Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum

Fishing in British Columbia => General Discussion => Topic started by: ali2pali on August 22, 2010, 08:44:56 AM

Title: commecial fishery slowed things down?
Post by: ali2pali on August 22, 2010, 08:44:56 AM
How's everyone been doing on the Fraser for Sockeye this weekend?  I'm gonna make a trip up river (around Hope) Mon or Tuesday, just wondering if the commercial opening has slowed the fishing or if it's still like it was last week (i.e. good).

Thanks
Title: Re: commecial fishery slowed things down?
Post by: alwaysfishn on August 22, 2010, 08:48:08 AM
Still good. Have at 'er.  ;D

The commercial openings have been short so the river seems to fill up again very quickly. Fish around Chilliwack still have sea lice on them.
Title: Re: commecial fishery slowed things down?
Post by: BBarley on August 22, 2010, 08:54:27 AM
I've heard the fish are really slowing up and staging in the Gulf. How many fish get taken out by the bag fleet and gillnetters in areas 12,13 and 20?
Title: Re: commecial fishery slowed things down?
Post by: ynot on August 22, 2010, 09:46:28 AM
So far here is the catch,  canadian commercial 1,545760. u.s. commercial 564650.  test 60,000 sports 8200   fraser native 344030  salt native 208880.
total catch 2,742620   potential spawners escapment 4,839700.  from the pacific salmon commission web site. so far i would say they are doing a good job.
Title: Re: commecial fishery slowed things down?
Post by: Gooey on August 22, 2010, 10:02:12 AM
Alwaysfishn....(heres a shock)...i tottally disgree with you.  we fished "around chiliwack yesterday and we saw 3 fish hooked on our bar, maybe 5 on the other side.  I hooked one fish in 4 hrs, my bud and dad had nothing! 

we went up to hunter creek and saw 3 fish on the bar we walked...

I would say the DAY LONG comercial opening early this week EMPTIED the river.

When it numbers will increase to a decent number again, thats a great question.  My buddy is out in the wack right now so we'll have to wait and see.
Title: Re: commecial fishery slowed things down?
Post by: lovetofish on August 22, 2010, 10:10:48 AM
We were out on Thursday and it was really happening. We got there around 9am and were done before 10:30am. On Friday it was a lot slower. We had to keep at it to be done by 1:30 and the others on the bar were doing about the same.  It was better earlier in the am than around noon.
Title: Re: commecial fishery slowed things down?
Post by: canso on August 22, 2010, 11:53:18 AM
Alwaysfishn....(heres a shock)...i tottally disgree with you.  we fished "around chiliwack yesterday and we saw 3 fish hooked on our bar, maybe 5 on the other side.  I hooked one fish in 4 hrs, my bud and dad had nothing! 

we went up to hunter creek and saw 3 fish on the bar we walked...

I would say the DAY LONG comercial opening early this week EMPTIED the river.

When it numbers will increase to a decent number again, thats a great question.  My buddy is out in the wack right now so we'll have to wait and see.

its called fishing not catching.

don't expect a fish everytime





Title: Re: commecial fishery slowed things down?
Post by: scales on August 22, 2010, 11:58:39 AM
Fishing Sat. was slower but sockeyes are being caught.  It took some time to hook 2 sockeyes which was fine with me, makes you appreciate your catch of the day.  A break from the river and rain today as I'm sure it will be slow.  Fishing should really pick up by Monday evening
Title: Re: commecial fishery slowed things down?
Post by: ~IvAn~ on August 22, 2010, 12:56:56 PM
Went out yesterday....pretty slow
Title: Re: commecial fishery slowed things down?
Post by: alwaysfishn on August 22, 2010, 01:13:17 PM
Alwaysfishn....(heres a shock)...i tottally disgree with you.  we fished "around chiliwack yesterday and we saw 3 fish hooked on our bar, maybe 5 on the other side.  I hooked one fish in 4 hrs, my bud and dad had nothing! 

we went up to hunter creek and saw 3 fish on the bar we walked...

I would say the DAY LONG comercial opening early this week EMPTIED the river.

When it numbers will increase to a decent number again, thats a great question.  My buddy is out in the wack right now so we'll have to wait and see.

