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View Full Version : Amazing day on the Stamp!



BlacktailStalker
01-29-2006, 09:58 PM
http://www.bcfishingreports.com/forum/templates/Jet/images/lang_english/icon_quote.gif (http://www.bcfishingreports.com/forum/posting.php?mode=quote&p=518) http://www.bcfishingreports.com/forum/templates/Jet/images/lang_english/icon_edit.gif (http://www.bcfishingreports.com/forum/posting.php?mode=editpost&p=518) http://www.bcfishingreports.com/forum/templates/Jet/images/lang_english/icon_delete.gif (http://www.bcfishingreports.com/forum/posting.php?mode=delete&p=518&sid=dd5ae76cf54329e4a9ac4535271301f3) Today was a good day ! We arrived at the pull off by the slide pool before light, as we launched the drift boat there. Most people say huh? We lower it down the cliff on a rope pulley, its steep so it goes down easy. It was about a 150 hill followed by a 30 yard push/pull drag. Fortunately the high water littered the bank with logs so the aluminum drift boat slid nicely to the water, unlike most times as aluminum sticks to rocks making it difficult. Oars, rods propane heater and dog in the boat, we're good to go. I noticed one guy on the far bank lighting a cigarette, early riser gets the bite. We pounded the slide pool hard, usually pulling at least a couple to as many as 8 fish out, but today, nothing. Saw 2 small fish under 5 pounds hooked from shore, they landed and bonked one. Feeling confident they werent where they normally are, we dropped down. The river had dropped a good 8" since the previous day, as my buddy fished it yesterday. Today wasnt looking like saturday to him so far, they hooked 17 fish! The next couple of slots and pockets were also unusually unproductive. Just below the store pool as we were exiting, I drifted my peresentation on a short leader as I always do and wham! Bottom. Wait! Nope, its a fish, a big fish! She held, strong right in the fast water, shaking her head like a spring, followed by a 50 yard run up, then back down to fast water and across to the other side. BAck and forth for a solid 10 minutes and she was ready to come in, but was too heavy for the water we were in so we beached the boat and brought her in (video taped the whole time) a slightly coloured but beautiful 14/15 hatchery doe. A little 30 second cradle in the water and away she went into the murky green water. Amazing how well their back blends in with the shades of water. A smile and bit of a sigh of relief after having the first fish to the boat. A couple chats with a few o0ther guys who were also having an unsually unproductive day and down we went. A couple more hours passed and we hooked into and saw nothing else hooked until we anchored above the canoe run. Most people dont stop here or know where it is so I wont say but lets say its a spot that ALWAYS holds fish. A cast to the outside seam, the throat of the ripple and the inside seam and wham! He Nearly tore the rod out of my hand, immediately stripping 50 yards of line from me faster than any fish I'd hooked in the river before. I knew right away this fish was big. I never got to see my float for over 10 minutes let alone the fish. The first glimpse I saw was a powerful roll, directly below the boat and it looked like a huge bellied anaconda LoL we both said holy sh*t simultaneously (was funny to hear on the tape after) jaws dropped and the camera went away. Another 5 minutes and this behemoth of a steelhead was calmly but strongly holding on the surface in the current beside the boat, my buddy said, "I dont think he'll fit in the net, I'm only gonna get one chance at him!" I was in awe, staring at the bubble gum worm and trailing leader he had obviously broken off of someone elses line. I said " he'll fit!" Fist scoop head first and he was in, well sort of! There was a good 6-7" hanging out of the net and a fan of a tail. We both were looking at the biggest fish either of us had seen come out of the Stamp system. Now fisherman tell great stories but I sh*t you not, this fish was somewhere between 20-22 pounds. I'm 6'4" 235 and couldnt get my hands around the girth of the tail. To top it off, it was a hatchery buck. Between the 2 of us we probably fish 150 days a year, and this fish had obviously been in the system for a good week or so as he was just starting to show a slight bit of colour, but, there was fresh sea lice around his vent. Now this was a first for us, and an assumption, but do these fish sometimes come up the river and go back out again, to come up again later ? this is the only explanation we could think of.
Anyways to bonk a fish like that to me is pointless, those genes need to stay in the river and I released him, although my friend said if you ever plan on mounting a hatchery steelhead, that's the one. A picture is good enough for me though! Back in the drink he went. I was all smiles, ear to ear baby! SO today was not an event packed day but I have always been a quality not quantity kinda guy anyways. It is a day I will noty forget and will not expect to surpass as far as size of a fish goes on any Island river. Although you never know, it was only 2 hours before and I was saying that was my biggest steelie so far on drift gear, and proved to be untrue so shortly after... I hope everyone is having an awesome year.

