As he has every year for many years, Jerry Buron of Marysville went fishing for chum salmon on the Harrison River in British Columbia, a relatively short trip just across the border.
Unlike previous years, fishing was poor and very expensive.
After fishing with former Everett Police Ch
ief Jim Scharf, Buron found that two tires on his truck had been slashed, an event that will cost him more than $500 bucks.
I mention it because it appears that someone is slashing the tires of vehicles with U.S. license plates near the Vedder, the Harrison and other popular rivers. If you’re
headed there, you might want to bring more than one spare.
He’s Jerry’s report:
“Up-setting day today!
Up at 3:15 am today for a day’s fishing on the Harrison River in B.C. for chum salmon.
Picked Jim Scharf up at his house at 4:25 am and off to the Harrison River. When we stopped at the B.C. border crossing the border guard asked some unsual questions and asked our purpose for entering Canada.
When I told him we’d be fishing the Harrison River he asked if I had spare tires. I thought this odd and asked why. He said, “There’s been a rash of tire slashing on the Vedder River within the last week of only US vehicles. Obliviously, someone or someone’s is taking exception to “Americans” fishing in B.C.
So off we go to the river and find out it may be closed for chum fishing, but someone at the launch says, “No it’s open for chums above the highway 7 bridge!” That’s good because that’s where we’re headed.
It’s beautiful morning weather wise. The bald eagles are soaring above the river and on the banks feeding on salmon carcasses. When we arrive at the “Buron Bar!” it is apparent there are few chums showing in the river
There appears to be more Chinook salmon in the river than chums and those in the river appear to be smaller and more far along in the spawning process that I’d expect to see for this time of the year. Well the first indications were valid! Jim and I fished from about 8:00 am until 1:00 pm with almost no fish taken and the very few taken were “foul-hooked!”
So at 1:00 pm we decide to get an early start for home. When we arrived at the Kilby Provincial Park launch site I proceed to my truck to load my boat.
My left rear truck has been slashed!!! Not having what I’d normally have to change the tire it took Jim and I an hour to finally get it changed. Luck for us the spare was okay for tire pressure. The slashed tire is almost brand new having less than three thousand miles on it.
So I retrieve my boat and as I’m getting ready to secure it for the return trip home I see where the left tire on the boat trailer has also been slashed!
Who would do something like this? As several BC residents questioned us, they were also up-set because they read about this in the newspaper. In fact there has been 37 “reported” tire slashing within the last week.
The BC residents mentioned that BC must rely heavily on tourism dollars from the states and this will not help. I assured them I won’t be back to fish the Harrison any time soon, if ever again.
On the way home we stopped at the RCMP station in Agazzis to report this crime.
The attached photos are of Jim Scharf with a fish on and one of him casting into the river. It would have been a nice day even if we didn’t catch any fish if it wouldn’t have been for the other incident.”
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