Looks like I'm going to need to give you some flossing lessons, Gooey.....  ;D   I flossed with 3 buddies yesterday morning and we had our limit plus a spring in just over 2 hours. ;D
Title: Re: commecial fishery slowed things down?
Post by: BCfisherman97 on August 22, 2010, 04:03:50 PM
Fished Saturday for about 2 hours. Nothing in the first 30ish minutes, after I hooked a fish every 2-5 casts. I lost a ton of fish before I was able to land my 2. My hook was really dull but I was just too lazy to change it. :P
Title: Re: commecial fishery slowed things down?
Post by: lovetofish on August 22, 2010, 05:15:15 PM
We hadn't planned on going out today but my sister came over and wanted to go, so after lunch off we went. The river was fairly busy but there was a big opening where we like to fish so all was good.  We got to the bar about 12:45 and left at 3pm with our limit of sockeye.  No springs for us today or even seen being fought on the bar while we were there. The fish coming by steadily while we were there.
Title: Re: commecial fishery slowed things down?
Post by: Gooey on August 22, 2010, 07:09:37 PM
Canso, I can't speak as to your skill level, but I expect to hook a fish every time I go out!  ;).  I know that sometimes you just cant a fish to bite so saying "its called fishing not hooking" doesnt really apply to a snag fishery like socs...if there in the river, someone will floss one sooner or later. 

There are certainly spots where the fish stack but considering I was casting 3/4 of the width of the river...if they were anywhere in there, my hook woulda found em.  Simply put there were virtually no socks around peg leg from 8am-12pm Saturday.  We fished the top of the bar and we saw 5 fish hooked, my 2 and 3 others socs.  A guy who was on the very bottom cames up and said he saw 2 hooked down at the very bottom (where the fishers were 3 times as thick).  I did hook a spring and had some A**W**** in a red and silver jet boat cast over my spring and yanked the hooked out.

dont know bout the rest of you but I call less than 6 fish on a bar with 15 fisher over 4 hours dead fishing.  Other side of pegleg did marginally better.  The trough is definitely on the far side this year.
Title: Re: commecial fishery slowed things down?
Post by: DragonSpeed on August 22, 2010, 07:35:24 PM
Gooey...

We MIGHT have been almost next to each other.

0730-1230 the river was VOID of sox at Pegleg yesterday.

1230 it started to pick up.

1600 - the boat side couldn't keep 'em off their hooks.

BTW all - Peg channel is PERFECTLY wadeable... cross where the trucks cross.
Title: Re: commecial fishery slowed things down?
Post by: Gooey on August 22, 2010, 08:13:26 PM
ya, its all in run timing, nothing to do with skill!

Dragonspeed, I had my 2 boys with me (seven and eight), they we fishing pike minnows behind us on the shore line.  we were at the top of the bar...where you there?

Title: Re: commecial fishery slowed things down?
Post by: bcguy on August 22, 2010, 09:33:27 PM
Was out around laidlaw this morning, and they were running thick, got my two and was out of there in 20 minutes
Title: Re: commecial fishery slowed things down?
Post by: DragonSpeed on August 22, 2010, 10:04:52 PM
ya, its all in run timing, nothing to do with skill!

Dragonspeed, I had my 2 boys with me (seven and eight), they we fishing pike minnows behind us on the shore line.  we were at the top of the bar...where you there?

I'd say the skill is casting into the moving channel of fish... people can cast all day, but if they don't find the sockeye highway, they'll be stuck on a dirt road with nobody on it :)

Top?  Top end of the zoo?  I started at the top end of the zoo and then moved up to the "around the bend" by noon.   My wife was with me.. 5' asian woman in waders.  While in the zoo area she was reluctant to cast as she wasn't casting full length, and the thick of the crowd is NOT where you want to be getting going ;)

Did you see the three guys in a tiny dinghy and AN ELECTRIC MOTOR cross the main flow???  OMFG!!!!

Today, I was up at seabird... the rain kept the casuals away.. tons of space.  Mrs D and I had our 4 in about 2 hours.  Nice folks... I've met a LOT of nice people along every bar I've fished this year, and years past.
Title: Re: commecial fishery slowed things down?
Post by: canso on August 22, 2010, 10:06:13 PM
Canso, I can't speak as to your skill level, but I expect to hook a fish every time I go out!  ;).  I know that sometimes you just cant a fish to bite so saying "its called fishing not hooking" doesnt really apply to a snag fishery like socs...if there in the river, someone will floss one sooner or later. 
not sure what skill level has to do with what I said.
I don't take part in the flossery, but don't have a problem with it.
its great to have an attitude that your bringing fish home every time out.
I think the same way.
but, if you can't call it fishing, then maybe the other side is right.
Title: Re: commecial fishery slowed things down?
Post by: Gooey on August 23, 2010, 07:05:09 AM
Simply put canso, I would not commit to driving 4-5 hours round trip (from N Van to pegleg or beyond) if I didnt expect to catch my limit...thats my expectation for socks and the comi open buggered us last trip.  When I fish coho and springs I also expect I will catch fish, when I go steelheading if I hook a fish a trip, I am pleased with those results.  I have balanced expectations for each fishery/season and a lot of my expectations have to do with my experience and knowledge.  I know how to read a river, I know where the fish are likely to be, I know what they will bite or when appropriate, how to "hook" them...so based on your comment on expectations, I was letting you know what mine were and maybe are reason for having different expectations ;)

Dragonspeed, we we not in the heat of things we choose a more spacious spot to accomodate my boys...didnt hook anything which was disappointing for me but my fishing party overall had a great day on the river regardless!  I have thought that around the bend makes more sense...its mainstem then, pegleg is a channel so up arounf the bend may off access to a greater percentage of the run.  How did you do up there and was it snaggy?  I guess thats were you finally got your fish?
 
