Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum
Fishing in British Columbia => General Discussion => Topic started by: Jk47 on December 17, 2019, 06:20:27 AM
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Any reports on the river conditions boys? Wondering for Friday, but I imagine it's high and muddy with all this rain.
Hey Rodney, just about time to put up that 2020 Chlilliwack Steelhead conditions and updates thread, isn't it?
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Took a look a couple of hours ago and it is fine. Snow level down on the mountains so if it remains cool it should be fishable.
Thanks Chris, I knew I could count on you for a river report 8)Hey Rodney, just about time to put up that 2020 Chlilliwack Steelhead conditions and updates thread, isn't it?
Yup; steelhead time!!
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Just registered both derbies. There is no fish weight in so far. hope the boxing derby is the start.
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There is no fish weight in so far.
Yeah....there should be fish weighed in by now. I hope this isn't a sign of this years steelhead season.
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Yeah....there should be fish weighed in by now. I hope this isn't a sign of this years steelhead season.
Well, Washington just closed the Snohomish and Stillaguamish systems due to a lack of broodstock showing up - looks like a year of poor ocean survival at least down south. Granted those are the same inbred hatchery stock that have been used for over 100 years, so their life history and ocean survival may be totally different from the Vedder fish bred from wild stock.
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Well, Washington just closed the Snohomish and Stillaguamish systems due to a lack of broodstock showing up - looks like a year of poor ocean survival at least down south.
Ouch, thats not good.
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I believe chum and steelhead have a big north offshore distribution way up in the gulf of Alaska. Chum was a bad return but who knows always room to be optimistic. Altho the steelhead returning this year would of spend more time in fresh water before they headed to the ocean then Chum so perhaps they will have better survival.
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Bearing mind the skeena steelhead has a bad return this year.
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Bearing mind the skeena steelhead has a bad return this year.
...and the island all shut down... it's not looking good so far, is it? That being said I wanted to ask if anyone remembers a post in which perhaps it was Dave( or Ralph I dont know) - but I seem to remember someone saying they thought for whatever reason -historically- years with poor chum returns correlated to higher steelhead returns that year...? Just being hopeful maybe
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Curious how does diet of steelhead vary compared to pinks and chum. If its similar, then steelhead will also be competing directly for food with billions and billions of pink and chum fry from salmon ranching in Alaska and japan.
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...and the island all shut down... it's not looking good so far, is it?
Island shut down? Can you elaborate please.
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Well, Washington just closed the Snohomish and Stillaguamish systems due to a lack of broodstock showing up - looks like a year of poor ocean survival at least down south. Granted those are the same inbred hatchery stock that have been used for over 100 years, so their life history and ocean survival may be totally different from the Vedder fish bred from wild stock.
plus add in just how poor it's been over on the Olympic peninsula for steelhead fishing so far and it appears to be quickly shaping up to be one of the worst seasons ever.
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plus add in just how poor it's been over on the Olympic peninsula for steelhead fishing so far and it appears to be quickly shaping up to be one of the worst seasons ever.
Wow, you made me check - Bogachiel River hatchery counts for winter steelhead for past 4 years in December on approximately the same date:
Dec 12 2016 - 395
Dec 19 2017 - 1,208
Dec 17 2018 - 423
Dec 16 2019 - 176
Possibly the worst ever. Makes me not feel so bad about not being able to pull off a trip over to the Bogachiel this December.
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Possibly the worst ever. Makes me not feel so bad about not being able to pull off a trip over to the Bogachiel this December.
Where is this?
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Island shut down? Can you elaborate please.
I may be wrong I just heard most steelhead runs were closed due to lack of fishp
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Where is this?
Olympic Peninsula, near Forks, WA.
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Olympic Peninsula, near Forks, WA.
Thanx
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.- but I seem to remember someone saying they thought for whatever reason -historically- years with poor chum returns correlated to higher steelhead returns that year...? Just being hopeful maybe
Pink salmon abundance is negatively correlated with steelhead numbers.
