Happy visitors from Minnesota

Dear FWR,

I wrote you a few weeks ago for some advice for two veterinarians coming from Minnesota to fish. You suggested that we try STS Guiding Service up on the Harrison River. We ended up doing that and we had a great time. As it turned out we only landed a few fish but the weekend seemed packed full of fish action. We did a day on the Harrison and I caught two nice coho and four sockeye salmon. My partner caught a 70lb sturgeon. It's wild catching a dinosaur!! We hooked up lots of huge chums, both on the flyrod and on spinners but never managed to land a single one!!! They are crazy...it was like having a Rottwieler on the end of your line. I cant wait to come back to try and land one of those maniacs. We tried to fish on our own the next day but like you said the Harrison is tough to fish from shore. The airline lost my waders so I had to watch as my partner fished out in the stream. He hooked up to 8 or 9 chums.....none landed. The last night we stayed in Downtown Vancouver, ate sushi, drank whiskey and went to a show at the Commodore Ballroom. All was great and we really appreciated your tips and it helped make the trip a big success. Dont forget to hit me with any vet questions you may have. Thanks again!

chip Hanson, Minnesota

Just an after thought

Dear FWR & Chilliwack/Vedder River Cleanup Coalition,

Thanks for the great orginization, fo a wonderful (Rivers Day) day. I thougt of prize "Teddy Bear "or something of that nature could have been given too the Youngest particapant in crowd, it was good to see the kids included. For this is our future! Good clear spoken job Terry Bodman. I will donate something for the youngest person for the following cleanups. Thanks again yours and mine truly...

Dean Russell Dyer

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Concerned about Sportfishing

Dear FWR,

It would be wonderful if new fishermen would read and use the tactics described on this site. you have done a great job...

I fear that this will not be seen by the people that should see it. Again I commend you for your effort, I guess it is a start. What can be done to stop the train? The sports fishery is turning into a sports snaggery, whereas a fish snagged near the head area is quite acceptable by even some of our old experienced fishers. The biggest joke is the Fraser River sockeye run. It has been accepted by the majority of fishers that if it is caught near the face it did bite. Most know this and it is overlooked as people want dearly to have these meat fish and figure they are entitled to them because all the other groups get em. It always seemed difficult for me to understand why a fish crosscut in the mouth with the hook on the outside of the far side of the fish's mouth (depending on which side of river you are standing on) is any different than one caught in the anal hole. But it is accepted by all..or most all...I used to do it myself. Why not keep the anal hole fish? It will probably die anyway..

And catching and releasing intentionally fouled fish is a complete insanity as a played out sockeye will soon be floating down the river with two seagulls beside it (I cant prove that..just an observation when fishermen are bottom bouncing).

In opposition to this kind of talk is: Oh so what if we kill a few, look at all the fish the other guys get. This also applies to snaggen em..or should I use the gentleman's language, flossing.

Too bad, a tough one to solve. They are not good biters, but a valuable fishery and it creates a great deal of commerce and has turned out a unsporting sporstfishery. Anyway it has spilled over to the salmon runs in the Vedder and Chehalis. I am sure will be a popular way to fish for small schools of Steelhead soon...

If we are going to snag sockeye how can we stop the catch and release whether snagged in the body area or "flossed" and released for fun... What a problem... Do we say, oh well there are lots of em.

From what I hear the Springs are being targeted this way too

Maybe the sockeye will survive a catch and release experience but they put there heart and soul into getting away. There is only enough energy stored in that animal for its long long journey, so I kinda doubt it.

My personal thought is that we are going to snag our way out of a lot of fishing areas. This will not go on for a long time, but don't write that in stone.

I have no solutions, just concerned about "sportsfishing".

A concerned angler