Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum
Fishing in British Columbia => General Discussion => Topic started by: RalphH on August 01, 2025, 09:56:33 AM
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So far this summer's Fraser River return of sockeye is wildly exceeding expectations. To date almost 700,000 early Stuart sockeye passed Mission. Quite the surprise given the preseason estimate was 116,000. It's 10 times and more than the typical return of the last 6 years, more than double the return of 2021 and eclipses last year's escapement of a mere 200 fish! Great news for a run that just a few years ago many expected would soon be extinct. As good is the Blinkhorn seine test fishery recorded 37,000 fish in the 4 days from July 28 to the 31st. The PSC Report for the 25 states "DNA analysis of a fish sample recently collected from the Area 20 gillnet test fishery indicated Fraser River sockeye contributions of 26% Early Stuart, 29% Early Summer and 43% Summer run." So the prospects for the summer run return are good.
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So far this summer's Fraser River return of sockeye is wildly exceeding expectations. To date almost 700,000 early Stuart sockeye passed Mission. Quite the surprise given the preseason estimate was 116,000. It's 10 times and more than the typical return of the last 6 years, more than double the return of 2021 and eclipses last year's escapement of a mere 200 fish! Great news for a run that just a few years ago many expected would soon be extinct. As good is the Blinkhorn seine test fishery recorded 37,000 fish in the 4 days from July 28 to the 31st. The PSC Report for the 25 states "DNA analysis of a fish sample recently collected from the Area 20 gillnet test fishery indicated Fraser River sockeye contributions of 26% Early Stuart, 29% Early Summer and 43% Summer run." So the prospects for the summer run return are good.
True enough but the summer sockeye are now facing extremely warm Fraser river water temperatures and substantial pre spawning mortalities are expected. The good news is the Early Stuart sockeye are on the grounds and are reported in to be in good condition.
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So far this summer's Fraser River return of sockeye is wildly exceeding expectations. To date almost 700,000 early Stuart sockeye passed Mission. Quite the surprise given the preseason estimate was 116,000. It's 10 times and more than the typical return of the last 6 years, more than double the return of 2021 and eclipses last year's escapement of a mere 200 fish! Great news for a run that just a few years ago many expected would soon be extinct. As good is the Blinkhorn seine test fishery recorded 37,000 fish in the 4 days from July 28 to the 31st. The PSC Report for the 25 states "DNA analysis of a fish sample recently collected from the Area 20 gillnet test fishery indicated Fraser River sockeye contributions of 26% Early Stuart, 29% Early Summer and 43% Summer run." So the prospects for the summer run return are good.
I must say, I am quite surprised that you are the first to share this, considering you typically are the one to warn everyone about the fluctuations in catches and returns, and you often call us out when we become overly enthusiastic about the catch number.
Surely Ralph does not have sockeye fever
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True enough but the summer sockeye are now facing extremely warm Fraser river water temperatures and substantial pre spawning mortalities are expected. The good news is the Early Stuart sockeye are on the grounds and are reported in to be in good condition.
Part of me wonders with essentially having two or three years worth of Early Stuart age classes missing from the lake and the sea was there just less competition for this group.
Also the big run of thompson sockeye has been collapsing in resent years as well so is this years cycle benefiting from that.
not all doing well Chilliwack sockeye look to be well below forecast and long term average so it can all just be good ocean conditions tho that certainly looks like it has played a big roll for some sockeye stocks.
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https://watershedwatch.ca/stories/this-week-in-bc-fisheries-aug-1/
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No mention of whether the sporties will get an opening of course....
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I must say, I am quite surprised that you are the first to share this, considering you typically are the one to warn everyone about the fluctuations in catches and returns, and you often call us out when we become overly enthusiastic about the catch number.
Surely Ralph does not have sockeye fever
these are real numbers from the PSC website & weekly report and not something I made up on my own.
WMY also said:
Part of me wonders with essentially having two or three years worth of Early Stuart age classes missing from the lake and the sea was there just less competition for this group.
I wonder which part of you wonders? :)
But yes that's a good observation and a possible factor.
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No mention of whether the sporties will get an opening of course....
see Dave's remarks above. I wouldn't expect an opening at all.