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Wow, you made me check - Bogachiel River hatchery counts for winter steelhead for past 4 years in December on approximately the same date:
Dec 12 2016 - 395
Dec 19 2017 - 1,208
Dec 17 2018 - 423
Dec 16 2019 - 176
Possibly the worst ever. Makes me not feel so bad about not being able to pull off a trip over to the Bogachiel this December.
check the numbers at Reiter & the rest of the Snohomish system.
heard there was only 2 fish back so far and that's why they closed it down.
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Not surprised just about every fish that went out to sea in 2016 has returned had a piss poor return. 2017 was the worst return of pinks, then 2019 was the worst return of sockeye and chum. All fish that went out to sea in 2016-2017. The blob hit in 2015 so not surprising. Pinks returned well this year but would of went out to sea in 2018.
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check the numbers at Reiter & the rest of the Snohomish system.
heard there was only 2 fish back so far and that's why they closed it down.
Yep, 2 fish in Reiter Ponds (Skykomish Hatchery), 5 fish at Tokul Creek hatchery, none reported at Wallace river hatchery, so a total of 7 fish in the entire Snohomish system. Whitehorse pond hatchery on the Stillaguamish has 6 fish. Looking at recent past years this is about 10% or less of a normal return. Looks like extremely poor ocean conditions for steelhead across the board. 1% survival? Maybe.
With all the social media I even heard second or third hand of a steelhead caught on the Vedder by now . . . wow.
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I may be wrong I just heard most steelhead runs were closed due to lack of fishp
Island rivers were closed in the summer mainly due to low water (little rainfall in March) in order to protect steelhead in high temp conditions
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With all the social media I even heard second or third hand of a steelhead caught on the Vedder by now . . . wow.
Same have not heard of any caught, usually hear of a few the week or two before boxing day. Altho I will add it seems people on social media are starting to promote the march fishery more. Seen quite a few posts of people replying to comments and saying why go out now and get burnt out when you can go out in late feb and march and have way better chances. "you are just wasting your time if you go out now". Seen lots of those comments
Chilliwack can surprise tho so who knows
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The early fish are what we call lottery fish.
They are few and far between but they are beauties when you do catch one.
Ill take one Chrome early fish over a bunch of late coloured up fish or kelts.
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The early fish are what we call lottery fish.
That's what we call them now. I've been keeping track since I was a teen of what we caught.
In the early 90s we got one before Halloween. Mid/Late November fish were not common but I wouldn't say they were that rare.
From 2000-2010, I remember only 1 fish the entire month of November, and maybe a half dozen before Boxing day that entire decade.
2010-Present...Zero fish before the new year for me and the majority of the fish I've caught have been March/April.
Its been a downward slide for years.
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delete please
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The last time I caught a December fish was 25 yrs ago.
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For local rivers, I used to catch a few fish in the first half of December. Some were really nice fish, thick shouldered. Sometimes, I noticed they had a pink blush on the gill plates, even the does, but glowing chrome bodies. the last fish I caught before Christmas was twenty years ago. ...I have continued to hit a few around the New year, but not nearly as reliably in the last decade. The disappearance of early component sub populations in winter steelhead is fairly well-known. I used to even reliably catch coho at the end of august in a number of rivers and streams, but not for awhile. ....this is not counting known summer stocks like Capilano.
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No need to ring the alarm bells yet. Here are my first of the season back to 2011, all other records have been lost 🤔
2011 - December 17th
2012- December 21st
2013 - December 28th
2014 (15)- February 2nd
2015 - December 27th
2016 - December 31st
2017 (18) January 3rd
2018 - December 22nd
2019 - 1 trip in the books no fish yet
Like others have said the early, early fish are are lottery fish. I believe my earliest was is 3rd week of November fish around 2003 but I would never expect fish in any numbers until January.
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I agree with the statement wildmanyeah posted about the December burnout. I don't start putting in effort untill January as of the last few seasons.. Looking back from the early 2000s my December steelhead numbers on vedder system were consistently 2-5 fish hooked usually averaging 3.typically i would see the first fish between the 5th and the 11th of December. the fish would always show up numbers in the first week or so of January and my numbers would consistently be around 20-30 fish hooked fishing weekends in the month of January. Since about 2013-2014 to present Iv noticed the fishery seriously become a struggle for some. I still manage a fish maybe 2 in December and it's deffinetly a grind now. Even the January numbers are down largely I believe to the influx of fishermen on the vedder system . The urbanization around the lower has been the real killer imo. Before the peach road development a typical steelhead day fishing the crossing to lickman one would expect to encounter maybe 5-10 other fishermen through those stretches all day. Now look at today...the numbers of anglers on a weekend would probably be 30-40 maybe even more anglers on a typical late December/January day through those same stretches . Fishing trends will continue downward. The ability of average steelhead anglers has improved 2-3 fold. Add that to daily fishing water condition updates online ,water graphs,local tackle shops reports,web cams,river access,Facebook/Instagram heros, and even rafts accessing harder to reach areas the river is getting no down time pressure wise. It's always going to be a grind from here on out early season so get used to it.
