_ When I last dragged my in-
‘| flatible over them, there were
eleven log jams on the Lakelse
River. ;
Some consisted of littl more
7 than a half dozen logs and en
“assortment of lesser sticks that
[had piled up, on and against
J.them. Others were massive
--picces of random architecture,
[-itwposing, daunting, and sure
‘Plo raise a heavy sweat during a
ff long portage,
There. are other rivers ‘in
_ Skeena the size of the Lakeise,
‘but most have no fog jams at
all and none seems to have as
SManyerr
-* Log jams are endlessly fas-
“Cinaling: they move, they
grow, they shrink; they: are
‘hurscrics for all manner.of in-
“sects and juvenile fish, For
‘those reasons, they’re the best
“place to look for big trout.
J An angler.can spend hours
‘poking about in log jams look-
“ing for flotsam and jetsam or
“gazing between the interstices
after the ghost-like forms of
‘fish,
-- While a log jam is an in-
convenience to a canocist, it
canbe a boon to a hiker, espe-
cially a hiking angler -- a
serendiptious bridge providing
access to the far side of the
‘river. |
I was using a jam-as‘a foot
bridge this May when the sun
lit up something brilliant and
green in the midst of the the
structure. Butting up against a
fallen.collon wood was a plug,
a Hot Shot so-called, Dangling
from its rear were the rusted
remains ofa serious hook. ©.
Since this kind of lure can’t

be cast, and nobody was likely
to be still-fishing the upper
sections of the river, 1
.wondered how this deadly bit
of plastic had gotten so far up-
stream. ,

' Fhe only explanation could
be that it had gotten there via

‘them

The Skeena
Angler

by Rob Brown

the only fish big enough to
break that tow rope monofila-
ment clinched to it, a chinook.

- {1 held the reptilian lure up to
the sun and pictured a row of
shimmering, diving,
rising and rattling in the flow,
attached to the lines of the
fisherfolk sitting on the bridge
straddling the lower Lakelse, a

Mile above the place where it

mects the Skecna.

I visualized a pod of chinook .

appearing, suddenly ~ then
moving steadily through the

green shafts. of light, pushing -

smoothly upriver in response
to ‘same ‘mysterious kind of
biological radar.

I imagined one separating
from’ the pack lo smash the
garish intruder with bis power-
ful, black jaws.

L imagined the formerly. quiet

gaggle of fishermen stirred to
hysteria by the boil and splash
of the big fish, then suddenly

‘slilled by the suap of the line

as the giant broke free.

Alter winning freedom; the
big spring would have con-
tinucd its journey upstream,
the carloonish, red eyed, lure
still hanging from its jaw.

Some weeks later the salmon
would Lave begun excavating
the gravel with sweeps of ils

powerful tail) A short time -

later it would have spawned. —

Chinook are packed with
power, it’s one of the reasons
men are drawn lo them. The

great fish, edged now ia while .

fungus, its fins frayed and
flanks blackened, would prob-
ably lave spent another two,

The lure of log jams

@

maybe three weeks buming off

surplus cnergy before its last
dying shudder.

Then, gently, the low flows
of Fall would have pushed the
diminished, but still imposing
carcass to a gravel strand
where the gulls and fish crows
would have picked oul ils eyes.

The gliding form of an cagle
would, have ended the squab-
bling of the lesser birds.

‘Alter the big bird had had ils

fill a weasel or martin or mink
may lave made a meal of the
remains,
’ Finally, the scavengers’ leav-
ings must. have’ decomposed,
leaving the plug on the beach
until Fall rains filled the river
selling the lure adrift over the
cobo and trout of autumn.

Once or twice it may have
gotten hung up again, maybe
on the remains of a pink sal-
non or against a sweeper.

But last year was a flood
year when entire jams were
dislodged and ‘deposited miles
downstream,

Finally the battered plug was —

blocked by.the mammoth jam
in the lower river where it
rested over the still winter and
the slow melt of spring until T
found it.

