Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum
Fishing in British Columbia => General Discussion => Topic started by: Kever on July 18, 2023, 10:55:37 AM
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Now is about the time when the pinks start showing up in Howe Sound in good numbers. Anyone been out lately? I'm heading up on Saturday and will update then.
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I watched BC fishing major's video but they didn't have any luck. I'm not sure the exact date it was but pretty recent.
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seen some getting caught off bowen and sunshine coast so should be some around.
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11 days to the peak of the Furry Creek/Squamish run according to my records (puts it at July 29).
Started 9 days ago (from 2013 records).
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the number of returning fish has dropped off considerably since 2015. 2019 and 2021 were duds. The main culprit for the Squamish decline seems to be high water events in November. Overall expectations for pinks is not good, so don't expect much. The start of the fishery at Furry Creek could vary by 10 to 14 days . One year it started in the 1st week of July. The river usually gets going in early August.
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2019 and 2021 were duds.
But wow was 2017 a good year, eh?. I landed more in one day than all previous salmon combined.
Was also very cool when my wife and I ran into a fairly old gentleman at the head of the trail who asked if he could follow us to the river so he didn't get lost. He hadn't been there since the 60's and was telling us awesome stories of how phenomenal the fishing was (and that he was not expecting anything like that anymore). He proceeded to land one on his first cast and was hammering them harder than anyone that day. The smile on his face was priceless - like that of a 10 year old boy landing his first fish. Still almost brings a tear to my eye.
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2011 and 2013 were really good years. Even the Mamquam was open. I don't expect much based on the last few years, but there's always hope.
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But wow was 2017 a good year, eh?. I landed more in one day than all previous salmon combined.
Was also very cool when my wife and I ran into a fairly old gentleman at the head of the trail who asked if he could follow us to the river so he didn't get lost. He hadn't been there since the 60's and was telling us awesome stories of how phenomenal the fishing was (and that he was not expecting anything like that anymore). He proceeded to land one on his first cast and was hammering them harder than anyone that day. The smile on his face was priceless - like that of a 10 year old boy landing his first fish. Still almost brings a tear to my eye.
2017 was ok but no where near what 2013 had been.
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There used to a nice run to the Seymour River.
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There used to a nice run to the Seymour River.
So I have heard and to prove what a goofy world we live in now is anyone aware of the appearance of Pink salmon in both Scottish and Irish Rivers?
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/sports-recreation-arts-and-culture/outdoor-recreation/fishing-and-hunting/freshwater-fishing/region_2_lower_mainland.pdf
https://atlanticsalmontrust.org/scottish-anglers-asked-to-remain-vigilant-as-non-native-pink-salmon-start-to-appear-in-scottish-rivers/
These fish were introduced into rivers on the Kola Peninsula in Russia (next to Finland) and have spread to Norway and now Scotland and ireland
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the number of returning fish has dropped off considerably since 2015. 2019 and 2021 were duds. The main culprit for the Squamish decline seems to be high water events in November.
You are probably right, but a piece of anecdotal evidence is that on October 4th, 2021 I hiked the Cheak from bridge to bridge, mostly looking for Coho and the amount of Pinks in that river was simply nuts. They densely occupied all the water: Creeks, shallow water, deep water and everywhere in between. It made fishing or spotting Coho practically impossible. I hope many of those were able to spawn successfully especially given that the Cheak was closed to Pink fishing like this season and also the river is dam controlled.
I also saw Pinks spawning way up the Squamish valley which was also good to see so here is to hope that the return is decent at least on that system
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Kind of amazing considering the Cheakamus run was all but wiped out ( as was everything else in the river) by a chemical spill from a train derailment in 2005.
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the number of returning fish has dropped off considerably since 2015. 2019 and 2021 were duds. The main culprit for the Squamish decline seems to be high water events in November. Overall expectations for pinks is not good, so don't expect much. The start of the fishery at Furry Creek could vary by 10 to 14 days . One year it started in the 1st week of July. The river usually gets going in early August.
Agreed on "don't expect much", it's a total crapshoot with that high water event but the Squamish didn't get hit as hard as the Fraser and it's tributaries. Guides off Sooke have reported seeing good numbers.
I had excellent fishing in 2015 and 2021 was pretty fun on my 6 wt's (8 if the wind was forecast to come up) I pretty much skipped 2017 and 2019 due to work.
With that being said there was always many impatient newer or gear fisherman around me getting skunked and moving in closer and closer with every fish hooked or landed. It was very nice to see fisheries officers repeatedly in 2021 and they were very busy with people not having licenses and or not pinching barbs
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Quite a Few Pinks being caught in area 20. So far it's about 30 to 40% more than 2021. Some are Washington State Pinks though.
FisheryName TripDate VesselCount SetCount Effort SockeyeAdultCaught SockeyeJackCaught PinkCaught
Area 20 - San Juan Sockeye Gillnet 7/10/2023 2 4 259.95 57 0 5
Area 20 - San Juan Sockeye Gillnet 7/11/2023 2 4 261.9 129 0 14
Area 20 - San Juan Sockeye Gillnet 7/12/2023 2 4 250.05 90 0 34
Area 20 - San Juan Sockeye Gillnet 7/13/2023 2 4 246.9 39 0 9
Area 20 - San Juan Sockeye Gillnet 7/14/2023 2 4 251.4 48 0 31
Area 20 - San Juan Sockeye Gillnet 7/15/2023 2 4 255.3 146 0 94
Area 20 - San Juan Sockeye Gillnet 7/16/2023 2 4 247.05 26 0 10
Area 20 - San Juan Sockeye Gillnet 7/17/2023 2 4 249.9 15 0 36
Area 20 - San Juan Sockeye Gillnet 7/18/2023 2 4 249 190 0 59
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Here's what's open and closed right now:
- Furry Creek: 4 pinks/day retention.
- Squamish River downstream of the powerline crossing at 9 mile: C&R for pinks.
- Mamquam and Cheakamus: no fishing for salmon.
Let's all play by the rules and don't forget to pinch your barbs.
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There are also significant runs of pinks into the US rivers in Puget sound so catches in the test fisheries will reflect those. The Skagit has a large run and the Nooksack but I don't know how that's fairing lately.
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Kind of amazing considering the Cheakamus run was all but wiped out ( as was everything else in the river) by a chemical spill from a train derailment in 2005.
Actually that is not correct. The spill was on Aug 5th before the main run of pinks had arrived in the Cheakamus. There were considerable amounts of pinks that showed up post spill. The spill was very hard on sculpins, juvenile trout ( steelhead), coho and chinook juveniles and aquatic insects. Adult chinook and pinks in the river at the time were also hard hit. Chum adults were not effected at all as they arrive later in the fall. The groundwater side channels also provided significant refuge for coho juveniles
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Surprised at Ralph’s comment that 2021 run was a dud. I agree that 2019 was poor but had some of my best days in 2021. I have been fishing the Squamish Pinks for about six cycles and it seems to vary considerably from season to season but that might depend on the day I picked to fish.
In 2021 I went to look at the Ashlu spawning channel fairly early in the season and it was stuffed with fish.
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The Area 20 and Area 12 test catches yesterday were considerably larger than in 2021. Looks like some big schools move through both areas yesterday.
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The Area 20 and Area 12 test catches yesterday were considerably larger than in 2021. Looks like some big schools move through both areas yesterday.
