2011 Chilliwack River Fall Coho Salmon Fishery Survey Results
Below are the results of our 2011 Chilliwack River fall coho salmon fishery survey. We asked anglers who participated in this fishery between September and November 2011 to submit their data, which included the number of days fished, the number of fish caught and retained, their experience, their equipment and their rating of 2011's fishery. We thank you for participating and making this survey possible!
General Information
In total, 238 anglers participated in the survey. We asked each angler has fished and a total of 1,847 angling days were reported.
Below is a break-down on participants' fishing experience, based on number of years they have been fishing the Chilliwack/Vedder River.
| Number of Years | % of All Surveyed Anglers |
|---|---|
| 1 ~ 5 | 52.1% |
| 6 ~ 10 | 18.5% |
| 11 ~ 15 | 8.8% |
| 16 ~ 20 | 9.2% |
| 21 ~ 25 | 4.6% |
| 26 ~ 30 | 2.1% |
| 31 ~ 35 | 0.8% |
| 36 ~ 40 | 1.7% |
| 40+ | 2.1% |
A total of 3,568 coho salmon were landed. 1,974 of them were hatchery-marked fish (55%). 429 of them were jacks (12%). Out of the 1,974 hatchery-marked fish, 1,203 of them were retained (61%).
We asked our survey participants to rate the 2011 season between 1 (poor) and 5 (excellent). 22% of survey participants rated 5, 38% rated 4, 31% rated 3, 7% rated 2 and 3% rated 1.
Fishing Equipment
Below is a break-down of primary rod and reel outfits used by anglers who participated in the survey.
| Primary Outfit Used | % of All Surveyed Anglers |
|---|---|
| Baitcasting | 44.1% |
| Centerpin | 23.5% |
| Spinning | 15.5% |
| Single-handed Fly Fishing | 12.6% |
| Spey | 4.2% |
Below is a break-down of primary terminal tackle used by anglers who participated in the survey.
| Primary Terminal Tackle Used | % of All Surveyed Anglers |
|---|---|
| Bait | 42% |
| Wool | 19% |
| Metal | 18% |
| Fly | 16% |
| Artificials (plastic eggs, etc) | 4% |
| Jig | 1% |
Success Rates
The highest number of days fished by an angler was 65 days. The highest number of fish landed by an angler for the entire season was 145 fish. The highest number of fish retained by an angler was 40 fish.
Below is a break-down of number of fish caught per day by different fishing methods. The list is ranked by the success rate (number of fish caught per day). While the results are fairly close, please keep in mind that the samples are quite small and they contain a mix of anglers at different skill levels.
| Primary Outfit | Primary Terminal Tackle | Total Number of Days | Total Number of Fish Landed | Success Rate (number of fish per day) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spinning | Metal | 146 | 330 | 2.3 |
| Baitcasting | Artificials | 27 | 59 | 2.2 |
| Centerpin | Bait | 534 | 1,112 | 2.1 |
| Single-handed | Fly | 238 | 495 | 2.1 |
| Centerpin | Metal | 29 | 59 | 2.0 |
| Centerpin | Wool | 48 | 97 | 2.0 |
| Baitcasting | Bait | 328 | 602 | 1.8 |
| Spey | Fly | 61 | 110 | 1.8 |
| Baitcasting | Wool | 250 | 437 | 1.7 |
| Spinning | Wool | 11 | 18 | 1.6 |
| Baitcasting | Metal | 122 | 189 | 1.5 |
| Spinning | Jig | 3 | 4 | 1.3 |
| Centerpin | Artificials | 19 | 24 | 1.3 |
| Spinning | Bait | 28 | 32 | 1.1 |
| Baitcasting | Jig | 3 | 0 | 0 |