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eclipses last year's escapement of a mere 200 fish!
given the size of this years run should there not been a good number of jacks last year
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No mention of whether the sporties will get an opening of course....
just walk down to the warf and buy some and save the gas
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just walk down to the warf and buy some and save the gas
If they are for sale at the warf, then that means someone is fishing for them.... which means that I should be allowed to fish for them too.
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If they are for sale at the warf, then that means someone is fishing for them.... which means that I should be allowed to fish for them too.
no disagreement here!
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PSC has recommended a 4 million(Not been adopted yet) run size for the summer run. I believe at that runs size there will be 1-1.5 million TAC.
https://www.psc.org/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php?juwpfisadmin=false&action=wpfd&task=file.download&wpfd_category_id=721&wpfd_file_id=19338&token=&preview=1
at that TAC there should be commercial, FSC, First Nation sales and rec opportunities.
See this posted on the Gillnetters Facebook Page:
NOTICE - The Canadian Commercial Reps just heard from the Fraser Panel that there will be a run upgrade to the 75 percent forecast probability at today's Fraser Panel Meeting. This means there could be some limited commercial allocation available to divide up between the groups, IF the stars all align.
We dont know how much, and we dont know how much of a long shot it is, and we don't know when it would open if it could open, but I will update live on this group as I find out. All I can say is get ready to fish, but also be prepared for disapointment.
Two major challenges that could wipe out any allocation.
1) The current escapement target is based on moderate river temperatures, if the river warms or the flow drops, the escapement target goes up, which eliminates our allocation.
2) The commercial fleet doesn't have any Late Run sockeye allocation, if the lates are on the migration route already then our allocation of summers will have to pass through to protect the late run sockeye.
I will try to have an update at 4pm.
Thanks,
-Ryan
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Hey that means I might get to bar fish! For.....sockeye....
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Current river temps in the Canyon are close to 4 degrees C above above average (see today's announcement at the link below).
At those temperatures many panel members will point out the risk of much higher than average pre-spawn mortalities. Don't count on any opening as yet.
https://www.psc.org/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php?juwpfisadmin=false&action=wpfd&task=file.download&wpfd_category_id=722&wpfd_file_id=19339&token=&preview=1 )
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Hey that means I might get to bar fish! For.....sockeye....
I would think the saltwater sports guys will get the available TAC long before any in river fishery happens.
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must be some openings because some coworkers just picked up some sockeye for 20$ per in agassiz
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There's a guy near Fraser Hwy and 264 ave that sells sockeye from the Port Alberni fishery (legal).
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One would think they would give a salt water fishery before fresh, but somehow I don't think they will open the lower Fraser. Most likely at best would be mouth of the Fraser.
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First Nations fishers hit the water as Fraser River sockeye return in big numbers
https://www.ctvnews.ca/vancouver/article/first-nations-fishers-hit-the-water-as-fraser-river-sockeye-return-in-big-numbers/
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One would think they would give a salt water fishery before fresh, but somehow I don't think they will open the lower Fraser. Most likely at best would be mouth of the Fraser.
There was a weekend opening for the Adams run in '22 and that's the last opening above Mission I can recall. Can't recall an opening for any other than the Adams run in the last 10+ years. Sockeye openings below Mission are pointless since they all but impossible to catch except in a few locations where they school and hold and are caught by snaggers. They can be caught in saltwater so there is a chance of an opening there.
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Was walking the river with my super ultralight trout rod with 3.5g spoon, surprisingly a sockeye took my spoon and hooked right in the middle of the upper jaw...it was an injured fish with a big scare behind the dorsal fin, couldn't tell if it was a seal bite or got rotten after being hooked on the back by other anglers...stayed on my hook for 3 mins, bent the hook and got off...this happened in one of those swimming pools they dug last year
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Sockeye willingness to bite in freshwater seems to vary quite a bit across runs and situation. Some runs are quite grabby while others ignore a lot of gear
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Looks like summers
Are being upgrade again 4.8 mill to 7.5 mill
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Looks like summers
Are being upgrade again 4.8 mill to 7.5 mill
wow! We should be out there tomorrow if you ask me. Crazy that we only take 100k or less fish. Maybe all this rain will cool the fraser and increase survival rates? I assume that and a big run size increase has to be enough...
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There is absolutely no excuse for the sporties to not be fishing Sockeye right now.
Pure political BS.
