Peamouth chub and northern pikeminnow are the most common fish species that are found in the Tidal Fraser River during the summer months. They belong in the same family and are closely related, therefore they look pretty similar to each other. Identifying the two is not difficult, because there are little but distinct differences that can be used to distinguish the two, as this video demonstrates.
The temperature hit the 30C mark yesterday. A short walk to the bank had me drowning in sweat. I did not want to waste such a beautiful Friday evening, so I asked Carlo if he wanted to pay the North Arm of Fraser River a visit. Was the seasoned flyfisher willing to lose his dignity by digging into a worm container? Sure he said! We met up on the rocks at 8:00pm, just as the sun started tucking itself behind the trees. The air was much cooler, but it was still comfortable enough to be in a pair of shorts and T shirt.
What kind of fly is that Carlo?
My bucket became a good substitute for a holder of my rod.
Before Carlo arrived, I had already landed a couple of fish, including a northern pikeminnow that was slightly bigger than average. The fishing is always unpredictable as long as a baited hook is left in the water. While most of the catches would be small sculpin, peamouth chub, the odd monstrous predatory fish may come along and stir up the party occasionally.
The nibbles came in waves. Normally they bite continuously, but it may have taken them longer to find our bait this time because of the lack of current, which would carry the bait’s scent around.
The minnows were not co-operating as well this evening, but the sculpins were having a feast. We reeled in plenty of coastrange sculpins, which do not grow much bigger than a few inches in length.
In between the little guys, I felt some big tugs. There were indeed something bigger milling about one point, I felt a gradual pull down of the rod tip. That is usually a good indication of a bigger fish, which sucks the bait into its mouth instead of nibbling at it. I pulled the rod back hard and it was bent to its maximum, but whatever was at the other end did not make a move. A snag perhaps? Not quite, the fish swam away from shore fast a second later, peeling line off the reel. It took me by surprise as I screamed. Carlo looked on and wandered what was happening. The entire event was over in a couple of seconds. The fish escaped with ease, most likely due to the small hook that I was using. It was either a really large northern pikeminnow or a bull trout.
Just before it became too dark to fish, an animal creeped out of the marsh.
“Muskrat!”, I said.
Carlo replied, “That’s no muskrat. It’s huge! That’s a beaver! Unless it’s a muskrat on steroid!”
It wasn’t a full grown beaver, that’s probably why I thought it was not one. It circled around us as if we were intruders. I guess we were. The tiny angry beaver eventually slapped its tail around, hoping to scare us away. We left soon after, but mostly because the mosquitoes were coming out in full force.
Bait fishing on the Tidal Fraser, a great way to cool down after a hot summer day.
Once again attendance did not disappoint us at the 7th annual Fish for the Future. One couldn’t have asked for better weather. The sun was shining, the light southerly breeze kept everyone cool, it was a very enjoyable day.
123 juvenile saltwater fishing licences were issued during this year’s event. Some kids also came with a fishing licence already, so we probably had around 150 kids. Last year we wrote up exactly 200 licences. Attendance was down slightly, but traffic was still very steady at a relaxing pace, except the first two hours, which was almost a controlled chaos.
102 fish were caught and released.
Every kid who caught a fish was given a prize. The prizes available included T shirts, hats, fishing rods, lures, etc.
Photographs from the event can be found on this page.
Thanks go out to all the volunteers and exhibitors as well as parents who brought their kids out to the event. Next year’s event will be on July 10th. See you then!
I stopped by the No. 3 Road Pier this evening to put up a couple of posters for Saturday’s Fish for the Future. While there, Marco stopped by to do a bit of sturgeon fishing so I stuck around and watched for awhile.
The No. 3 Road Pier offers a variety of fishing in the summer, from baiting for peamouth chub to jigging for pink salmon. Pier fishing does not offer solitude, but the social aspect can be very appealing. A chair, some snacks and the right companions can turn a fishless outing on the pier rather enjoyable.
White sturgeon can be commonly caught in the Fraser River year-round. It is a catch and release fishery, which anglers can enjoy from both shore and boats.
Heavy gear is required when fishing for white sturgeon.
Baiting up!
Big bait catches big fish!
A large bar weight and eulachon are tickets to big white sturgeon.
A dozen or so anglers patiently waited on the pier. They chatted to kill some time while keeping an eye on the rods. The wait was not too long. A solid bite on one angler’s rod turned the atmosphere on the pier instantly. The crowd gathered to watch as his reel screamed after a hookset.
Oohs and Ahs came out from the crowd while waiting for the fish to surface.
Its head emerged after a couple of minutes.
To land a big fish, the angler had to guide it into the shallow water.
An evening success!
Gentle release to be fought on another day.
My 2009 spring Danish adventure came to an end yesterday as I flew back to Vancouver. During the Trans-Atlantic flight, we were fortunate enough to have clear sky at the eastern and western edges of Greenland. I snapped these photographs as we few over these glacial landscapes.Â
When I arrived in Vancouver, I dropped by No. 2 Road Pier to see the restored floating dock. It looks fantastic! The floating dock is now wider and has a much nicer surface. Even though the Fraser River still has the silty white freshet colour, the water visibility is actually not bad, hovering at around one foot. This morning I decided to drop by Garry Point Park to make a few cast with the spinner, hoping to entice a northern pikeminnow or even a bull trout. No fish were found, but I spotted a couple of fish feeding on the surface, as well as numerous sockeye salmon in the main channel. Seals were busy hunting down these returning salmon. It is a welcoming sight after the grim salmon returns in the last couple of years. See you all at Fish for the Future on Saturday July 11th!