Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum
Fishing in British Columbia => General Discussion => Topic started by: armytruck on November 13, 2018, 08:34:36 AM
-
::)
Clear and lifeless in the lower . Not a lot of fishers . Don't waste your gas . Lots of chum in the hatchery . I seen 1 dark Coho there . I see they did a lot of work at the hatchery expanding the yard all nice . The pens were a little lifeless as well .
-
I have put quite a bit of time fishing here in the last 4 years. Some people do okay way in the lower and also in boats at the mouth. Seems like the best place left tho to fish the system is to fish the upper canyon pools. Some guys float it now in pontoon boats. Other option is a break your neck hike.
The fishing path down stream of the campground I have walked and fished most of it. The far side near the bank in some areas holds a bit of fish.
The system has less fishermen tho for a reason. Their is less fish and it seems like they dart though a lot of the water.
-
I have put quite a bit of time fishing here in the last 4 years. Some people do okay way in the lower and also in boats at the mouth. Seems like the best place left tho to fish the system is to fish the upper canyon pools. Some guys float it now in pontoon boats. Other option is a break your neck hike.
The fishing path down stream of the campground I have walked and fished most of it. The far side near the bank in some areas holds a bit of fish.
The system has less fishermen tho for a reason. Their is less fish and it seems like they dart though a lot of the water.
Floating the upper in pontoon ? I've gotta see that. I've floated with a snorkel and a life jacket from the logging bridge by the lake to the campsite at the one way bridge for years. I honestly cant imagine doing it in a pontoon boat. We stopped swimming that river because 1.) I have kids now and 2.) The last time we did it I smashed my ankles up so bad I thought I was going to get stuck and die from exhaustion. Just an FYI for those that dont know, there is a VERY nice deep slow alot just above the Statlu that ( last time ) brought us 4 Summers. All those years doing floats was an expiriance I'll never forget. The pools are amazing below the statlu. Some places you can only get to by boat, swimming or a serious hike. BTW itll take 1 day to swim and frish from the Statlu down. Any further up you'll need to bring a tent.
-
I was fishing some pools upstream of the camp ground and upstream of the bridge by the campground last year and they came floating down and ruined my pool for awhile. Not sure where they launched.
-
Just wondering .
Did the fisheries buy that home on the east side of the hatchery ? or has it always been there property . Weird they would build the fence line right from the hatchery ,right around that home as well as on the west side of the hatchery , another house . Hmmm .
-
That whole river has become an extreme disaster. The only fishery in my opinion that has been worth it has been the Summer steel. The numbers of returning fish are far more noticeable than the winters. They took a spinner, spoon, worn, bait, dry fly you name it. I would have 3 or more in 1 outing at times. One trip I had three out of one pool all on a dry fly. Itll be a cold day in hell if I ever landed a Spring these days on the Chehalis and hatchery Coho have been very elusive. Not anywhere what it used to be. I can remeber seeing the pools so thick with Coho the bottom of the river looked black.
-
Floating the upper in pontoon ? I've gotta see that. I've floated with a snorkel and a life jacket from the logging bridge by the lake to the campsite at the one way bridge for years. I honestly cant imagine doing it in a pontoon boat. We stopped swimming that river because 1.) I have kids now and 2.) The last time we did it I smashed my ankles up so bad I thought I was going to get stuck and die from exhaustion. Just an FYI for those that dont know, there is a VERY nice deep slow alot just above the Statlu that ( last time ) brought us 4 Summers. All those years doing floats was an expiriance I'll never forget. The pools are amazing below the statlu. Some places you can only get to by boat, swimming or a serious hike. BTW itll take 1 day to swim and frish from the Statlu down. Any further up you'll need to bring a tent.
So how did you navigate the Falls Pool? Just curious!
-
I was fishing some pools upstream of the camp ground and upstream of the bridge by the campground last year and they came floating down and ruined my pool for awhile. Not sure where they launched.