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Word is next weekend for Sockeye...
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wow according to psc website almost 600k sockeye last two days alone!
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There is absolutely no excuse for the sporties to not be fishing Sockeye right now.
Pure political BS.
well now everyone is crowing over a meaningless opening for pink salmon that aren't here yet! Is it a diversion?
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well now everyone is crowing over a meaningless opening for pink salmon that aren't here yet! Is it a diversion?
Idk, but in my opinion, if they were going to open sockeye, it should be now with the bulk of the Summer runs passing through the river in the next week or so. The Lates though coming back in greater numbers than forecast are the non dominant stock in this brood year. I'd hate for them to open Sockeye late aug/early sept and have a gong show on the river not to mention having commercial netting around Labour day when there may be interior coho around and more of the weaker sockeye stock hammered.
The early opening of pinks may be in response to the criticism they took for not giving much notice during the last pink cycle. But I agree, I'm not wetting my Tazzies till I see the Whonnock counts in triple digits for pinks.
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There is absolutely no excuse for the sporties to not be fishing Sockeye right now.
Pure political BS.
FN runs the fishery. Everyone is too scared to stand up to them. All you here on the news is FN grave sites discovered, FN takes over parks and Richmond because 100 years ago they ate a salmon or moose on that land and have never been back but since, but now its considered ceremonial land. You want the land back grab a gun and take it back. Contribute next to nothing that runs the country but when your land is on fire you want the help and people on you land to put the fire out.
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FN runs the fishery. Everyone is too scared to stand up to them. All you here on the news is FN grave sites discovered, FN takes over parks and Richmond because 100 years ago they ate a salmon or moose on that land and have never been back but since, but now its considered ceremonial land. You want the land back grab a gun and take it back. Contribute next to nothing that runs the country but when your land is on fire you want the help and people on you land to put the fire out.
Amen
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Cowichan Tribes aren't asking for their land back. That ruling will most likely go through appeal & modified by an upper court. There are also claims on the same land from the Tsawwassen and Musqueam nations. The situation is another example of Governments deciding to test the case before the courts rather than negotiate an acceptable settlement. That's approach that gave FNs so much power in the salmon fishery.
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Idk, but in my opinion, if they were going to open sockeye, it should be now with the bulk of the Summer runs passing through the river in the next week or so. The Lates though coming back in greater numbers than forecast are the non dominant stock in this brood year. I'd hate for them to open Sockeye late aug/early sept and have a gong show on the river not to mention having commercial netting around Labour day when there may be interior coho around and more of the weaker sockeye stock hammered.
The early opening of pinks may be in response to the criticism they took for not giving much notice during the last pink cycle. But I agree, I'm not wetting my Tazzies till I see the Whonnock counts in triple digits for pinks.
the remaining summer run is now being cleaned up by the Seine fleet. There wouldn't be much to fish for for a few days. My past experience is the summer run in the river is usually done within the next week or so
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the remaining summer run is now being cleaned up by the Seine fleet. There wouldn't be much to fish for for a few days. My past experience is the summer run in the river is usually done within the next week or so
When we used to have regular rec. openings, they would be by BC day. If they don't open it by next week, it won't open at all. As long as the Area E Gillnetters are off the water, I guess that's ok. While the Seiners aren't that much better, they can at least key in on the target species in the ocean rather than a long string of gillnets that kill everything.
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630k Counted passing the mission hydro acoustic yesterday 1.5 mill over last 3 days
haven't seen that in awhile
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I just saw that! The river needs to open ASAP , this is ridiculous. They just want to wait till the more at risk stocks are in river so they have an excuse. That's what my conclusion is if this Friday's meeting doesn't result in an opening.
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I just saw that! The river needs to open ASAP , this is ridiculous. They just want to wait till the more at risk stocks are in river so they have an excuse. That's what my conclusion is if this Friday's meeting doesn't result in an opening.
You should be grateful that you are even allowed to come to Canada. Maybe Canada should make it mandatory for immigrants to be here for 20 years before they have access to the resources that Canada offers. Free medical, education, choices. You can always go back home. Maybe tell the gov't in Serbia how to do their jobs.
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You should be grateful that you are even allowed to come to Canada. Maybe Canada should make it mandatory for immigrants to be here for 20 years before they have access to the resources that Canada offers. Free medical, education, choices. You can always go back home. Maybe tell the gov't in Serbia how to do their jobs.
