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Lower Fraser River Interior Coho Salmon Management Measures

Published on Monday, September 7th, 2015

Fraser River coho salmon

If you fish the Lower Fraser River for pink salmon, then you should be aware of some important regulation changes which come in effect this week. These changes include:

  • Bait ban for salmon fishing
  • No fishing for coho salmon and sockeye salmon

The windows of these changes are as follows:

Since 2001, Fisheries and Oceans Canada has identified these dates as the migration period for Interior Fraser River coho salmon, which are endangered. To protect these fish, managers have used these measures to minimize their mortality. Bait such as roe is known to be very effective for coho salmon in the Fraser River, so well that fish often swallow the bait when hooked. This often leads to post-release death, therefore banning the use of bait during this period is required. The Sport Fishing Advisory Committee has also made sure fishing opportunities for chinook, pink and chum salmon remain available during this period, so anglers can still cast lures, fly fish, bar fish with a spin n’ glow for them without impacting the coho salmon run. When you catch a salmon, be sure to identify it first in your landing net before bringing it onto shore. If it is a coho salmon, please release it with care so it can continue its migration safely. With your support, we can keep these fishing opportunities open while protecting endangered species.

Coho salmon and pink salmon

 

Knowing the differences between a coho and a pink salmon may sound simple on paper, but beginners often find it difficult when seeing them for the first time by the river. If you are just starting out, don’t be afraid to ask for second opinions if you are unsure about your catch. Always double, triple checks your fish before deciding to retain it. Experienced anglers should understand these challenges for beginners and assist and educate those who seem to need guidance. Coho salmon (top in the photo) have small spots across their back and the top portion of the tail. Pink salmon (bottom in the photo) have larger “thumb-print”, oval spots across their back and the entire tail.

If you are interested in reading more about Interior Fraser River coho salmon and its recovery program, please check out this document.

Lower Fraser River Opens for Pink Salmon Fishing!

Published on Friday, September 4th, 2015

Fraser River Pink Salmon

Finally! The Lower Fraser River pink salmon fishery which many have been waiting for is here! Fisheries and Oceans Canada announced the opening for both the tidal and non-tidal portions of the Fraser River, which begins on September 5th 2015. This fishery generally starts around the 1st of September and peaks by the 10th, but the season can extend until the third or fourth week of September. It is a fantastic fishery for beginner anglers who wish to get into salmon fishing due to the high abundance of fish which are more than willing to bite. Millions of pink salmon are expected to converge into the Fraser River with each incoming tide. They will chase your lure without much hesitation. If you have never done it before, here are some tips to get you started.

  • Make sure you have a valid fishing licence! If you are fishing in the Fraser River anywhere downstream from the CPR Bridge in Mission, then you need a valid tidal water fishing licence. If you are fishing upstream from the CPR Bridge, you need a valid freshwater fishing licence. If you want to keep a pink salmon, you also need to purchase a salmon conservation stamp.
  • Know the daily quota, which is the number of pink salmon you are allowed to keep per day.
  • Know the regulations. There are some general fishing regulations that you need to know when fishing for pink salmon in the Tidal and Non-tidal Fraser River. Make sure your hook only has a single point and barbless. You can read the rest on this page.
  • Identify your catches before killing them. Among millions of pink salmon, there are three species that you need to know and must release with care when caught. These two species are sockeye salmon, coho salmon and steelhead. During the pink salmon season, late summer run sockeye salmon, endangered interior coho salmon and steelhead will make their way into the Thompson-Nicola region. Fishery managers are working hard to conserve these species while ensuring our fishing opportunities remain available. As anglers, we need to work with them to minimize our impact on endangered species.
  • Time your fishing outing with the tide. This fishery is heavily influenced by the tide. The magic hours are the last three hours of the incoming tide. During this time, fish will follow the tidal current into the river. There’s no such thing as the “best spot” on the Fraser River. You can catch pink salmon anywhere along the Fraser River, just make sure you are at the right spot at the right time.
  • The weather can be fantastic for fishing in September, but it is still too hot to keep your fish on the beach or in the river. To preserve the freshness of your pink salmon, make sure your fish are bled immediately and packed in an ice-filled cooler while you fish.
  • Bring a landing net. Majority of pink salmon are lost just before they reach the angler. Having a landing net can improve your catch success significantly. The rocky shorelines along the Fraser River can be steep and slippery at times, so a landing net can also make sure you do not fall in while trying to grab your fish by hand. Because some fish are required to be released, a landing net with a soft or rubber mesh finish is best.
  • Respect other users. When taking part in this fishery, you will most likely be fishing among other anglers. Treat others like you would like to be treated so everyone can have a good experience. Some considerations include to avoid casting over other people’s lines, avoid talking loudly, pick up some garbage on the river bank and help others when they need a hand.

