with Gwyn that he won last year for the first hatchery, cost me $150 as took the Master along for the dinner. Glad the two Gwyn had landed out of the 5 he had hooked were wild. What is with these guys not telling me before about these fish. I tell my stories successful or not on FWR, maybe that is what they are afraid of.
Does not bother me as life is too short for that and if we can help some young anglers catch fish so much the better.
With the clock chimming at 6:30 we punch the tickets and in about 5 minutes the place is deserted. Gwyn joins the throng heading to that unknown hot spot that could cost me another $150 if he hits that hatchery. I just relaxe as 45 minutes to fishing time. Gwyn appears back at the clubhouse 5 minutes or so after leaving with Martin in tow " Saw headlights were I was going, will wait a bit" Gwyn says.
Around 7:15 I head for the door, so does Gwyn, maybe he thinks I am going to his hot spot.
My hot spot is Tims for a coffee and a muffin.
See two fishers there, chat a bit with them. One of them is a flyfisher and he tells me he has one on the fly already. Well done I tell him.
With my coffee companion along I head to try a small spot just above the Crossing before going to the real hot spot.
On the first cast there I miss some thing, prawn tail gone, a few more cast down again but nothing. What is it? A few more cast I hook it, a small trout or whitefish that falls off before I land it. At least they like prawn tails. I try for 10 minutes more and then head to another spot just above. I try casting to the far side to a riffle and get a terrible rats nest that takes me 15 minutes to untangle.
Enought of this spot, time to get serious as I head to the Leaf Mobile.
Part Two to follow, need a break
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Topic: January 1, 2006 Vedder River Derby, Complete Results (Read 9145 times)