I was born here you miserable ignorant old man. F*** off will you?
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I just saw that! The river needs to open ASAP , this is ridiculous. They just want to wait till the more at risk stocks are in river so they have an excuse. That's what my conclusion is if this Friday's meeting doesn't result in an opening.
They heard you :
https://notices.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fns-sap/index-eng.cfm?pg=view_notice&DOC_ID=329242&ID=all
Lets gooooooooooo
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You should be grateful that you are even allowed to come to Canada. Maybe Canada should make it mandatory for immigrants to be here for 20 years before they have access to the resources that Canada offers. Free medical, education, choices. You can always go back home. Maybe tell the gov't in Serbia how to do their jobs.
This is the most anachronistic statement I have read on any forum in quite a few years.
I have to agree with Darko telling you off, but I will say it more politely: you are so out of touch with reality, you poor relic of an era bygone. In case you didn't notice, the empire is no longer. You can thank the immigrants you so despise for keeping this country great, not the aging, dwindling old white boys who cannot accept change.
I hope you live long enough to see the day when sport fishing is given to First Nations for management.
Go harvest them boys. Tis a lot of fun!
;)
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I was born here you miserable ignorant old man. F*** off will you?
Just wait, he will soon tell you to F off and go be born again somewhere else!
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Been a while since I've flossed for sockeye and was never successful at it.
You want to time it ~3-4 hours after high tide in Vancouver right?
Curious on fishing near Chilliwack when its near low tide in Vancouver.
How successful is this when the tide is pulling with the river?
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You should be grateful that you are even allowed to come to Canada. Maybe Canada should make it mandatory for immigrants to be here for 20 years before they have access to the resources that Canada offers. Free medical, education, choices. You can always go back home. Maybe tell the gov't in Serbia how to do their jobs.
What a clown you are....
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Been a while since I've flossed for sockeye and was never successful at it.
You want to time it ~3-4 hours after high tide in Vancouver right?
Curious on fishing near Chilliwack when its near low tide in Vancouver.
How successful is this when the tide is pulling with the river?
Don't worry about the tides so much. Pay attention to commercial and FN openings and work your way around them. Catching is quite poor for recreational fishers when Jimmy's fleet is at it in the Fraser or at the mouth, or when some of the bands along the river are drifting all day and setting nets.
Regardless of what some jesters say, any leader longer than your rod's length is an invitation to trouble, for reasons I cannot even begin to enumerate. The ideal flossing technique is with a 6-8 foot leader. It still covers a lot of water, and you can feel the pull of a fish tensing the leader almost immediately. A shorter leader also helps to reduce unnecessary tangles with other harvesters.
Remember that sockeye in the Fraser are not actively biting, they are too far from their spawning grounds for that. You are flossing them, even if the hook is in the mouth, usually lodged in the mouth's corner on the side facing the opposite bank from the one you are fishing from. Use an old-fashioned corky or a hard plastic bead to lift the hook off the bottom as they last a very long time. Wool works, too, but corkies rule in the Fraser, IMHO. On occasions you will get a biter, which will be hooked inside the mouth, but they are few and far between.
Catch your limit of sockeye and go home. Don't catch and release. With these water temperatures, the socks need every ounce of energy to complete their journey.
And most importantly, NEVER use flossing with a bouncing betty anywhere else except the Fraser for sockeye. You will incur the wrath of everybody around you if you try that on the Vedder or any other local river. And there's no need for it.
Ahhh, the good old flossing days...standing in the river for hours in sandals in +30C temps. It was fun, but that's past tense for me. If I did it today, I'd probably end with trench foot and skin cancer, LOL!
Enjoy it youngsters! :)
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This is the most anachronistic statement I have read on any forum in quite a few years.
I have to agree with Darko telling you off, but I will say it more politely: you are so out of touch with reality, you poor relic of an era bygone. In case you didn't notice, the empire is no longer. You can thank the immigrants you so despise for keeping this country great, not the aging, dwindling old white boys who cannot accept change.
I hope you live long enough to see the day when sport fishing is given to First Nations for management.
Go harvest them boys. Tis a lot of fun!
;)
One of the most eloquent Go Eff Yourself posts I’ve read.