Statlu or Bolder Creek! Oh and by the way, sorry about that! 8)
-
So how did you navigate the Falls Pool? Just curious!
The waterfall is above where Statlu Creek joins the river. The first time I tubed the river with friends, we went in blind....did not know about the entire river going over a waterfall. I was 21. We did the whole river from the bridge below the lake to Morris Valley rd. Got to the bridge at around 11 PM...it was pretty dark and scary, but since then we always go in at Statlu. We only go in summer though, so there are no Coho in the river yet. Hike and Fish is right......there are a few pools below the statlu that are amazing that held a half dozen summers or more in each pool.....however....because we mostly went around the August long weekend back in the mid 90s when the Red Springs were thick...there are a few inaccessible pools about 4-5 km above the Morris Valley bridge that were black with spawning Springs...I'm talking over 200 in one pool....and some of them were huge. It was a real thing to see and you wouldn't believe it if you weren't there.
I'm too old now for that kind of adventure....but the thought is tempting.
-
Just wondering .
Did the fisheries buy that home on the east side of the hatchery ? or has it always been there property . Weird they would build the fence line right from the hatchery ,right around that home as well as on the west side of the hatchery , another house . Hmmm .
.........caretakers house...they put the fence around it so that they don't have to try unlocking gates in the dark when alarms go off at night...
-
The waterfall is above where Statlu Creek joins the river. The first time I tubed the river with friends, we went in blind....did not know about the entire river going over a waterfall. I was 21. We did the whole river from the bridge below the lake to Morris Valley rd. Got to the bridge at around 11 PM...it was pretty dark and scary, but since then we always go in at Statlu. We only go in summer though, so there are no Coho in the river yet. Hike and Fish is right......there are a few pools below the statlu that are amazing that held a half dozen summers or more in each pool.....however....because we mostly went around the August long weekend back in the mid 90s when the Red Springs were thick...there are a few inaccessible pools about 4-5 km above the Morris Valley bridge that were black with spawning Springs...I'm talking over 200 in one pool....and some of them were huge. It was a real thing to see and you wouldn't believe it if you weren't there.
I'm too old now for that kind of adventure....but the thought is tempting.
True that! The run below the Falls Pool where it canyons up again always holds Red Springs in big numbers to this day still! Some spawn there and some just hang out for the right time for the push over the falls for the travel to the lake outflow to spawn! Rule of thumb has always been if you found the Springs, you have found the summer-runs as well! The mid summer wolf packs! Still fish them to this day! Over the years I have noticed more and more non clipped summers! Some may just believe they may have established themselves now! 🤔 I would say I was there in the early 90’s to 18’s and still doing the big climbs!
-
So how did you navigate the Falls Pool? Just curious!
Not much of a falls. We did the float for 6 years straight two to three times a year. Snorkel, life jackets, waterproof back packs and rods in hand. The highlight would be 4 years ago just below the Stalu is a small falls. My buddy was in front of me. We were floating down and I hear a panic. Slapping on the top of the water and the sound of him yelling thru his mask. I see a Summer ( under the water ) battling to get up the ripping water. It make it's way up and swan right up to my friend within one foot of his face, looks at him and rockets past me. It seemed like every pool below the Stalu had dozens of smolts in it. Everytime we dive into a new pool they would swim right to your face.
-
The river constantly changes below the bridge and with it the runs. Some years offer better holding water than others and more opportunities to intercept fish. This year has been tough but easily explained as the brood for this year was poor. I managed to find some nice water today to fish and hooked a few coho, one of which was a beautiful chrome 10lb wild doe and took two smaller fish home (hatchery of course). The fish are starting to colour and the mix was about 1 clean for every two coloured. If you are willing to poke your head around you'll still find fish. Enjoy what is left of the season.
-
That system has Coho from mid Sept to February. From the lake to the mouth. My experience has shown me once the water gets cold ( now ) the fresh fish color up very fast. Last week I was into spawn ready Coho at the mouth. I've also caught chrome fish up top early on. The Chehalis has become a strange unpredictable river ever since it changed direction.
