Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum
Fishing in British Columbia => Fishing-related Issues & News => Topic started by: penn on April 28, 2009, 10:11:15 AM
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Went out on Sunday afternoon . Fished in the peach area . Not much happening , very few guys fishing. No problem though water condition was improving so I thought I'd stay awhile and work the runs .
Then up the river comes a full sized inboard jet boat powering it's way up the river full throttle , zig-zagging through all the holes ! Goes way upriver past me . Well so much for working the runs after that A-hole scared off every fish in the system . So I start going downstream to see if things have settled down below me , but nothing anywhere . Then after a while I go back upstream , I see said A-hole in the jetboat flying full throttle back down again ! So I give up on the area and hike way upstream . ( This was a big Fraser river style v-8 boat 18-19 footer with about 5 passegers inside) I fish up there for awhile and then return later to see if it's settled down .
Well wouldn't you know it , as I'm waking back down , a second jetboat comes up the river , although this one smaller with only a 25hp outboard jet and just one guy in it . ::) , So anyway I continue hiking back down to my origanal area , When I see A-hole # 1 come flying back up the river again , full throttle again of course too ! >:(
So as I arrive back where I started out I'm thinking , when he returns I'll try and see If I can get his boat # , and report him to DFO the next day , and discuss with them if this is ok powering up and down the Chilliwack river with big jet boats . But he's gone a long time upstream and fishing at this point seems futile so I did go home before the idiot returned .
So any one here know if there is no restictions on boating in the chilliwack river? It would seem to me to be totally inappropriate and very distruptive to all the runs. This is the second time I've seen a jet boat up there . Last time was a number of years ago . This time two boats and atleast two passes at full throttle for the one boat. If this is not illegal IMO , it should be . It may be a case of no rules yet because until now it's not been a problem . But if this became a trend I can't see dfo not putting the stop to it.
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So anyway i phoned the DFO and got the run around . Call transport Canada , call the RCMP , no speed restiction on the Chilliwack as far as they know so it's okay with them. ::) No one cares apparently.
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that's what jet boat's are for.
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LoL, There's a reason they are full throttle also..
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Penn,
Next time take advantage of the situation. Hammer the hole the sled just went through, you'll be surprised. I've hooked fish many times after a sled runs through the hole. Gets the buggers moving and they will bite! On another note, ever try throwing rocks in a hole that you know has fish in it but they won't bite. This works too. Trust me, give it a try but I wouldn't recommend it on a hole with other people in it. Just my two cents.
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When I guided on the Skagit years ago we always would, after no action on a couple good drifts run our boats right up the middle of the hole,,,,,,it would turn on ANY fish laying quietly and the BITE was on. Have done this MANY times , but we'd NEVER pull this when it effected shore fisherman.
Now as far as ROCKING a hole its highly illegal south of the border,,,,,,,,but DAM it also works too. You are not allowed , as its written " to molest fish with thrown or a protruding object" what ever that means.
Most jet owners are highly respectfun of everyone but as always a FEW make us All look bad and that burns my butt. Now a V8 inboard is BS in the Chill/Vedd.
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I wish i had a jet boat to run up the vedder :'(
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Why is it a bad thing stirring up fish? You probably missed out on some good fishing by walking away. The rock trick also works amazing over hunkered down fish. I love when Jets fly past me on the Stamp
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I was fishing the bucket (on the stamp) once...8 guys within 200 feet of eachother and 0 fish for 45-60 minutes. Jet boat goes screaming by and 5 fish got hooked in 15-20 imuntes.
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The first time I saw one going up the river I was in water up to my waist. Like an idiot I just stood there watching it go by. Suprise it sends out 1 to 1 1/2 foot waves. Could not move to fast so got water over the top of my waders. Its a cold way to learn your lesson.
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I don't know how familar anyone is with the Bow River in Alberta but I was on it one day in my 17.6' northriver and saw a 22' Thunderjet turn out of the Bow River and go up the Highwood River at full throttle. What was remarkable about that was the size of the boat and that the Highwood is only about a third of the width of the Vedder. I have been on skinny water in my boat but I would guess that boat was over twice as long as that river is wide for most of the first three miles he travelled upstream.