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I agree with the statement wildmanyeah posted about the December burnout. I don't start putting in effort untill January as of the last few seasons.. Looking back from the early 2000s my December steelhead numbers on vedder system were consistently 2-5 fish hooked usually averaging 3.typically i would see the first fish between the 5th and the 11th of December. the fish would always show up numbers in the first week or so of January and my numbers would consistently be around 20-30 fish hooked fishing weekends in the month of January. Since about 2013-2014 to present Iv noticed the fishery seriously become a struggle for some. I still manage a fish maybe 2 in December and it's deffinetly a grind now. Even the January numbers are down largely I believe to the influx of fishermen on the vedder system . The urbanization around the lower has been the real killer imo. Before the peach road development a typical steelhead day fishing the crossing to lickman one would expect to encounter maybe 5-10 other fishermen through those stretches all day. Now look at today...the numbers of anglers on a weekend would probably be 30-40 maybe even more anglers on a typical late December/January day through those same stretches . Fishing trends will continue downward. The ability of average steelhead anglers has improved 2-3 fold. Add that to daily fishing water condition updates online ,water graphs,local tackle shops reports,web cams,river access,Facebook/Instagram heros, and even rafts accessing harder to reach areas the river is getting no down time pressure wise. It's always going to be a grind from here on out early season so get used to it.
Yet another reason why Steelhead numbers need to be enhanced on other systems like the Chehalis. It's a shame the feds came in and destroyed winter fisheries on systems like Big Silver, Norrish and Kanaka. We sure could use them now
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It's a shame the feds came in and destroyed winter fisheries on systems like Big Silver, Norrish and Kanaka. We sure could use them now
How so? What did the feds do?
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I am guessing they are referring to previously funded stocking programs/fertilization which enhanced steelhead on at least Two of those systems. That hasnt happened for a really long time now.
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All 3 were enhanced. Norrish Creek's project reportedly didn't produce much and was stopped by the early 90s. Big Silver is a long way to go over rough roads. It musty have been very expensive to do. It has very little fishable water, only a few km. Kanaka collapsed on it's own when many steelhead populations collapsed in the 90s.
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All 3 were enhanced. Norrish Creek's project reportedly didn't produce much and was stopped by the early 90s. Big Silver is a long way to go over rough roads. It musty have been very expensive to do. It has very little fishable water, only a few km. Kanaka collapsed on it's own when many steelhead populations collapsed in the 90s.
Thanks Ralph. Thought maybe he was referring to the run of the river projects. Thats our very own provincial governments doing. There was one installed on the Big Silver.
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Yet another reason why Steelhead numbers need to be enhanced on other systems like the Chehalis. It's a shame the feds came in and destroyed winter fisheries on systems like Big Silver, Norrish and Kanaka. We sure could use them now
You do realize that the "Feds" having nothing to do with steelhead management, right? The province manages steelhead.
The Fed's only over fish steelhead when they are by-catch in assorted net fisheries in both the Fraser river and in the saltwater areas.
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First fish weighed in this morning.
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You do realize that the "Feds" having nothing to do with steelhead management, right? The province manages steelhead.
The Fed's only over fish steelhead when they are by-catch in assorted net fisheries in both the Fraser river and in the saltwater areas.
It was DFO that shut down those enhanced runs in the early 2000's.
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All 3 were enhanced. Norrish Creek's project reportedly didn't produce much and was stopped by the early 90s. Big Silver is a long way to go over rough roads. It musty have been very expensive to do. It has very little fishable water, only a few km. Kanaka collapsed on it's own when many steelhead populations collapsed in the 90s.