-
I have pontoon drifted from above statlu confluence to boulder creek. Lots of nice water. I flipped the pontoon in the middle of the river when my oar popped out of the holder and i got pushed up into boulders in the middle of the river. The pontoon flipped and I luckily made it to shore. Haven’t done another drift since. The past two years coho haven’t been coming back in numbers. Three years ago the pools were black with coho..now there are only a couple here and there. Lots of coloured ones up in the canyon. It’s unfortunate that chehalis isn’t doing better. The canyon and the river is quite pristine. The net that the local FN band put across the lower mouth of the river before the hatchery channel the other year didn’t make things better either ::)
-
I have pontoon drifted from above statlu confluence to boulder creek. Lots of nice water. I flipped the pontoon in the middle of the river when my oar popped out of the holder and i got pushed up into boulders in the middle of the river. The pontoon flipped and I luckily made it to shore. Haven’t done another drift since. The past two years coho haven’t been coming back in numbers. Three years ago the pools were black with coho..now there are only a couple here and there. Lots of coloured ones up in the canyon. It’s unfortunate that chehalis isn’t doing better. The canyon and the river is quite pristine. The net that the local FN band put across the lower mouth of the river before the hatchery channel the other year didn’t make things better either ::)
I personally saw nets at the mouth in 2014, 2015 and 2016
-
Yes. So did I in 2015 and 2016. There was a severe shortage of fish in the system. I walked all the way down and found the net and that answered alot of questions. I went back a couple days later with a friend under the cover of darkness and took care of that problem. Next thing you know we were catching coho in the canyon... Remarkable.
-
Good thing the summer run program is now canceled.
-
I spent an hour at the hatchery yesterday with my son. There were so many Chum lining up the hatchery employees said they dont have enough room for them all. I counted 3 Coho. I go every year at this time to take a look. I can say this year looks like a bumper crop. Even the canyon. The pools are thick.
-
Good thing the summer run program is now canceled.
Can u elaborate when and why this is? Thanx
-
Can u elaborate when and why this is? Thanx
They decided to stop the program they also stopped all Fraser River cutties and Chapman creek steelhead.
No brood was collected this year so the ball is already rolling. The run was introduced anyways of coq fish.
Also just a reminder there is no retention of chum this year on the chehalis
-
Is this because there is no funding available?
-
Is this because there is no funding available?
In my opinion that's what it comes down to. The powers that be are under the gun to accommodate the cuts that came down. They find the best way to spin a cut and move on. I'm sure more cuts will come and they'll spin those two. The public will lap it up and say something like " that make sense". I can remeber the big Steelhead budget cut in the early 2000's. Catching Steelhead on the Kanaka Big Silver river. Great memories.
-
Is this because there is no funding available?
No, although conspiracy theorists like Hike and Fish would suggest otherwise.
More information here http://www.fishingwithrod.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=42375.0
And you can read the information note from the ministry here http://fishingwithrod.com/fishy_news/files/2018-10-13-region-2-hatchery-cuts.pdf
-
Thanx for the link. Interesting read. Sad to hear about the winter run on the Chehalis.
-
Lip service.Speaking purely about the Fraser river drainage here. The program doesnt have goals with real results in mind. Monitoring small stream habitat restoration will never replace the endless miles of lower Fraser river coast line that has become an industrial wasteland. Places where Cutthroat and Steelhead smolts would feed before going out to sea are not what they used to be. It will never be the same again.
In my opinion, its purely a budget cut with money wasted with the newer more cost effective budget. There have been other Steelhead programs that have been cut in the province. Last year was the Kitamat river hatchery program. The local government even labeled it a budget cut. BUT if the populations do come back I'll be more than happy to say I'm wrong. However I feel very strongly they wont.