Never piss off an English teacher, boys!😀
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20’ leaders. Lets goooooooooo hahahah. And that guy is a douche He wins the douche of the year award !!!!
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Ralph is tying up 25 ft leaders as we speak. lol
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Been a while since I've flossed for sockeye and was never successful at it.
You want to time it ~3-4 hours after high tide in Vancouver right?
Curious on fishing near Chilliwack when its near low tide in Vancouver.
How successful is this when the tide is pulling with the river?
Don't worry about the tides so much. Pay attention to commercial and FN openings and work your way around them. Catching is quite poor for recreational fishers when Jimmy's fleet is at it in the Fraser or at the mouth, or when some of the bands along the river are drifting all day and setting nets.
Regardless of what some jesters say, any leader longer than your rod's length is an invitation to trouble, for reasons I cannot even begin to enumerate. The ideal flossing technique is with a 6-8 foot leader. It still covers a lot of water, and you can feel the pull of a fish tensing the leader almost immediately. A shorter leader also helps to reduce unnecessary tangles with other harvesters.
Remember that sockeye in the Fraser are not actively biting, they are too far from their spawning grounds for that. You are flossing them, even if the hook is in the mouth, usually lodged in the mouth's corner on the side facing the opposite bank from the one you are fishing from. Use an old-fashioned corky or a hard plastic bead to lift the hook off the bottom as they last a very long time. Wool works, too, but corkies rule in the Fraser, IMHO. On occasions you will get a biter, which will be hooked inside the mouth, but they are few and far between.
Catch your limit of sockeye and go home. Don't catch and release. With these water temperatures, the socks need every ounce of energy to complete their journey.
And most importantly, NEVER use flossing with a bouncing betty anywhere else except the Fraser for sockeye. You will incur the wrath of everybody around you if you try that on the Vedder or any other local river. And there's no need for it.
Ahhh, the good old flossing days...standing in the river for hours in sandals in +30C temps. It was fun, but that's past tense for me. If I did it today, I'd probably end with trench foot and skin cancer. :o
Enjoy it youngsters, and don't forget to slip-slop-slap! (Most of you will have to ask ChatGPT about that one, it's a boomer phrase, LOL!). :)
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Forgot to tell you, if you see a FN boat drifting their nets, reel in your gear and wait till they pass. It might happen several times in a day. The same goes for sportboats chasing a fish downstream, but those are usually mid river. If you happen to have a fish on at that moment, break it off and reel your gear in. Net drifters cannot stop the drift for your fish. Avoid all confrontation - it's not worth it.
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Excellent 2 posts Milo!
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Ralph is tying up 25 ft leaders as we speak. lol
I am not tying any leaders AH you can go do something with urself as well.
Water temps are down a couple of C
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When i used to BB the fraser used to call the automated PSC test fishery phone line, after whonnock hit 100-150 sockeye per set we would head out a day later.
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Another note*
Not a good idea to leave the fish lying in a slow cooker rock pool while you try a get your limit . Best to get them on ice quickly so not to spoil . Same goes for pinks .
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I am not tying any leaders AH you can go do something with urself as well.
Water temps are down a couple of C
Calm down Ralphy boy. Don’t get your knickers in a knot. It was a joke.
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I am not in any hurry to drive 280km return up the valley to floss me up a couple of picnic baskets of sockeye, believe me.
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You can thank the immigrants you so despise for keeping this country great.
Hm, you need to explain how immigrants are keeping Canada great, and focus on one thing at a time. Start with healthcare may be. My understanding is that it became far worse then before. Or has that gotten better over the last 25 years?
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Hm, you need to explain how immigrants are keeping Canada great, and focus on one thing at a time. Start with healthcare may be. My understanding is that it became far worse then before. Or has that gotten better over the last 25 years?
Takes 2 seconds to google "how do immigrants contribute to the economy". No explaining needed. The evidence is far greater positives then negatives.
Wasn't that long ago when people would be embarrassed to say stuff like this. Unfortunately a certain someone gave them the courage to come out of the closet. Its up to the rest of us to keep this bs in check.
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No explaining needed. The evidence is far greater positives then negatives.
Sure, that's until you need healthcare services and then you just need for that one thing to work. And it's not just healthcare that's gotten far worse. But you keep with the party line, it works great until it doesn't.