It loaked out of place there.
Besides it would have lasted
forever. I hung the thing above
my dash -- where teens who
are now in middle age used to
hang plush dice and other
Irinkets -- where it now serves
lo reminds me of a pleasant
day near log jams.

Take note

There’s a change to the dates

for the Kermode IPSEC Shooters ‘

mect at the Terrace Rod and Gun
in Thornhill.

The exent takes. place. |

tras
urday. and Sunday, Aug. 22-23
{din Fait: to 2-p.m. both days. ©”

3 colors
* Grey
-% Green
*. Brown

ee

$0. YD.
Reg. 7.95

4

-. YOUR DECOR —

‘oS Terrace Carpet Centre =

os «3202 Munroe Street at Hwy. 16 W.
bg TERRACE a

635-2976
“800-665-1657

®

TENNIS

Terrace Standard, Wednesday, August 19, 1992 ~— Page C3

Gingles proves point

Kelly Gingles showed Aug. 8
just why he has been named the
local tennis club’s most improved
player in '92,

Playing in the Terrace Closed
tournament, Gingles advanced to
the A side finals in both the
men’s singles and doubles. |

The win eluded him each time,
but then the opposition was about
as tough as it gels.

In the singles, Gingles tan into
defending . champion. Richard
Krieg] who took the title for the
fifth consecutive ycar with a 6-3,
G-1 straight sets victory.

The pair met again in the dow-
bles where Kricg] teamed with
Swarn Maun’ to sweep -Gingles
and Matt Phillips 6-0, 6-0. .

However, it was not the

blowout the: score ‘suggests.
“They played really well,”
Kreg] agreed following — the
match.

Jn mixed doubles A final action,
Swarn and Fran Mann needed 12
games ta win Lhe first set but taok
control in the second to knock off
Krieg! aud Melita Bracken 7-5, 6-
3. ,
The. Mann’s have yet to be
beaten in this event in the Terrace
Closed. ~ .

Frau Maun was back in the win-
ners circle again in the ladies
doubles A final when she and
partner Nancy Condon defeated
Ada Sarsial and Gill Redpath two
straight, 6-1, 6-2.

Mann and Condon were on op-
posite sides of the net, however,

when it came to settling the ladies

champ,
Mann made it three-for-ihree on

the day with a 6-0, 6-1 victory in’

the A final.

In B side men’s singles action,
Grant Holkestad and Paul Picard
played the match of the tourna-
ment. :

Wilh point alter point involving
long rallics, the pair look just
over Iwo hours to setile the issue.

Noon

meet the

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Come down and

and let us show you
how to DRIVE

FINAL TOUCHES. Brad Holmberg (left to right), Chuck Cey and
Swam Mann were among. the members of the Terrace Tennis
Club who turned up last Thursday night to put up the nets at the
new Skeena View courts on Halliwell. The courts are open to the
public as of this week.

Ultimately, Holkestad squeaked
the win 7-6 on a tie-breaker and
7-5. ;
Another. entertaining: final. was
served up on the mixed doubles B
side. Ada and Dave Sarsiat took
the first set 6-3 only to. be stung
1-6 in the. second. by Gordon
Woodd and Renata Weber.

That set up the rubber which
went almost to the limit, the Sar-
siats squeezing a 7-5 win for the
match. _

In the pro sect ladies B singles

final Karen Appleton dropped
Alayne “Fleischmann 8-2. Ap-
pleton, however, came out on the
wrong end in the ladies B doubles
decider when: she and Cheryl
Waitt fell to Eilecn Birkedal and
Shicla Caddy 6-3, 6-4, .
Time didn’t allow for the men’s
doubles B final to take to the
court but that match up is ex-
pected lo be played next week.
_ It will see Grant Holkestad and
Rick Tabata team up against Paul
Picard and Andrew Simpson.

-4p.m.

sales staff

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4631 ‘keith ‘Avenue, Terrace

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