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I don't see any problem jet boating the vedder as long as angling pressure is light and the water is up. I had my 20 footer up past vedder crossing 2 years ago about this time of year when angling pressure was minimal. Also like others said it doesn't put fish off the bite for long and it can stir up stale fish. My home river is the skagit, we use a technique called sidedrifting to catch steelhead it invloves running the boat upstream, drifting down with the kicker and drifting bait, pink worms, ect. Many times we have fish bite right under the boat with the kicker runnng... So don't be too worried about the boat spooking the fish, give it 2-4 minutes two settle down, then start casting again.
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Running a Jet boat on the Vedder/Chilliwack is perfectly legal along with most rivers in the lowermainland. With saying this, most people respect the fishermen on the river and dont bother until the river is closed to fishing in June.
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it's very honourable that you care penn but as you have found out, you are the only one disturbed by the matter so let it rest. :)
Why??
That is the problem with people and society nowadays, they let too much 'rest' . he should pursue this and ignore the people that try to prevent him. Change starts one person at a time, keep at it.
I am surprised boats are allowed on the Chilliwack at all, they should not be,
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The vedder/chilliwack is a river for all to use. becareful what you wish for.
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There are times and places on the Fraser and Harrison where a boat has to pass a little closer to the shore fishers in order to be in safe water. Unless the water is shallow enough to ripple over the rocks, it's impossible to tell the depth of the Fraser from shore. I've passed sections near Peg where MOST of the channel is less than 3 feet deep and the only safe water was within casting distance of those on shore.
Also, with respect to speed, if a boat goes slower, it sits lower in the water and makes a bigger wake. Unlike lake or ocean water which has relatively no current, heading upstream against a current requires some speed just to 'stand still' relative to the shore. A wake is created even when we don't make any headway. Unlike those casting betty's at us, we're not out to purposely disturb those on shore - we're trying to move from A to B as safely as we can.
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What would happen if a kayaker was hard to see coming down the kayak run? I guess it would be sorry didn't see him. But I was allowed to be there. Something just doesn't seem right about a jet boat going up and down that river. But I geuss if it is legal it is okay. Maybe you should have races see how many can get up and down at one time. Do you think I could get my ski boat and attempt to waterskii? Cultus can get awfully busy.
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If they buzz all the way up the upper Pitt, what is wrong with the vedder.
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Niether river should have jetboats on them.It saddens me to see the prolific increase in jetboat traffic on our local rivers.Many jet boat operators do not care for the enviroment they impede upon.I'm afraid it's only going to get worse on our local rivers untill something is done.
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If you wade a river you may crush eggs...........better to travel by boat.
all I hear is "I dont have a jetboat ,and I dont want you to use the river."
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If you wade a river you may crush eggs...........better to travel by boat.
all I hear is "I dont have a jetboat ,and I dont want you to use the river."
That's right just a bunch of crybabies we've heard it all before. ::)
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I welcome others to use the rivers,but not in a jetboat.To many irresponsible and inexperienced jetters out here wrecking havoc on our local flows ,which im afraid is getting worse each and every year.I choose not to own a jet,not because of financial reasons but because of enviromental concerns with the state of our local rivers.The Upper Pitt is a perfect example of this and now the vedder is starting to get ripped up by the jets,it really saddens me to no end ,to have such negativity thrown my way over my reasoning behind my opionon,a crybaby? We are blessed to live in such a great place and to fight over our dwindling fisheries and destruction of habitat,when we need to come together and try to save what we have left.
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Davis, could you enlighten me by telling me exactly how my jetboat rips up a river. I have had my jetboat for five years and I don't ever recall ripping anything up. If you are implying that my boat wake is eroding the river banks then you have got to be kidding. You must realize that constant flow of water has a far greater impact on the erossion of river beds and banks. It is a river after all and the channels are constantly migrating, to migrate they have to erode the banks and shift the river bed. So unless I'm missing something what exactly is a jetboat boat doing?
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Niether river should have jetboats on them.It saddens me to see the prolific increase in jetboat traffic on our local rivers.Many jet boat operators do not care for the enviroment they impede upon.I'm afraid it's only going to get worse on our local rivers untill something is done.
