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Author Topic: Chilliwack River's Sxo'tsaqel chinook salmon  (Read 4650 times)

canucksfan233

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Re: Chilliwack River's Sxo'tsaqel chinook salmon
« Reply #15 on: November 26, 2021, 04:06:50 PM »

Reading all these stories makes me wish I was alive to fish the vedder in these days.
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Phronesis

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Re: Chilliwack River's Sxo'tsaqel chinook salmon
« Reply #16 on: November 26, 2021, 04:45:58 PM »

Awesome presentation by Matt. I hope further studies and measures are taken to make sure this unique strain of chinook survives.
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Steelhawk

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Re: Chilliwack River's Sxo'tsaqel chinook salmon
« Reply #17 on: November 27, 2021, 12:36:44 PM »

I remember fishing for this native run of Chinook back in the early 1970's.
they were amazing fish and even more rare than Steelhead.
they were one of the strongest fighting fish I ever encountered and it was a major feat to land one over 20 lbs!
We would start looking for them in late May and fish through June and into early July if the water conditions allowed.
I have caught and heard of caught early Chinook over the years. Some as early as mid February.
The last one I hooked was on March 25th a few years back.
it was just above Vedder Crossing Bridge and was in the 20lb range and mint bright silver.
At first I thought I had hooked a monster Steelhead!
I have always wondered whether these really early fish were just lost early Fraser Chinook or actually part of the remnant native run.

I remember vividly of the strange huge "steelhead" I caught over 25 years ago right below the train bridge while steelheading. During the fight I thought it must be a 3-salt monster but the fight was tough but unlike steelhead.  It was such a chrome spring and those around me told me it was an early spring. But that was the only one in all these years. I was lucky to land it on 12 lb big game leader which I usually used in those steelheading day. I guess the area below train bridge is open and accessible enough to follow the beast and eventually landed it. What a memory!
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Darko

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Re: Chilliwack River's Sxo'tsaqel chinook salmon
« Reply #18 on: November 27, 2021, 08:10:30 PM »

I was wondering if the hatchery chinook on the vedder are clipped, because the one I harvested had an adipose. Is it that there are so few wilds that they don't bother to clip them and to prevent confusion or what?
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spoiler

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Re: Chilliwack River's Sxo'tsaqel chinook salmon
« Reply #19 on: December 03, 2021, 07:10:28 AM »

Although I caught some of these fish on roe, I found that live ghost shrimp was my most successful bait. The downside was that the native trout and steelhead smolts loved them as well.
Also was a very effective bait for the Chilliwack Lake Sockeye.
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