-
Guess that’s why I haven’t done so well in the past couple winters on the chehalis looking for winter steel... :-\
-
Agreed, the last couple of years have been tough for WS on the Chehalis but I didn't like the holding water available in the lower end all that much and believe the fish didn't hang around due to it. We'll try again this year and hope its a bit better.
-
A little off topic here but I did manage to make it up past the booms on the Harrison and into the lower section of the Chehalis in my sled. I was twitching jigs and had the best day I've ever had twitching for Coho. It was loaded. Later that day I took the kids to the hatchery and the channel was loaded with Coho. It is such a shame that the vast majority of fish go straight into the hatchery channel at the mouth. I wonder if this is the case for the winters ? How many are bypassing the mainstem and going straight into the hatchery channel.
-
I made my first visit in 9 years to the Chehalis this past spring. Scattered some of my dads ashes in the river, as my dad and I did with his dads ashes many years before. I could hardly believe how much the river had changed, almost unrecognizable in spots. The parking is a challenge now as well, no parking signs everywhere. What a shame to see and hear what's become of that river. Many good times on that river with my dad, lots of coho and lots of steelhead. I caught my first ever steelhead there, my dad caught his first steelhead there as well. Might go stomp around a bit this winter for old times sake.
-
How many are bypassing the mainstem and going straight into the hatchery channel.
I haven’t fished it in the summer in many years but decided to give it a go this year. As a kid we would fish the lower and the canyon and have pools filled with springs and summers sitting right behind them. Lower runs stacked and canyon pools so thick with springs. I walked the entire lower end and didn’t even see a fish sitting in any of the runs. The canyon where we would see them all the time had 2 total that we could see. Yet the hatchery channel was full.
-
The canyon where we would see them all the time had 2 total that we could see. Yet the hatchery channel was full.
it saddens one.
-
I haven’t fished it in the summer in many years but decided to give it a go this year. As a kid we would fish the lower and the canyon and have pools filled with springs and summers sitting right behind them. Lower runs stacked and canyon pools so thick with springs. I walked the entire lower end and didn’t even see a fish sitting in any of the runs. The canyon where we would see them all the time had 2 total that we could see. Yet the hatchery channel was full.
It's a real shame. Last time I caught a spring in the Chehalis was before the river changed too. It's like they're not even there anymore.
The best spot at the mouth below the hatchery channel is technically reserve land. There is a nice decent size gravel beach. The non reserve side is thick with Bush and up a bit high on a bank. To get in by boat the Harrison HAS to be over 9.5 ( harrison @ morris creek water level readings ).
I talked with a hatchery employee yesterday who said it looks lile a bumper Coho run this year. Could have fooled me because they are not around in numbers . Just going straight into the hatchery.
-
Of course way back in the day the main flow went right by the hatchery. Last time I was there maybe 4 years ago, and the hatchery channel appeared to join back with the main flow at some point, but well downstream.
So are you all saying the main flow has since diverted so much that hatchery channel now completely separate from the main flow now? All the way to the Harrison?
-
Of course way back in the day the main flow went right by the hatchery. Last time I was there maybe 4 years ago, and the hatchery channel appeared to join back with the main flow at some point, but well downstream.
So are you all saying the main flow has since diverted so much that hatchery channel now completely separate from the main flow now? All the way to the Harrison?
It's in the Chehalis but maybe by only a 100 yards or so.
-
I noticed a few hundred thousand less fish in the large pens close by the outlet channel at the hatchery . Those pens with the big tube pumping out water were always full of , what , 7 or 9 gram fish ready to go out ? . Did they cut back funding for rearing fish so they could renovate the hatchery property ? . Just a thought ;) . Hope things will look brighter in the future and our kids will get the chance and or opportunity to go fish there .
-
Of course way back in the day the main flow went right by the hatchery. Last time I was there maybe 4 years ago, and the hatchery channel appeared to join back with the main flow at some point, but well downstream.
So are you all saying the main flow has since diverted so much that hatchery channel now completely separate from the main flow now? All the way to the Harrison?