Operating a watercraft on a navigable waterway should never be a problem. What's next? No boats on the Fraser?
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Yeah, thats a tough call, at what point does it become unacceptable to go up a river by boat, should it be volume of water, maybe the width, maybe the amount of traffic/boats on the river, how many are fishing from shore. Having a boat does not give an inherent right to go where ever you please, but neither does fishing from shore give you the right to do so undisturbed by a boat. Any one with a small craft can tell you what a MAJOR PIA it is when all the drunks are out skiing when you are trying to fish (Kawkawa Lake) Tough call. My self, I dont see the point of going up this river, when it is perfectly accessable from the bank, other than I should be able to, so I will, because I can attitude
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I guess because of the Navigable Waters Act, some feel it is there god given right to scream up the river because they can!This is a controversal topic to say the least,and stirs up alot of emotion.I think running a jet on the Fraser is fine ,it is a large enough river to handle the traffic and one has enough room to steer clear of the shore anglers.Smaller rivers such as the Upper Pit and Vedder to name a few in our local area,in my opinion cannot handle jet boat traffic,inexperinced people crashing thier boats and polluting the waterways,reckless behavior,disturbing shore anglers etc.Lets keep our smaller rivers jetboat free,if you want to use a boat on them, try a raft,a nice silent,peaceful way to fish the flow.I.m sure there are many who disagree (jetboat owners) with my opinion on this topic.But hey that what this forum is all about discussing the topics.Thank you
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So Davis, what your saying is a jet boat doesn't have an environmental impact on a river, they are not ripping them up or destroying habitat? It is just about jet boats disturbing shore anglers on smaller flows that you don't like. I agree at the second a boat passes a shore angler they have had an impact on their fishing but as many have already stated stirring up a pool can have a positive effect on the fish.
I personally don't have an issue with people using their boats in the Vedder because most fisherman are on the shore. You don't need to be in the water to fish the Vedder so aside from the instant a boat passes is shouldn't be a big deal other then the boat could pull out at the next hole that the shore fisherman had intended to walk to which if you think about it is no different then a guy on a raft who could beat a shore fisherman to the next hole. I think it is tougher using my jet on the Bulkley because all of the fisherman are in the water and in some of the narrow channels it can be tough working around the fisherman as you navigate the flow. I still don't think it is an unsafe situation and I have never felt like I almost ran into a fisherman.
I can't comment on what impact a jet boat has on the fishing on the Vedder because I have never seen a jet boat on the Vedder but I like many others have previously said it definately does not effect the fishing on the Bulkley in fact I know on several occassions it has moved fish out of the middle of the river into slots I could cast to and caught them.
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I've heard the 'jet boats cause erosion' argument and that is totally bogus running the pitt or vedder in May, June or Jully, might be noisy but isn't going to have any more enviromental impact than anyone else on the river. The only time I can see a jet boat being an enviromental issue is when rivers are dead low and fsh are spawning. That would be September on the Pitt and late fall on the vedder. Neither one of these are navigable during really low water, so not really a problem.
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Very noisy indeed,disturbing the tranquility of the moment,casting for fish and having a jet roar by at top speed on the vedder or upper pit.I have seen jets this past winter on the vedder under very low water conditions ripping up the canal.Believe me its happening and will only get worse.I don't know anything about the Bulkley,have never been there, so i won't comment on that river.There is a time and place for jets but not on the vedder or upper pitt in my opinion.Thats all i have to say on this topic and won't repeat my personal views on this thread, you all know where i stand and no amount of dialogue will convince me otherwise! Over and out.
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Davis, you should run for politics. You are very good at dancing around a direct question. I have continued to push you on the subject because I have had to listen to countless driftboat fisherman and shore fisherman about how my wake is destroying the river banks and I should not be allowed to use it. It is a ridiculous agrument to assume a jet boat is creating erossion on a river when the river is in a state of constant erossion. I don't want your intentional lack of not responding to a direct question on the subject to be interpreted as anything other then you can't respond to the question because you know it to be true, a jet boat has no material environmental impact on river bank and river bed erossion.