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Takes 2 seconds to google "how do immigrants contribute to the economy". No explaining needed. The evidence is far greater positives then negatives.
Wasn't that long ago when people would be embarrassed to say stuff like this. Unfortunately a certain someone gave them the courage to come out of the closet. Its up to the rest of us to keep this bs in check.
Your first problem is looking in Google for your answers. They are bought and owned by radical left wing dolts.
Perhaps your first real enquiry should be the immigrant ratio to infrastructure development since Trudope took power.
Once you find the real stats on that, you'll understand that there are ZERO positives to this 'latest' invasion from India and the surrounding nations. Just for starters... our medical system is teetering on collapse and they just keep bringing more and more welfare immigrants into our country by the 100s of thousands.
Anyone with grade 3 math knows this isn't sustainable.
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Why is this in a discussion on Fraser sockeye? The ignorant remark that brought it up was false from the get go. Start a different thread discussion for stupid sh*t.
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Your first problem is looking in Google for your answers. They are bought and owned by radical left wing dolts.
Perhaps your first real enquiry should be the immigrant ratio to infrastructure development since Trudope took power.
Once you find the real stats on that, you'll understand that there are ZERO positives to this 'latest' invasion from India and the surrounding nations. Just for starters... our medical system is teetering on collapse and they just keep bringing more and more welfare immigrants into our country by the 100s of thousands.
Anyone with grade 3 math knows this isn't sustainable.
Google is owned by the radical left? Bahaahhah, shows how stupid you really are. Big tech flows with the political tides. Big tech only has one allegiance and its to their share holders and will kiss up to who is in power whether its the right or left. Google Ceo Sundar Pichai, was at Trumps inauguration. Big Lefty. Get with the times bud. Look at the stupid 24k gold sculpture Tim Cook gave to the Trump. Or Zuckerbergs 1 million donation to Trump. I could go on and on.
I happen to agree with you on the amount Trudeau let in. It was to many to fast, but lets not forget the crying the business community did after covid about the labor shortage, their as much to blame as well. Carny has since brought it down to a more sustainable level.
You bitch and moan about health care but without the south Asian community and Filipino community, our health care would be fare worse off.
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Good luck to the recreational sector and the first nation in this fishery. Read milo's post a page or two back and respect each other and the resource out there. I remember 20 years ago when I use to floss socks and chinooks on the local bars. Few bad actors but for the most part quite civilized and fun. At this point in my fishing journey, little far to go for 2 sockeye.
However I will travel many kms to tangle with giants. This year happened to be my year, and since this a fishing forum and to lighten the mood in here im sharing a pic.
(https://i.imgur.com/XNbeMKU.jpg)
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Excellent 2 posts Milo!
Thanks Dave. Nothing like a sockeye opening after such a long time to make me come out of my cave. When i used to BB the fraser used to call the automated PSC test fishery phone line, after whonnock hit 100-150 sockeye per set we would head out a day later.
And you never shared that with us! 😢 Another note*
Not a good idea to leave the fish lying in a slow cooker rock pool while you try a get your limit . Best to get them on ice quickly so not to spoil . Same goes for pinks .
Awesome reminder for some of the older guys, and a great piece of advice for the young crowd. Thanks.
I am not in any hurry to drive 280km return up the valley to floss me up a couple of picnic baskets of sockeye, believe me.
Oh, I believe you. I don't even want to drive to Chilliwack anymore in this heat. Crazy traffic, anxious drivers...ever growing prices of gas and electricity for our vehicles...I'd rather do the good old bartering with my native friends.Why is this in a discussion on Fraser sockeye? The ignorant remark that brought it up was false from the get go. Start a different thread discussion for stupid sh*t.
Thank you Ralph.
I won't bother replying to non fishing related stuff on this thread. For discussion on immigration and politics, there are far better forums and much smarter people than me replying to questions, if people take the time to look around. Should someone start a meaningful and well-argumented thread on the "disgrace" brought upon Canada by immigrants, which obviously riles up a predictable few, I might chime in on the topic. Superbobby, Dobrolub...would you do us the honour?
I didn't know that this Forum was no longer moderated.
What a great place to release some steam and blame others for one's failures in life. 😬
Back to sockeye...or my cave. 😅
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every person on this continent is the descendent of immigrants in one way or or another. With the birth rate among "native white folks" these days, the country will wither and die without immigration.