:) :)
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Hate to burst bubbles but after the November 2021 atmosphere river event the chances of a strong pink return anywhere south coast Mainland this season are slim. pink salmon have a life history of boom or bust. Living a 2 year life cycle either they all do well or they all do poor and after that flood event I doubt many eggs survived the gravel movement that happened in so many of the local rivers. Only time will tell but it's not been looking stellar for squamish yet. Years of good returns usually start with fish a little earlier than usual and lasting a touch longer than usual.
hopefully I am incorrect with my prediction.
At least it's looking like it will be a stellar coho season.
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Hate to burst bubbles but after the November 2021 atmosphere river event the chances of a strong pink return anywhere south coast Mainland this season are slim. pink salmon have a life history of boom or bust. Living a 2 year life cycle either they all do well or they all do poor and after that flood event I doubt many eggs survived the gravel movement that happened in so many of the local rivers. Only time will tell but it's not been looking stellar for squamish yet. Years of good returns usually start with fish a little earlier than usual and lasting a touch longer than usual.
hopefully I am incorrect with my prediction.
At least it's looking like it will be a stellar coho season.
Probably true for most rivers but still debatable for the Squamish. According to my notes, I was fishing the Squamish near the November 2021 atmospheric river week and it was still around 3M
Also you just need to check the PA reports on Nov 2021, with tons of pics of fish being caught and reports of not terrible high water conditions and in fact better fishing than average at the same week report that mentions of "catastrophic" outcomes in the C/V
https://www.pacificangler.ca/pacific-angler-friday-fishing-report-november-26-2021/
https://www.pacificangler.ca/pacific-angler-friday-fishing-report-november-192021/
Also I don't recall any damage or floods in the Squamish valley at all. I agree high water events can cause impacts to pink salmon returns but is still up for debate if the November 2021 atmospheric rivers caused noticeable issues on that system. I guess time will tell
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Actually that is not correct. The spill was on Aug 5th before the main run of pinks had arrived in the Cheakamus. There were considerable amounts of pinks that showed up post spill. The spill was very hard on sculpins, juvenile trout ( steelhead), coho and chinook juveniles and aquatic insects. Adult chinook and pinks in the river at the time were also hard hit. Chum adults were not effected at all as they arrive later in the fall. The groundwater side channels also provided significant refuge for coho juveniles
OK thanks! I do recall that virtually all the river life was wiped out. Ialso recall it was closed to fishing for pinks (in the chuck as well) in following years.
Also I was wondering if you have any insight on why the pink returns have been low the last few cycles in the Squamish system? Most of what I have read it was high water and gravel movements in the river itself that are thought to have been the main culprits. Has the Cheakamus largely not been as affected?
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Squamish pink returns have been low the last few cycles due to high water and gravel movement events. The 2021 flood event in the valley kind of missed Squamish to a degree but we still had gravel movement after that. One of the saving graces for pinks on the system is that there is a bunch of protected habitats in the watershed that pinks use that are spared the worst of the flood events. That is the safety net for the species. If we can go thru a winter without a really significant high water then pinks should due OK as long as ocean conditions are "normal".
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So far all the guides and rec saltwater anglers I know are not seeing many if any pinks around Bowen Island. It’s starting to get late for it to be good and most likely will be a poor season at this point. Very rarely does a good return show up late.
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(https://scontent.fyvr3-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/299715741_10159063574951270_2869397022165959363_n.jpg?stp=cp6_dst-jpg&_nc_cat=108&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=JetTwxRnf2AAX_TOcif&_nc_ht=scontent.fyvr3-1.fna&oh=00_AfCWjI0qkieOcF3wIr3TsP8lYq8V5jold0odEfnqzwd3ag&oe=64C34195)
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(https://scontent.fyvr3-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/299715741_10159063574951270_2869397022165959363_n.jpg?stp=cp6_dst-jpg&_nc_cat=108&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=JetTwxRnf2AAX_TOcif&_nc_ht=scontent.fyvr3-1.fna&oh=00_AfCWjI0qkieOcF3wIr3TsP8lYq8V5jold0odEfnqzwd3ag&oe=64C34195)
caught today on the fly? That's a beautiful picture
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(https://scontent.fyvr3-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/299715741_10159063574951270_2869397022165959363_n.jpg?stp=cp6_dst-jpg&_nc_cat=108&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=JetTwxRnf2AAX_TOcif&_nc_ht=scontent.fyvr3-1.fna&oh=00_AfCWjI0qkieOcF3wIr3TsP8lYq8V5jold0odEfnqzwd3ag&oe=64C34195)
a couple of those fish sure look anemic! I am sure the beach will overfill with anglers within a day or so. Smart pic! ;D
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(https://scontent.fyvr3-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/299715741_10159063574951270_2869397022165959363_n.jpg?stp=cp6_dst-jpg&_nc_cat=108&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=JetTwxRnf2AAX_TOcif&_nc_ht=scontent.fyvr3-1.fna&oh=00_AfCWjI0qkieOcF3wIr3TsP8lYq8V5jold0odEfnqzwd3ag&oe=64C34195)
Looks like my Crystal Meth pattern ;)
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So far all the guides and rec saltwater anglers I know are not seeing many if any pinks around Bowen Island. It’s starting to get late for it to be good and most likely will be a poor season at this point. Very rarely does a good return show up late.
Not true as far as catches off Bowen but it's not like they've been thick compared to the coho fishing there. They typically don't stage off Bowen either as far as my experience.
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I was fishing at Furry Creek this afternoon and didn't see any sight of fish.
Shocking to see someone limit out in the same spot on the same day.
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Looks like my Crystal Meth pattern ;)
ok ... what is that pattern... we all want to know.
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I was fishing at Furry Creek this afternoon and didn't see any sight of fish.
Shocking to see someone limit out in the same spot on the same day.
not unusual - some parts are good only early in day. others
will produce through the day but you have to put in the effort.
Good to hear they may be starting to show!
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not unusual - some parts are good only early in day. others
will produce through the day but you have to put in the effort.
Good to hear they may be starting to show!
Exactly, even though I didn't catch anything, it's nice to know some else is doing good out there.
I have been telling people the pinks aren't back yet, based on my experience. Guess I have to take that back now, LOL.
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ok ... what is that pattern... we all want to know.
Something I came up with when working in the Charlottes in 2009/2010 that I passed on to Steve. It worked great on SRC and bulls in the estuaries and up river. I caught a few Sox with it too then in 2011 tried it on Pinks and was lights out. Really any pink fly weighted right and presented in front of pinks should do the trick.
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I was fishing at Furry Creek this afternoon and didn't see any sight of fish.
Shocking to see someone limit out in the same spot on the same day.
How do we know that those pinks were caught from Furry Creek or even this year ?
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How do we know that those pinks were caught from Furry Creek or even this year ?
Exactly.
I was just going through some of his photos and it's COMPLETE BS. He has the same photo from 2022.
DICK MOVE STEVE PENG.
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Something I came up with when working in the Charlottes in 2009/2010 that I passed on to Steve. It worked great on SRC and bulls in the estuaries and up river. I caught a few Sox with it too then in 2011 tried it on Pinks and was lights out. Really any pink fly weighted right and presented in front of pinks should do the trick.
there is a crystal meth pattern developed for steelhead in Great Lakes tributaries, that has been published in a few magazines has a few videos on Youtube.
https://youtu.be/_7foF_o08bE
I usually weight my patterns with bead chain eyes - you can get them in various sizes. One i call the Pink Puke has the eyes, a pink plastic chenille body, pink marabou tail with a few kyrstal flash fibers. In a #10 it's done very well for me at Fury Creek as well as in the Squamish. Another on is just a clouser with a chartreuse and pink wing and some flashabou.which I like in the river as the wing seems to stand out well in the cloudy water. I've had them take it just under the surface a number of times.
