Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum
Fishing in British Columbia => General Discussion => Topic started by: idspuds on January 05, 2010, 06:56:05 AM
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I caught this fish in October on the Chilliwack and am pretty sure it was a sockeye. I turned it lose immediately after snapping this picture. It had a clipped adipose fin and was about 18" long.
Anyone know for sure what this is? I have asked many people but no one is positive. I really thought I knew my fish but this one has me confused.
Thanks
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Yep, sockeye salmon, Cultus Lake bound.
Here's some more information on these adipose clipped sockeye salmon from Cultus Lake:
http://www.fishingwithrod.com/fishy_news/070917_1.html
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I remember that fish as an egg ....
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Here is a question,
This salmon season I caught a clipped Sockeye in full spawning colors well above where Cultus creek enters the vedder. Are there sockeye populations in the upper vedder or was this fish just lost?
J
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There is supposed to be a small population of sockeye in Chilliwack Lake. Probably where that fish was headed.
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A little late to the party!
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The clipped sockeye that you caught in the Chiliwack river upstream of the Sweltzer creek confluence, would have been a Cultus sockeye. I was part of a small telemetry study on Cultus sockeye in if memory serves me ...in 1996. A good portion of the fish missed the turn to Sweltzer and continued quite a way upstream where they would hold off another creek mouth. Some would hold there for days while others would be there for a day or so. All would head back downstream and try again. Some found Sweltzer and some did not. It all depended on which side of the river they were swimming up. Some actually went to the fence at Cultus and then went back to the Vedder and then came back again. This was also the the last year they returned "normally".
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The clipped sockeye that you caught in the Chiliwack river upstream of the Sweltzer creek confluence, would have been a Cultus sockeye. I was part of a small telemetry study on Cultus sockeye in if memory serves me ...in 1996. A good portion of the fish missed the turn to Sweltzer and continued quite a way upstream where they would hold off another creek mouth. Some would hold there for days while others would be there for a day or so. All would head back downstream and try again. Some found Sweltzer and some did not. It all depended on which side of the river they were swimming up. Some actually went to the fence at Cultus and then went back to the Vedder and then came back again. This was also the the last year they returned "normally".
Thanks for the info, hopefully he swam downstream when he was released :)
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One other thing the Sockeye that return to Chilliwack Lake are quite an early run timed sockeye. THey are in the Chilliwack River July and maybe August. By October you will not find any Chilliwack Lake Sockeye in the Chilliwack River...and probably not alive in the Upper River or Lake either.
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The Sockeye I caught was on October 3
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Hi MC. Do you recall the water flow from Sweltzer Creek when you did this study? ie. was it very low I wonder, meaning less homing water for these fish to find? I'm curious as to how often over the years this has occurred. Probably the most studied stock of sockeye in the world and still we know so little.
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Caught just above Sweltzer creek this past year on a silver colorado.
(http://i461.photobucket.com/albums/qq336/EveryDay_fishing/Fishing%20Trip%20back%20home%20September%2018-20/P9190005.jpg)
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A little late to the party!
Here's a December 22nd sockeye out of the Stamp... wt(heck)? Never heard of sockeye running that late before, except mention of Chehalis sockeye in early Dec.
(http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs187.snc3/19480_590378371076_122505749_35152591_696998_n.jpg)
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mykisscrazy,
Curious about the chilliwack lake portion of the sockeye run. Do these fish spawn below chilliwack lake or do they move through the lake and up to the chilliwack lake inflow streams?
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Chilliwack Lake sockeye spawn on beaches and in the upper Chilliwack River (aka Dolly Varden creek), all the way into Washington state. An estimated 60,000 returned a few years ago.
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Hi Dave,
The flows were not low. The issue at the time was it was quite rapid at the that side of the river and the path the fish take is generally the easiest. So, what most seem to do was go up the river right side (sweltzer is on river left) and then would ferry their way across. It was really quite something to watch...and generally it seemed to happen oh around midnight to like 2 in the morning. Some did go up the river left side and I remember one trying so hard that seeing it almost get past all the fast water and enter Sweltzer and then it got into the current and it was just swept way back downstream and came to rest in the "cable car pool". Then another was swimming from boulder to boulder and did make it to Sweltzer.
During the day the fish generally did not move at all. In areas of heavy fishing pressure, one could tell the fish were deep and if there was some sort of cover they used it to their advantage. I never witnessed any of our fish being caught. However, had a phone call from someone who caught and killed one of the fish. Drove to Langley to collect the radiotag. He caught it in the Sweltzer /Chilliwack Confluence above the rapid...At least he returned the tag.
In time it may be a good idea to close portions of the Vedder/Chilliwack - 200 metres either side of the Vedder Bridge. But I'm guessing not one person in the angling community would think that would be a good idea.
The study took place from Mid to late Sept to well into Nov. I remember being snowed in at the lab and not being able to get to the river and track the remaining fish
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Thx Dave.
60,000 fish is more than I would have guessed. May I ask where you found the information?
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Thx Dave.
60,000 fish is more than I would have guessed. May I ask where you found the information?
http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fraserriver/Escapement/2008EARLYSUMMERPRELIMINARIES.htm
"The largest Early Summer Run escapements in 2008 were observed in Dolly Varden Creek (62,482), Nadina Channel (33,251) and Nadina River (32,503)."
Fraser River sockeye estimatement estimate summaries can always be found on:
http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fraserriver/escapeupdate.htm
To view past year's summaries, you can simply edit the year in the URL.
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Thanks Rod. Living blind, I agree, 60,000 fish does seem like a lot of fish for such a small, cold, unproductive lake. It is only fairly recently that the upper Chilliwack River (Dolly Varden) has been enumerated by overflights and stream walks. In the 70's and 80's only the beaches were checked and sporadically at that - I know this as it was myself and Buck, (until he went to dark side and started working at the hatchery) that did these counts. Back then we might have recovered a few hundred a season. Was the river population strong back then as well? we will never know but I doubt it. Chilliwack Lake sockeye migrate in the Fraser the same time as Early Stuarts, and that stock has been protected from commercial fishing for decades. Other than minor FN fisheries, Chilliwack fish are fully protected from interceptions. It has also been suggested Chilliwack sockeye smolts have increased at the expense of kokanee, as that population is a fraction of what is was in the 70's. The good news is this lake now has a much higher profile with DFO Science and it is being monitored on a regular basis so some answers should be forthcoming.
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Great stuff Rodney and Dave. Appreciate the information. Interesting about the kokanee, funny how those things can change.
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Dave
No hatchery steelhead have your name on them so you might as well stay home. ( Bull trout only )
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Buck, (you much older than I fart) - how were your legs after climbing that hill this AM?? But your'e right - no hatchery steelhead for me, or for you if I recall ...... If Bull Trout were steelhead I'd have a freezer full.