I've caught winter fish in the Big Silver. A long time ago. I haven't had one there in almost 20 years. There is a lot of fish able water below the falls. About 7klm if I'm not mistaken and I've hiked most of it. Its Cogburn Creek that I would be concerned about the most. It was once known for massive size Steel. IMO this system ( along with the Big Silver ) dont have Steel any more. People are so concerned about the Thompson but there are lots of streams that have had population of Steel disappear. I know they may not be as exotic as the Thompson but still important fish.
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Never fished Cogburn creek. Heard whisperings of steelhead in there. Fished Big Silver and a couple of rainbow came to hand but no Steelhead and that was many yrs ago now. I agree these smaller rivers and creeks are just as important as the collapse of Steelhead on the Thompson and Gold rivers.
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Never fished Cogburn creek. Heard whisperings of steelhead in there. Fished Big Silver and a couple of rainbow came to hand but no Steelhead and that was many yrs ago now. I agree these smaller rivers and creeks are just as important as the collapse of Steelhead on the Thompson and Gold rivers.
Oh jeez. The Gold River too ? What a shame.
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The Province had a fertilization program on Big Silver for a number of years to develop a summer trout fishery above the falls It worked but funds were cut after the Liberal slashed spending. That program likely also benefited steelhead below the falls.
The small program on the Coquitlam also disappeared after the community hatchery was shut.
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Oh jeez. The Gold River too ? What a shame.
Yes the Gold River now is closed to winter steelhead fishing as very few returning fish.
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The Province had a fertilization program on Big Silver for a number of years to develop a summer trout fishery above the falls It worked but funds were cut after the Liberal slashed spending. That program likely also benefited steelhead below the falls.
The small program on the Coquitlam also disappeared after the community hatchery was shut.
I'm aware.
Actually come to think of it maybe 6 years ago I was on the Big Silver and landed two big Cutties ( possibly the same fish ) and then one bigger Tainbow. I didnt measure it at the time but I do remeber questioning if it was a smaller Steel. It was bright with little to no spots. I wish I had taken a pic and measured it. One of my biggest regrets
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I'm aware.
Actually come to think of it maybe 6 years ago I was on the Big Silver and landed two big Cutties ( possibly the same fish ) and then one bigger Tainbow. I didnt measure it at the time but I do remeber questioning if it was a smaller Steel. It was bright with little to no spots. I wish I had taken a pic and measured it. One of my biggest regrets
Is the big silver by Harrison lake? From google map. it looks inaccessible.
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Is the big silver by Harrison lake? From google map. it looks inaccessible.
About 90% of it is. You can walk and wade 2 klm of it to the lake however.
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anyone at the derby today? last i heard 1 fish weighed in
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Only One weighed in when I checked at around 1 . Slow out there not and that busy compared to what Iv seen in past years. At least where I was .
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anyone at the derby today? last i heard 1 fish weighed in
Yup, that's it, one fish.
Brood stock capture of wild fish begins mid January .. I personally would like to see this hatchery program scaled back in regards to the number of wild early run fish taken. The numbers Buck and I have seen these past 9 years in the upper river during our enumerations clearly shows a decline in these early fish; let's not tube them to extinction.
I really hope the Province and the Chilliwack River hatchery sit down in the next 2 weeks and make some decisions that favor fish, not fishermen.
If any on here agree, say so now as people who have the clout to make these decisions are reading.
Also, Pete and I have decided to do one more year of counts.
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To protect early timed Sthd, brood stock could be limited to fish below Tamihi only. Also closing the river above Tamihi for the month of April would go a long way to protect spawning and staging fish. Lets no let the Vedder turn into another Thompson River..
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Buck/Dave just curious as what you classify as early stock steelhead? With the lack of holding water throughout the upper nowadays the early wild fish push above the boundary pretty fast.... I dont think that only taking fish below Tamihi would protect early fish. Better protection for the early run fish would just be pushing the starting date back to February would be a better way to protect the December/January fish imo. I catch a lot of fish from Tamihi to the boundary in January-March and most of them are just as fresh as the ones I catch from the crossing down. Even more so since many of the upper river stackholes have filled in. To be honest I think the decline of vedder steelhead lies in ocean survival, not in river issues. Have they ever done any DNA testing to determine if the early run fish are any different genetically then the later stock?