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there is a crystal meth pattern developed for steelhead in Great Lakes tributaries, that has been published in a few magazines has a few videos on Youtube.
https://youtu.be/_7foF_o08bE
I usually weight my patterns with bead chain eyes - you can get them in various sizes. One i call the Pink Puke has the eyes, a pink plastic chenille body, pink marabou tail with a few kyrstal flash fibers. In a #10 it's done very well for me at Fury Creek as well as in the Squamish. Another on is just a clouser with a chartreuse and pink wing and some flashabou.which I like in the river as the wing seems to stand out well in the cloudy water. I've had them take it just under the surface a number of times.
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Not even close but thanks for the share. Think more wooley bugger style with crystal flash and don't forget the Tungsten bead and maybe even a little lead wrap ;)
Pinks do love the clouser action, I used to tie a deadly one with polar bear that really popped in the water.
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Like a lot of flies weighted with lead eyes or beads, Clouser's have a jigging action. I suspected your crystal meth fly was a take off on a wooly bugger, most are.
Pink flies don't have to be weighted. I've often had trouble dragging the bottom with a weighted fly at Furry creek or on the beach near the oyster. Pinks will take a fly swung just under the surface at time. I got a kick out of doing this on the Squamish,with just ten feet of line off the rod tip. I could watch the fish rise up and take it. just like trout fishing or summer steelhead. I've caught them on poppers on the Vedder. They chase it across the river, sometimes 4 or 5 at a time, repeatedly snapping at it till one hooks up.
we all like to feel original but me I know most of my originals are take offs or adaptations on someone else's fly. I just have to add that little something that I hope will make it more effective. Cheers.
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Pink flies don't have to be weighted. I've often had trouble dragging the bottom with a weighted fly at Furry creek or on the beach near the oyster. Pinks will take a fly swung just under the surface at time.
Ditto, in fact, the current crazy trend of sink tips (which are becoming an expensive collectible, on the benefit of fly shops) that makes people think they need to have 17 types of sink rate tips results in fly anglers snagging pinks left and right. 2 years ago you could see tons of fly anglers snagging pinks at the Squamish and most of the time that's because you are going too deep and swinging through their bellies and tails. Not only you will catch less fish but it will be way less fun.
People would be surprised how much you can achieve with a float line a weighted fly and a simple tapered leader. Need to go deeper? Cast slightly upstream or make a downstream mend, but don't get tricked into buying more sink tips because these are not needed!!
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Like a lot of flies weighted with lead eyes or beads, Clouser's have a jigging action. I suspected your crystal meth fly was a take off on a wooly bugger, most are.
Pink flies don't have to be weighted. I've often had trouble dragging the bottom with a weighted fly at Furry creek or on the beach near the oyster. Pinks will take a fly swung just under the surface at time. I got a kick out of doing this on the Squamish,with just ten feet of line off the rod tip. I could watch the fish rise up and take it. just like trout fishing or summer steelhead. I've caught them on poppers on the Vedder. They chase it across the river, sometimes 4 or 5 at a time, repeatedly snappy at it till one hooks up.
we all like to feel original but me I know most of my originals are take offs or adaptations on someone else's fly. I just have to add that little something that I hope will make it more effective. Cheers.
I generally only use a floater at Furry, also I have yet to see a somewhat similar fly at a shop or on the beach.
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are thinking of patenting your super secret pink killer like Jim Teeny did with his Teeny nymph? :D
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Ditto, in fact, the current crazy trend of sink tips (which are becoming an expensive collectible, on the benefit of fly shops) that makes people think they need to have 17 types of sink rate tips results in fly anglers snagging pinks left and right. 2 years ago you could see tons of fly anglers snagging pinks at the Squamish and most of the time that's because you are going too deep and swinging through their bellies and tails. Not only you will catch less fish but it will be way less fun.
People would be surprised how much you can achieve with a float line a weighted fly and a simple tapered leader. Need to go deeper? Cast slightly upstream or make a downstream mend, but don't get tricked into buying more sink tips because these are not needed!!
Yes and good observation! Another problem i have seen is people using fast sinking lines hang up in the rocks a lot spending too much time freeing their gear, retying leaders and tying on new flies. Often these people are with guides. Are they incompetent?
For rivers, my go to tip on leaders is a clear intermediate. I only go heavier when I feel I need to and then I quarter it downstream. Casting across or downstream makes snagging a fish or snagging bottom much more likely, wastes your time and can ruin your day.
BTW I never said I used a sinking line or tip at Furry creek.
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are thinking of patenting your super secret pink killer like Jim Teeny did with his Teeny nymph? :D
Hahahaha....nope. I generally give away a bunch every year when I go if I'm around patient nice people who ask questions.
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Yes and good observation! Another problem i have seen is people using fast sinking lines hang up in the rocks a lot spending too much time freeing their gear, retying leaders and tying on new flies. Often these people are with guides. Are they incompetent?
For rivers, my go to tip on leaders is a clear intermediate. I only go heavier when I feel I need to and then I quarter it downstream. Casting across or downstream makes snagging a fish or snagging bottom much more likely, wastes your time and can ruin your day.
BTW I never said I used a sinking line or tip at Furry creek.
Fully agree Ralph and yes sorry I did digressed a bit into river fishing for pinks as you mostly were talking about beach fishing where sink tips are rarely used. Completely agree with you and also my go-to tip for rivers is intermediate and only after using that or floating first, and determine that fish could sit on deeper or faster water, may move to a heavier tip. But this is almost never the case when pink salmon fishing in rivers, as they like to grab flies throughout the water column or even surface as you mentioned and they also like to sit on shallower water.
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Question on keeping the fly in the upper 3ft of the river to avoid snagging:
I have a skagit shooting head and normally run about 9-12ft of T-series sinking head. Can I run a shorter sink tip or would that screw up casting? Thanks.
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something like this may do the trick
https://farbank.com/products/rio-10ft-intouch-replacement-tips
https://farbank.com/products/rio-15ft-intouch-replacement-tips
you can cut back the 15 foot 1.5ips to suit your casting. I use both floating and intermediate 15 foot tips on my lines though for some 15 feet is too long for use on a shorter rod such as switch rod or a Single handed rod.
As for using just a shorter tip - I've used 6 to 8ft tips on switch rods but it's going to depend on your rod and casting style.
Always keep in mind casting downstream at a smaller angle will make the tip and fly ride higher but that also depends on current speed.
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Question on keeping the fly in the upper 3ft of the river to avoid snagging:
I have a skagit shooting head and normally run about 9-12ft of T-series sinking head. Can I run a shorter sink tip or would that screw up casting? Thanks.
you can run a full floating MOW tip or an OPST commando floating tip in 110 grain (depends on fly size, distance and skagit weight)
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there are also rio mow tips with short (3 feet) of t-8 at the end of a floating section.
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Thanks guys, good to know there are options. I'll head to my local tackle shop and check it out.
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I saw some FB posts on people catching pinks off of bowen, any ideas when they usually show up at furry creek?
Also do they show up near ambleside?
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should already be at furrey creek and ambelside in a good year.
we have a new fisheries minister speaks only french. better than the usual b.s. and double dutch we usually get.
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should already be at furrey creek and ambelside in a good year.
we have a new fisheries minister speaks only french. better than the usual b.s. and double dutch we usually get.
there is no requirement for any MP or Cabinet minister or even the PM to be fluent in both official languages. The House of Commons is a bi-lingual institution and each member can speak in English or French as they choose. Diane Lebouthillier was previously the minister of National Revenue. She has been attending English " boot camps" for 5 years.
