Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum

Fishing in British Columbia => Fishing Reports => Members' Fishing Reports => Topic started by: Ed on July 04, 2009, 04:59:25 PM

Title: Chilliwack River, July 4th 2009
Post by: Ed on July 04, 2009, 04:59:25 PM
just got back from around wilsons rd on vedder, was very slow today and didn't get much action except a few bites. Tons of people around but limited flyfishers. Most of the people were using bait but not much luck for fly fishing.
Title: Re: Chilliwack River, July 4th 2009
Post by: Rieber on July 04, 2009, 05:33:33 PM
I used to do really well with peach wool ties for early Springs at Wilson Rd. Never did well at all with bait for Springs.

Best luck was always in real close.
Title: Re: Chilliwack River, July 4th 2009
Post by: dead head on July 04, 2009, 05:35:38 PM
Hey Ed did you see anybody get any springs?any risers?
Title: Re: Chilliwack River, July 4th 2009
Post by: Every Day on July 04, 2009, 09:23:32 PM
I've been out every day since opening.
Havn't seen any caught or any risers, have heard of a few though.
Been getting like 15-20 trout per day on the fly rod, lots of fun.
I really wish there wouldn't be so many people killing them, more limits taken that I have ever seen before.
Title: Re: Chilliwack River, July 4th 2009
Post by: Trophy Fisher on July 04, 2009, 10:07:46 PM
I really wish there wouldn't be so many people killing them,

I'm with you on on that one dude
Title: Re: Chilliwack River, July 4th 2009
Post by: Ed on July 04, 2009, 10:27:04 PM
Yeah, I didn't see any signs of springs around but heard from some other anglers that there are probably more sockeye in the system right now.
Title: Re: Chilliwack River, July 4th 2009
Post by: dead head on July 04, 2009, 10:38:52 PM
Well its too bad alot of anglers killing the future steelheads :Put glad to hear there is a good number of socks around the vedder.
Title: Re: Chilliwack River, July 4th 2009
Post by: Every Day on July 05, 2009, 12:28:30 AM
Well its too bad alot of anglers killing the future steelheads :Put glad to hear there is a good number of socks around the vedder.

There arn't yet....
I have heard of a few caught, but there arnt very many at all.
Havn't seen the usual swarm of rollers coming upt he slower water yet.
Give it another 2-3 weeks and there will be THOUSANDS of them everywhere.

On another note about the Steelhead smolts.....
There was another topic in general discussion about it.
Most of the ones in the river now are no longer going to the ocean (some do) but the numbers are small.
Right now they are just competing with wild stocks for food and should probably be removed anyways..... just less fun for me when they are all dead   :(
Title: Re: Chilliwack River, July 4th 2009
Post by: buck on July 05, 2009, 03:39:26 PM
ED
 
THOUSANDS ?
Title: Re: Chilliwack River, July 4th 2009
Post by: jetboatjim on July 05, 2009, 05:38:19 PM
Most of the ones in the river now are no longer going to the ocean (some do) but the numbers are small.
Right now they are just competing with wild stocks for food and should probably be removed anyways..... just less fun for me when they are all dead   :(

nobody knows the relation of smolts/rainbows, there is little or no data on the relationship rainbow/smolt in rivers.....perhaps some wait an extra year (that could be the 20 lbers) but the ministry has not done the research on this.

so if a bioligist is not sure, I'm sure all us keyboard jockeys dont know. ;)
Title: Re: Chilliwack River, July 4th 2009
Post by: Every Day on July 05, 2009, 07:04:57 PM
ED
 
THOUSANDS ?

Assuming it was like last year....
They were all over the place. Down by peach you would see hundreds of the surfacing.
Too bad the Cultus lake run isnt like that.
Title: Re: Chilliwack River, July 4th 2009
Post by: Robert_G on July 05, 2009, 07:37:17 PM
nobody knows the relation of smolts/rainbows, there is little or no data on the relationship rainbow/smolt in rivers.....perhaps some wait an extra year (that could be the 20 lbers) but the ministry has not done the research on this.

so if a bioligist is not sure, I'm sure all us keyboard jockeys dont know. ;)

If you see a 20lber plus Steelhead on the Vedder, it's pretty much a guarantee that you've caught one of the rare fish that have made 2 trips to the ocean.
Title: Re: Chilliwack River, July 4th 2009
Post by: BigFisher on July 05, 2009, 07:46:14 PM
Saw a bunch of dead smolts at chehalis, some werent even that deeply hooked...
also a couple dead ones at the vedder, found below the guy fishing above us.
like jetboat jim said, i would also like to see a study done on this, and the survival rates after theres tiny fishing are caught and released.
Alot of guys using there meat sticks on these little guys.... :P
Title: Re: Chilliwack River, July 4th 2009
Post by: redside1 on July 05, 2009, 08:08:48 PM
If you see a 20lber plus Steelhead on the Vedder, it's pretty much a guarantee that you've caught one of the rare fish that have made 2 trips to the ocean.

A 20lb steelhead is most likely not 2 trips to the ocean but in fact 3 or 4 years at sea eating more to grow that big. Most steelhead in the Vedder will be 2 fresh/2 salt life cycles and the larger ones stay out longer and therefore wiill most likely be 2 fresh/3 salt oir 2 fresh/4 salt life cycles.
Title: Re: Chilliwack River, July 4th 2009
Post by: jetboatjim on July 05, 2009, 08:34:08 PM
thanks redsided-guy who ever you are....... ;)
Title: Re: Chilliwack River, July 4th 2009
Post by: Robert_G on July 06, 2009, 07:17:56 PM
A 20lb steelhead is most likely not 2 trips to the ocean but in fact 3 or 4 years at sea eating more to grow that big. Most steelhead in the Vedder will be 2 fresh/2 salt life cycles and the larger ones stay out longer and therefore wiill most likely be 2 fresh/3 salt oir 2 fresh/4 salt life cycles.

I have no idea where you got that information from.
Biologists say that even in the best systems, only 30% of Winter Steelhead GO to the ocean a 2nd time. The percentage that actually RETURN a second time is even less.
As for a 3rd or 4th cycle....the percentages dwindle to almost 0.
Unless you're fishing in the Thompson, Kispiox, Kalum.....or other Skeena Tribs...a 20lb steely is going to be a second cycle return. Vedder river fish just don't get that big in one cycle.
Title: Re: Chilliwack River, July 4th 2009
Post by: speycaster on July 06, 2009, 08:04:55 PM
What he is saying is that the fish spend 2 years in freshwater and 2 years in the salt, 2 years freshwater and 3 years in the salt and a few exceptional fish spend 2 years in freshwater  4 in the salt.
Title: Re: Chilliwack River, July 4th 2009
Post by: Robert_G on July 07, 2009, 06:15:32 AM
Definetly a misread on my part. My apologies...but a few years back I remember reading an article (think it was in BC Outdoors) on the Vedder Steelhead, and it was mentioned that most large fish (20lbs +) were 2nd cycle fish...and that most streams other then the one's I mentioned earlier were that way as well.
Title: Re: Chilliwack River, July 4th 2009
Post by: Derp on July 07, 2009, 09:17:57 AM
i had a dream on sat night that there were dead steelies in the coquitlam river.. Everywhere!