TR - Harrison River, british columbia

On foot I fished the lower part of the river and had a good though somewhat
disappointing day. The winds were brisk on some parts of the river and the
chums numerous (but often quite clean and fresh) and the crowds - were nil.
For the most part I had a mile or more of bank all to myself. That alone is
worth a brace of coho on the fly.
At 1st it didn't seem promising as I saw few fish rising but then downstream
of me I saw the odd snout near a mostly submerged stump. I'd caught some
pinks here a month back and I remembered there was good structure; a massive
crisscross of drowned logs and a inshore matt of weeds. The first cast just
up from the stump brought a strong pull then a flash of silver & mild
crimson. The drag on my new Ross Rythmn gave line as a heavy coho swept
upstream (thank god I thought) and away from the stump. But not for long.
The fish doubled back, past the stump and hung my line. Within a moment my
leader came back sans the #8 cone head olive wooly B. I never got a good
look at that fish.

Momentarily dispondent I cut remnants of the non slip mono loop away and
tied on a duplicate of the 1st fly. As if to signal all was not lost a
silver bright fish cleared the water just downstream of the stump. I
followed that with a couple of casts then tightened to a pull, there was a
flash, a leap and again the rythmn surrendered line. A sharp wake cut the
surface in an angle downstream and I knew I had to get away from the logs
immediately in front of me (and on one of which I stood), loosing balance
the line went slack and the rod straightened. The big coho leaped and cut
the surface upstream! By then I was ashore and got tension back on the line.
I recovered yards of yellow backing, floating line and then most of the
clear tip. Carefully I drew the now exhausted silver buck over the logs. He
seemed licked!

They say a fish that gets away grows pounds in the hours after its' escape
so I'd guess this boy weighed 15 lbs. I looked him the eyes, I glanced along
his back and couldn't see an adipose fin. He bolted for the logs but I drew
him back. I could see the tippet was wrapped around his right maxilliary
then he turned on his side and I drew my rod sideways to pull him ashore.
Then there was a snap/whip sound, the fish righted himself and turned away,
free of my fly. My heart sunk. I guessed the tippet untangled from the
fishes maxilliary and the sudden change in tension jerked the hook point
free.

I made a few more casts but there was nothing. I thought it best to rest
this water and checked a weedy pocket downstream. The 1st cast brought a
strike and then a shaking silver snout. For 10 minutes I carefully played a
smaller less active fish that while it pulled line into the backing never
jumped and didn't have that panache. I soon pulled a silvery fish of 7 lbs
or so ashore quite expecting a coho until I saw those faint red bars. I
bagged this fish. It's flesh is deep orange and fresh chum goes well with
teryaki and wasabi paste you know. Soon afterward I lost an active little
jack of perhaps a pound. Then I waded out onto the broad gravel bar finding
waves of chums (but no coho). While it was something of an anti-climax. I
caught some more chum, all far hooked. Some nicely silver (for a chum) and
one prime doe of maybe 10lbs. And yes I tried my coho spot again but all for
not. That little school must have moved on


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