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Went to furry creek today. Can confirm I saw no one catching salmon and there were no salmon in the river, at least right at the mouth.
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ah thanks for the update, hope you still had fun out........I plan to go next week, hopefully they show up by then....
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Quite a Few Pinks being caught in area 20. So far it's about 30 to 40% more than 2021. Some are Washington State Pinks though.
FisheryName TripDate VesselCount SetCount Effort SockeyeAdultCaught SockeyeJackCaught PinkCaught
Area 20 - San Juan Sockeye Gillnet 7/10/2023 2 4 259.95 57 0 5
Area 20 - San Juan Sockeye Gillnet 7/11/2023 2 4 261.9 129 0 14
Area 20 - San Juan Sockeye Gillnet 7/12/2023 2 4 250.05 90 0 34
Area 20 - San Juan Sockeye Gillnet 7/13/2023 2 4 246.9 39 0 9
Area 20 - San Juan Sockeye Gillnet 7/14/2023 2 4 251.4 48 0 31
Area 20 - San Juan Sockeye Gillnet 7/15/2023 2 4 255.3 146 0 94
Area 20 - San Juan Sockeye Gillnet 7/16/2023 2 4 247.05 26 0 10
Area 20 - San Juan Sockeye Gillnet 7/17/2023 2 4 249.9 15 0 36
Area 20 - San Juan Sockeye Gillnet 7/18/2023 2 4 249 190 0 59
good area 20 catch yesterday, still early for fraser pinks but looks like ocean survival was favorable. Still big uncertainty given the floods.
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Seems like the La Nina weather helped the survival rates for certain salmon species on the West Coast. Now that we'll have El Nino Winters again, it may not be good the ocean survival rates in the near future.
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Seems like the La Nina weather helped the survival rates for certain salmon species on the West Coast. Now that we'll have El Nino Winters again, it may not be good the ocean survival rates in the near future.
My buddy who is a salmon scientist said this year and next should be decent but after that probably not. :'(
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latest pink DNA from area 20
12% Fraser
19% Washington
69% other canadian south coast stocks
https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.psc.org%2Fwp-admin%2Fadmin-ajax.php%3Fjuwpfisadmin%3Dfalse%26action%3Dwpfd%26task%3Dfile.download%26wpfd_category_id%3D677%26wpfd_file_id%3D15190%26token%3D%26preview%3D1&embedded=true
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The fish are around!!!!!! But the people catching them are zippered lipped ! Pinks are here trust me 👍
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The fish are around!!!!!! But the people catching them are zippered lipped ! Pinks are here trust me 👍
No doubt there are few lucky people catching them already. Your odds are not high right now though.
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The fish are around!!!!!! But the people catching them are zippered lipped ! Pinks are here trust me 👍
I thought so too....nobody wants a big crowd
Ill give it a try next week anyway
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The fish are around!!!!!! But the people catching them are zippered lipped ! Pinks are here trust me 👍
yea, sure. been there a day ago - no people, no kill marks and no fish.
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Most of the reports are that some are being caught off Bowen etc. Furry creek is mostly an early morning fishery so that's best time to try your luck. People there at dawn and happen to see & reach a school going through could do well even if overall numbers of fish are low. However the pattern this year seem much like the last 2 cycles, little or no fish showing or being caught in the first weeks of the season. In 2021 reports got somewhat better later in August but it was pretty spotty for the most part.
FWIW reports from the Island beaches and rivers is they are not there in any significant numbers either. The Campbell us usually rocking by now & much the same at the Adam/Eve. Whatever is happening seems consistent inside the SOG and Johnston Strait.
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Went early this AM to the lower Squamish mostly for scouting. Tons of anglers already (counted 30 when I left), most fly fishing, although didn't see anybody catching anything. Lucky me I caught two bullies (or the same one twice perhaps, as it was on a different fly but at the same spot with about 30 min in between the catches).
Didn't expect much being low tide and overall what looks like a late return, but to me it was worth the drive. One positive is that the the water clarity was much better than this time 2 years ago. Can't wait to come back next week and hopefully shake hands with a pinkie or two
(https://i.imgur.com/OZUjvP0.png)
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Went early this AM to the lower Squamish mostly for scouting. Tons of anglers already (counted 30 when I left), most fly fishing, although didn't see anybody catching anything. Lucky me I caught two bullies (or the same one twice perhaps, as it was on a different fly but at the same spot with about 30 min in between the catches).
Didn't expect much being low tide and overall what looks like a late return, but to me it was worth the drive. One positive is that the the water clarity was much better than this time 2 years ago. Can't wait to come back next week and hopefully shake hands with a pinkie or two
(https://i.imgur.com/OZUjvP0.png)
nice bull trout ! Looks healthy and shiny. I have camping booked around august 20 on the mamquam hopefully there is an opening for catch and release. If not maybe I'll try furry creek or something.
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There were fish in the squamish today, not a wack load but enough to keep you trying. but no luck for myself. Aslo saw a pod of fish sitting under the railway bridge on the mamquam. Tried furry creek on the way home watched about a dozen people for around 45 minutes didn't see any hook ups or evidence of fish being caught.
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Seems like the La Nina weather helped the survival rates for certain salmon species on the West Coast. Now that we'll have El Nino Winters again, it may not be good the ocean survival rates in the near future.
Catches looking pretty big for pinks now, have a feeling it’s gonna be more retiring for Fraser then 2021
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Catches looking pretty big for pinks now, have a feeling it’s gonna be more retiring for Fraser then 2021
Yeah, 82% more caught in Area 12 Seine and 31% more in Area 20 Seine over the last 9 days. Hope this keeps up.
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If one reads the weekly panel report, very few fish caught in the test fisheries are bound for the Fraser. They could be Campbell River fish that can return in hundreds of thousands. Local guides are reporting this run is 'late'. Some of the mainland rivers there also have good returns in odd numbered years.
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Fraser are the last of the pinks to come in....too early to tell on how things will be.
Tides look good this coming week to hit the beaches....too bad work is keeping me occupied but a friend is heading out sunday so hope to add some intel.
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Yea it’s still early the panel is saying only 12% are Fraser pinks. Tho from past years usually good early catches of other stocks translates into good catches of Fraser later.
I’m gonna be optimistic and say will beat 2021 returns to the faser, less of course the catches drop off a clif these next two weeks.
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First pink caught in the in river Fraser test fisheries yesterday, Brownsville bar test
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Went to furry creek today during rising tide for 1-2 hours, didnt see anyone catch anything but its a beautiful scenic spot to relax.
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No action for me and everybody else this morning. Test Fishery still looking pretty good with 20000 caught in Area 20 and 12000 in Area 12 yesterday.
Non Fraser systems are getting a Ton of Pinks I presume.
In 2021, the Area 20 Seine best single day catch was 14000 on August 23rd.
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Berry's Report is that fishing was productive "lately".
The situation sounds very much like 2019 and 2021 with spotty reports varying from productive to nothing for anyone.
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Went to furry creek today during rising tide for 1-2 hours, didnt see anyone catch anything but its a beautiful scenic spot to relax.
Yes , was a bust for me to Sunday. Trolling up and down for a couple hours, shot over towards port Mellon but nothing there. Wind picked up fast in the afternoon so I split. The beach looked pretty slow too .
