Fraser River Fishing Lodge BC. Fall 2007 Trip

Post by **Canadian Bacon** » Sun Jan 16, 2005 1:48 am

Oh yeah Big O...yes sir!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Post by **old guy** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 4:41 pm

Right on the money Moosebunk.... Everyone should consider at least one fishing trip of a lifetime. Luckily I have family in the area {Chilliwack] and I can attest to the great fishing in the Fraser and surrounding rivers..... Huge red and white springs {chinooks}, wonderful tasting sockeye salmon {if in season}, 2007 is also a banner year for the pink salmon run[ literally hundreds of thousands of fish] and lots of fun to catch on light tackle. And of course the thrill of hooking and landing a monster white sturgeon.
I fish the Fraser each summer and am still amazed at the number of fish caught. I do most of my fishing from a bar {sand bar that is } and have great success. Fishing with the lodge guides gets you into a boat and opens up many more opportunities and gets you aways from the crowds.
Salmon fishing the Fraser is bottom bouncing at its finest. Sturgeon fishing is relaxing until you hook the monster and then its major work. Be prepared for aching wrists and arms when you hook the big one.
I will be out there in the area ...perhaps I'll see you on the river.

Post by **Moosebunk** » Tue Jan 18, 2005 12:13 am

I'm seeing it stack up like this.

CB
Big-O
Hoss
WIG
Salmon
Markus
John (buddy on 1st trip)
Myself

A couple others have expressed some interest. The present package was for 8-9 people, we have enough now but I'd love 1 more to join. Please do all possible to remain on the trip list. I'd hate to move forward with this and have some people fall out and possibly lose the package price if our numbers are too low. I think this a great group, and I beleive we will have an absolute blast. It'll be great to fish all day, relax mountainside with a brew in hand, eat a gourmet 5-6 course meal, shoot some pool, get to know everyone and then do it all over again for about 5 days in a row.

I'm planning now to try and get some ideas of the best dates. If it's more in August the King's are reportedly bigger, but if it's more into September there's better chance of catching a few early coho. If it's too much into September we'll be drowning in pink salmon and little else might be caught. The sturgeon to my understanding are at their best closer to October, although a one day catch of 35 fish in September last year was reported to Rob (manager at lodge). And the Pitt or Vedder for Dolly and Char is pretty much a constant from what I understand. I believe that the Pitt itself has only a few guides qualified to run up it with a jet boat, and although I never got the chance last year, the other guests made it out to sound like a real treat.

Fishing is fishing so who really knows. I'll just try and get us the best possible dates I can. I'll keep ya's posted.

Post by **Moosebunk** » Tue Jan 18, 2005 12:18 am

old guy wrote:Right on the money Moosebunk.... Everyone should consider at least one fishing trip of a lifetime. Luckily I have family in the area {Chilliwack] and I can attest to the great fishing in the Fraser and surrounding rivers.....

If the lodge doesn't work out OG looks like we can bunk down with ya in Chilliwack. Thanks bud

Post by **Moosebunk** » Tue Jan 18, 2005 11:47 pm

Couple more orders of business here gang.

First off, after receiving a message from Frank today in regards to the down payment it is to happen as such. $440 CAN pp is due at the time of booking. The remainder is due 6 weeks prior to arrival. Cancellation insurance is available and of course would have to be considered on an individual basis.

At this time our group is NOT booked. Frank has offered me a "few months" to continue pursuing people for our group, and, will hold us our dates. He has also offered us basically, the lodge, for just our time. If we can fill the lodge with 15 people it will be Hawk-Talkers only. I feel it would be in our best interest to try for this for the simple reason that we can push back the booking date for those few months and give us time to prepare for the down payment. I would like to give Frank our tentative dates for him to hold, and request that we make our final booking date JUNE 1st of this year. (a little over 4 months away and time to save $440)

bts has notified me today of his interest. It's my impression that 3 others are also still considering, and I have 1 Non-Hawk-talker friend that I know would do the trip again. 12 could be an attainable number, if not, our group of 8 now is still strong.

Post by **Moosebunk** » Tue Jan 18, 2005 11:51 pm

Second order of bizzizziniz.

After a 5 night stay and on the 5th and final day of fishing it is expected that we check out of the lodge. Our stay will start as a night first and then resume in a night to day succession. After an 8 hour day of fishing on our final day we will presumably all return back to the lodge between hours 1400 to about 1630 depending on who was fishing for what on the last day. We will then be expected to pack up and depart. What do you guys feel would be the next best option?

#1. Pay the lodge an additional $129 pp, stay overnight at the lodge and enjoy included dinner and breakfast and then depart sometime the next day for the airport.

#2. Pack up for the airport after fishing. Drive the 1 1/2 to 2 hours from Agassiz to Vancouver that evening and hop a "redeye" flight getting us back to Toronto/Ottawa in the early am eastern time.

#3. Leave FRFL after fishing. Drive 20 minutes to Chilliwack and check in to the Rhombus Hotel. (approx $120 per night for a room) The hotel has a good restaurant and bar and will supply cotts to sleep 3 to a room. Then the next day drive the 1+ hour to Vancouver and catch our flights home.

Again. #1. Convenient but most expensive
#2. Tiring and cheap
#3. Something different

Let me know guys 1,2 or 3.

Post by **Moosebunk** » Wed Jan 19, 2005 12:00 am

Third thing. The dates.

