Just a heads up to anyone going to the Chilliwack, B.C. area. Monday morning at 4 A.M. some low lifes in Chilliwack attemped to steal my truck and boat from the Best Western parking lot. Thanks to the night staff, the theft was foiled by them calling th RCMP. When the Mounties caught these low lifes they were in a stolen van with stolen plates. Mine would have been the 3rd boat taken there in the last month. So, be careful and make sure you park in well lighted areas, if you are up fishing the rivers.

Ive heard of some vehicle break ins too. Make sure you keep your Passprts and such with you for safe keeping.

When I was there early last month the problem was keying the paint and slashing tires on US rigs.

Aint it nice to be loved!

Hey Fish4Fun, that is a terrible thing to happen. I was always wondering about my boat and contents when I stayed at the Best Western. I sold my Sled this fall and I am sure missing it, its tough having to ask others for a ride when before I could just up and go.

Thats neat that they caught those guys, hope their laws are tougher than our when it comes to car thieves.

Steve Ng

Time to invade Canada! I think we can prove that those keys are WMD.
P.S. (Not meant to spark a political conversation)
Same thing happened to me in B.C. last year on my way back from Kamloops with a couple pontoon boats on top of the truck. I woke up to my two labs making quite a noise as a couple kids sprinted away from my vehicle. I was in the hotel room and my dogs were in the canopy of my truck. I'm no macho man but I would still be head hunting if they had gotten off with my dogs.
People have no regard for others property anymore and it really fires me up.

Fish4Fun:

Was that that best Western at Lickman Rd?

My friend , a Canadian, had his truck stolen from a riverside launch area thuis syummer. Seems to be a real problem up there lately.

Canadians are just mad at the US. Why are they so mad? Because they know that we know they hate us, but we really could care less. That just insenses them!!

I'll fish in the USA thankyou....Let the Cheeseheads steal each other's cars and boats...don't patronize the country.

I went on a trip in august and our group met across the street from the airport at a hotel and I swear I saw 6 or 7 cars with their glass busted out all were american plates the hotel people said its rare when it happens and the people at the airport (where I parked) said it happens just about everyday I glad to hear they caught them guys

Grandpa:

I heard a rumor that there have been car thefts here too. Even breakins at trailheads. I really don't know which country has the highest crime rates. Do you? I do know they were one of the few countries that supported your heros war. I would think you might be a tiny bit grateful?

I'm sure the Canadians will miss you.

Did you say "your heros war"?......Now that is pretty lame.

Some day you'll be able to tell when I'm serious but never how I really think. My heroes are all dead...

To answer the question about which motel. Yes it is, the Rainbow Country Inn on Lickman Road.

Hey Surecatch, yes it happens here all the time too! You aren't really safe anywhere you go. The difference is American thieves are non-selective, they'll break into any car. It seems up there that American cars are specifically targetted. Maybe I'm wrong, but hey, that seems to increase the odds that you'll get robbed up there. Usually you are pretty safe if you park among other fisherman, but there are losers everywhere you go.

Hey, were just razzing you guys. We would never invade Canada for fear that they may quit exporting Molsen, and that would be tragic!!

I'm pretty sure that a thief is a thief no matter what country you happen to be in. I too have Canadian friends that have had their cars broken into. I had my car stolen just last year down here and I HIGHLY doubt it was a Canadian who did it!

I for one am grateful for the opportunity to fish in Canada. It is a beautiful country with some pretty damn good fishing!

you can have your molson, there is much better beer available here in this state alone.

4Salt

I agree that the fishing in the rivers in B.C. is nothing short of fantastic. Too bad that if you have Washington plates you are being targeted. I know the sport shops up there are warning everybody from the states to be careful with our rigs.

I hear ya F4F,

It is a shame. Hopefully the RCMP will get that whole situation cleaned up soon. I've been lucky so far. (knock on wood) I think it's a handful of bungholes that are doing most of the damage.

I remember a rash of break-ins at the Sultan boat launch on the Sky a couple of years ago. Unfortunately, scumbags are everywhere it seems...

The word we got from a local on Saturday morning, was that a couple of guys from Washington staged a truck along the Vedder. When the little thief showed up to help himself to a couple of nice rods they whipped his tail. The beating this guy took back to his thief buddies was a huge message I am sure.