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Swung flies on Mamquam bar on Friday, hooked one, it was my sister's first time fishing, she landed two good ones swinging a small spoon. Not a whole lot of people connecting around me but there were a few lucky ones. It's not lights out fishing yet but definitely worth hitting the river right now, it's a fun day and time "flies".
I need to buy some MOW tips, even with an unweighted fly and T-8 sinking head I was hitting bottom a lot. The run is very shallow this year.
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Latest dna from area 20 26% Fraser fish
Area 12 mostly other south coast stocks,
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Does chartreuse work well for pinks as well? First time going for pinks
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Does chartreuse work well for pinks as well? First time going for pinks
yes. particular in glacial clouded water like the Squamish.
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Swung flies on Mamquam bar on Friday, hooked one, it was my sister's first time fishing, she landed two good ones swinging a small spoon. Not a whole lot of people connecting around me but there were a few lucky ones. It's not lights out fishing yet but definitely worth hitting the river right now, it's a fun day and time "flies".
I need to buy some MOW tips, even with an unweighted fly and T-8 sinking head I was hitting bottom a lot. The run is very shallow this year.
Very similar report than mine. Also spent many calories swinging flies this weekend to just get a couple of hookups. There's definitely fish in the system but I suspect we need larger numbers before they become more aggressive towards the offerings, as the few fish in there didn't seem super keen. I imagine it will only get better from now on, though
On the MOW tips point, jeez those are expensive ($34 CAD before tax) - some fly shops have their own T material rolls so they may be able to get you a shorter piece still on your gr range for your tip/rod so it won't mess up your casting and I hope it will be much cheaper than paying almost 40 bucks for a tip!!
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I have some of these & they work fine:
https://www.troutbum.ca/store/p211/sink_tip_%5Bwith_loops%5D_%28t8%2C_t11%2C_t14%2C_t17%2C_t20%29_3%27-15%27.html (https://www.troutbum.ca/store/p211/sink_tip_%5Bwith_loops%5D_%28t8%2C_t11%2C_t14%2C_t17%2C_t20%29_3%27-15%27.html)
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Very similar report than mine. Also spent many calories swinging flies this weekend to just get a couple of hookups. There's definitely fish in the system but I suspect we need larger numbers before they become more aggressive towards the offerings, as the few fish in there didn't seem super keen. I imagine it will only get better from now on, though
On the MOW tips point, jeez those are expensive ($34 CAD before tax) - some fly shops have their own T material rolls so they may be able to get you a shorter piece still on your gr range for your tip/rod so it won't mess up your casting and I hope it will be much cheaper than paying almost 40 bucks for a tip!!
Ended up buying a 10ft versitip 4ips which sinks half as fast as the T8, was $20. I have a bunch of DIY sink tip material in T8 and T14 to avoid the cost of buying individuals but I needed something lighter. Also bought a bunch of flies for $2.50/ea which is pretty reasonable.
Gonna try again on Saturday, hopefully the fish have arrived in greater numbers.
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DNA on the call today, area 12 pinks are mostly quinsam river pinks
the area 20 pinks are seeing a larger portion of Fraser pinks then expected at this time.
to early for IN season estimates on fraser pinks
some good news out there Chilliwack sockeye are seeing a 10X return from 2019.
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sockeye and pink salmon returns have been shown to be negatively correlated:
"Our findings indicate the abundance of North Pacific pink salmon in the second year of sockeye life at sea is a key factor contributing to the decline of sockeye salmon productivity, including sockeye in the Fraser River where an increase from 200 to 400 million pink salmon is predicted to reduce sockeye recruitment by 39%. Additionally, length-at-age of Fraser River sockeye salmon declined with greater sockeye and pink salmon abundance, and age at maturity increased with greater pink salmon abundance. Our analyses provide evidence that interspecific competition for prey can affect growth, age, and survival of sockeye salmon at sea."
translation: higher sockeye returns are consistent with lower pink salmon returns
https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.1139/cjfas-2014-0134
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Is there a hole in the chainlink at Furry Creek?/How can you get to the beach?
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This is probably a typo. Can't be that many pinks caught yesterday.
Area 12 - Blinkhorn Sockeye Seine 8/9/2023 1 6 6 5923 0 88365
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It’s not, heard about it last night from
A commercial fishermen
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88 thousand! Jesus there goes half the fraser run! :p
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Have to go back to 2013 to see 88 thousand caught in area 12 and in late August not this early. Area 20 never hit more than 18 thousand in 2013 which was an exceptionally good year. May be they got chased into the nets by a bunch of seals or whales ;D
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will be interesting to see what pans out for the fraser given that the out migration count was the lowest on record.
Pink In-season Update
August 10, 2023
Current Trends
• No other years in the historical data set (back to 1991) show early abundances as high as currently observed
• Initial abundances were highest in Area 20, but recent days have seen a large increase in Area 12
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what the Aug 11th panel report says:
Fraser River Pink Salmon
While substantial pink salmon have been caught in marine test fisheries, it is still very early in terms of the
assessment of Fraser River pink salmon given that they currently make up a small portion of the catches, ...the most recent sample from Area 20 indicating 18% Fraser pink. Only 10 pink salmon have been caught in the in-river test fisheries. To date, 9,100 pink salmon have been observed
migrating past Mission.
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The onslaught of Pinks continue. Area 20 is making new record highs too.
The Predicted Fraser Pink for August 12th.
In Area 20 is 41%, and Area 12 is 32%
Looks like we will blow past the pre-season estimate for Fraser Pinks
FisheryName TripDate VesselCount SetCount Effort SockeyeAdultCaught SockeyeJackCaught PinkCaught
Area 12 - Blinkhorn Sockeye Seine 8/6/2023 1 6 6 683 0 12365
Area 12 - Blinkhorn Sockeye Seine 8/7/2023 1 6 6 663 0 25449
Area 12 - Blinkhorn Sockeye Seine 8/8/2023 1 2 2 93 0 4322
Area 12 - Blinkhorn Sockeye Seine 8/9/2023 1 6 6 5923 0 88365
Area 12 - Blinkhorn Sockeye Seine 8/10/2023 1 6 6 1645 0 51493
Area 12 - Blinkhorn Sockeye Seine 8/11/2023 1 6 6 4017 0 61846
Area 20 - San Juan Sockeye Seine 8/6/2023 1 6 6 387 0 20036
Area 20 - San Juan Sockeye Seine 8/7/2023 1 6 6 492 1 22255
Area 20 - San Juan Sockeye Seine 8/8/2023 1 6 6 188 2 12043
Area 20 - San Juan Sockeye Seine 8/9/2023 1 3 3 85 0 2709
Area 20 - San Juan Sockeye Seine 8/10/2023 1 3 3 72 0 6080
Area 20 - San Juan Sockeye Seine 8/11/2023 1 6 6 1294 0 32260
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Went out to west van today on the boat bon stop pinks, took 4 home to can, very bright pinks. Non stop jumpers one pinged off the bow
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Was out off of south bowen today myself and put myself and 2 friends 1 short of the limit within the hour. Fish were everywhere, super bright and feisty. Lost 1 spring early in the day then retained our last fish each around 2pm and headed home. Mother nature may surprise us all this year fingers crossed.
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Wow!
FisheryName TripDate VesselCount SetCount Effort SockeyeAdultCaught SockeyeJackCaught Pink Caught
Area 20 - San Juan Sockeye Seine 8/12/2023 1 6 6 2000 0 52160
Area 12 - Blinkhorn Sockeye Seine 8/12/2023 1 6 6 9032 0 92413
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Yeah 9 thousand sockeye is really good catch to, anything above 1 thousand a set is good
The Fraser sockeye are also comming off one of the worst brood ever in 2019. Also considering much of the summer rub component was impacted by the slide.