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I am not in any hurry to drive 280km return up the valley to floss me up a couple of picnic baskets of sockeye, believe me.
I hear you. When the opening was posted I thought to myself I would dig out my stash of bouncing tackle from 2010. But I started to do the math in my head of gas and time for a 250km round trip and it does not add up lol. I don't enjoy this type of fishing, I do like the sockeye. However the cost to participate isn't worth the 2 fish. Perhaps the tidal Fraser banks will be quieter allowing my son more space to practice his casting and maybe play some pinks.
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Perhaps the tidal Fraser banks will be quieter allowing my son more space to practice his casting and maybe play some pinks.
You might get extremely lucky a find a biting sockeye in the Tidal Fraser.
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I hear you. When the opening was posted I thought to myself I would dig out my stash of bouncing tackle from 2010. But I started to do the math in my head of gas and time for a 250km round trip and it does not add up lol. I don't enjoy this type of fishing, I do like the sockeye. However the cost to participate isn't worth the 2 fish. Perhaps the tidal Fraser banks will be quieter allowing my son more space to practice his casting and maybe play some pinks.
Agree, it's not worth the cost of gas, time, frustration. Cheaper to buy it.
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You might get extremely lucky a find a biting sockeye in the Tidal Fraser.
True, rare but always possible
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"If I knew Canada is so broke like this, I'd stayed in India..." from my Indian colleague...working his way to Texas now
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I picked up a couple of sockeye from a commercial fisherman in our neighborhood today. I have been buying from him for close to 20 years, usually sockeye, sometimes halibut or prawns.
Interesting thing he told me they all have a quota and they can't go over it. He was out yesterday and his maximum catch was 236. He got it all. He thinks millions of fish will make it up river. Of course 5 million plus already have.
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I picked up a couple of sockeye from a commercial fisherman in our neighborhood today. I have been buying from him for close to 20 years, usually sockeye, sometimes halibut or prawns.
Interesting thing he told me they all have a quota and they can't go over it. He was out yesterday and his maximum catch was 236. He got it all. He thinks millions of fish will make it up river. Of course 5 million plus already have.
great neighbor to have.
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I picked up a couple of sockeye from a commercial fisherman in our neighborhood today. I have been buying from him for close to 20 years, usually sockeye, sometimes halibut or prawns.
Interesting thing he told me they all have a quota and they can't go over it. He was out yesterday and his maximum catch was 236. He got it all. He thinks millions of fish will make it up river. Of course 5 million plus already have.
Anyway we could buy some fish from your neighbor :D
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I picked up a couple of sockeye from a commercial fisherman in our neighborhood today. I have been buying from him for close to 20 years, usually sockeye, sometimes halibut or prawns.
Interesting thing he told me they all have a quota and they can't go over it. He was out yesterday and his maximum catch was 236. He got it all. He thinks millions of fish will make it up river. Of course 5 million plus already have.
This year the Area E/29 fleet are on a ITQ Individual quota like you said. Due to the low amount of initial 235 sockeye, and 2,257 pinks (bycatch) a lot of vessels chose to transfer their allotted quota to another vessel. This is why during the opening there was a lesser amount of boats on the water. Even though the opening was on Tuesday August 19 @ 6am - 8pm daily until August 20, most waited until early afternoon to start fishing as the tides were more favorable during that time.
After this Friday's meeting August 22,2025 there is a possible opening on the river next week for commercial gillnet.
https://notices.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fns-sap/index-eng.cfm?pg=view_notice&DOC_ID=328963&ID=all (https://notices.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fns-sap/index-eng.cfm?pg=view_notice&DOC_ID=328963&ID=all)
https://www.psc.org/download/722/2025/19355/august-19-2025.pdf (https://www.psc.org/download/722/2025/19355/august-19-2025.pdf)
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Interesting thing he told me they all have a quota and they can't go over it. He was out yesterday and his maximum catch was 236. He got it all.
Like 236 individual sockeye? That's it?
Interesting, I did not know quotas where that low. If he's still going out, the presumably the economies of that scale still makes it worth his while, but seems the margins could potentially be rather thin...
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Like 236 individual sockeye? That's it?