If you look on Google Maps / Earth you can really see the separation. I really wish somehow there could be a project to divert the hatchery channel fairly straight across to the mainstem river to get more salmon into the mainstem like in the days gone by...
-
A few trees downed in the right spot would make things interesting.
-
I made my first visit in 9 years to the Chehalis this past spring. Scattered some of my dads ashes in the river, as my dad and I did with his dads ashes many years before. I could hardly believe how much the river had changed, almost unrecognizable in spots. The parking is a challenge now as well, no parking signs everywhere. What a shame to see and hear what's become of that river. Many good times on that river with my dad, lots of coho and lots of steelhead. I caught my first ever steelhead there, my dad caught his first steelhead there as well. Might go stomp around a bit this winter for old times sake.
I did the same thing with some of my dads ashes. Spread some atop the first canyon pass looking back down on the the bridge. Just awesome memories growing up camping/fishing/hiking with him and my brother and sister. Such a special place and so sad to see its decline over the years. My friends and I would book the entire north site for huge annual camping trips each spring untill they closed it entirely a couple years ago. sad sad
-
I did the same thing with some of my dads ashes. Spread some atop the first canyon pass looking back down on the the bridge. Just awesome memories growing up camping/fishing/hiking with him and my brother and sister. Such a special place and so sad to see its decline over the years. My friends and I would book the entire north site for huge annual camping trips each spring untill they closed it entirely a couple years ago. sad sad
I saw a group camping at that spot about a month and a half ago
-
I saw a group camping at that spot about a month and a half ago
! Amazing. perhaps we will be in luck for next season.
-
They also expanded the main campground with large group sites . Not sure what there plan is .I'm thinking the summertime is busy ? and need more space . It certainly was full remembrance long weekend yet void of anglers on the river . Oh and void of numbers of Coho & Chum .
-
They also expanded the main campground with large group sites . Not sure what there plan is .I'm thinking the summertime is busy ? and need more space . It certainly was full remembrance long weekend yet void of anglers on the river . Oh and void of numbers of Coho & Chum .
Coho yes but void of Chum ? Man, the Chum are still pouring in.
-
Coho yes but void of Chum ? Man, the Chum are still pouring in.
Chum pouring into the river? Well that answers a few questions of how much experience on this system in the past you really have! ::)
-
Chum pouring into the river? Well that answers a few questions of how much experience on this system in the past you really have! ::)
Over 30 years.
-
Not sure what it's like now but I can remember it being paved with chum, bank to bank.
-
Not sure what it's like now but I can remember it being paved with chum, bank to bank.
Me too. It is getting better though. The blackheads are starting to show up now. I saw a few in the canyon yesterday.
-
Not sure what it's like now but I can remember it being paved with chum, bank to bank.
Remember when there would be several bathtub rings of corpses along the water line and you would just hope the temperature stayed cold enough to keep the smell from overwhelming you? And when your ankles would be constantly bumped by half-blind spawned out chums? Man, those were the days. ;D
-
I have not posted for quite some time, but struggle and really wonder how we can best advocate for the future of this system. From fishing it in the days when I would fish the runs below the Hatchery Channel, such productive runs as Pretty's, the Log Jam, etc. I would explore and find my way down to the mouth and have great days. One particular pool was the size of my garage, deep, and hold 100 to 200 coho who were aggressive and willing to chase everything. There were certain narrow, ditch like pools where I could find trapped fish and if patient, catch them with my bare hands and place them back in the main channel. I remember a time when the Easter Seal was reliable and not crowded. Once, I watched a river otter swim under the log jam on the far side of the easter seal, slowly creep out of the water into the log jam, and ambush a Heron, grab it by the neck, and drag it into the log jam and kill it. I have seen bobcats in this system, know where Chantrelle mushrooms can be found, and seen many bears. This led to exploring the upper reaches of the river and finding great jewels for certain times of the year.