Looking like ocean survival was off the charts
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Area 12 and Area 20 Seines are set to surpass 2013 numbers!
2021 was the first year the fish farms were removed from the migratory paths.
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My moneys on, considering Russia seen such large number of pink returns they flooded the market and forced the alaska fleet to stay at home this year. Also skeena and nass commercials fisheries this year have also been cut short from lack of buyers.
“This particular La Niña, which started in September 2020 but is considered three years old because it affected three different winters, was unusual and one of the longest on record. It took a brief break in 2021 but came roaring back with record intensity.”
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from your enthusiasms it sounds like I should be expected a 2 pink per day limit on the Squamish and the tributaries opened to C&R ::) ;D
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Hope FC will pick up. Last Saturday morning there were only a few fish taken among 30+ fishermen. If fishing around West Van and south Bowen is hot for pinks, FC should get some of these fish going up that way, hopefully.
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Really eh, I heard FC was fishing pretty well on Saturday, guess not.
I was swinging on Mamquam bar again and it was even more quiet than last weekend, but there were plenty of anglers trying. Still nice to get out, I hooked one during my 4h trip. Perhaps I'll try again next weekend, I still have faith that they will show up in big numbers!
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Hole in the wall was loaded with pinks over the weekend, guys fishing from boats were doing well on sunday.
Squamish and the indian arm i believe will see a decent return.
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Right now at FC, lost one and then nothing, 2 others got one each....wondering when it would peak?
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wondering when it would peak?
My estimate is that it will peak closer to the end of the month/beginning of Sept. 2021 was also late, with many fresh fish pushing well into September. I also remember a terrible August river season compared to previous ones but then September felt as good as always. Maybe it was the water clarity, numbers of fish, luck or all the above.
I was swinging on Mamquam bar again and it was even more quiet than last weekend, but there were plenty of anglers trying. Still nice to get out, I hooked one during my 4h trip. Perhaps I'll try again next weekend, I still have faith that they will show up in big numbers!
Thanks for the report. After my own "4-hour-for-one-hookup" session last week, I promised myself that I won't come back in 2-3 weeks. I'm glad I didn't! I'll probably go next weekend though. Hopefully we will have a better day!
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in past years FC peaked in early August and was pretty much done by about the 21st. It could be that the fish that spawn in the refugia that not as affected by high floods and gravel shifting arrive later than those that spawn in the mainstem.
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Thanks....looks like it varies each season.....a lot of people are reporting good number of pinks from bowen island/ point atkinson.....area 12 reported very high number of pinks recently....
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Ralphs ending estimate is pretty much bang on by my account within a few days. 2 years ago I had a few killer days 18-22nd'ish with up to double digits and then met a buddy on the 24th and nadda hooked and 2 schools seen. Reading all the reports I feel like everything is 2 weeks behind but well who really knows unless you're out there fishing unlike myself who's full tilt working. On the plus side I picked up a new addition to the stillwater fleet tonight, a 8ft Spratley pedestal with wheels
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In some previous run cycles, FC was very quiet but the Squamish was loaded with fish. It seems that most pinks in those cycles ran through Howe Sound on the opposite side of FC. So this may be another one of that. Hope not. If Squamish is loaded with fish now and FC remains slow, then this may be the case.
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In some previous run cycles, FC was very quiet but the Squamish was loaded with fish. It seems that most pinks in those cycles ran through Howe Sound on the opposite side of FC. So this may be another one of that. Hope not. If Squamish is loaded with fish now and FC remains slow, then this may be the case.
few people did mention that on FB, that might be the case since people on boat report good number of pinks in howe sound
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The Fraser River Panel met Tuesday, August 15, to receive an update on the migration of Fraser
River sockeye and pink salmon and review the status of migration conditions in the Fraser River
watershed. It is currently estimated that 567,100 and 16,200 sockeye and pink salmon, respectively,
have passed the Mission hydroacoustics site. The Panel adopted an in-season run size of 8,575,000
pink salmon with an associated Area 20 timing of August 18.
Pink In-season Update
August 15, 2023
Current Trends
• Continue to see unprecedented high catches in marine test fisheries
• Low abundances of pinks observed in the river to-date
• Added cumulative CPUE as another piece of evidence that the run is exceeding the pre-season p75 (8.6M)
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According to this, there should be some Fraser Pink Openings. Target is to have 6 Million Spawners. Hopefully the Vedder pinks are in great shape, despite the floods.
https://frasersalmon.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/2023-Forum-2-Day-2-FR-SK-and-PK-Escapement-Planning-Forum-2023-03-01.pdf
p10 p25 p50 p75 p90
forecast 3,247,000 4,389,000 6,135,000 8,575,000 11,591,000
escapement target 3,023,000 3,980,000 5,335,000 6,000,000 6,000,000
allowable ER 7% 9% 13% 30% 48%
Available Harvest (TF, US, CDN) 224,000 409,000 800,000 2,575,000 5,591,000
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there is this to consider. It might be part of the reason why the returns for the Fraser are looking good.
https://alexandramorton.typepad.com/alexandra_morton/2023/08/the-fish-are-talking-thank-you-trudeau-and-ministers.html
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In some previous run cycles, FC was very quiet but the Squamish was loaded with fish. It seems that most pinks in those cycles ran through Howe Sound on the opposite side of FC. So this may be another one of that. Hope not. If Squamish is loaded with fish now and FC remains slow, then this may be the case.
Fishing can be very good on the west side of Howe Sound. Several cycles ago we were spin fishing from a boat in the area of Camp Potlach. The fish were rolling everywhere and all around the boat. We caught a limit for three of 12 fish in short order, then came across a young guy in a Sewell’s rental boat getting skunked. He was casting a lure with his rod, them retrieving the lure hand over hand. Turns out he had lost his reel handle! We gave him 4 fish to take home, then caught a replacement four fish for ourselves.
Never seen anything like it.
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We gave him 4 fish to take home, then caught a replacement four fish for ourselves.
totally illegal! The 3 of you had already taken your limit and legally could not retain any further salmon of any species. A legal way would have been to lend him tackle.
The idea that the pinks alternatively travel down the north side of the sound comes up from time to time. They may but in years of poor returns I have talked to a few people who took a boat over to the Defense Islands and McNab Creek to try their luck. Unfortunately they didn't find anymore pinks on the other side.
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totally illegal! The 3 of you had already taken your limit and legally could not retain any further salmon of any species. A legal way would have been to lend him tackle.
In hindsight, you’re right.
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Fishing at Furry Creek was still dismal yesterday. It was worse from 2 weeks ago. So is the run over?
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hearing some big numbers being tossed around for fraser pink returns (10 million +), guess will have to wait and see
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If Fraser run is better than expected, DFO should open up the Fraser for pink retention, at least in the tidal portion. Is there any sign they will consider that or they won't open until sockeye run is over?
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hearing some big numbers being tossed around for fraser pink returns (10 million +), guess will have to wait and see
≥ 70% of the run size has been accounted for in catch + escapement. Good indication of run size; peak fo the run has been observed at
Mission, uncertainty relates to seaward abundancePink run size based on timing
Catch+Escapement To Date: 34,000
Based on timing of 13-Aug 50% Date 17,063,500
Based on timing of 14-Aug 50% Date 20,397,500
Based on timing of 15-Aug 50% Date 21,433,000
Based on timing of 16-Aug 50% Date 21,886,000
Based on timing of 17-Aug 50% Date 23,511,000
*Based on % seaward in 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2021 if timing is later than 17-Aug
*Equal to double the reconstructed abundance if timing is earlier than 18-Aug
======================================
Hopefully these numbers hold up. Very few pinks have migrated in river so far. May be this year the Squamish Pinks are by-passing Furry Creek and swimming the opposite side, or late arriving.
