Fishing in British Columbia > General Discussion

Lessons learned at a cost (FOUND!)

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obie1fish:
I wanted to share the story of my afternoon today. End result: lost fish and lost rod.
As all of you know, it was a gorgeous day, and all was going well. I wore shorts for the second day in a row, my translucent white legs blinding anyone I walked past.

I also got my March Madness picks in, put a nice patch on my waders, and went to see a good angling friend who has been under the weather for a while. We chatted about potential future fishing trips and the saltwater fishing we do in the summer. I left his place to try spoon fishing for a couple of hours, with the promise of a report upon my return home, probably after doing some yard work prior to dinner.

And so I  went to the Vedder with no expectations whatsoever apart from a good walk and a chance to try a method I hadn't tried for steelhead. I was in my shorts, armed with an old setup of mine: a 7 ft Kunan one piece  rod and Shimano Curado (the old green one), filled with 30 lb yellow PowerPro with 6 ft of 20 lb fluorocarbon at the end. In the past it was an awesome setup for spoon fishing for coho, and float fishing jigs for chums as well, the shorter rod being handy for fishing the Harrison in a boat. A box of spoons and a multitool was all the additional tackle I brought.
So I walked upstream, quickly fishing several pools with no results other than I was really enjoying how the setup was fishing. I made sure to change spoons to match the speed and depth of each pool and run. Working my way back down, I revisited a spot that's worked well for me and my centerpin setup. I changed to a 50/50 chartreuse Little Cleo and started in.

One cast went to the slow water on the other side, fluttered along for a few metres, then stopped. I set the hook into an immovable object that started thumping, and then took off. The big buck stayed in the pool, holding in the main current, not letting me budge him despite the pressure I put on the 20 lb fluoro. I got him onto my side several times, and after some more small runs, he came to the water's edge. I tailed him and reached to remove the spoon...

...and he took off from my grip, leaving me to watch my rod follow the fish into the main current, out of sight.

Needless to say, words were said. I hoped to look around to see if there was someone who would be able to latch onto the line and save the day, not to mention freeing the steelhead.

Unfortunately this was also a rare occasion when there were no anglers in sight, save for a fellow working his way down the other side from above. I shouted upstream to him, signaling for him to come down, but he just waved and went away. By that time my wife was on her way with a level wind setup. A full hour had passed, and I was starting to feel horrible about the fish, still attached to my setup, occasionally rising on the far side. I knew after the fight and all that time, the fish would be tired, to say the least.

My wife arrived, and I quickly managed to hook onto the line attached to the fish. I was able to bring the line up, but the rod and line was stuck. Unfortunately, the line on the other side broke, and  further attempts both there and downstream proved futile. At least the fish was no longer hampered by the rod. I hope it's okay.

So if anyone out there fishing the mid section of the Chilliwack comes upon a 7 ft Kunan one piece and green Curado with yellow braid, let me know. More importantly, if you catch a good sized, coloured wild buck with a chartreuse/nickel spoon in its mouth, treat him kindly and please enjoy the spoon- it has quite a story attached.

dennisK:
Wow, heck of day. One for the memory banks! Thank you for sharing.

clarki:
Great story! I see from your Lost and Found post that the rod has an important connection for you. Hope you get it back!

RalphH:
that's a unique story and thanks for making the effort to release the fish from your lost rod!

obie1fish:
Thanks, everyone. My main concern was for the wild brood stock. I'm still worried about that fish, and wishing I was able to get to it sooner.

I forgot to mention: my lessons learned?

Lesson 1: Bring a net. We've all probably lost fish that would have been more gently captured and released if a net was in hand. Lots of people, including Rod, have said this for years.

 My situation was another possibility. I know nets can be costly, but so is losing gear. And as you noted Clarki, losing a gift from my long passed father makes the hurt and regret even more pronounced.

Lesson 2: Loosen your drag at the end of the fight. I might still have my setup if I had remembered to do this simple step.

As with many people, I was already aware of these two steps, but figured I could get along without them. After all, it's only a couple of hours of afternoon steelhead fishing. What could go wrong? Ahhhh, beautiful hindsight. One of my favourite sayings is that my life is full of 3 second moments I want back.

I'm older now, but I guess I still learn lessons the old fashioned way- the hard way.

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