Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum

Fishing in British Columbia => Fishing Reports => Members' Fishing Reports => Topic started by: chris gadsden on November 08, 2013, 05:20:15 AM

Title: Thompson River, November 4th - 7th 2013: First Steelhead Of The Season
Post by: chris gadsden on November 08, 2013, 05:20:15 AM
Spent a few days in Gold Country this week, deer hunting, exploring, taking pictures and videos.

Also tried my hand at steelheading the famous Thompson River for a couple of hours yesterday.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtYRBMbaZRc&feature=share&list=UU_4LtEFjHj-ulBHuoq6COmQ
Title: Re: Thompson River, November 4th - 7th 2013: First Steelhead Of The Season
Post by: joshhowat on November 08, 2013, 06:33:03 AM
Remember your classified license people.

Personally I don't think fwr needs reports about such a amazing non retention fishery.

Nice fish Chris and good job on release.
Title: Re: Thompson River, November 4th - 7th 2013: First Steelhead Of The Season
Post by: Athezone on November 08, 2013, 08:04:52 AM
Congrat's on the steelhead Chris and thanks for the video. Always nice to enjoy my coffee while watching someone fish. Have a Great day Everyone !!!!
Title: Re: Thompson River, November 4th - 7th 2013: First Steelhead Of The Season
Post by: milo on November 08, 2013, 08:40:55 AM
Personally I don't think fwr needs reports about such a amazing non retention fishery.

X2

Especially considering there is a strong movement against using bait in that system due to precariously low returns.
Hopefully, the initiative will succeed at banning bait one day.

If you feel strongly against the use of bait in the Thompson river, please sign the online petition:

http://www.petitiononline.com/petitions/baitban1/signatures
Title: Re: Thompson River, November 4th - 7th 2013: First Steelhead Of The Season
Post by: joshhowat on November 08, 2013, 11:31:56 AM
Thanks for the link milo.
Title: Re: Thompson River, November 4th - 7th 2013: First Steelhead Of The Season
Post by: Dennis.t on November 08, 2013, 06:34:43 PM
X2

Especially considering there is a strong movement against using bait in that system due to precariously low returns.
Hopefully, the initiative will succeed at banning bait one day.

If you feel strongly against the use of bait in the Thompson river, please sign the online petition:

http://www.petitiononline.com/petitions/baitban1/signatures
Why ban bait? They should ban the fisherman. Lol :o
Title: Re: Thompson River, November 4th - 7th 2013: First Steelhead Of The Season
Post by: milo on November 08, 2013, 06:43:29 PM
Why ban bait? They should ban the fisherman. Lol :o

I agree, so I choose not to fish the T.

But there should be some limited opportunity (fly, metal) to keep watchful eyes on the river without hooking into many fish.
Title: Re: Thompson River, November 4th - 7th 2013: First Steelhead Of The Season
Post by: fishnjim on November 08, 2013, 07:56:03 PM
bait ban from october  to december for steelhead season maybe.  but be a pity during spring salmon/jack spring season.
Title: Re: Thompson River, November 4th - 7th 2013: First Steelhead Of The Season
Post by: milo on November 08, 2013, 08:08:11 PM
bait ban from october  to december for steelhead season maybe.  but be a pity during spring salmon/jack spring season.

The bait ban initiative is for steelhead only.
Title: Re: Thompson River, November 4th - 7th 2013: First Steelhead Of The Season
Post by: Burbot on November 08, 2013, 08:08:52 PM
This river should be closed during Steelhead season. There are precious few of them and they should not be disturbed. There should be no fishing for steelhead period on this sensitive river  until stocks get back up..
Title: Re: Thompson River, November 4th - 7th 2013: First Steelhead Of The Season
Post by: joshhowat on November 08, 2013, 08:09:19 PM
Why bait ban cause a steelhead can be resting and recharging but if a big chunk of bait hits it in the face. It will eat it. Where as a fly is being swung maby a few feet under water if that. A fish has to fully commit. Point being if it's recharging it will not be hooked. 

Also if there is a bait ban it will get rid of the very few Beeks that go up there and bb for steelhead.

If they just close it there will be no people up there supporting the town and making sure the river is protected from poaching.

Also Dennis t keep trolling and make sure your at the steelhead society fundraiser. Since you care so much.
Title: Re: Thompson River, November 4th - 7th 2013: First Steelhead Of The Season
Post by: Dennis.t on November 08, 2013, 08:34:16 PM
Why bait ban cause a steelhead can be resting and recharging but if a big chunk of bait hits it in the face. It will eat it. Where as a fly is being swung maby a few feet under water if that. A fish has to fully commit. Point being if it's recharging it will not be hooked. 

Also if there is a bait ban it will get rid of the very few Beeks that go up there and bb for steelhead.

If they just close it there will be no people up there supporting the town and making sure the river is protected from poaching.

