Vedder Steelheading

Likewise for me in my 4 trips out as well but still nice to wet a fly and enjoy the day with a buddy. Doesn't anyone work anymore? Tons of pressure on the river wherever you turned. Counted 11 fishers on the run last Friday and similar numbers on past trips. River etiquette in my opinion as been great and water clarity has been ok and the river very fishable.
 
I feel fortunate, my first year trying. Been out four times in March. First day got one in 20 minutes, hatchery. Then second day missed a couple good bites. Third day nothing. Fourth day (yesterday) almost had one in the net and miss a few bites. From what I hear it seems I've been lucky on the vedder for a New steelhead angler.
 
Last Monday, the 23rd, we had a low barometer on sunday afternoon and a front coming with a few waves of rain over night and again at 8 am Monday morning.
So the dawn fishing was red hot for about 1.5 hours, all anglers getting into one...
I managed to hook and lose a beauty but not until Tuesday morning at 9 am.
Now, the water is cold and low with 43.7 degrees and level at 1.5 or so. Fish are holed up, tight lipped and not moving.
leaders need to be long and light, 30 -44 inches and 8-10 lb. #1 hook.
Beads and roe of flesh or natural colours best it seems.
a few also caught on lil shavers, mini G's, spinners, flesh color worms.
micro jigs recommended, small gooey bobs, and lots of physical stamina!
I am not saying you have to fish in any particular manner or with any certain tackle.
Good luck.
Beware of a small jet boat that has started running all the way up to Lickman/Giesbrecht area. All-aluminum, no markings, driver wearing green googles. Appeared to be 2 caucasian males. Boo!!!!!
 
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the level is up to 1.6 again, turbitity in the water so about 2' visibility, that is good.
temperature is 45.2 so way better than 43.8 previously.
early morning close to shore and tailouts best.
hatchery fish seen caught on the weekend, still coming altho most are wild, 75-90%.
very big logs jams at the highway bridge and KW bridge, so amazed 2 men brought a jet boat though them a few days ago.
A lot of animals are very active; rabbits crossing Keith Wilson road, swallows eating flying bugs, eagles building nests carrying root wads around, and a deer ran off the road when I was leaving the parking lot at Hopedale road. 8 pm last night. I think it was a deer...
 
Was up yesterday, no love for me , saw 6 hooked , 3 landed , all were Wild fish.
Water has great visibility, nice day to be out there .
 
the water level has dropped to 1.55 meters
clarity is like gin clear,
water temp has dropped back down to 43.4 F
 
Was out for a walk with the dog on his leash in my neighborhood along Rotary Trail and staying 6 feet away from others on the weekend. With the water getting lower and lower and fewer deeper water spots where you can’t see bottom in the clear water. I saw fisherman standing shoulder to shoulder on a couple of the runs. Unfortunately it’s this kind of behaviour that will get fishing shutdown for us all.
 
No luck again for me on this gorgeous day. Tried every bright colour in my replenished arsenal with all this spare time. Water as mentioned exceptionally clear and low. Unpleasant wind gusts showed up in the early afternoon so I packed it in. Watcom Diesel was $.99, regular $82.9.​
 
Since moving to BC I feel like I've developed a friendship with one of the Youtube Creators I've always enjoyed watching. Fishing with Rod has helped intigrate me into the lowermainland fishing scene and I REALLY appreciate it. So I always enjoy when we get a few moments to chat or hit the river for a bit. We actually got out ice fishing this year, steelhead fishing for a few hours (each catching one) and he even came out one afternoon on the pond for some early season indicator fishing. He has recapped his last few months and the crazy COVID PANDEMIC in this video. So since this topic was Vedder steelhead thought I'd share his video here.

Check out his video review from today. "I caught my biggest hatchery winter steelhead, failed in ice fishing, life turned upside down by the pandemic like everyone else, and did some backyard fishing with The Fishing Doctors Adventures this winter!"

 
Since moving to BC I feel like I've developed a friendship with one of the Youtube Creators I've always enjoyed watching. Fishing with Rod has helped intigrate me into the lowermainland fishing scene and I REALLY appreciate it. So I always enjoy when we get a few moments to chat or hit the river for a bit. We actually got out ice fishing this year, steelhead fishing for a few hours (each catching one) and he even came out one afternoon on the pond for some early season indicator fishing. He has recapped his last few months and the crazy COVID PANDEMIC in this video. So since this topic was Vedder steelhead thought I'd share his video here.

Check out his video review from today. "I caught my biggest hatchery winter steelhead, failed in ice fishing, life turned upside down by the pandemic like everyone else, and did some backyard fishing with The Fishing Doctors Adventures this winter!"

Maybe I missed it but where were you fishing for the steelhead?
 
Fair enough on a fishing forum, but not something I want to hear if you are my attending physician :)

It all depends on how you look at it. In my oppinion it is better to have someone who realizes they are human and understands their potential for missing things than to have someone who is arrogantly claiming they never miss anything. Which of these do you think makes more dangerous mistakes?
 
It all depends on how you look at it. In my oppinion it is better to have someone who realizes they are human and understands their potential for missing things than to have someone who is arrogantly claiming they never miss anything.
 
From what i have seen on social media and all the fish weighed in Wally jr derby this year looks like it has been not a bad year on the Vedder and still not over. US on the island here miss the hatchery enchanced systems big time. Nice to know there are some rivers still alive with fish.
 
Take the hatchery fish away on the Vedder and our early season and mid would have been terrible. The only reason why are late run wild stock (march april) is still doing decent is because brood stock has never been taken past march!

As for the derby...hard to say especially when every hero weighs in a fish and there are more and more social media heroes every year. Not to mention the amount of pressure the Vedder saw this season was the most I have seen in 20years!
 
140ish weighed in this year.

I believe there was 170ish weighed in last year.

It shows the power of the hatchery more then double the brood returning while most wild fish are not replacing themselves
 
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