Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum
Fishing in British Columbia => General Discussion => Topic started by: nevertoolate on June 25, 2015, 10:39:46 AM
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Did anyone see Stephen Hume's article in the Sun today? Crisis situation on Vancouver Island. Need to shut it down.
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Very scary indeed. http://www.vancouversun.com/technology/Stephen+Hume+anglers+from+drought+stressed+streams+groups+urge/11163835/story.html (http://www.vancouversun.com/technology/Stephen+Hume+anglers+from+drought+stressed+streams+groups+urge/11163835/story.html)
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And this from yesterday. http://www.vancouversun.com/opinion/columnists/Stephen+Hume+Drought+conditions+threaten+fish+habitat/11160839/story.html (http://www.vancouversun.com/opinion/columnists/Stephen+Hume+Drought+conditions+threaten+fish+habitat/11160839/story.html)
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Good reporting by Hume. Conditions won't be as bad on the Chilliwack as the Cowichan, but still, there will be major repercussions for in stream rearing coho, steelhead, char, resident trout and whitefish from this low water year on the C-V. Off channel habitat is already drying up, losing salmonid rearing area and making these fish more available to predators.
I also fear an angling orgy, if by mid to late July all the summer reds are in just a few deep spots, and worse ... if water levels are even lower, as predicted, the pink slaughter come September.
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I am voluntarily not fishing until the river levels in much better shape. As fishing would be much easier with less water to cover, we have to ask ourselves, is it fair fishing? Do the fish have a fair chance of eluding anglers? Great article and spot on. Good issue to bring up with our fishing community. It's too bad, I was looking forward to the pinks season, but there's hope yet for more rain.
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imagine how bad it could be if first nations are given rights to net the C/V again as well.
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imagine how bad it could be if first nations are given rights to net the C/V again as well.
That's not likely to happen this summer as Chilliwack Lake sockeye are in the low year of their cycle.
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http://www-ops2.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fns-sap/index-eng.cfm?pg=view_notice&DOC_ID=172554&ID=all
It is starting
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People should voluntarily not fish rivers/streams when water is so low like that.
I would not count on BC not real Libs closing it down, they do not care. Heck they did nothing about the bucket brigade stocking bass illegally on the coast. They could of put a bounty and a NBL on them but did not.
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Even with this weather, the Skagit will still freeze your joints if you try standing in it without waders of some sort. I think we're ok to fish this river come July.
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Some rivers should be closed and anglers should refrain from angling if they are not - at least until water temperatures get below 20 degrees. Watch for forest closures this year which will make river closures moot. At least on the Island there is an abundance of opportunities off the beaches and from boats in the saltwater.
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Even with this weather, the Skagit will still freeze your joints if you try standing in it without waders of some sort. I think we're ok to fish this river come July.
I don't think it's streams like the Skagit that people are worried about, as most of the fish in that river are residents. The concern lies more with the flows with heavy anadromous fish populations, as the low water and high temperatures will put a ton of stress on these migrating fish, not to mention it's impossible for them to even enter some rivers when the water levels are this low.
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Good reporting by Hume. Conditions won't be as bad on the Chilliwack as the Cowichan, but still, there will be major repercussions for in stream rearing coho, steelhead, char, resident trout and whitefish from this low water year on the C-V. Off channel habitat is already drying up, losing salmonid rearing area and making these fish more available to predators.
I also fear an angling orgy, if by mid to late July all the summer reds are in just a few deep spots, and worse ... if water levels are even lower, as predicted, the pink slaughter come September.
Seeing fry stranded in some back waters should volunteers taking it to task to get them to the main stem as I am sure FOC will not. I imagine a permit would be needed. I know the FVSS did this a few years ago.
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I don't think it's streams like the Skagit that people are worried about, as most of the fish in that river are residents. The concern lies more with the flows with heavy anadromous fish populations, as the low water and high temperatures will put a ton of stress on these migrating fish, not to mention it's impossible for them to even enter some rivers when the water levels are this low.
The greater immediate risk is not the migrating salmon that are still a month or two away, but rather the chinook and coho parr from the past several brood years (in addition to the resident trout) that are in danger of being boiled alive in shrinking pools of water.
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I stopped fishing the Island rivers by mid May. I don't want to target fish that are just trying to survive. Everything is a month early and we are now into August temperatures. It can only get worse because there is no end in sight for low, warm water conditions. I've personally checked out the Cowichan, the Nitinat, the San Juan, Harris Creek, Lens Creek, the Chemainus, the Sooke, the Gordon River and all the creeks that enter Cowichan Lake and Nitinat Lake. I've got first hand reports on all the rivers entering Alberni Canal. The Stamp is so low and warm that the sockeye are not going upstream. They are just trying to survive (despite the First Nations and commercial netting) in the colder water of the canal. The Gordon River has gone underground in a few places and there is no running water. You could jump across what flowing water there is on the Chemainus and not get your feet wet. There was a "bit" of water in the north island streams in May, but now they are too low to fish. I'm really worried about the salmon runs.
