We both see them at the same time.......

Growing up in Chilliwack.............1952 to 1956


I guess that after my first Steelhead in 1952....I have to wrack my brains for any other steelhead catches until I was 18 or 19.......I guess they did not happen that often. The growing up years require time to be doled out on many various things and only later on, one tunes into a few activities for specialized participation. But on occasion we took time to fit some memorable trips to the Vedder...Verne --------- and I spent time together Steelhead fishing ....we did not hang around with the same crew on regular time but had a great time together on fishing excursions to the Vedder river.......We were an aww of his older brother Merril who seemed to be a Steelhead pro.......he was already married and in full time fishing mode.......Although we never all fished together, we took his advice and methods seriously.........We fished in places in the upper river that Merril had shown Verne when he introduced him into the steelheading world......There was a cabin at a place called the Anderson Run. Verne asked Merril about it and was told it was empty and open ....and not vandalized.......near the road.....(maybe if Verne reads this he will remember what it was there for).....It was a neat little one room, wood frame shack with unpainted shiplap walls and a good roof.....I think it had only been there for a few years ........anyway we decided that would be a great place to put in a few days in the winter............Vern borrowed his mothers 1950 Chevrolet ...... we loaded in our stuff and Leroy -------....( I just remembered that...Leroy came with us.... I wonder how Leroy is doin?)....Anyway the cabin was about 8 miles up the river from the Vedder Crossing......... We always had to look forward to grinding up Mud Hill to get there, but we always made it.....luckily I never was stuck on that booger of a hill....It was always on mind when heading up to the upper reaches of the river.....lots of fishers parked and walked up the hill when it was to snowy or muddy..............We stayed a couple of nights.....There was a mattress and a woodstove..... and ...yep....a mattress and a woodstove, that's it,.... nothing fancy....the great outdoors served as lavatory purposes..... We had the whole river to ourselves for two days and were completely skunked .....nadda ...not a bite......on another trip a few years later.....Mervin ------ , Verne and I stayed in the cabin..... again we had the river to ourselves and again we were completely skunked for the whole trip......We always anticipated great fishing results but it never happened....that's fishing I reckon...but not for lack of trying....the trips were great ....what's more fun than doing that.....everything is a joke......when the stove was going ....and the gas lamp on ....just being warm was a good experience.


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Dec. 1956

As much as we loved fishing.... we had only caught a few Steelhead until this time....the ages of 14 to 18 as you can imagine were very busy, but we fit as much fishing in as we could and only the odd steely did we manage to capture....Then one day .....here we go again, Verne and I, to the upper reaches of the Vedder ..... just a few days before Christmas, we stopped at the limit hole....or the Abutment as it was called........Slesse creek enters the Vedder at this point and it is illegal to fish above this boundary.....There was no one there...we had it to ourselves.....it was freezing and overcast.......the two rivers met forming a quiet spot between them as so often does under those conditions.....a hole is formed before the river gathers power and welds together as one....we are standing on the concrete remainder of a bridge used for railway logging in the 1930s................The water is super clear...we are excited about the looks of this ......Maybe today!..........Vern is using a new fangled rubber imitation of bait (how dumb is that)........ plop, plop, our casts are in unison....the bobbers dip a bit as the weights find their depth......both floats travel about
2 feet ,then Verne's dives ....outta site....up he comes.......O ya - O ya......there is life there..... the Buck Steelhead is out of the water then all over the pool before catching the race at the bottom end ....a long tug of war ensues ...will he come off?....but the fish finally tires , he manuvers it tight to rocks and I scoop the booger out....Yahooo! Yippeee!......a beauty Verne...about 12 lbs..hey, there may be more........I head back and I am desperatly wishing a fish to bite before they spook or quit or maybe that is the only one......nuthin doing....Then Verne joins in again, with that silly rubber egg cluster doo dad he is using.....Hey......look at that......the water film clears off once .....offering a clear window for a few seconds....There is a bunch of em down there.....We both see them at the same time.......o jeez.......this is exciting .......and the fish are like, right there........How many casts have I made with my great bait...real bait...the kind they should like to eat...uummm good.......plop .....Vern casts out again.....same story.......his float vanishes.....yow .....a big steelhead clears the water.....I can see that not so silly, orange rubber blob in its mouth.......splash, another jump and the fish cartwheels into the current......give and take follows ..and finally I lift another one out for him....Verne is some smiles ....he dispatches the big buck steelhead ...then joins me as I try to make one of these boogers bite......O man....I want one just one ...fish god......just one.....or a bite......Okay Gus....you can do it....I am getting much encouragement from my friend......Do you want a rubber egg cluster?....uumm....Naw.....gotta get a fish while they are in the bite mood.....if they are in the mood.........Just a bit more ...I don't want to take the time to chan..........my float dives....outta site.......connect....life ...a twist .......a flash of silver...then the steelhead realizes something is wrong....straight up and out....out again........jeez these fish are well rested..........That steelhead followed the script.....only this time it was Verne scooping him out.........now I am the smiller......oh gawd, that feels goooooood......can it be repeated....naw, we have already done the very unusual....but after a dozen casts and 2 guys shouting at the bobber over the noise of the river......get down....dive.......eat it........chomp that thing.........the float tips , half sinks and I put it home......wow.......this is crazy...could I be lucky enough to land it......we have not missed a bite so far....very lucky.....and lucky I still was as Verne finally scooped that one out for me.......
We are all alone in that grassy area by the abuttment......if anyone could see us from the hillside ....we were yippeeing and dancing together like a couple of weirdos........that was one for the books....those kind of days are once in a lifetime......