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We agree ocean survivals are the major cause of the declines of these early run (Nov - Jan) fish, but there is not much we can do about ocean productivity. What we have in our power to do, however, is to allow more wild fish to spawn. Cutting back on brood stock numbers, closing the river above Tamihi Creek on April 1 to allow less harrassment and increase spawning, are 2 ways to do this.
I'm not aware of any DNA studies on Chilliwack River steelhead; hell, we don't even know where most of them spawn.
Avid angler, you seem to be one of the few who seems to care about the future of these fish and your ideas are needed. Lets hear some more..
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So, how did the Boxing Day derby go?
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I agree with you about the early closure. In the upper. IMO it could even be earlier like March 1 or 15th.
In my experience after April most of the fresh fish coming in seem to stick around the lower-mid and dont even migrate to the upper. So closing the upper earlier would result in more fish utilizing all the prime habitat between slesse park and limit hole that normally get pushed out of their by angling pressure.
The one other rule angling wise that could be implemented and actually make a difference is a no wild fish out of the water rule. Not that a quick lift out of the water hurts a fish. But the amount of fish I see being dragged into an inch of water and then held hostage for minutes at a time for the perfect hero shot is appalling. With everyone hungry to be known as a top rod guys are seriously abusing fish to get the perfect hero shot for Instagram and Facebook. If they couldnt post a picture of them holding a fish out of the water without getting reemed out by the people their trying to impress. Then at least the fish would be kept in the water where they can actually breathe and not suffocated and covered in sand and pebbles. Steelhead are pretty hardy but when mishandled multiple times it makes me wonder if they would die before they spawn...:
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Only 1 fish weighed in. 10.66 lbs. Not good.
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Most of the fish caught past Allison from February onwards usually have multiple hook Mark's and clearly have been caught multiple times, I cant imagine being caught and released multiple times has any positive effects on the wild population. Maybe early run wild fish are much more affected than later runs due to the ridiculous amount of pressure in dec-jan and staying in the system the longest? Just a theory....
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Its 50/50. Certain water types are more likely to hold stale fish that are repeat catches. Like then deep choppy runs and pools. The shallower faster water where moving fish are found hold more virgins
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I agree with no lifting them out of the water regulation. I believe thats a rule now in Washington state. How many pictures on social media with the steelhead laying beside a center pin reel out of the water? I also agree with starting the brood stock program a month later. 2 yrs ago I had some solid fishing in April, the best of that season. All caught mid river. Fresh chrome fish.
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I heard the water conditions were near perfect for the derby? 1 fish? How people many entered in?
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I heard the water conditions were near perfect for the derby? 1 fish? How people many entered in?
Around 300 participants. Water is quite clear.
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https://bccf.com/fisheries/news/2019/february/Gold_River_Steelhead_Presentation Only 4 steelhead counted last snorkel survey.
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from what I have read/heard, it's the Gold's winter run that is in such dire straights. The summer run is doing better.
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According to the 60 some odd posts on Facebook seals and the hatchery not taking brood stock early enough is the issue.
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Fraser Valley Fishing Addict beeks and googans are not a reliable source of information on anything to do with Chilliwack River Steelhead biology.
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Fraser Valley Fishing Addict beeks and googans are not a reliable source of information on anything to do with Chilliwack River Steelhead biology.
X2
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Fraser Valley Fishing Addict beeks and googans are not a reliable source of information on anything to do with Chilliwack River Steelhead biology.
LOL! +1
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I've been meaning to comment on this thread for a while, going all the way back to the discussion of early fish being uncommon. While early fish are harder to come by, most years they are definitely still around. I pulled my journals starting from back when I started keeping them out of curiosity (like others have done). I'll do earliest winter steelhead landed, followed by number hooked for all of December (IMO number of confirmed winters hooked is a more accurate representation of how many fish were around, as my landing rate varies year to year).