BlacktailStalker
01-29-2006, 10:00 PM
Picture!!!!!!!

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/101_0821.JPG

Marc
01-29-2006, 10:07 PM
What a beautifull fish! I notice he was clipped, did you keep him?

BlacktailStalker
01-29-2006, 11:12 PM
Nope, released him to finish his journey. Those are good genes to keep in the river, I'll catch his grand kids in a couple years :lol:

Dirty
01-29-2006, 11:26 PM
did u get a pic of the 20lber?

BlacktailStalker
01-30-2006, 12:45 AM
That is the 20 pound steelie.

Ddog
01-30-2006, 02:08 AM
no way is that fish 20 lbs,,nope sorry. not quite.

416
01-30-2006, 08:28 AM
That is a BEAUTIFUL catch!! Congrats

atri
01-30-2006, 10:34 AM
That is one fine steelhead. Congrats, BlacktailStalker! I'm heading up there this weekend and now you got me so stoked on the trip. Can't wait for Friday!

Thanks for sharing,

atri

BlacktailStalker
01-30-2006, 11:57 AM
There's always a guy who has to try and damper someones experience. Luckily for me difference of opinion means little to me... Fortunately after fishing several times on world class rivers like the Dean and landing steelhead up 15-25 pounds, on a fly I might might add, I know what I caught. A mature buck always has a larger girth than a doe, although does tend to be longer in length. That fish is 38.5" long. The standard for a steelhead is 30"=10lbs, with each inch an additional pound. The ridiculous girth of that fish puts it at 20 pounds, maybe more. Anyways you're entitled to your opinion and maybe you can post a picture of the 20lb steelhead you have caught, I'd love to see it because they are definite;y far and few between !

steel_ram
01-30-2006, 12:59 PM
I've landed three fish from Island streams that I'm pretty sure were over #20. Several in the high teens. That's in almost 20 years of Steelheading on the Island. From pic's I'd say they may be longer than your stamp fish but none as chunky as that brute. I bet giving only a pound for those last few inches is quite conservative. That's a beauty! Thanks for sharing.

Islandeer
01-30-2006, 01:09 PM
Nice fish!! Isn't our island a treasure. You know, even on a beautiful sunny day,with the wild flowers blooming and the songbirds singing there will always be someone complaining that the sun is too bright,and that the flowers make them sneeze,and that the birds are too noisy. So here's to your "Amazing day on the Stamp"

Ozone
01-30-2006, 01:26 PM
I dont care how big it is its a beautiful fish. Nice job.

Gus
01-30-2006, 01:46 PM
Awsome fish blacktailstalker!!! Real beaut.

Jetboater
01-30-2006, 03:55 PM
Im on dirtys side on this one I land a lot of steel a year and will bet that is more in the 15-16 lb mark it would have to be like 8 inches wide for that fish to 20lb, kill weigh it then tell us the weight.

shoot to kill
01-30-2006, 07:32 PM
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d82/kodydiack/18.jpg

this fish was taken last weekend, it weighed in at 18.4lbs, this fish was just under 40'' long, in comparison with the other fish, you can see how much longer and fatter this one is, and you say that it weighed 20lbs? this fish has atleast 4-5lbs on that one.

Gus
01-30-2006, 07:36 PM
If the guy says its 20, why cant we call it 20. Think what you guys want but we dont need to burst his bubble do we?

Ozone
01-30-2006, 07:40 PM
That looks like a chinook. Different species weigh diffrently. Cant we just agree thatit a nice fish and shake hands.

ex bc guide
01-30-2006, 07:41 PM
Thats all that seems to be going on lately...bursting bubbles,although a very nice fish congrats
Mike

huntwriter
01-30-2006, 07:41 PM
There's always a guy who has to try and damper someones experience. Luckily for me difference of opinion means little to me...

Congratualtions BlacktailStalker, good job and nice picture. Thank you for sharing it here.

