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Well, I know that stillwaters are opening up right now, but the urge to wade in a smaller river and chase rainbows is as strong in me as that for lake reared triploids, so on Sunday japander, I and our friend Anthony (not a BCFR member yet ???) packed into my pickup and headed out of town at 8 AM. The drive out to Princeton was one of subdued excitement (alright, not subdued), with japander asking every few kms "Are we there yet??" :happy:. As we drove down Highway 3 beside the Sumallo River, we saw a body of water in prime shape, the freshet not yet strong. A few kms into Manning Park, we came across a disturbing sight; yellow caution tape along the road shoulder and a newer SUV up to its door handles in the Sumallo. (More disturbing was the sight of the SUV still there when we returned, with no evidence that there was any attempt being made to remove it.) As we continued up the Hope-Princeton Highway the snow got deeper and deeper. At the summit there was probably 4 foot deep snow from the road way into the nearby woods. Coming down the las long hill into Princeton, I was made painfully aware of the province-wide crackdown on speeding. 107 in an 80 km zone. No sooner had John Law written me up, than he pulled over another victim 200 yards from where he found me. On the other side of Princeton was another Horseman writing up another hapless leadfoot. Be careful out there folks, the first sign of spring is a speed trap.
Shortly we found a good spot to pull over and head to the water. 10 minutes gearing up and we were in the water. I had brought 2 rods with me, my 4 wt Loomis and my brand new birthday present, a 6wt Amundson switch rod. As we were pulling on our waders I realized that it was actually pretty windy, so I opted for the 6 wt. My companions were discussing how many layers they were going to leave on under their breathables. I said I was going to wet wade,but was only joking. Half an hour later I was thinking I really should have. The day was absolutely gorgeous, sunny and hot (probably 22-23° C) and I was sweating with my breathables flipped down to my waist, only a chest pack and tee shirt on my upper body. The river was at a reasonable depth, but was very coloured, visibility about 1 1/2-2 feet. In about 3 1/2 hours of fishing we only managed to touch 5 fish (Anthony 1, prof 4 :cheers: ) with only 1 each brought to hand, and those in the 6 to 8 inch range. All were on wooly buggers or nymphs. We returned to the truck for a quick bite and much needed OK Pale Ale and then headed back (at a more leisurely and legal speed). On the west side of the summit we drove past some beautiful looking water on the Similkameen, before we could take no more and pulled over to once again wet a line in much clearer, shallower water. Although we hit the fishiest looking water we had seen since last summer, the water was just above freezing (did I mention the snow) and in 45 minutes we were unable to entice a single take. Oh well, the day was still a success. We waded a beautiful river, got sunburns, shared laughs and dreams, and renewed again our friendship based on our common passion for fishing. And I fell in love with my switch rod. We also saw 50-60 deer. THEY WERE EVERYWHERE, and usually in groups ranging from 3-4 to 15 or so. Thanks guys, it was just a taste of what the summer holds in store.
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Shortly we found a good spot to pull over and head to the water. 10 minutes gearing up and we were in the water. I had brought 2 rods with me, my 4 wt Loomis and my brand new birthday present, a 6wt Amundson switch rod. As we were pulling on our waders I realized that it was actually pretty windy, so I opted for the 6 wt. My companions were discussing how many layers they were going to leave on under their breathables. I said I was going to wet wade,but was only joking. Half an hour later I was thinking I really should have. The day was absolutely gorgeous, sunny and hot (probably 22-23° C) and I was sweating with my breathables flipped down to my waist, only a chest pack and tee shirt on my upper body. The river was at a reasonable depth, but was very coloured, visibility about 1 1/2-2 feet. In about 3 1/2 hours of fishing we only managed to touch 5 fish (Anthony 1, prof 4 :cheers: ) with only 1 each brought to hand, and those in the 6 to 8 inch range. All were on wooly buggers or nymphs. We returned to the truck for a quick bite and much needed OK Pale Ale and then headed back (at a more leisurely and legal speed). On the west side of the summit we drove past some beautiful looking water on the Similkameen, before we could take no more and pulled over to once again wet a line in much clearer, shallower water. Although we hit the fishiest looking water we had seen since last summer, the water was just above freezing (did I mention the snow) and in 45 minutes we were unable to entice a single take. Oh well, the day was still a success. We waded a beautiful river, got sunburns, shared laughs and dreams, and renewed again our friendship based on our common passion for fishing. And I fell in love with my switch rod. We also saw 50-60 deer. THEY WERE EVERYWHERE, and usually in groups ranging from 3-4 to 15 or so. Thanks guys, it was just a taste of what the summer holds in store.
eace:
