Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum

Fishing in British Columbia => Fishing Reports => Members' Fishing Reports => Topic started by: habzrule on October 12, 2004, 04:16:53 PM

Title: Capilano River Oct 12
Post by: habzrule on October 12, 2004, 04:16:53 PM
Too sick to work today, but not to go fishing   ;D
Lots of Coho's being caught at the Capilano today.  Passed a guy walking back on my way down who informed me everyone had limited out.  Pretty crowded for a weekday.  I tried spinners, spoons, and a rig I have with pink wool and some attractors, but had only one bite.  The only way I was catching anything on that rig waqs if the fish swallowed it whole. Guys across hooked a few and landed 1.  I  saw my first boot up close and personal...jumped out of the water about 10 feet in front of me and it  was a nasty dark-brownish color.  Walking back I could see 2 guys down below cleaning fish, and a third guy slipping around on the rocks fighting something huge...had to stop to watch.  He got it within about 5 feet of shore and I think it broke off...can't say from where I was exactly how big it was but I saw a huge flash of silver...looked over 25 pounds...?  Do Coho get that big?  Are there other types of Salmon in the Cap?  All in all it looks like there are a ton of fish moving up the Slapilano.  Skunked again   :-\
Title: Re: Capilano River Oct 12
Post by: Fish Assassin on October 12, 2004, 04:21:22 PM
You're probably looking at a white spring
Title: Re: Capilano River Oct 12
Post by: Koho on October 12, 2004, 04:24:36 PM
Yup, could've been a chinook.  I visited the hatchery over the weekend with my kids and saw a couple of them in the fish ladder.
Title: Re: Capilano River Oct 12
Post by: Athezone on October 12, 2004, 04:32:22 PM
Hi there habzrule. Like FA said it was for sure a white spring and are you absolutely certain those people are catching ho's because with the Vedder blown out a bit on the weekend I fished the Cap twice and there are lot's of jack spings in the river. I'm not saying that those fish you saw are'nt coho because there are a few in but in my opinion not in very big numbers. On the weekend myself and a friend went twice and caught a couple jacks and hooked in to one big spring and that was it. Did'nt see any coho caught or chasing our Blue Foxes or our wool and of the fish we caught, they were safely released.
Title: Re: Capilano River Oct 12
Post by: Steeler2000 on October 12, 2004, 04:53:12 PM
Must have been that fatty you had before you got there ::) Just kiddin .......   ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: Capilano River Oct 12
Post by: aquaboy24 on October 12, 2004, 05:09:04 PM
Just back from 2 days of fishing the cap straight, and yes...it is full of springs right now....but you can't retain them until the 16th....so no keepies!

The pool I have been fishing has been pretty much 1 coho for every 5 fish hooked into. That being said....yesterday afternoon, I pulled 4 straight out in 15 minutes.....so now the freezer is full of cap coho. 1 doe, 3 bucks, the biggest being 10 lbs. Beauty fish.

It has been a good few days, but I was sad to see that word obviously moved down river that the fish are up high, because the local snaggers and draggers from the C.R. were in full force. Tearing large goudges into chinook that they seemed to have very little ability in actually landing. - weak

today, it was a bit slower on my favourite pool for me, but there were 2 guys just nailing them with pink wool.

all in all....a good few days...I wonder how much longer we will be seeing coho in the cap for the season....
Title: Re: Capilano River Oct 12
Post by: aquaboy24 on October 12, 2004, 05:15:34 PM
oh yeah...forgot to mention..the only hook up I had today (only fished for 1.5 hours)...put on a nice little fight...as I got it closer to shore, I saw the tell tail signs...but I couldn't believe it.....

so..I played it a bit, and brought it in...

now....I used to work at the hatchery....I have been on the cap my whole life....I know my way around ID'ing fish.....but I have to tell you, I sure was suprised to pull a female CHUM out of the Capilano.....

poor girl..she is probably frantically looking for a man.....
Title: Re: Capilano River Oct 12
Post by: aquaboy24 on October 12, 2004, 05:53:23 PM
50lbs..thats insanity...for the cap that is....there aren't that many hiding places on that river for a fish that size
Title: Re: Capilano River Oct 12
Post by: habzrule on October 12, 2004, 05:57:35 PM
The guy I spoke with first told me they had limited out on Coho's, but as for the fish being caught when I got there, I couldn't say, was across the pool.  So that huge thing was a Spring?  Now I know...It looked like a monster...I think 25lb is a conservative guess, I was way up onthe bridge and assumed my eyes were playing tricks on me (hehe shaddup Steeler  ;D   )
It must be impossible to land a huge spring with that current on 12lb test...
Title: Re: Capilano River Oct 12
Post by: aquaboy24 on October 12, 2004, 07:39:00 PM
from a distance...look for the big black spots, thicker tail, and the appearance of a grey or black on fish.

Coho usually look like copper or rainbow from a distance I find....but thats just me, and I am speaking  only from a DISTANCE.
Title: Re: Capilano River Oct 12
Post by: Gooey on October 12, 2004, 07:40:06 PM
I snorkelled the cable pool before this last stint of high water and I GAURANTEE that there are a lot of springs in the river then; the biggest one I saw was a solid 25 so I am quite confident what you saw was a spring.  

In terms of weird fish sitings, last year I saw 3 socs milling about with the coho boots in early november.  Wouldnt that be grand... enough flosser/ snaggers on the cap right now...imagine if those sockeye spawned succesfully!
Title: Re: Capilano River Oct 12
Post by: Fish Assassin on October 12, 2004, 08:50:34 PM
Reminder to everyone that the bait ban is still on
Title: Re: Capilano River Oct 12
Post by: Athezone on October 12, 2004, 08:53:39 PM
You've got that right Gooey, it would be an ugly thing to behold on such a beautiful little river. And 50Lbs for a spring on the Cap. Man what a hogasaurus and I would'nt doubt it either as I've hooked a couple huge heart-beaters there but alas, lost them both.
Title: Re: Capilano River Oct 12
Post by: Rodney on October 12, 2004, 09:14:18 PM
hogasaurus.... ;D :o

Ugh... After observing the river cam for two days I knew today was the day... but noo... I had to sleep in so I would retain my young look..... ::)
Title: Re: Capilano River Oct 12
Post by: aquaboy24 on October 13, 2004, 11:04:00 AM
best part of yesterday for me was watching a dude who had mouth caught a chinook..and was fighting it hard on light tackle.....leaning way into...his line snapped, and he, and about 3 other guys went down like dominos....
Title: Re: Capilano River Oct 12
Post by: Fish Assassin on October 13, 2004, 09:03:50 PM
What have you been smoking CF ? 70 lbs ? Cap ? ;)
Title: Re: Capilano River Oct 12
Post by: Robert on October 13, 2004, 09:40:23 PM
  Yeah, there are some big springs in the cap right now;D.  On sunday October 10, 2004 I caught a spring that was approximately over 30 pounds.  I released the spring since you cannot keep any yet.  You can start retaining springs on october 16th and the bait ban is still in-effect until the 31st of october.
Title: Re: Capilano River Oct 12
Post by: Fish Assassin on October 13, 2004, 09:49:21 PM
Did you catch it on a spoon Robert ?
Title: Re: Capilano River Oct 12
Post by: aquaboy24 on October 14, 2004, 11:28:33 AM
So...CF..how long do the Cap coho stay int he system? Will there be as many fish as last Sunday around for a while, or is it fast?
Title: Re: Capilano River Oct 12
Post by: FISHIN MAGICIAN on October 14, 2004, 12:46:59 PM
YOU GUYS GOTTA GET A REALITY CHECK!  >:(

The largest fish that was hauled in off the mouth of the Cap this year went 55lbs--by a boat. That is DEAD, BONKED, and put on a real scale not some Canadian Tire Spring Scale that should be used for weighing some dinky rainbows!

I also know of 1 other spring confirmed over 50 lbs snagged in the estuary pool, where all the snaggers are busy doing their thing.

As for how many there are there, likely there are less than half a dozen, and many of those are sure to be hooked. TO MY KNOWLEDGE, after talking to ALL of the professional guides in the lower mainland recently this FALL, and in the last few years, the biggest was a 61lber caught again...IN THE OCEAN.

HEY FOLKS...IF YOU SEE SOMEONE CATCH SOMETHING OVER YOU SAY 60'bs, the GIRTH OF THAT BABY MUST BE OVER 30 inches or it must be as long as a U BOAT SINKING TORPEDO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So....JUST TO SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT...unless you have PICTURE PROOF...those of us in the know seriously doubt your claims about fish over 60, and those we hear about over 50 this low on the coast are sincerely questioned!

Anyways, FISH STORIES certainly are fun!!!!!! ;D
Title: Re: Capilano River Oct 12
Post by: norm_2 on October 14, 2004, 04:52:38 PM
CF: interesting comments on them tagging fish.  Do you remember what were the water conditions when they did it?  I assume the water level must have been average to high???  Thanks.
Title: Re: Capilano River Oct 12
Post by: habzrule on October 14, 2004, 05:01:33 PM
question about the Cap for you guys who know it...I believe the Train bridge is the boundary at the mouth between tidal and non-tidal.  Why is it I have never seen anyone fishing on the freshwater side of the train bridge...I mean of all the many times I fished the Cap river mouth this year I never once saw anyone on the freshwater side...
As far as I knew there was only 1 no fish zone and that was from the fish fenec down for 100 meters.
Title: Re: Capilano River Oct 12
Post by: ~IvAn~ on October 14, 2004, 05:13:30 PM
Thats because its a "native reserve" area..... ::)
Title: Re: Capilano River Oct 12
Post by: Shane on October 14, 2004, 05:50:00 PM
That is correct...
Title: Re: Capilano River Oct 12
Post by: habzrule on October 14, 2004, 06:52:40 PM
ah ok...how far does that area run to...the Highway #1 bridge?
Title: Re: Capilano River Oct 12
Post by: ~IvAn~ on October 14, 2004, 07:36:27 PM
Marine Dr. bridge down to the cpr bridge. Theres also signs there telling you to keep off their land... :)
Title: Re: Capilano River Oct 12
Post by: habzrule on October 14, 2004, 07:42:01 PM
gotcha, thanks!