2011 - Dec 3 (1 doe Sproat) -- 10 steelhead hooked December -- Vedder had 5 steelhead (4 landed) in 7 trips
2012 - Nov 29 (1 doe Sproat River) -- 12 steelhead hooked in December -- 1 Landed on the Vedder Dec 26, 2 Vedder trips
2013 - Dec 3 (3 landed winters - Sproat and Stamp) -- 12 hooked in December -- 1 Landed Vedder Dec 26, 2 Vedder trips
2014 - Dec 5 (5 winters - 3 landed - Sproat) -- 17 hooked in December -- Didn't fish the Vedder that year
2015 - Nov 18 (1 doe - small west coast stream) - 7 hooked in December -- Fished Vedder twice and skunked
2016 - Dec 19 (1 buck - Sproat) - 6 hooked in December -- Fished Vedder three times and landed 1 Dec 27
2017 - Dec 7 (1 doe - Small west coast stream) -- 7 hooked in December -- 1 trip to Vedder skunked
2018 - Dec 9 (1 Doe - north island) -- 10 hooked in December -- No Vedder trips
That brings us to this current season, 2019. I haven't touched, or even seen a steelhead yet (besides the one single dead one hanging on the board at the clubhouse when I went to look). I haven't actually fished the Vedder yet, and only did 3 days on the island, but from the information I've gathered over the years, and the conditions I encountered, I should have at least had a chance or two. Keep in mind that I've also built up a fairly big network of anglers (good rods), who I talk with regularly. I've heard of a grand total of maybe 8 island fish total in the rivers I frequent. I've heard of 5 Vedder fish (including the ones weighed in at Fred's/clubhouse).
One thing to think about - a vast majority of this years return would be the fish that were residing in fresh water through the 2015 summer (the year that rivers practically dried up, were very warm ~20+C, and got closed). They would have also encountered extremely harsh conditions going out to the ocean in the spring of 2016 (the blob). It's really not surprising that this year is panning out this way. I'm assuming next year will be very similar. Hopefully there are enough fish coming back to spawn to maintain stocks at reasonable levels until ocean conditions stabalize.
While I see the logic behind cutting early brood, I'm not sure I agree with cutting it totally. You do kind of want to maintain all portions of the run. Maybe put a cap on it - something like 5-10% of the total brood fish. You could also go the route of only collecting brood below tamihi bridge as others have said. One positive of getting more fish from the mid or late run is that it would be easier to spawn them all closer together, and therefore easier to size match/grow them.
One thing I'd love to see on hatchery systems would be the implementation of slowly allocating funds towards habitat restoration and eyed egg plants. I'm not necessarily saying to cut hatchery production really, but it would be cool to just slowly try to transfer over to different methods to see if they works. If eyed egg plants work, you eliminate the hatchery influence, and could possibly use it to help on smaller systems (or highly impacted systems) where hatcheries aren't practical? Maybe plant eyed eggs from 20% of the brood captured to see if we see and upswing in "wild" numbers.
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Interesting idea. Planting eyed eggs in streams with low abundance steelhead. Worth a try.
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Any update on river clarity? Should there be a new thread for Winter Steelhead river condition on the Vedder?
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This is the right thread, I and a few others hijacked it, sorry!
I saw the river this morning and it was high but fishable.
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There should be a new thread for the winter steelhead fishery but I haven't had time to do it, will do so soon.
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River was marginal in the lower today, around noon.
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Any numbers on how many steelhead have made it up to the hatchery area so far this winter?
If the derby results are an accurate indicator, maybe we should leave the Chilliwack steelhead alone this winter/spring.
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A one day catch and kill derby is NOT an indication of fish numbers
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Very high and muddy today.
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A one day catch and kill derby is NOT an indication of fish numbers
Early run steelhead is becoming non existent on the Vedder.
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Heavy snow right now in Chilliwack.https://www.facebook.com/chris.gadsden.7/videos/10159366803919056/
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Needless to say the road are very icy here in the Valley and the wind is blowing pretty good too.
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Very windy today
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Conditions must be great now eh ;D . You could at least fence post it all day ;) . Nice and peaceful , thermos of hot chicken noodle soup or maybe a bottle of fireball :o . and a couple firelogs and your good to go .
