Old Man River – The Sportsdesk Goes a Fishin’

Old Man River – The Sportsdesk Goes a Fishin’
Story by Braden Mack at F.I.L.E.S. News

Our guide was fond of his jet-boat. It was a 22 foot welded aluminum sled with enough power to send it skipping up river along the surface at a terrifying rate. The Fraser was a thick and dark river that morning, like a murky, creamy run of cocoa. A mist floated about a foot over the water, hovering above the current until the Bent Rods Boat ripped through and sent it whirling in to nowhere.
I had my doubts about pulling fish out of the Fraser, but there was no bringing that up to our guide. The man looked and acted like a professional, and he drove that boat with some kind of purpose.

In the middle of our break neck rip up-river from the Island 22 boat launch, Rod cut the engine to half speed and made a left hand turn. The water became noticeably clearer and we cruised slowly up stream. This, our guide explained, was the Harrison River. The water was low, and the houses and pilings that had dotted the shorelines of the Fraser gave way to one bank of high cliff sides and another of grassy flood planes. Gulls and eagles buzzed about on both sides and Rod stood up from his captain’s chair to look out over the windshield. “They’re here,” he told us.

Ahead of the boat a fish broke the water and flopped back on its side, followed by about a dozen more in odd patterns and synchronizations. I climbed up and looked over the bow. Through the clear Harrison water, I could have seen the bottom had it not been for thousands and thousands of Sockeye.
They darted about in unison, running from the boat all at once before turning around and coming back, steadying themselves with their fins, noses to the current, and darting away again. Behind them were more fish. The sound of jumping fish splashed through the air between the squawks of birds. We listened.

After a few minutes, Rod fixed us up with light action spinning reels, and sockeye jigs of his own design. There is conventional wisdom that says that Sockeye don’t bite when they’re heading up river to spawn. Rod of Bent Rods didn’t have much use for conventional wisdom. His sockeye jigs were fashioned with a heavy, round bead atop a high end barb-less Gamakatsu hook. The jigs were tied just so, designed to bloom in the water. With a small piece of treated shrimp on the turn of the hook, they danced above the gravel bottom in flashy jumps and dives, enticing the fish’s predatory instincts.

Once we had the hang of giving the jig the right kind of action above the bottom, we didn’t go long between fish.
Sockeye strike downwards, and begin to run along the current right away before jumping at least once and diving again. They’re strong fighters with beautiful coloration and plenty of energy. I lost track after my fourth fish, they were active, aggressive and seemed keen to turn our rods alive. After being unhooked, the fish would dive back through the clear water and join the other fish, schooling along the bottom, becoming another face in the crowd.

Other boats floated in as the sun climbed, it seemed like they came all at once, and the mood of the river changed. Sockeye are finicky. If the right colors aren’t moving in the right way, they’re not interested. To many, there is a myth that Sockeyes don’t bite in the river. Those people tended to fish the Harrison by whipping a large hook through the school in a long swooping motion, often hooking the fish by their tails or side fins. The fish flop about and thrash along the surface sideways in a panic.

Once a few fish came out of the water sideways, flopping in erratic schisms from being hooked in the belly, the school changed. They tightened up, stuck to the center of the stream. The bites came less frequently, then not at all. They nearly quit jumping all together.

Rod didn’t want to hang around long after the school had gone in to defensive mode, and I didn’t either. Those other boats were full of noisy and obnoxious anglers. It was like a bad carnival exhibition: snag-a-fish.

Sadly, that’s the flavor for fishing sockeye in the lower mainland. Most people are just lazy. However, baits like BentRods Jigs are gaining popularity in some of the clear-water spots. People are learning more about proper technique, and they’re going to have to learn in a hurry if they want to continue having fish to catch.