Charlie had a great day

Charlie is on the left

Growing up in Chilliwack..........1951

It was spring...for the last few years I had spent a lot of my spare time fishing the creeks I could ride my bike to....some times I met a few other kids that liked to do the same thing...and had some enthusiastic fishing partners...One April day I was fishing for trout in the Little Chilliwack Creek near Prairie Central Road and .....I met Charlie Fowler, same grade, same school....for ever......He was alone and the creek wasn't giving up many trout that day...he said...Let's go to Elk Creek...well okay, where is that...just out to the end of Prairie Central Road.....hmm, yeah....I had a crapper of a bike that I used for my paper route ..it had a huge carrier and was front heavy....at was also fitted with an old rusty (pinching) seat....we got to the Semiault creek crossing on Prairie central road (about a mile)..where I had excellent luck...caught a few 12 inch trout ..then we headed on to Elk Creek....after about 7 or 8 miles of riding my old bike standing on the pedals..I was really ready for a stop......(I remember the ride ...owwtch...Charlie had a nice bike) well, we finally get to the Creek...wow, this is nice... a clear stream tumbles out of the mountains.. under the road bridge.....then through the farmland to Big Ditch Road....Charlie says we can fish all below this bridge...so we start in a big pool that has a man made wooden falls below it..I never did find out why that obstruction was built...We did not think any fish could make those falls but we gave it the pool a few casts...hey..I feel my line jerk ..I am tossing a spinner and a worm...the pool is deep...I see this flash then realize I am onto something that is not a small trout....I can see the fish twisting after he stopped my spinner...I hardly got time to faint and the fish came off....I was in shock....oh no....then the the big fish jumped 7 times...we counted....what a site....hopping around in this little pool....then silence...we go into a nutty conference about this event.....that was a Steelhead ....about 7 lbs......I had not caught one yet but I sure knew what they were......what was a Steelhead doing in this little creek...how did it jump up those falls...We try for a while longer and decide to fish below the falls....Right away I get a bite...It is a big trout about 15 inches...it looks suspiciously like a rainbow as well...then I caught a keeper Cutthroat trout....Well it's all in the bag for Chuck..he is havin a bad day....we head back and my trip is miserable.....what a crate....I had no Idea it was that far to Elk Creek...anyway ...........we stop again at that Semiault bridge....jees I catch a couple more.....this is crazy...( no catch and release in those days ...I kept em all.....)...Well..... that's it I guess...let's go home ...I can feel that Chuck is bummed out....we head home.....At airport rd....the Semiault Creek crosses the road again.....it has never been any good for fishing ...nobody fishes there.....but we decide to try it.....I am fishing below the bridge.....it sucks....but I hear Charlie HOOP..and a splashing hollow sound coming from under the bridge...I put my rod down and rush to the top side of the bridge....Charlie comes up the bank holding probably the cleanest, brightest, large cutthroat trout I have ever seen in those creeks....what a beaut....(I wonder if he got a picture)....I don't know how big it was but it was a wonderful trout....and all of a sudden we got very smiley and babbly ...and Charlie had a great day...we have talked about that many times over the years.....one of those precious days that we will never forget..............I will send him this.....Chuck and I seemed to be in the same room all through school.