Interesting, I did not know quotas where that low. If he's still going out, the presumably the economies of that scale still makes it worth his while, but seems the margins could potentially be rather thin...
It’s individual transferable quota so one boat can fish for multiple boats quota but yeah area E had a tiny quota.
I tired to buy some off the dock and talked to them, they said they could not sell because they had to validate their catch and also all their catch for these boats was spoken for.
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It’s individual transferable quota so one boat can fish for multiple boats quota but yeah area E had a tiny quota.
I tired to buy some off the dock and talked to them, they said they could not sell because they had to validate their catch and also all their catch for these boats was spoken for.
Been doing this long enough to know it will still make a noticeable window upstream.
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Super slowwwwwwww out there where I was opening day. Super busy! Very few sockeye caught on the bar I was at. Slowest opening day I have ever seen. I been fishing every opening day since the very first opening. Disappointing to say the least. :'(
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Oh, no pinks either?
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Super slowwwwwwww out there where I was opening day. Super busy! Very few sockeye caught on the bar I was at. Slowest opening day I have ever seen. I been fishing every opening day since the very first opening. Disappointing to say the least. :'(
was opposite for me, saw everyone limit out fast, I got 2 sockeye and 1 pink in less than 1.5 hours (some got their limit in half n hour)
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Seems like it was good from videos I’ve seen on socials
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was opposite for me, saw everyone limit out fast, I got 2 sockeye and 1 pink in less than 1.5 hours (some got their limit in half n hour)
Getting your two sockeye in 1.5 hours isn't exactly on fire. But I certainly wouldn't complain. Limiting out in half an hour is pretty good though. But in years past (2018 was the last time I fished for sockeye) I've caught my two fish in three casts, while my buddy caught his two fish in two casts the next day. Now that's on fire! ;D
My buddies went out today and it was slow overall for them and everyone else on the bar. I guess it just depends on where you are and timing. Seems like things have changed and runs we used to hit in years past are no longer accessible. However, they all had a very enjoyable day. It's not all about harvesting your fish.
Turns out I will miss the entire opening as my wife and I will be going back east to move our daughter into university - she's going to Queens! I can't believe I'm now old enough to have a kid in university! We will be returning on September 1 which happens to be the last day of the opening.
I hope you all get a chance to get out and enjoy the opportunity. Good luck and enjoy the sun! Please remember to put away the flossing gear when it's over. LOL.
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Hit and miss for sure. Success depended on what area of the river you were on. Saw a piece on Global news tonight about the sockeye opening on the Fraser and they showed very slow fishing at the Mission bridge. People there don’t fish there for sockeye as they were spin casting for Pinks. Lol
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The bar I fished was good as a lot of people getting there limit in the morning .
The gentleman beside me got his limit and I was able to get one as well .
The Global news report wasnt at a bar that was producing fish and the report even quoted erroneously that the Fraser was open
from ' Mission to Hope ' .
Still more than a week to go
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Seems like it was good from videos I’ve seen on socials
Probably good in some places; timing is everything.
That said, have you ever heard of anyone posting about their failures on any major social media platforms? It's all about showing off how great they are.
I read this on a T-shirt long ago: "I hope your real life is at least half as good as it looks on Facebook."😅
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1.3 million sockeye past mission hydro acoustic counting station last three days.
https://www.psc.org/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php?juwpfisadmin=false&action=wpfd&task=file.download&wpfd_category_id=130&wpfd_file_id=11863&token=&preview=1
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Sockeye fishing has picked up significantly the last couple of days. Even caught a pink up in the Hope area today. A first for me fishing for Sockeye. I did not know they travelled as far as Hope. Every Sockeye opening has happened on even number years coinciding with the 4 yr cycle years if my memory serves me correctly. So no pinks were present during those sockeye openings. This is a very rare occurrence to have an Fraser river recreational opening with both Pinks and Sockeyes having banner years. Who would have ever thought that possible. Get out there and enjoy the bounty.
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Even caught a pink up in the Hope area today. A first for me fishing for Sockeye. I did not know they travelled as far as Hope.
DFO has opened up or will be opening up fishing for and keeping pinks in the Thompson, Quesnel and Nechacko rivers. They travel a long ways up the Fraser to multiple tributaries.
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Thank you for the info. It’s no wonder now why the Pink I caught was chrome and in peak shape!