Also Dennis t keep trolling and make sure your at the steelhead society fundraiser. Since you care so much.
How do u know a "recharging" steelhead will eat a big chunk of roe?  And how does bait harm a steelhead? I cannot attend the Steelhead Society Fundraiser as I work out of town. But I do donate monies to the Steelhead society.
Title: Re: Thompson River, November 4th - 7th 2013: First Steelhead Of The Season
Post by: Rodney on November 08, 2013, 09:18:31 PM
Also Dennis t keep trolling and make sure your at the steelhead society fundraiser. Since you care so much.

If you wish others to respect your opinions, then please respect others first regardless whether they agree with you or not. Just because an individual has a different answer than yours when it comes to how a delicate fishery should be managed, it does not mean he or she is trolling, and do not assume that he or she does not care about the resource as much as you. This type of attitude gains no friends for your cause and the river.
Title: Re: Thompson River, November 4th - 7th 2013: First Steelhead Of The Season
Post by: hue-nut on November 08, 2013, 10:25:03 PM
Why bait ban cause a steelhead can be resting and recharging but if a big chunk of bait hits it in the face. It will eat it. Where as a fly is being swung maby a few feet under water if that. A fish has to fully commit. Point being if it's recharging it will not be hooked. 

Also if there is a bait ban it will get rid of the very few Beeks that go up there and bb for steelhead.

If they just close it there will be no people up there supporting the town and making sure the river is protected from poaching.


Also Dennis t keep trolling and make sure your at the steelhead society fundraiser. Since you care so much.

don't kid yourself josh, that is how "some" fly fish the Thompson, however a good percentage are tick ticking bottom with a heavy tip and huge intruder. much like fishing a jig or large spoon. Im all for a bait ban and hook size restriction. cheers!
Title: Re: Thompson River, November 4th - 7th 2013: First Steelhead Of The Season
Post by: joshhowat on November 09, 2013, 05:07:47 AM
don't kid yourself josh, that is how "some" fly fish the Thompson, however a good percentage are tick ticking bottom with a heavy tip and huge intruder. much like fishing a jig or large spoon. Im all for a bait ban and hook size restriction. cheers!

Your right there are some fly guys dredging the river. Losing flys all the time. Catching very few fish due to inexperience.

Jigs, plastic and metal are all awsome choices for gear that are very effective.  And will hook you that heart stoper your looking for.
Title: Re: Thompson River, November 4th - 7th 2013: First Steelhead Of The Season
Post by: dead head on November 09, 2013, 09:05:55 AM
Hey you guys are not against all the nets in the fraser they kill hundreds..yet you guys are fighting with fishermen?Think about it
Title: Re: Thompson River, November 4th - 7th 2013: First Steelhead Of The Season
Post by: bcguy on November 09, 2013, 02:02:30 PM
Hey you guys are not against all the nets in the fraser they kill hundreds..yet you guys are fighting with fishermen?Think about it

Yes, probably a bigger cause of mortality than a few fisherman.
Just small though on this, but doesn't catching a fish on the fly or gear etc all end with the same result..you are catching and releasing the fish, banning one method over the other doesn't seem to do much except create greater division in an already fractured community. :P
Its not the method, but the individual at the other end of the line that makes the choices and difference.
Title: Re: Thompson River, November 4th - 7th 2013: First Steelhead Of The Season
Post by: Carich980 on November 09, 2013, 02:14:21 PM
Is there any other reasons for the bait ban?

I heard it was due to hooking into a fish that took the bait to deep? Is that true? What would be other reasons?
Title: Re: Thompson River, November 4th - 7th 2013: First Steelhead Of The Season
Post by: kingpin on November 09, 2013, 02:45:28 PM
Most of the guys pushing a bait ban falsely believe that bait fisherman are gut hooking too many....The other reason which has some credibility is the fact that there is a greater chance of repeat captures with bait...I can see the point of banning bait because of repeatedly hooked fish...but lets be honest, the thompson has probably 3-1 spey to gear guy ratio...a lot of those spey guys are up there all season pounding on the same fish over and over...the end result is probably almost an equal share of fish hooked between the methods and there will be mortality from both. From what Ive seen up there this year, the numbers are way down even from recent years and the river probably shouldn't even be open. Im fine with having a bait ban, not because its going to in the end help the fish but maybe once the issue is dead and gone people can actually come together and help these fish.
Title: Re: Thompson River, November 4th - 7th 2013: First Steelhead Of The Season
Post by: Dennis.t on November 09, 2013, 06:11:28 PM
Banning bait, will not help these fish. Nor will it diminish the pressure on the flow. Bait guys will just switch to artificials, metal or flys. No matter what the method, the fish are getting pin cushioned. Ban the fisherman, this will help what is left of this once magnificent run of legendary Thompson steelhead, by leaving the fish unmolested to spawn in their home rivers. Yes, it is sad that the town of Spences Bridge looks like a western ghost town and the run may never recover to the "glory days". But that is the reality of the current situation. Lets protect whats left of these awesome creatures... :'(
Title: Re: Thompson River, November 4th - 7th 2013: First Steelhead Of The Season
Post by: chris gadsden on November 09, 2013, 06:41:47 PM
Latest estimate of the run I was given by the Kamloops bio office is 1200 which is an improvement over the last year or so. Not sure the number taken in the test fishery to date, must check.