Here are some useful links to get you started:

Bar Fishing Fight Sequence

Published on Thursday, September 3rd, 2015

Since the Fraser River reopened for chinook salmon retention, bar fishing for them has been excellent. Multiple hook-ups within a couple of hours, of both large adults and small jacks, have been the reports arriving in my inbox for several days now. This evening my dad and I were invited along to a quick bar fishing trip and I took a series of photographs during the fight of one fish. This fish was caught near the end of the day, when a school of fish must have been moving through as several bar rods started dancing in the holders, all within minutes apart. Ken grabbed the rod when his bell rang, and the bend in the rod told us right away that it was a chinook salmon.

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It actually came into the shallow water pretty quickly, so Bob had the net ready, expecting this to be an easy fight.

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But the fish had other ideas, it began gaining some line and headed upstream.

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After navigating around the boat as the fish continued upstream, Ken was gaining line again.

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The fish splashed on the surface, it looked almost ready to be netted.

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As Bob approached with the net, this fish once again had other ideas. It headed downstream, this time from the shallow side of the boat and proceeded to go underneath it.

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Ken carefully worked his line under the boat and managed to avoid hooking the motor.

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The third try was much smoother. Bob scooped the fish up once he could get a good aim.

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Finally!

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A memorable fishing experience, shared by three generations of Ken’s family.

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A beautiful chinook salmon for dinner, this is what Fraser River bar fishing is all about.

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A Quick Family Get-away to Tunkwa Lake

Published on Tuesday, August 11th, 2015

The rainbow trout fishing at lakes across Interior British Columbia is known to be excellent from April to June. It usually tapers off in July when the weather heats up, but picks up in late July and early August, when the “bomber” hatches begin. The term refers to the emergence of extraordinarily large chironomids, which creates a feeding frenzy among these rainbow trout.

When we found out the bite was once again on at Tunkwa Lake from the resort, I didn’t hesitate to book a couple of nights at the cabin for the family. The last time we stayed there was three years ago when Nina was about to give birth to our son Elliot, so we were pretty excited to bring him there for the first time. Joining us was our neighbour Bob and his three kids who have never experienced interior lake trout fishing.

Located just North of Logan Lake, Tunkwa Lake Resort has been operating for several decades and many families have made it their annual family get-away. During this trip, we met families who have been to the resort since 30 years ago, or even gotten married there.

On the first day when we arrived, the rain was pouring down. For some reason that seems to be the theme for me whenever I visit Tunkwa. Being 1,000m+ above sea level, it was also a bit cool, which was actually quite refreshing after enduring a long heat wave in the Fraser Valley since early July.

We settled in our cozy little cabin and lit up the fireplace so it was toasty for the evening.

The Morning View at Tunkwa Lake

We woke up the morning to drier weather and the clouds were dispersing. It looked like the rest of the trip was going to be great!

The Bird Life at Tunkwa Lake

Early Morning Keen Fisherman at Tunkwa Lake

Tunkwa Lake Resort is known to be a family resort. The biggest challenge we’ve discovered when going on a fishing trip with our little one is, obviously, to constantly come up with ideas to keep him occupied. While it’s nice to fish together, the reality is that a 2 year old’s attention span in a boat is no longer than one hour. After the one hour mark, it is time to be on dry land. The playground at the resort kept the kids occupied for hours each day, which was a great asset.

The Playground at Tunkwa Lake Resort

There have also been lots of new additions to the resort since we were last there. The new sheltered picnic area is ideal for lakeside meals.

New Picnic Area at Tunkwa Lake Resort

The kayaks and paddle boards provide options other than fishing for family members who don’t wish to fish.

Kayaks and Paddle Boards at Tunkwa Lake

Kayaking at Tunkwa Lake

Now onto the fishing, it was fabulous as expected! We finally ventured out on the boat in the afternoon after watching fish being caught left and right. The hatches were thick and in no time we were into fish.

Fish On!

Tunkwa Lake Rainbow Trout

Releasing a Rainbow Trout

The large chironomid patterns were suspended a couple of feet off the bottom in 15 feet of water. We either used a 4wt fly fishing rod with an indicator to accomplish this, or a spinning outfit with a sliding float. Both methods worked equally well.

Double Trouble!