Interestingly, I found the first pools in the canyon below Blood Rocks usually stack up with Chum, but in most of my days up top, few
chum would venture above this. A great run of Chum used to come in in the second week of November, around Remembrance Day, and were quite clean and fresh. The abundance of white springs has virtually disappeared. Pools where Steelhead used to congregate now see less fish, and they hold in less numbers. In some years, I would find pairs of Sockeye in the lower system, just around the hatchery. Not sure if they were lost. I have caught large, 18-20 inch rainbow with unique colours and which some I have shown photos to insist are wild, resident rainbows. I have even caught a few nice sized Char, which I could not tell if they were Bull trout or Dolly Varden. One of my favourite experiences was about 5 years ago. I went into the canyon to see how the springs were doing and check on summer Steelhead. In the summer, I could venture into certain areas and find schools of 75 to 100 springs that would swim in clockwise circles in the pools. The date was about August 20th. By this time, it was late in the season for springs, but Stellhead could be found in the tail-outs of pools. I made a cast into a pool for a Steelhead I thought I saw. Suddenly, the bottom was alive and bodies were flying. There were about 30 chrome bright bullets darting around. I thought they were Summer steelhead and was super stoked. After monitoring the pool closely and watching the fish dart around in a large school, I realized they were all chrome, dime-bright coho. Quite a surprise to see they had moved in that early.
Now I wonder where things are at and how they will evolve in the future. Is it too lake for us to make a difference for this system? Lots of things happen in this system which impact it in a negative way and attempts are made to keep it quiet and away from public knowledge. Excessive logging which I feel often goes too close to the bank. Poorly managed gravel extraction in the upper system. Watching the statlu blow brown, then the Chehalis the next year due to work done up there. The expansion of the hydro line and work there. There was a plan to place run of river on the Statlu. Still not sure if all the work up there was about this. Goal to have a mine extracting minerals such as gold and using toxins to assist with this process, fishing by the band at the mouth of the Harrison, as well as the lower section of the Chehalis for those fish that made it through, discussion of placing a garbage dump up there as well, as well as the challenges to the hatchery program and how they function and what they are able to do. What impact are commercial and aboriginal opening in the lower Fraser having on the fish returning to this system. I still wonder how the poorly built roads and logging in Chehalis Lake which caused the large scale slide and tidal wave several years ago that blocked the Chehalis impacted the fish and eggs that may have been in the system at this time.
Having a chance to get to know this system over the years and the secrets and beauty it holds makes me wonder if through being passionate yet passive guests of this system if we have let the Chehalis down in some way. There needs to be some way to advocate and help restore a healthy balance to this system. Does anyone have a pulse on some sort of advocacy group we could join, form, or become a part of to try to make a long term difference for this system?
Thanks for listening.
Dano
-
Yup, first light coho at the easter seal. Loads of fish and not many guys. I remember one morning at the easter seal when you could drive to the beach and some bonehead tried to drive across the river in his chevy blazer, he was not successful.
-
Yup, first light coho at the easter seal. Loads of fish and not many guys. I remember one morning at the easter seal when you could drive to the beach and some bonehead tried to drive across the river in his chevy blazer, he was not successful.
I don't know if it was the same occurrence, but I remember seeing a 4x4 in the river as well. Would have been around 2000-2001.
-
I don't know if it was the same occurrence, but I remember seeing a 4x4 in the river as well. Would have been around 2000-2001.
I remember it being mid to late 90s but there couldn't be more than one bonehead trying that stunt at the easter seal could there ?
-
I remember it being mid to late 90s but there couldn't be more than one bonehead trying that stunt at the easter seal could there ?
In 2001 I saw the same thing while fishing the Chehalis with my dad. The guy I saw was successful but he barely made it. I'm not sure if this is related but I remember seeing a few abandoned vehicles in or around the river. Some of these were older designs (like 80's or 90's and mostly trucks).
This was the same year I caught my first Coho. It was very sad to go back several years later and to see how much the river had changed. Too many fish are going straight into the hatchery so the coho and steelhead numbers don't even come close to what they used to be.