I could go fishing everyday
growing up in Chilliwack........1949
LAIDLAW...
What is Laidlaw?...well that is the name of a community five miles this side of Hope, B.C.
My cousin Joe Johnson...my Dad's sister's son.(I will talk more about the Johnston's later)......Joe and Irene lived in a little house in off the highway at Laidlaw...it was an acreage ...probably 20 acres..and much of it was an orchard....a hobby farm I guess...but Joe also worked as a tug boat operator on the Fraser River....his job was at Laidlaw...Joe was probably 30 then ....his wife's name is Irene...all these cousins were much older than me...there was an out house and coleman gas lights in the evening....around 8:30 the lamps would be lit....Irene would make a snack, maybe listen to the radio for a while..and to bed....because we got up at 6 o'clock....Staying there was like heaven to me ...the area was surrounded by woods and I was doted on by Iren and Joe ...Joe would supervise me shooting his 22..man could life get better...and he joined me fishing sometimes when he picked me up at Jones Creek after work....once we were just above the bridge and Joe caught a carp of all things. The water was tumbling fast there with anly a few small pockets behind rocks.....that is the only time in my life I seen a Carp in that type of glacier mountain river. They are more at home in ponds and our slough type rivers....
Joe had a terrible accident a few years before that and was shot out of an apple tree...Joe and a friend were hunting for a orchard raiding bear and he decided to pick a few apples...his hunting partner thought he was a bear and .......well, Joe had a wooden leg after that.....he packed that heavy thing around for many years.........too bad he could not have had today's technology ...Joe was a logboat operator....... his job was to pick up stray logs that floated down the Fraser river..... there was many of them in those days originating at the many logging operation up the Fraser river.....During the day they laid in wait near Laidlaw and nabbed the logs at night with searchlights on..........There are 2 creeks near there homestead...one west and one east... 2 miles either way...Jones Creek and Hunter Creek....in 1949 I stayed for a few weeks one summer...I could go fishing everyday..to whatever one of the creeks I decided....it didn't take long to get a ride.....hitchhiking with a fishing pole in hand....people just gave me a ride..sometimes tourists and they were interested to know where I was going fishing,....Wow it was fun....Hunter creek falls off the mountain...there are huge rocks and clear pools that had small eight to 10 inch rainbows in them...I had a extendible metal fly rod and a few fly hooks..I could dabble the fly in these pockets and behind rocks...the small trout would be fast to grab it...I found out later the fish were actually small steelhead that spend 1 to 2 years in fresh water before migrating to the ocean....I actually spotted a big steelhead in a shady rocky pool way on the top end of the fishing water...above that was just rocks and fast falling water ...nothing could swim there....end of the line...anyway...how this guy ever made it into this pool ..I guess in higher water...this was August .. it was a summer run Steelhead that entered the creek probably last June when the water was higher...when I appeared over the rocks, I seen him scoot on behind a dark rock like cave...just his tail slowly moving as he laid there well hidden from me...I went back every day and never could get a lure close enough to him..he was so well hidden....that fish was one scary big dude and I was afraid it might bite....I wondered if it would ever find a mate by the time spawning time came around...the upper creek area was like a miracle place.....there was a path with quaint woodsy walking bridges built on it..it was dark and cool with huge trees hiding the sun...the forest floor was padded with needles ....very little undergrowth...and that beautiful clear stream bubbling through that park like area...occasionally there would be tourists in there..looking at the caves that Hunter Creek was know for...yep huge caves probably used by people at one time...A great place to escape the heat..it was so shady and cool....yet hardly anyone came in to look...at least not at that time...There was a store out at the bridge...a store and cafe....an old lady with a parrot ran the place...the parrot could say "hello Bob".."hello Bob"....and that's all it said..."hello Bob"...in 1960 power lines went smack dab through the cave and creek area making it unrecognizable...if you go by that Creek have a look to the mountain side of the bridge and that's where it was....It was beautiful.....and when I was eleven it was mine.