I live in bc , on the lowermainland and I have quit fishing the hatchery rivers out in the fraser valley due to having my truck keyed and broken into too many times. It is a huge problem out there now. One day in october, 17 cars had their windows smashed out at wilson road on the vedder.
I had one buddy get his truck stolen while out fishing and they cut his boat trailer off so it was screwed also.
On the chehalis river, most of the fishing is done just upstream of an indian reservation and there are days when almost every car is vandalized . The whole experience fishing fall run salmon out there is just crap. It will cost you more fixing the problems than going out there is worth. I don't think it's a "hate americans" attitude, but more of a "screw the fishermen" type of thing.
It seems that the lowermainland has too many thieves and crooks too close to the boat launches and popular fishing holes now just waiting to break into or better yet, steal your rig while you are fishing
Now when I go fishing, I just go to the less crowded, not so many a**holes , type of rivers. I can enjoy my day a lot better when I know it's not going to cost me $500.00 to fix my truck again.

The anti American stuff has been going on since the early 80's. I had a boat back then that had a small decal of the american flag on the back. It came with the boat and I never thought anything about it. I started going up to the westside of vancouver island to salmon fish in late July early Aug every year. Everyone would sit right agsaint the rocks and mooch big horse herring for springers. I tried some of my secret methods from the sound and started nailing the biggest springers. We were trolling. After seeing this for a few days the local boats started trolling. We were catching fish after fish and all were big they were mostly catching coho. Pretty soon they started trolling across our lines and cut our DR lines as well. Whoops they said it was an accident. Went up two weeks later and on the way up a friend picked up a canadian flag decal and cover up the American flag on the back of the boat. Never had another problem. It's almost as bad if you do the same in ore with Wa plates on you truck. Heck don't dare out fish the locals anywhere

I have to agree with rln as on a B.C. fishing bulletin board the Canadians have been complaining all summer and fall about vehicle breakins.

Hope their gun laws change soon.

This kind of crap goes on everywhere now. Too many low lifes with no respect for anyones property. Parking lots, trail heads, doesn't make any difference. If your car breaks down on the highway at night odds are that by the time you get back to it all the windows will be busted out. All we can do is watch out for each others stuff. Call the law if you see bad stuff happening.

Whoa. That's a dumb thing to say. Canada is so much safer than the US BECAUSE of their lack of guns. Haven't you noticed the US is number one place in the world to get killed by a gun? The thefts in BC happen everywhere to everyone. And about the Canadians not liking Americans, I have found them to be a very warm and friendly people. Perhaps they would be friendlier if our government wasn't so quick to use weapons in settling disputes. After all, the attack on 9-11 happened to us in the US, not the Canadians. Maybe we should look at their approach a little closer. They seem to piss off people a little less than us.

By the way, during the US posturing on the invasion of Iraq, Canada very smartly did not agree with going against the UN in the easter egg hunt for weapons of mass destruction. How did we repay one of our closest allies and largest trading partner? Well two of my friends got their cars vandalized at Bellisfair Mall with keys and notes on their windshields saying they shoud die.

Nice, eh?

Travis, your first post is certain to be memorable!!! I would ask Grandpa for tinfoil (no, maybe steel) because the verbal bulletts will start flying. Welcome aboard, and keep your head down. BTW, I agree with your thoughts on Iron Heads post - although I don't necessarily agree with your reason. I believe countries have the right to make their own laws for their own reasons.

Travis:

Duck! Incoming!!

I would add that many Canadians were truly hospitable to stranded Americans after 9/11 shut down their flights. I spend a lot of time in B.C. Overall I find the Canadians to be just like us - maybe a bit more laid back.

If you check Bob's post at the top of the page the incoming needs to be positive. You'd better check that post if you plan to slamm some body!!!!!

First of all I do not hunt or own a gun. Now here goes, our canadian gun laws suck big time!! The only people here that have guns are the crooks. We have had very strict gun laws for all handguns and "non sporting" type weapons for many years. It is only because some idiot decided to kill a group of women in montreal that we now have crazy rules against shotguns and hunting rifles. The gun registry has a 1 billion dollar cost overrun. Our country is as screwed up has yours , only in a different way. Crooks are crooks, thieves are thieves, American vs Canadian crap is just that, I thought we all just wanted to go out fishing . Hope some of you guys still come up and enjoy our salmon fishing (we have almost no steelhead now), just not near me (I hate crowds)

This post was only to be a heads up to the guys going up there. It was not intended to be a bashing of the Canadians. Even though this was a close call for me, I still plan on going back to fish the Fraser and surrounding streams. We have made plenty of friends up there over the last 5 years, and plan to make more as we go back.

Not all canadians hate Americans,Just as many canadians have been ripped off Too.Americans seem to be targets because when you travel you take extra,extra everything.......right!....so dosent this make you a worth while target for a thief!
I was ripped off last year,they diddnt steal much but they caused 3000$ in damage to my truck.......as were many of my friends....
As for the vandalisim ,most people are ****heads,jelouse,or just plain ignorant......so dont blame everone,Americans are welcome in my part of town as long as they are polite....