A common sighting at Tunkwa Lake

Fish being caught were mostly in the 16 to 18 inches range, while at times a 19 inch long fish would emerge and once awhile a 20 incher was pulled in by a lucky angler. Double headers were also not uncommon, which made the day rather entertaining with two fish circling around the boat while avoiding tangles with each other’s lines and the anchor ropes.

Tunkwa Lake Rainbow Trout

Tunkwa Lake Rainbow Trout

The bite did not taper off during our full day of fishing. After dinner, we headed out again at 7:30pm and were treated with constant action until sunset.

Bent Rods at Tunkwa Lake

A Good Way to Finish the Day at Tunkwa Lake

The Night Sky at Tunkwa Lake

The kids also had a chance to dance with these fish. On our last day prior to departing, Bob brought his three kids out on my boat and they managed to brought six fish to the net in 30 minutes!

Catching Fish at Tunkwa Lake

If you are considering a family fishing trip and undecided on where you should go, then definitely consider Tunkwa Lake Resort. Like many other families who we met during this trip, we may start a same tradition by going back every year from now on!

Little Cozy Rustic Cabin at Tunkwa Lake

Selective Fishing for Fraser River Salmon Requested

Published on Friday, July 31st, 2015

Salmon fishing opens for the tidal portion of the Fraser River on August 1st and for the non-tidal portion of the Fraser River on August 3rd. The openings are for three species, chinook, pink and chum salmon, while sockeye salmon fishing remains closed because their abundance is currently not high enough for an opening.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada has requested all anglers to fish selectively, meaning that you should specifically target species that are open while avoiding catching sockeye salmon.

“There is no retention of sockeye salmon permitted at this time. Given the low abundance of sockeye and the expected en-route mortality, impacts on sockeye are to be minimized and DFO is working with all users of the resource to limit impacts on sockeye.

While fishing for pink, chinook and chum salmon, anglers should avoid using fishing methods that catch sockeye salmon and fish selectively. The first principle of selective harvesting is to avoid catching non-targeted stocks. This means that anglers should use methods that do not catch sockeye. The following fishing methods enable anglers to catch pink, chinook and chum salmon and rarely intercept sockeye salmon:

Bar Fishing
Trolling Spoons at Creek mouths
Float Fishing
Pulling Plugs
Fly Fishing

We encourage anglers to continue to use these methods to target pink, chinook and chum while avoiding sockeye.

Please note that bottom bouncing is NOT considered a selective fishing method and is strongly discouraged. The Department requests that selective fishing techniques be used and will continue to closely monitor the situation to ensure impacts on sockeye are at a minimum.

Should DFO feel that the rate of compliance is insufficient to ensure the adequate passage of sockeye, spot closures or a “no fishing for salmon” restriction may result.”

In the summer months, especially this year, water temperature is not as tolerable for salmonids so fish which are released always have a chance of dying due to stress. It is important for the recreational fishing community to demonstrate that selective fishing practices can be done while protecting runs which are closed for fishing so future stocks are not jeopardized. If the department observes too many sockeye salmon being caught and released, then the fishery will most likely be shut down once again to ensure the safe passage of these fish.

Sockeye salmon in the Lower Fraser River generally do not bite as they travel upstream. During a sockeye salmon recreational fishing opening, fish are usually caught by flossing (or more commonly referred to as bottom bouncing), which involves the use of a long leader so the fish are accidentally hooked in the mouth as it swept across the river. This technique is not encouraged when sockeye salmon are not open for fishing, because it is not selective. Instead, anglers are asked to catch chinook, pink and chum salmon by bar fishing, casting and retrieving lures, float fishing with bait, etc. The chance of hooking a sockeye by using these methods is significantly lower than flossing.

Bar fishing is done in the non-tidal portion of the Fraser River, usually between Hope and Chilliwack where the current is adequate enough to troll a spin-n-glow at a stationary spot. If you have never experienced bar fishing before, please check out the following links for more information.

In the tidal portion of the Fraser River, chinook salmon are typically caught by plunking freshly cured salmon roe. This technique can be very successful for jacks, which are males returning one year earlier than other fish in the same run. The video, Tidal Fraser Bottom Setup, gives you an idea how this is done.

For pink salmon, which don’t enter the Fraser River until the end of August, they can easily be caught by casting and retrieving spoons and spinners. The article, Fishing for Tidal Fraser Pink Salmon, provides an overview of this fishery and explains the technique used to catch these abundant fish.

Have a great long weekend! We will have some fantastic salmon fishing opportunities coming up in the next four months across Southern British Columbia so lets enjoy it without impacting closed species. By complying to these requests, the recreational fishing community can lead by example when it comes to protecting vulnerable salmon stocks.

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