LAIDLAW...
What is Laidlaw?...well that is the name of a community five miles this side of Hope, B.C.
My cousin Joe Johnson...my Dad's sister's son.(I will talk more about the Johnston's later)......Joe and Irene lived in a little house in off the highway at Laidlaw...it was an acreage ...probably 20 acres..and much of it was an orchard....a hobby farm I guess...but Joe also worked as a tug boat operator on the Fraser River....his job was at Laidlaw...Joe was probably 30 then ....his wife's name is Irene...all these cousins were much older than me...there was an out house and coleman gas lights in the evening....around 8:30 the lamps would be lit....Irene would make a snack, maybe listen to the radio for a while..and to bed....because we got up at 6 o'clock....Staying there was like heaven to me ...the area was surrounded by woods and I was doted on by Iren and Joe ...Joe would supervise me shooting his 22..man could life get better...and he joined me fishing sometimes when he picked me up at Jones Creek after work....once we were just above the bridge and Joe caught a carp of all things. The water was tumbling fast there with anly a few small pockets behind rocks.....that is the only time in my life I seen a Carp in that type of glacier mountain river. They are more at home in ponds and our slough type rivers....
Joe had a terrible accident a few years before that and was shot out of an apple tree...Joe and a friend were hunting for a orchard raiding bear and he decided to pick a few apples...his hunting partner thought he was a bear and .......well, Joe had a wooden leg after that.....he packed that heavy thing around for many years.........too bad he could not have had today's technology ...Joe was a logboat operator....... his job was to pick up stray logs that floated down the Fraser river..... there was many of them in those days originating at the many logging operation up the Fraser river.....During the day they laid in wait near Laidlaw and nabbed the logs at night with searchlights on..........There are 2 creeks near there homestead...one west and one east... 2 miles either way...Jones Creek and Hunter Creek....in 1949 I stayed for a few weeks one summer...I could go fishing everyday..to whatever one of the creeks I decided....it didn't take long to get a ride.....hitchhiking with a fishing pole in hand....people just gave me a ride..sometimes tourists and they were interested to know where I was going fishing,....Wow it was fun....Hunter creek falls off the mountain...there are huge rocks and clear pools that had small eight to 10 inch rainbows in them...I had a extendible metal fly rod and a few fly hooks..I could dabble the fly in these pockets and behind rocks...the small trout would be fast to grab it...I found out later the fish were actually small steelhead that spend 1 to 2 years in fresh water before migrating to the ocean....I actually spotted a big steelhead in a shady rocky pool way on the top end of the fishing water...above that was just rocks and fast falling water ...nothing could swim there....end of the line...anyway...how this guy ever made it into this pool ..I guess in higher water...this was August .. it was a summer run Steelhead that entered the creek probably last June when the water was higher...when I appeared over the rocks, I seen him scoot on behind a dark rock like cave...just his tail slowly moving as he laid there well hidden from me...I went back every day and never could get a lure close enough to him..he was so well hidden....that fish was one scary big dude and I was afraid it might bite....I wondered if it would ever find a mate by the time spawning time came around...the upper creek area was like a miracle place.....there was a path with quaint woodsy walking bridges built on it..it was dark and cool with huge trees hiding the sun...the forest floor was padded with needles ....very little undergrowth...and that beautiful clear stream bubbling through that park like area...occasionally there would be tourists in there..looking at the caves that Hunter Creek was know for...yep huge caves probably used by people at one time...A great place to escape the heat..it was so shady and cool....yet hardly anyone came in to look...at least not at that time...There was a store out at the bridge...a store and cafe....an old lady with a parrot ran the place...the parrot could say "hello Bob".."hello Bob"....and that's all it said..."hello Bob"...in 1960 power lines went smack dab through the cave and creek area making it unrecognizable...if you go by that Creek have a look to the mountain side of the bridge and that's where it was....It was beautiful.....and when I was eleven it was mine.
Labels: growing up in chilliwack
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