WADING FOR DOLLY VARDENS 231 



fronting the hotel, were washed away. The bridge 

 has been replaced by an iron structure, and a more 

 elevated spot has been selected for the hotel. It is a 

 convenient centre for angling trips. The trout run to 

 a large size ; four to six pounders are not uncommon. 

 They are taken with small spoons or minnows. 

 Dolly Vardens are plentiful in the Vedder, which can 

 be caught with the fly up to i lb. or i^ lb., and on a 

 light rod and tackle they give lively play. 



It was my good fortune to meet at Chiliwack a 

 young architect from Vancouver who had graduated 

 in the English School of Angling. Both he and his 

 wife were enthusiasts. The latter, donning high 

 rubber boots, defied the numerous fords, whilst her 

 husband and myself, equipped with waders, fished the 

 deeper pools. The river is intersected with tributaries, 

 and the main stream separates and unites many times 

 in its precipitous course. Shallow noisy reaches, 

 followed by pools with a silence befitting their depth, 

 and a cataract here and there, are the conspicuous 

 phases of the river. Where a March brown or a 

 Wickam fancy tripped over the gravelly shallow, the 

 flash of a Dolly Varden would appear, its blood-red 

 and orange spots glinting in the sunlight. Then the 

 rod would quiver, and the chase down-stream begin. 

 The Vedder possesses all the exciting elements of 

 sport — swift rapids, swirling eddies, dangerous snags. 

 A branch trailing in the stream would invite sanctuary 

 to the lively captive ; how to steer him clear and keep 