Most of it can be blamed on logging practises that took off all the mature trees. With no snow pack there are no big tree root systems to hold any water in the hills. It could have been prevented had we dammed up the little mountain creeks to hold back the water, but nobody had any foresight to do that. It just followed our government's continual program of rape and run. They have been talking about raising the weir on Cowichan Lake for at least 30 years now and nothing was ever done. A handful of summer residents didn't want their beaches to disappear.
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Immediate closure for salmon fishing in the Stamp, Sproat and the rest of Somass came in effect today.
http://www-ops2.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fns-sap/index-eng.cfm?pg=view_notice&DOC_ID=172584&ID=all
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Seeing fry stranded in some back waters should volunteers taking it to task to get them to the main stem as I am sure FOC will not. I imagine a permit would be needed. I know the FVSS did this a few years ago.
Was told by a retired FOC person today not a good idea as going from a warm backwater to the mainstream which is cooler, means certain death too.
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http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/sport-fishing-ban-urged-by-conservationists-as-temperature-in-b-c-rivers-rise-1.3134240
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--Ban should be for all C&R fisheries or where there is high probability of catching non target fish that are required to be released when temps exceed .... whatever is deemed appropriate as a cut off.
--New regs this year for kettle river where date was set when lethal C&R temps and water flows... nothing stoping an in season closure once these thresholds are met... would hope that in years where adequate flow and temp that the chose date would also be extended when appropriate.
--We don't need regs if we are given the criteria... most won't fish... the same people that most often follow the rules.
--Our fishing club does not fish local trophy lakes when temps rise even though there is no regulation that requires it.
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Southern Vancouver Island streams will be closed to all fishing starting tomorrow until September 30th.
http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/fw/fish/regulations/changes/1517/region1.html
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Good for the province!
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Was told by a retired FOC person today not a good idea as going from a warm backwater to the mainstream which is cooler, means certain death too.
What about pools left over that have fry in them? On a Squamish trib about a month ago there were numerous pools with tons of fry in them leading to a certain death anyways. Maybe acclimatizing them slowly into the mainstem like when we bring fish from a pet store home? I didn't move the fish but still feel that I should have tried something.
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What about pools left over that have fry in them? On a Squamish trib about a month ago there were numerous pools with tons of fry in them leading to a certain death anyways. Maybe acclimatizing them slowly into the mainstem like when we bring fish from a pet store home? I didn't move the fish but still feel that I should have tried something.
It's tough to see stranded fry or parr, and it's human nature to try to help. Perhaps if a minimum stress method of capturing these fish was used it would be good, but short of digging a trench so the fish could move out voluntarily, I don't know how that could be done. Chasing them around in shallow, warm water with a dip net or small seine would most likely be counterproductive, imo.
As DFO's Matt Foy,the guru of habitat restoration on coastal rivers said ... some years they make it, some years they don't. The best overall plan is gated, controlled flows in off channel areas, and thankfully there are several of those on the Chilliwack.
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Thanks for the response. Usually I wouldn't think twice about the stranded fry but knowing this year is going to be so dry I was worried. Thankfully the trib I was wandering around does have side channels and a whole wack of recent restoration work. I'll take comfort that the birds will have a good meal ;D
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http://www2.news.gov.bc.ca/news_releases_2013-2017/2015FLNR0158-001012.htm
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Hopefully they shut down most if not all of the local streams/rivers asap. I've seen tributaries dry that i have never seen dried out before. :'(
On the plus side - despite the heat - some of the local lakes are fishing amazingly well (best i've seen it in ages, despite the heat :-X ).
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The fish will be in pools this year so, yes they will hold up tgere, and yes I will be the first to freak on anyone bottom snagging, long leadering , it's up to us to police these spots from this behavior, don't get into a fight just point out these fish bite and any undue stress this year is unacceptable, sockeye and springs will be in same pools
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a question for you respected old timers. is this something you have seen before? i hope this is not the new normal for our southern coast.
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In 2006 we witnessed a similar very low water year. By early September the Fraser River had 10 feet of visibilty and to tell you the truth the Chinook fishing was beyond excellent. Anchoring with large spinners was incredible fishing. As a fishing guide who cares deeply about the health of our fisheries, I was very concentrated on strictly catching our limit then stopping fishing, no catch and release. In these years of warm water and concerns with release mortality, anglers should concentrate on fishing with methods that are species selective, and only target Salmon that you are going to keep. For the Fraser River this means use large lures that are specific to Chinook Salmon. get your limit then be done for the day.
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a question for you respected old timers. is this something you have seen before? i hope this is not the new normal for our southern coast.
This old timer has been wandering the C-V for over 55 years ... I have not seen the river this low at this time of year before, and this is the first year there was not a freshet. September will be scary if there is no significant rain.
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The Rain will come, the fish will be fine and the sky is not falling, but we kinda wish it would hey.
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I heard a fellow from this forum on CKWX yesterday commenting on this, they called him an "expert", hope that does not go to his head. ;D ;D ;D
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http://www.news1130.com/2015/07/03/fishermen-facing-problems-on-vancouver-island-and-the-gulf-islands/
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a question for you respected old timers. is this something you have seen before? i hope this is not the new normal for our southern coast.
this combination of little to no snow pack and a drought starting in May or even late April? No. Certainly I can remember low water years that hit streams that don't get water from snow pack. While this is a serious situation there has been a 'the sky is falling' aspect to some things some people have said.