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you are suggesting the test fisheries and sonar fence numbers so far indicate a probable return of 20 million or more?
You have to remember that up until a week or so ago the % of Fraser pinks in test fishery results was less than 20%.
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If Fraser run is better than expected, DFO should open up the Fraser for pink retention, at least in the tidal portion. Is there any sign they will consider that or they won't open until sockeye run is over?
due to outside pressures I doubt this will happen. Maybe but don't hold your breathe
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Fishing at Furry Creek was still dismal yesterday. It was worse from 2 weeks ago. So is the run over?
starting to see a number of coloured pinks showing up in Social media pictures from the squamish so the run could be on the down slide now.
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you are suggesting the test fisheries and sonar fence numbers so far indicate a probable return of 20 million or more?
You have to remember that up until a week or so ago the % of Fraser pinks in test fishery results was less than 20%.
https://www.psc.org/download/677/2023/15212/2023-08-18-distribution.pdf
I am just quoting parts of this document.
Area 20 on August 14th reached 51% Fraser Pinks. Area 12 reached 24%. They predicted 52% and 41% for August 17th Fraser Pinks in Area 20 and 12 respectively.
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Went to the Squamish this AM and finally pinks seem to have arrived in numbers. Compared to two weeks ago, today you could clearly see them fining, jumping and resting in the shallow water all over the place. Water clarity has gotten worse and it was very challenging for them to see the presentation. Spend 2.5 hours and managed to hook 3 - others were also hooking but everyone seemed to be having the same troubles with water clarity. They were all good size and looked fresh enough - sharing one pic below. Great to see numbers growing from week to week
(https://i.imgur.com/rmsRORc.jpeg)
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you are suggesting the test fisheries and sonar fence numbers so far indicate a probable return of 20 million or more?
You have to remember that up until a week or so ago the % of Fraser pinks in test fishery results was less than 20%.
Psc has some modelling showing 17 million as a mean but there is a very high uncertainty
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When do you all think we can expect to see pinks arriving in the vedder?
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When do you all think we can expect to see pinks arriving in the vedder?
They may already be there, but not in large numbers yet. They only counted around 24000 Pinks swimming past Mission.
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Went to the Squamish this AM and finally pinks seem to have arrived in numbers. Compared to two weeks ago, today you could clearly see them fining, jumping and resting in the shallow water all over the place. Water clarity has gotten worse and it was very challenging for them to see the presentation. Spend 2.5 hours and managed to hook 3 - others were also hooking but everyone seemed to be having the same troubles with water clarity. They were all good size and looked fresh enough - sharing one pic below. Great to see numbers growing from week to week
(https://i.imgur.com/rmsRORc.jpeg)
Thanks for the update. Maybe the mouth of the cheakamus would have better water clarity?
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Went to the Squamish this AM and finally pinks seem to have arrived in numbers. Compared to two weeks ago, today you could clearly see them fining, jumping and resting in the shallow water all over the place. Water clarity has gotten worse and it was very challenging for them to see the presentation. Spend 2.5 hours and managed to hook 3 - others were also hooking but everyone seemed to be having the same troubles with water clarity. They were all good size and looked fresh enough - sharing one pic below. Great to see numbers growing from week to week
(https://i.imgur.com/rmsRORc.jpeg)
Thanks you. This is what we need in this post. I don't care about fraser river opening. it will open when it opens
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Thanks for the update. Maybe the mouth of the cheakamus would have better water clarity?
Probably, although and unlike two weeks ago where the Mamquam was cleaner than the main, today the Mamquam was all clay. I suspect Cheak will be cleaner but I don't think the mouth is accessible with the current water levels. I learned this lesson a few years ago crossing with main river at 3.2M and I really struggled - today is almost 4M so I wouldn't recommend it
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Ah dang! Well I guess I'll pass on fishing this weekend, wait until the cooler nights or when the main stem drops below 3m.
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the weekly panel report isn't up yet so I my guess there has been some discussion what the estimate should be. 2013 was the only case of the last 11 cycles where the return came close to tripling the pre-season forecast (8.9 forecast vs actual of 26+ million). Overall many stocks are showing strong returns.
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(https://i.imgur.com/rmsRORc.jpeg)
THANK YOU for sharing that great photo!
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What type of set up in terms of flyfishing for pinks ? Floating line, tapered leader ?
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What type of set up in terms of flyfishing for pinks ? Floating line, tapered leader ?
If you look a few pages ago, there are good tips from Ralph and others. I always start with a floating line and a slow intermediate sinking tip/poly-leader (1.5IPS, the ones that are clear). In few occasions I end up using a heavier tip but most of the time I can manage with intermediate tip and then adjust depth using angle of cast, i.e. start casting right in front of you, and see if you are getting a good swing - if too shallow, cast slight upstream or try downstream mend, then also switch to heavier flies, etc
Similarly, if you keep hitting bottom or foul hooking fish it means you are fishing too deep, so then you can maybe try with a lighter tip, lighter fly or adjusting the angle to be more downstream instead. Good luck! this fishery is super fun and rewarding (most of the time lol)
Also regarding rod choice, I always recommend 8WT. Many like using lighter rods but honestly let's keep it fair on the fish. Also Squamish pinks are a bit bigger and I've seen many butts kicked to those using 6WT - do yourself (and the fish) a favor and use 7WT and up
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Forgot to mention - after the tip, I use a butt section of 1FT with 20LB mono using loop to loop with the tip, then a triple surgeons to 3ft of 10-12LB mono then the fly. Butt section helps casting and I also find I have a lot less breakoffs than attaching the tippet directly to the tip
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The Fraser River Panel met Friday, August 18, to receive an update on the migration of Fraser River sockeye and pink salmon and review the status of migration conditions in the Fraser River watershed. It is currently estimated that 689,300 sockeye and 31,500 pink salmon have passed the Mission hydroacoustics site. The Panel adopted a run size of 310,000 Early Summer-run sockeye with an associated Area 20 timing of July 24, 800,000 Summer-run sockeye with an associated Area 20 timing of August 13 and 17,000,000 pink salmon with an associated Area 20 timing of August 13.
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You would think thats an opening for pinks in the lower Fraser.
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Where on the squamish is a good spot for the pinks, I know this is a dumb question but I haven't been since 2019 and forgot where I exactly went. Thanks!
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You would think thats an opening for pinks in the lower Fraser.
They will open it the question is before or after labour. Hopefully before
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In 2021, they opened it on Sept. 3rd
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Where on the squamish is a good spot for the pinks, I know this is a dumb question but I haven't been since 2019 and forgot where I exactly went. Thanks!
With the current water levels and regulations, you are limited to the two most popular spots: Mamquam Confluence and Fishermans Park (Judd Road). That's it. Both spots have good access so you should be able to find a place to cast if you walk around a bit.
Fishing for salmon is closed on all the tributaries and also in the upper Squamish until Coho season opens on Sept 15th
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the forecast is for cooler nights for the next 4 days or so. That may help water clarity particularly in the morning.
