A fisherman ended up getting reeled in Thursday evening.
District of North Vancouver Fire and Rescue were called to the Capilano River at approximately 8:30 p.m. after rising water levels marooned a fisherman on an island in the middle of the rushing river.
The fisherman’s cries for help were overheard by a passerby who dialed 9-1-1.
That prompted a convoy of emergency vehicles from the District of North Vancouver and West Vancouver to rally at the bridge.
A firefighter equipped with a floatation device and a harness was lowered about 40 metres down to where the fisherman was waiting.
“We hooked the fisherman,” reported North Vancouver assistant fire chief Brian Hutchinson.
Once on the bridge, the fisherman was in “good and stable condition,” according to Hutchinson.
“He was extremely appreciative of being rescued out of the river.”
After firefighters conducted a medical assessment they handed him off to B.C. Ambulance, Hutchinson said.
Firefighters made sure he got his fishing pole, but if he caught any salmon they didn’t make it up to the bridge, Hutchinson noted.
The fisherman had set out earlier in the evening when water levels in the river were much lower, according to Hutchinson.
With unpredictable weather patterns hitting the North Shore recently, Hutchinson is reminding anyone enjoying the great outdoors to be cognizant of their surroundings.
“We’re always advising people to just be cautious around the rivers, they’re flowing very fast and very high right now.”
The smoothness of the rescue was due to the hundreds of hours of training firefighters have been putting in lately, particularly on swift water and technical rescue training, according to Hutchinson.
“When these incidents come up, we’re able to effect very quick and efficient rescues.”
While large amounts of rainfall can sometimes indicate more fresh salmon in the Capilano River, a writer for fishing guide Angler’s Atlas recommended the mouth of Ambleside Beach as a better alternative.