Having the eyes and ears on the river does help keep poaching down in my mind as well as the River Guardians which do a good job keeping tabs on things. Also FOC and the CO officers were on the ground when I was there.

I might take the liberty of saying having it open to fishing be it both gear or fly certainly will not be the factor that will lead to the end of this magnificent fish. Giving people and groups like the BC Steelhead Society the opportunity to fish the Thompson keeps them interested in projects that will help this fish recover for future anglers to enjoy the beauty of these fish as well as what the fall season brings to this area.

Of course on any subject people all have different options and we should respect what they wish to say, that is what a forum like this is for.
Title: Re: Thompson River, November 4th - 7th 2013: First Steelhead Of The Season
Post by: Carich980 on November 10, 2013, 12:23:10 PM
If they are banning bait due to concerns about deep hooking too many fish then shouldnt they also extend the ban and address the concern about large intruder flies with a trailer hook? Trailer hooks also have the same potential to Deep hook fish too.

Ive also heard of spey guys claim that with Steelhead they find the trailer hooks embedded in the outside of the face/jaws/eyes of the fish which to me would be more damaging then a deep hook set. They claim this is due to the fish smashing the fly to injure it as this is what predatory fish do to bait fish.

Title: Re: Thompson River, November 4th - 7th 2013: First Steelhead Of The Season
Post by: swimmingwiththefishes on November 16, 2013, 08:06:26 PM
Hey had a great day on this flow but whats the deal with the lamprey? Caught one.Was ugly and thought I should dispose of it but unsure about c n r rules.anyone know?
Title: Re: Thompson River, November 4th - 7th 2013: First Steelhead Of The Season
Post by: silver ghost on November 17, 2013, 10:31:48 AM
FYI

http://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/ahte/angling/thompson-river-steelhead-management
Title: Re: Thompson River, November 4th - 7th 2013: First Steelhead Of The Season
Post by: skaha on November 17, 2013, 10:42:25 AM
--how about a ban on people that know how to fish... no licence required just... people that don't know how to fish ... there would be lots of new friends of the river... anyone that actually hooks a fish should be banned for life.
Title: Re: Thompson River, November 4th - 7th 2013: First Steelhead Of The Season
Post by: Johnny Canuck on November 17, 2013, 12:53:38 PM
Any actual studies done on this regulation proposal or are the words of the holier than thou feather whippers and the Simms poster boys enough? It's a band-aid fix so DFO and MoE appear to be caring while trying to better the fishery. If they truely cared the nets would be out of the Fraser and they would be funding environmental enhancements to the tributaries. Funny how the numbers plummeted once the Fraser net brigade started however few people here know that as they're still green compared to the old timers. All these new regulations aren't going to do SQUAT if there is no one there to enforce the regs either, I haven't been checked for YEARS by a CO!
Title: Re: Thompson River, November 4th - 7th 2013: First Steelhead Of The Season
Post by: Sandman on November 17, 2013, 03:51:07 PM
Bait Bans (including those on rivers like the Capilano) cite studies which showed that the use of bait resulted in higher post release mortality than other lures.
Title: Re: Thompson River, November 4th - 7th 2013: First Steelhead Of The Season
Post by: silver ghost on November 18, 2013, 12:54:27 AM
Any actual studies done on this regulation proposal or are the words of the holier than thou feather whippers and the Simms poster boys enough? It's a band-aid fix so DFO and MoE appear to be caring while trying to better the fishery. If they truely cared the nets would be out of the Fraser and they would be funding environmental enhancements to the tributaries. Funny how the numbers plummeted once the Fraser net brigade started however few people here know that as they're still green compared to the old timers. All these new regulations aren't going to do SQUAT if there is no one there to enforce the regs either, I haven't been checked for YEARS by a CO!

Couldn't agree with you more.
Title: Re: Thompson River, November 4th - 7th 2013: First Steelhead Of The Season
Post by: swimmingwiththefishes on November 19, 2013, 08:31:05 AM
The only guys I saw using bait this past weekend where some locals fishing shrimp off a weight on the bottom.

These guys were pretty old and didn't seem like they were up for much moving around and didn't seem like the types to adhere to any new regs.

Beautiful river though. Caught my very first steelie ever this past weekend on the T, and it will be one to remember for sure. Was a beautiful chrome doe in the 15lb range.