Just tell Al hershy's kids that they shouldnt run in front of everyone,even if they are flyfishing.....thank you.

I have to agree with jim, I fished several times up on the vedder this year, The guys at freds tackle are top notch, and I met several very nice people on the river, so I still email questions back and forth, one I am trading a lingcod trip for a steelhead trip with. I found them more pleasent to fish with the the average US guy, they even went out of there way sometimes to help out....I did lock my tailgate and camper shell then back it into a berry patch before going fishing I also found a spot that has a drive through where the girl can see the trucks parked nearbay and she was very nice and looked out after my truck.

I have never been to canada.It has been a dream to take a month and go explore.I think that I am closer this summer than I have ever been as I have partner that works with me that is very interested and qualified.By qualified I mean we spent a good amount of time climbing and fishing in the olympics with no hassles.

I bet I meet alot of good honest folks.

One of the benmifits of having an old subaru is that nobady cares!

Another thought comes to mind.It would seem to me that targetting a tourist vehicle would meen the owner lives quite aways away,with a border between them.Whats the old saying'its too close to home"well the american has to jump through quite a few more hoops I am sure to follow up on the theft.

The break ins and vandalism are performed by equal opportunity scumbags. They'll take whatever they can get from whomever they can get it from. As far as vandalism due to anti American sentiments, that may very well happen but unfortunately we have morons on both sides of the border. Just look at grandpa2's posts for evidence of that.

Am I worried about getting my rig busted into while I'm up in Canada? Sure, but no more worried than if I were to park at Blue Creek or Reiter. Car prowlers and crank heads are a dime a dozen up in B.C. and here.

I, for one, spent a day on the Vedder this fall for the second year in a row and was pleased to find, again, that the average fishing joe on the river is much more polite and helpful than the average fishing joe here is.

Fish on...

Todd.

Please spread the word that one should NEVER fish on the Vedder River. Besides almost certain breakins, the area has many sasquach sightings, the locals are are all crackheads, drunks, and wife beaters, and there are no fish in the river. In addition, those who inadvertantly ingest the Vedder River water often give birth to childern who grow up to become politicians. Please stay away for your sake and mine.

Watch for future posts on Blue Creek, Reiter and The Zone.

Nice Surecatch

I LOVE CANADA!!!

It's like another state to me, only with colorful money.
We have all our dental work done up there. My kids take private swimming lessons up there and my wife spends all our money at Costco there in Abottsford.

I've never had my vehicle broke into. I spent 27 straight days up there in August on the Fraser.

When I first started to fish sockeye on the Fraser, the guy who brought me up didn't show me much. So I walked up to a group of Canadians and told them I didn't have a clue how to fish soxs, (I didn't want to spend the whole day trying to figure it out) Not only did they show me how to rig properly they let me use their rod!!!
After 2 hours, I had landed 7 sockeye! Yes, I only kept 2.
The guy who brought me got 1.
I had the same experience when I first fished the Vedder.

I have made alot of friends up on that river. They feel the same way as we do, "The Gov't sucks! They are ruining our fisheries. Why do the indians get special fishing openings??? Why do our license fees keep gonning up and our retention goes down. What another tax???" Sound familar?

The guys up there are SUPER COOL!!
.

FYI...Their fisheries bring in, out of country fishing revenue, $31.7 MILLION every year!!! I wonder how much of that is from Washington alone???
Plus, it's pretty cool to only drive 45 miles away and to be able to catch a 40 to 50lb king!!!
I'll continue to spend my fishing dollars in Canada.

Travis,
you might want to recheck your figures? I believe Russia passed the US on daily murders and drug arrests.

Surecatch,
you forgot about the cancerous sores that will grow on your legs from wanding in the polluted waters.

Yes, all you ingorant, prejudice, old farts stay away

I've made several trips to the lower Fraser area this summer and fall and have had nothing but great times. On one trip I came back to the launch from an overnight on the river to find that in my haste to get fishing, I had left the rear window on the car open. The kids DVD player was still on the seat. I was probably just lucky that time. On second thought maybe I would have been luckier to have that POS Exploder stolen and collect the insurance oh well. The vast majority of Canadians I have talked to are very friendly. It has come up in conversation that some of the things they aren't happy with are the tariff on lumber, ban on beef imports and the proposed Sumas power plant. These problems are government policy that should be worked out between our so called elected officials. I don't know if these things have a lot to do with theft and vandalism at fishing areas. I think it's more like it is in the US,most of the time it's someone out for the perceived easy buck and the fact that they will probably get away with it. I've always maintained that there are the same number of a-holes per capita on both sides of the border, but lately,sorry to say, I'm thinking we may be gaining on the Canadians.