Like jetboat jim stated all I hear is you can use that thing to get from pool to pool quicker then I can so I don't want you using it. Which in my opinion is not a good enough reason to ban boats from any flow. The reality is most jetboat owners are not using their boats to race shore bound anglers to easily accessible pools they are typically going to locations that foot trafic can't get to. Most jetboats don't race driftboats and rafts downstream either. Why would I when I am waiting at a launch listening to the drift boats complain I usually ask which way are you going downstream or upstream. Cause I'm going upstream so I can fish my way back downstream and avoid all of the traffic and fish in total solitude for the day. It is the best reason for owning a jet boat, I don't have to compete with the floatila of boats going downstream and I can very quickly get away from the shore bound anglers who don't typically walk very far from the access points.
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The topic is the Chilliwack River so I 'm not sure why other rivers are being referenced.
The point that is being missed here is that running a jet boat up the Chilliwack is showing disrespect for not only shore fishermen but also for the many people that come to the river to enjoy a nice quiet walk or just to sit and listen to the water flow. Running a jet boat on the Chilliwack is the equivalent of someone running a mufflerless vehicle back and forth in front of someones house. It shows lack of respect.
There is also an argument that jet boats do increase the erosion of the banks of the river. While everyone agrees that erosion is already taking place by the natural flow of the river, no one can argue that a jet boat doesn't increase the erosion.
I have a jet boat and I would never run it up the Chilliwack.
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It's interesting to hear all of the talk about jet boats tearing up the river. I haven't heard people complaining about the destruction taking place when they mine the river every second year.
It's just the opposite, people are talking about the great holes created that hold large numbers of coho. Gravel mining is far more destructive than the occasional jet boat.
Jet boats have been running the river the last few years mainly during spring freshet, at a time when the river is closed to angling. It's a time when one can walk the rotary trail and possibly
have the opportunity to see one crash into the Dyke.. Two have done so already $$$$$$$$$$.
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I'm not a huge fan of jetboats on the chilliwack, but as long as there aren't way too many of them and the people using them are respectful it's not that big of a deal.
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Alwaysfishin who cares if a jet boat wake splashes up onto a river bank and maybe moves some loose fine sediment or shifts a rock when the river flow is going to completely shift the bank anyway. I don't think this has any bearing on whether a jet should be allowed on the Vedder. If you are going to suggest that jet boats are noisy and therefore they should not be allowed on the river then why should they be allowed on any river. I would never run my jet up the Vedder either because it is a river I prefer to walk but I will defend anyones right to run the river if they want. As it was mentioned earlier be careful what you wish for because if this did get any momentum you might be trying to prevent the closure of jets on the flows you do use your boat on.
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It's about respecting the resource and other peoples right to enjoy it.
I would suggest that the only people jetting up the vedder are individuals who haven't considered how intrusive their actions are and/or in some cases don't care....
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I hope everyone driving past my house in Yarrow going to the river drives a Hybrid ..... the noise pollution is very intrusive.....
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Thats good Thom ;D LMAO
Were talking about the Vedder guys. MOst heavily fished urban river their is. When you goto the Canadian Tire of
Rivers you gotta expect this people.
Jet boats have no effect on this fishery at all.
Enough said.
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It's always going to be a problem when people pursuing different activities are on the same patch. Just keep it respectfull is all we can ask because we all have a right to be there I assume.
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Three pages worth of discussion, but are jetboats on the vedder really a big problem? I am on the vedder a lot as i live five minutes away. Not just fishing but also going for walks with my kids or dog, etc. I can say i have only seen a hand full of jets on the river and all but once have been in may or june. I have never had one pass me by as i fished. I did hear of a couple in the canal around februaryish but i would hardly say that would consitute being a problem. As with anything, it all comes down to being respectful and responsible and everyonce in a while one or a couple of idiots do something that gives a bad taste in some peoples mouths, but that one or a couple of people hardly reflect the actions of everyone.
Today, while driving over the keith wilson bridge, i did see to guys on jet skis in the canal. I can say thats a first as far as i have seen before lol