By the way very good remark. May be jealousy that makes some folks to damper others experience.;-)

huntwriter
01-30-2006, 07:43 PM
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d82/kodydiack/18.jpg

this fish was taken last weekend, it weighed in at 18.4lbs, this fish was just under 40'' long, in comparison with the other fish, you can see how much longer and fatter this one is, and you say that it weighed 20lbs? this fish has atleast 4-5lbs on that one.

Nice fish but what happen to your face.:lol:

ruger#1
01-30-2006, 07:45 PM
im glad to see there are people on here that will let hatchery fish go back into the system. i dont care how much it weighed it is still a nice fish.where were you guys when we needed to pick the gun registry apart.

bsa30-06
01-30-2006, 07:46 PM
Congrats blacktailstalker thats a real nice fish.Good on you for taking a picture and releasing it.

Iron-Head
01-30-2006, 08:05 PM
Congrats on a real beauty of a fish....I would say that fish is going 20 lbs:confused: :cool:
Symon.

Iron-Head
01-30-2006, 08:06 PM
Nice fish but what happen to your face.:lol:I have the same pants8-)

CanAm500
01-30-2006, 09:38 PM
Really nice fish blacktailstalker!

Freshtracks
01-30-2006, 10:05 PM
Congrats BlacktailStalker ... that is a great looking Steelie ... nice pic and good to see he's swimming another day. :wink:

Now the fish shoot to kill post is a tank. :shock:

I'd also like to add, it's amazing that if another member (with possibly also a great amount of knowledge on the subject) offers a difference of opinion, they get flamed for it. Eventually this is how a thread ends up becoming highjacked and unnecessary comments made taking away from the purpose of the site.

I'm sure BlacktailStalker is not thin skinned and he made his reply on the issue.

For anyone else and also for BlacktailStalker ... an accurate formula to calculate fish weights goes like this:

Length x girth x girth x 1.54 divided by 1000.

Here's a link to another steelie (pic of fish is his avtar) taken this season that the angler states the length and it's official weight. Maybe it'll enlighten the issue.

http://www.fishingwithrod.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=9666.msg90898#msg90898....

Reply #5

Ddog
01-31-2006, 02:25 AM
I've caught lots of steelhead over the 20 lb range on Island rivers and they are not few and far in between, on the stamp yes they are. One thing about your brute is it is definately one of the fattest steelies i have ever seen.

steel_ram
01-31-2006, 10:00 AM
Here's a couple of photo's I dug up and scanned of nice Van Isle Steelhead. We don't take many pictures. Slogging it out in remote westcoast canyons is too tough on camera's.

Both fish were carefully tailed and weighed, tagged and released.
Top fish was 20 1/2, lower one was 22.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v423/eroyd/fish.jpg

PGKris
02-01-2006, 12:29 PM
Personal opinion (seen a lot of fish in my brief lifetime)......awesome steelie but not 20lbs. Who cares how big it is? 12 or 20 pounds....still a sweet steelie. Personally, never got the allure of steelheading, just big rainbows to me.....someone will have to take me out and show me what it's all about.

Schmaus
02-02-2006, 08:34 PM
Cool fish, I definately would like to find out who does your makeup

BlacktailStalker
02-03-2006, 12:16 PM
Makeup ???

QnsCowboy
02-04-2006, 10:08 AM
Great fish, and a great time I am sure...One thing people are missing, is this picture of the fish is backdropped by a 6'4 235lb guy...it will take something away from the size of the fish...I am an inch shorter, and a few pounds heavier, and I caught a 53 lb Spring..With me holding it, doesn't look that big, my buddy at 5'10, makes the fish look huge..my two cents worth..

Craig

steel_ram
02-04-2006, 03:33 PM
Photo's can be very deceptive. I'd take the word of the person standing there in real life and if they're considerate enough to let the fish go they can say it's as big as they want. Isn't that the fishermans perogative?
A fish held hanging by the chin is going to appear long (so would you). A fish held at arms length may seem big, but huge hands are usually the give away. It's hard to hold up a 20lb live trout, especially if you don't want to hurt it. Most of the time we don't even lift the fish out of the water; just hold the tail, unhook it and let it go when it's ready.

elkster
02-08-2006, 10:18 PM
Blacktail,
huge steelie, I know that spot, but I ain't telling. Nice catch.

BlacktailStalker
02-08-2006, 11:16 PM
Hehehe, good spot to know. You can sit there all day and present constantly in front of new fish if they are moving well. Good luck to ya!