Title: Re: commecial fishery slowed things down?
Post by: DragonSpeed on August 23, 2010, 08:00:09 AM
We ended up aroud the center of this map:

http://tinyurl.com/2744yg4  (google maps)

Taking into account that this pic was taken during VERY low water.  We were near the bottom of the "bird's beak" that you see there.  Much more under water now though.  Had to wade in up to crotch to cast over to the side where they were running. 

Again though, the commie nets meant NO FISH on Saturday morning for ANY of the peeps that I could see up and down the bar...

Cheers!
Title: Re: commecial fishery slowed things down?
Post by: milo on August 23, 2010, 11:47:50 AM
On my way to Kelowna on Saturday I stopped near Hope to floss a couple of sockeye.
It took me all of three casts to limit out.

Yesterday on my way back to Vancouver, I had to work a bit harder for my fish. It took me 5 casts to limit out (same spot).

So yes, dammit, I guess the commercial fishery did slow things down somewhat. :D


p.s. A note to newbies reading this: a shorter leader will catch you more fish in these conditions. Anything longer than the rod you are using is a waste, and actually prevents you from making a solid hookup. With an excessively long leader, by the time you feel the weight of the fish on your line, it's often to late to connect properly.
Title: Re: commecial fishery slowed things down?
Post by: DragonSpeed on August 23, 2010, 01:43:35 PM
Milo,

You must have been far enough above Chilliwack to not have had the "Commie Void" hit your part of the river yet on Saturday because about 80-100 people didn't connect with ANY fish for about 4-5 hours on Saturday morning... that's more than just "bad luck" ;)
Title: Re: commecial fishery slowed things down?
Post by: milo on August 23, 2010, 02:34:18 PM
Milo,

You must have been far enough above Chilliwack to not have had the "Commie Void" hit your part of the river yet on Saturday because about 80-100 people didn't connect with ANY fish for about 4-5 hours on Saturday morning... that's more than just "bad luck" ;)

Maybe  early enough? (7:00 AM)  ;)
Title: Re: commecial fishery slowed things down?
Post by: mattyo on August 23, 2010, 07:30:26 PM
Going crazy this morning near the Patullo bridge. :o. I counted 11 boats downstream of the the Quay, and i would guess maybe 25 more upstream to the Port Mann. I don't know if its just me but the length of their nets seemed VERY long. No way you could drift 2 wide down the river.
Title: Re: commecial fishery slowed things down?
Post by: square tail on August 23, 2010, 08:55:08 PM
may have slowed things down some what we seen lots of boats out today on the lower and a few on the upper fished at the peg today and was some what of a gong show to say the least. but lots of fun and had to work for my 2 fish limit but they sure were crome and very nice. ;D
Title: Re: commecial fishery slowed things down?
Post by: Gooey on August 24, 2010, 07:35:06 AM
thinking of fishing this afternoon (tuesday)...love to hear results throughout the day yesterday and this morning....

Squaretail, thanks for your post, may i suggest you put in the length of time  you fished in your reports?  Getting 2 socs in 20min vs 4hrs (or somewhere inbetween) tells very different stories!

thanks,
Title: Re: commecial fishery slowed things down?
Post by: square tail on August 24, 2010, 08:20:27 AM
sorry about not adding the time was there for about 4 hr hooked a couple others but did not land cheers
Title: Re: commecial fishery slowed things down?
Post by: Gooey on August 24, 2010, 09:30:59 AM
thanks.

BTW...thats what I call SLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!
Title: Re: commecial fishery slowed things down?
Post by: dennyman on August 24, 2010, 03:06:52 PM
For those that think the fishing has slowed down. Just looked at the latest sockeye salmon updates from DFO that Rodney posted.  The total run size estimate has now been revised to a whopping 25 million fish- the biggest run of Sockeye since 1913!  :o  Think about that when you have a long dry spell between catching Sockeye on the Fraser.
Title: Re: commecial fishery slowed things down?
Post by: ynot on August 24, 2010, 05:40:03 PM
Nets going out again wed/thurs in the fraser, that will slow it for weekend.but loads more coming.