you put er en there pretty good

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

Winter 1958

It was raining hard again......Mervin and I had made arrangements to take old Pete Toms Steelhead fishing in the Vedder.....Pete was the owner and operator of Deluxe Recreations (our favorite pool hall).....he was a experienced and cunning Steelhead fisherman and I jumped at any chance to learn from this old master.....anyway, it rained ....it poured ...by the time it came to go fishing the river was shot.....but maybe not the upper part...away up......a place called the Ranger Run.......we could drive up there....what about the road....it should be okay....so.....let's go......Pete could teach us something......He called himself "the old man", he bragged he would show us how to catch one of those steelhead......We are in my old 1947 Cadillac......it's a fairly dependable car...what the heck......we go to pick Pete up early in the morning and we have to wait at his house while he finishes his 8 pieces of toast....Then soon we are grinding up the infamous mud hill...we made it..(damn hill always scared me)....no problem tho...but it is still pouring rain....the river is still dirty and we hope it will be cleaner up at the top end.....there is water everywhere....the road was not to bad ....but...... the water on it, yikes.....it was hard to see it in some stretches........what was road and what was not ..try to figure out where the edge was....we finally got to a place could see the river....and hurray....it was fishable........and the road got better...things are looking up.....it was draining a lot better...I could relax until we had to go back......there was just nobody up there....nadda...no one........another mile, we park and walk in to the Ranger Run........it 's a bit more than a few blocks.....it is still raining....we are gonna fish......we get to the run....the weather lightens up a little.........man the river is high ......it was big and angry compared to its normal fishy flow..... there is an edge though.....it is not impossible....Pete and I bait up and start casting in what we think is the best piece of water ....the river is fishable....not too dirty, but a lot of leaves and forest stuff was drifting down .....it looked pretty hopeless.....Man, what er we doin here..........Mervin moved upstream towards the top end.....We actually were not there long and there is a loud yelp ....geez , Merv has a fish on.....yahoo.....The flow is really heavy...the fish is a good size.....it is pulling hard and forcing him to give it line....down past Pete, who just lets him go by, then casts out again.....I put down my rod and join the fun......the fish is in really heavy, heavy water and is the boss at this stage....Merv is now at the tail end of the run and that fish is not gonna stay put....using its body to it's advantage in the heavy current, out it goes and around the bend.....geez Merv........we will have to pass the rod....it's the only way to get by these sweepers.....the flow was so high it forced us in the trees......we had to stick the rod out far as possible.....without falling in the river...the boughs are pushing at our heads......we pass the rod about 6 foot at a time......take the rod , hold the reel snug........is the bugger still there...ya ...somewhere...it is exciting....pass the rod ....We can feel him moving down the river.......jeez.....this is exhausting......another 20 ft..........finally, we get through that mess...we have come way around the corner......the Steely is not so full of it now.......and we are really tired as well....but Merv was not to tired to play the last out of the fish and slide him heads up on the bar...I gave it some help with by boot....and the big buck is Mervin's......Well, that is a beaut.....We dispatch that guy....about 12-13 lbs.....and walk back to Pete ...he is still casting , he gives a big no toothy smile......way to go boys......and we have another whack at it as well...but, well....that was it...nothing doing.....We figure 1 fish under these conditions is a miracle......so, back to the car and head home......here we come to the crappy part again...Oh man.......it seems worse than when we came in.....I just guess where the road is........and hope we get through this flood.......nope.....I put er in...a wheel goes off the road and in we go...hey, in we go..the car is like, on a 45 degree angle...there is water inside it........we will be here for life.....We climb up and out......Pete says, geez Gus ...C.....wow....look at that, it's damn near tipped ....now what...we start walkin?.......I don't think we were stuck more than 10 minutes before we could hear a motor running from the direction we had come ...sure enough .....here comes a truck..a good sized truck, with duo wheels on the back ......it was God..............no, it wasn't ....it was a couple of guys.....Shake Spliters ? I guess....they had a chain.......man....they pulled me out like I was no weight at all.......how lucky could we be.....oh yes....that was ......like .......we won't be here all night....so lucky.....thanks ...thanks.....hey, no problem....we make it to drier ground and then home........Mervin is a hero......I remember Merv's dad smiling from ear to ear when Mervin showed him that fish.......life is good.......another one to remember.