Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Every Day]

I've also heard this is the return year that they released a lot of undersized fish which led to poor ocean survival.

It's definitely nothing to do with the hatchery releasing undersized smolts.

These are the worst returns I've ever seen. I think I only hit 8 steelhead in 12 trips in January on the island, on 9 different rivers. Kitty only got a handful, buddies only hit 2 on those trips. Most of my buddies were under 10 fish for the month as well. There is only one river I've really heard of out here fishing well, and I'm sure you have heard of it since it's being averadvertised by everyone.

I've been hoping they are late... I'm quickly giving up on that after nothing showed up after this past huge rain.

[wizard]

I've also heard this is the return year that they released a lot of undersized fish which led to poor ocean survival.

It certainly cannot help.  It's hard to imagine given the amount of users this system sees, the amount of money spent/gathered from sh tags etc. that funding is an issue for a hatchery like Chilliwack...These fish should be being raised and released under optimal conditions, no exceptions or excuses should be accepted.  And if funds are an excuse for releasing undersized smolts, the system is obviously flawed.  But this is another topic.

[Dave]

It's definitely nothing to do with the hatchery releasing undersized smolts.

These are the worst returns I've ever seen. I think I only hit 8 steelhead in 12 trips in January on the island, on 9 different rivers. Kitty only got a handful, buddies only hit 2 on those trips. Most of my buddies were under 10 fish for the month as well. There is only one river I've really heard of out here fishing well, and I'm sure you have heard of it since it's being averadvertised by everyone.

I've been hoping they are late... I'm quickly giving up on that after nothing showed up after this past huge rain.

Dan, this thread was about Chilliwack- Vedder steelhead, and I do believe releasing undersized, non smolting parr are a possible reason for poor returns for hatchery fish on the C-V, but your observations for other non hatchery systems are even more fodder for the theory poor ocean survival conditions have had an impact on adult returns.

[Wiseguy]

Good conditions today. River is high and flowing fast. 2-3 feet vis below the Sleese clay banks. Not sure about tomorrow with the incoming rains. That is anybody's guess. Covered a ton of water today. Hooked and lost one fish today. Was a great day to be out, the few other anglers I encountered on my trek were courteous and friendly. Seemed everyone was into a fish today. Back at it tomorrow in the am. Hopefully the river doesn't blow out again. Cheers.

[NothingToSnagAbout]

If the coho return was low too wouldn't that point to the ocean temps?

[Floater]

Seals ate all the fish.

[NothingToSnagAbout]

Seals ate all the fish.

do any of them offer a guided day trip?

[Sandman]

I would be very surprised an angler who has spent days trying to catch a hatchery steelhead would release a male. For sure the top rods who fish every day release hatchery fish, but they are few and far between, imo.

I personally have only kept 1 hatchery steelhead in my life. And I know I am not alone in releasing hatchery fish.  A hatchery fish I release is a fish another angler can catch and enjoy.

[Wiseguy]

I kill one hatch per season for the table. My family, in laws included enjoy a fresh steelhead supper once every winter. Feels good to release hatchery fish. I'm not in it for the meat.

[islanddude]

You need to get a trained one with a radio collar so you know where the fish are.

[islanddude]

Dan. There is a problem in the ocean. I guess no body reads anything about the herring stocks declining or the sardines missing or the whales dead on the beach or the birds dying by the thousands along the west coast.
 How many clear cuts did you drive through to get to the rivers you fish? How many high water to flood situations have you seen over the last 5 yrs. in the systems you fish. How about the droughts of the last how many yrs?
 Anybody heard about Fukushima?
 Taken a walk on the beach? Where are all the species that we remember seeing in the tidal pools when we were young. You want me to go on?
 On the bright side the system I fished this yr. was reasonable with a fair amount of larger fish that where healthy except for a few that had tangled with a seal.

[BladeKid]

If the coho return was low too wouldn't that point to the ocean temps?

Ocean survival and ocean productivity/conditions are extremely complex and to my knowledge it appears we still have a poor handle on accurately correlating the two. Add in things like the complex/dynamic life histories of steelhead and chinook, it gets very difficult to predict or explain good years from bad ones. Steelhead can return to spawn after 1-4 years at sea, so steelhead returns tend to be more stable due to the buffering effect of their varied life histories.

One tool we have and use is correlating primary production to the time of salmonid entrance to the ocean. According to a DFO contact of mine, this past years coho did indeed experience poor ocean conditions during their entrance to sea. Our coast is massive however, so we can't expect every system to experience a given trend.   

Excited to see how this steely season pans out.

[Tenz85]

Headed out tomorrow. Seems like it rained a lot yesterday. Any reports on how the rain effected the river?

[Howlongsyourleader]

Levels continue to drop but color has stayed. Found a few chunks of bait in this bucks stomach. Wee little gob of roe and a single shrimp.

[Tenz85]

Hey that looks Iike the shrimp I was using. No hook ups for me today and didn't see any action or many anglers.

Fished mid upper. Levels holding steady and clarity was a decent higher up but degraded lower down. A bit worse than a few days ago.