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Yesterday was decent at Furry Creek, Fished about 8:30-10 on an anchovy style spoon. Saw about 10-12 fish on the beach although 7 of them were from two guys. They were fly fishing from what I saw. It was slow when we arrived so we fished near mamquam bar and got skunked too did see a little bit of fish activity. Water clarity was non existent if I'm being honest. Also it was clear not everyone was playing by the rules by this image. Looked about 3-5 hours old when we got there.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53129147582_a07984e513_n.jpg)
We went back to furry creek at afternoon low tide for another 2 hours and saw 2-3 caught. None for our group.
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They will open it the question is before or after labour. Hopefully before
it will be opened once the FSC fishery for Chinooks hits it's goal or the Chinook nets become too filled with pinks. In meeting DFO has openly said so to those attending. Question is, on what date will this happen?
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an opening where? They are not open off the mouth and there's not much point in opening the river below Mission for 2 or 3 weeks since the first big push of pinks happens around Sept 7th give or take.
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an opening where? They are not open off the mouth and there's not much point in opening the river below Mission for 2 or 3 weeks since the first big push of pinks happens around Sept 7th give or take.
the point of opening the river below Mission would be opportunity. Fishing is all about hope and opportunity. Why wait until there is a big push before opening the river and creating a rush to be there?
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Anyone can fish below Mission for trout, sturgeon or coarse fish right now. There's your 'opportunity'. The FN chinook fishery started last week & likely will continue until the end of the month (see your last post).
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Anyone can fish below Mission for trout, sturgeon or coarse fish right now. There's your 'opportunity'. The FN chinook fishery started last week & likely will continue until the end of the month (see your last post).
from my experience catching any trout in the tidal Fraser is extremely difficult and rare. Coarse fishing gets boring and for sturgeon you need to invest lots of money into gear
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from my experience catching any trout in the tidal Fraser is extremely difficult and rare. Coarse fishing gets boring and for sturgeon you need to invest lots of money into gear
that's my point - if they provided an opportunity to fish for pinks now or even for the long weekend (which is what some people are getting at) taking advantage of that opportunity would provide pretty much the same experience you describe.
pS - you don't need expensive gear to fish for sturgeon.
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Does furry creek produce during high tides? Trying to plan a weekday and mostly its high tide at 3-4m
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watch out at furry creek. i got my window smashed and truck gone through right in the visitors parking at olivers landing. nothing to steal. buddy says he has seen someone tenting around in the bushes in various locations. be on the lookout.
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I was there on saturday, and then went everyday during my camping trip 22-24. Never saw or heard something like that... I honestly enjoyed the ocean fishing much more than the river fishing. Furry creek has such nice views and fresh fish you can keep. Squamish river was dirty, fish are in poorer condition and C&R.
Day 1
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53141297674_ac61c3d656_n.jpg)
Day 2
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53141563468_79e8c0cd49_n.jpg)
Day 3
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53141088486_abb273c41a_n.jpg)
4 fish in total over three days, not bad for my first time beach fishing. Things to note. BRING TASMANIAN DEVILS, seems that only that lure was catching fish, saw some caught on the fly but nothing compared to tassies. Bring at least 3 of them. I lost 5 total but I was being a bit foolish. Also use 15 lb leader if running braid. Had some fish break off and lures gone flyinf your line will get damaged and frayed on the rocks. I was using 10 lb and I think it was not enough. Early morning low tides were the best evening as well but honestly most of the time for hours at a time out of 10 people 1-2 fish would be caught and 3-4 hooked. But sometimes a school comes by and you will see 3-4 fish on at once pretty cool and interesting how it played out. You can get 2 fish in 15 m if you get lucky. Which i will say this fishery is mostly luck.
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Nice catch Darko!
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i have talked to you. will say hi to you next time i am there.
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i have talked to you. will say hi to you next time i am there.
I wont be at furry creek anymore this year but definitely at the fraser maybe delta or Richmond
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I wont be at furry creek anymore this year but definitely at the fraser maybe delta or Richmond
Did you rig your tasmanian devil line thru method - like a buzz bomb? Or did you leave the metal wire in it and fish as out of the package....
great pics, by the way.
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Good job Darko! Thanks for sharing
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Decent day at Furry Creek. Went late morning still got 2. The fish were way outside jumping. I observed that the guys jigging with long casting pink buzz bombs seemed to do better than even the Tasmania Devil gangs. Don't forget to bring the good old buzz bomb in case the fish are out of range most of the time like today. Luckily my 13.5g TD did get out far enough to hit 2 beauties. Tight line!
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Did you rig your tasmanian devil line thru method - like a buzz bomb? Or did you leave the metal wire in it and fish as out of the package....
great pics, by the way.
I caught fish using both but apparently the thru method leads to less line fray I heard. Honestly I dont think its much different but majority use the thru method.
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Any anglers present for this? :(
https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/snorkeller-drowns-near-mouth-of-furry-creek-in-howe-sound
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Any anglers present for this? :(
https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/snorkeller-drowns-near-mouth-of-furry-creek-in-howe-sound
oh wow how tragic. I was thinking to myself how many lures I could retrieve if I went for a dive but looks like it's not such a good idea.. I wonder if the tide played a factor in the drowning maybe some sort of underwater current??
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If anybody's still fishing this, don't forget the road closure this Saturday due to the Gran Fondo Race.
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Went with a friend this morning to fly fish Squamish pinks. Figured it will be less busy with the Fraser opening and also I was hoping I could get some validation that I could still catch pinks after 3 failed attempts this week in the South Arm 😅
Fished 3 popular spots - starting at the Mamquam bar then went upriver. Water clarity has gotten way better although it was still fairly dirty upstream of the confluence. MILLIONS of pinks. Many zombies but tons of fresh ones with sealice still on and willing to bite. Best day of the season for me by far. Good to see the Squamish pink fishery that I remembered and that has given me so much joy.
We both hooked north of 15 fish each and landed about 10 including a double header. With so much fish density, is super important to avoid foul hooking: If fly fishing, use the lightest tip you can get away with and circle hooks.
Mamquam bar early morning
(https://i.imgur.com/kdjQXxa.jpg)
The biggest of the day (or so I claimed)
(https://i.imgur.com/tPFgiL5.png)
Happy outing with a double header. Always fun to coordinate the picture ;D
(https://i.imgur.com/XoiGUQi.jpg)
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Our priorities are different.
I would show my face and not give up my spot! 😀
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Our priorities are different.
I would show my face and not give up my spot! 😀
haha! I thought about covering my face or not - main reason was not the forum itself but image hosting platforms like imgur - I actually read this article two days ago and thought against it just in case I regret it in a few years from now https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/09/technology/google-facebook-facial-recognition.html
I think I've seen in this forum people posting pics with the spot completely obfuscated :D. Hey I get it, but also what a way to ruin a nice picture! The spots I went are mentioned pretty much on all PA reports for the last month so not too worried there
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I know what you look like. ;D ;D
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How are the pinks doing in the Squamish compared to previous cycles when they allowed for retention? Has it recovered to say 2015 levels?
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How are the pinks doing in the Squamish compared to previous cycles when they allowed for retention? Has it recovered to say 2015 levels?
Will be good if anyone could shed light on this, in case this info is tracked in any way. As I mentioned in this thread before, I was at the Cheak the first week of October 2021 and there was such a vast amount of pinks spawning and milling everywhere in the river that made impossible to fish or scout for any other species
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Sweet, thanks for the report. Looks like I'll have another kick at the can on Saturday, maybe I'll bring my float fishing rod too in case fly fishing gets too snaggy. Glad to hear they are in there in good numbers now.
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It took a while to dial them in, but once I did it was good fishing. They were hitting the fly on the strip, all fish caught were fresh with sea lice. The run is still on!