As I had requested, Frank was kind enough to give me the phone number for Kevin, one of the lodge guides whom I felt did an awesome job for us on my last trip. Kevin understandably had little recollection of who I was

and seemed surprised by my calling him at home, but, he kindly answered my questions.

To make a long story short the last week of August he and I both believe would be best, for these reasons.

- this is the best time for Kings and, some bigger Harrison run Kings (avg. 40-45 lbs) should be around.
- the pinks will probably just be beginning to run and therefor hook-ups with other salmonoids should be easier. At their max by mid september it's told you have to fish through tonnes of them to get chinooks and other salmon.
- pinks on pink run years draw in the bigger sturgeon. Kevin explains that the sturgeon feed heavily on incoming pinks until a lull in feeding occurs nearer the end of september when the sturgeon are stuffed.
- sockeye and the odd coho hook-ups are a possibility at this time.

I pick this time because I presume that we agree that the two main species for this trip are to be chinooks and sturgeon. Kevin thinks this is the best time as well for both, and it could still make pinks, sockeye and coho a good possibility.

I would like NOT to be fishing the Labor day weekend in 2007 on September 1,2,3. Getting in and out of Vancouver I also figure would be easiest on weekend days.

The last week of August is the time, an itinerary such as this I beleive would work.

Aug 26, Sunday - arrive Van, drive to lodge, 1st night at lodge.
27, Mon - Fish day 1, Night #2
28, Tues - Fish day 2, night #3
29, Wed - fish day 3, night #4
30, Thurs - fish day 4, night #5
31, Fri - fish day 5, optional 6th night otherwise depart.
Sep 01, Sat - depart VAN, flight home.

SOOOOO dates Sunday August 26th to Saturday September 1st is the PLAN.

Post by **Moosebunk** » Wed Jan 19, 2005 12:01 am

Next Order.

I wanted to explain why I opted for car rentals over a shuttle service. Simply, it's freedom. The lodge manager Rob often plans a wednesday night out at a bar in Chilliwack, when we went last September topless bull riding for the prize of female cosmetic mammary surgery was the theme, need I say more. Chilliwack, Agassiz and Abbottsford also have local fishing stores if we get interested in shopping one afternoon. Meeting the guides for sturgeon fishing at Harrison instead of the lodge gets us to prime waters much quicker, and, just seeing the surroundings at the Harrison launch and the water color there is an image you won't soon forget. If we need to make a beer run to Agassiz for any of those who might enjoy a brew or two in the boat while sturgeon fishing, well, this is done easier with a car. Again, a vehicle gives us options and will better our sturgeon fishing time. With the numbers of people in the group the splits should be pretty cheap as well.

Post by **Moosebunk** » Wed Jan 19, 2005 12:03 am

check post.

this site is suckin' tonight

Post by **Moosebunk** » Wed Jan 19, 2005 12:09 am

Last Order. The Guides. And man I hope all this stuff is getting through OK.

The wilderness river excursion day trips on the Pitt are impossible without a specialized guide for that river. Sturgeon fishing is done over many mile stretches and would be impossible without a boat, the right equipment and bait, and guide know-how. About a half hour is spent at one site and if there's no bite you might move a mile or ten miles in the jet boat to the next prime spot. For chinook fishing a guide may not seemingly be needed aas much. The benefit though is having a boat ready on shore to go if you hook into and get a big king on a major run. Getting in the boat helps pull you and the fish away from other shoreline anglers, ultimately reducing the risk of tangle ups or possibly being spooled, and from the boat it's a higher percentage place for landing the fish rather than beaching it in shoreline shallows. That said, if you want to try and beach a fish it's your choice, just stay close to the boat during the period of time that you (and the fish) are making up your mind(s)

The different guides we had were all awesome characters. They love fishing, teaching you and hearing about the fishing you do, so we'll treat them well I'm sure.

Post by **Moosebunk** » Wed Jan 19, 2005 12:41 am

bump test

Post by **Moosebunk** » Wed Jan 19, 2005 2:02 am

Post by **Moosebunk** » Wed Jan 19, 2005 3:15 am

Post by **Moosebunk** » Wed Jan 19, 2005 3:22 am

Moosebunk wrote:Couple more orders of business here gang.

First off, after receiving a message from Frank today in regards to the down payment it is to happen as such. $440 CAN pp is due at the time of booking. The remainder is due 6 weeks prior to arrival. Cancellation insurance is available and of course would have to be considered on an individual basis.

At this time our group is NOT booked. Frank has offered me a "few months" to continue pursuing people for our group, and, will hold us our dates. He has also offered us basically, the lodge for just our time. If we can fill the lodge with 12 people it will be Hawk-Talkers only. I feel it would be in our best interest to try for this for the simple reason that we can push back the booking date for those few months and give us time to prepare for the down payment. I would like to give Frank our tentative dates for him to hold, and request that we make our final booking date JUNE 1st of this year. (a little over 4 months away and time to save $440)

bts has notified me today of his interest. It's my impression that 3 others are also still considering, and I have 1 Non-Hawk-talker friend that I know would do the trip again. 12 could be an attainable number if not, our group of 8 now is still strong.

For some reason everything has been coming up as failed post, but it looks like it actually made it through and made a big mess. Sorry dudes

Post by **Moosebunk** » Wed Jan 19, 2005 3:24 am

It just told me the same thing again, but look... it's here now. Why isn't this thread going to the top topic though???

Anyways. Tomorrow evening sometime I've got a tonne to post so keep an eye out. Thanks