Let me know how that goes . ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
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^That's the plan^
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Low and clear and cold. No sign of fish for us today. Things should pick up again after the next few days of rain and warmer weather
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Took a nice walk along the Vedder this afternoon with only my camera in hand. Thought of all the steelhead I had caught over the years around the Lickman area. The Friday Hole, The Kozak, Gwyn's, The Shoe, Red Toque, Beako - Begone and many more. Oh the visibility was about 18 to 20 inches. Snow melt in progress too..
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Thank's for the update Chris. Watching the hydrometer and it looks like river is rising again. Hope vis holds. Want to get out(ugh)
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....vis was 12-18 inches mid-day .....chalky all the way up to the prison run before vis got better..
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Water was in poor shape in the Lower today and will get worse with all the rain and snow melt ahead.
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Hows the river? Looks cloudy on the social media pics posted?
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Okay guys. I was out today and the water was cloudy green with a 1 ft to 1 ft and a half visibility in the lower. Didnt see anyone with a fish or hear of any caught. It was a gong show at the slab as everyone flocked there to fish above the clay bank spill at Ranger. Why would anyone want to fish with a huge crowd of people? Not me so I did not fish there and kept driving to more secluded spots. River was starting to clear as the afternoon went on where I was. With the new spill who know what will happen in the next few days.
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Okay guys. I was out today and the water was cloudy green with a 1 ft to 1 ft and a half visibility in the lower. Didnt see anyone with a fish or hear of any caught. It was a gong show at the slab as everyone flocked there to fish above the clay bank spill at Ranger. Why would anyone want to fish with a huge crowd of people? Not me so I did not fish there and kept driving to more secluded spots. River was starting to clear as the afternoon went on where I was. With the new spill who know what will happen in the next few days.
In the past with the other slides every time it rained the river was not good.
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Many of you may not have seen this video I produced of the Slesse slide that happened 23 years ago almost to the same date as this one. It was January 27, 1997 when it came down and silted up the river for a long time. Many other clay slides became a problem too over the years. https://youtu.be/su0bEzHvi4o
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In the past with the other slides every time it rained the river was not good.
Im guessing its going to be bad as the river goes right against the slide. I know that area as I fish it when its not busy.
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https://youtu.be/su0bEzHvi4o
...Baby Face Gadsden and Barely Forty Fred... everyone's favorite old school fish gangsters lol . I enjoyed watching thanks Chris
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Many of you may not have seen this video I produced of the Slesse slide that happened 23 years ago almost to the same date as this one. It was January 27, 1997 when it came down and silted up the river for a long time. Many other clay slides became a problem too over the years. https://youtu.be/su0bEzHvi4o
I remember the video and the day it happened very well, thanks for the old school video re hash Chris.
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Visibility was close to 2 feet when I looked a few minutes ago at Lickman but of course it can decrease with the rain falling now.
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Shes out now. Down to a few inches of visibility. Many fisherman leaving the river in frustration. :o
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Better get while the gettin's good
High Streamflow Advisory South Coast and Vancouver Island
ISSUED: 10:00 AM January 30, 2020
The River Forecast Centre is issuing a High Streamflow Advisory for:
South Coast including the Sunshine Coast, Howe Sound, North Shore, Fraser Valley and Metro Vancouver
West Vancouver Island including rivers and tributaries around Tofino, Ucluelet, Bamfield and Port Renfrew
North Vancouver Island including rivers and tributaries around Quatsino Sound, Zeballos, Tahsis, and Gold River
Central Vancouver Island including the Sproat and Somass Rivers and tributaries around Port Alberni
South Vancouver Island including the Cowichan River
An atmospheric river is expected to impact the BC Coast beginning on Friday of this week. This will bring an extended period of heavy rainfall throughout the region. The heaviest rainfall is expected on the outer coast of Vancouver Island and along the North Shore Mountains and north side of the Fraser Valley through to Howe Sound and the Sunshine Coast. Storm total rainfall amounts in the wettest areas may exceed 150-200 mm, with lower elevation and more protected areas expecting amounts in the 50-100 mm range. The source of the atmospheric river is from the sub-tropics, and in addition to precipitation, temperatures are expected to warm, with freezing levels pushing above 2000 m by late-Friday.
Rivers are expected rise through Friday and into Saturday in response to this rainfall. Current hydrologic modelling is indicating the potential for flows to reach or exceed 5-year flows; this advisory may be upgraded to a flood watch on Friday if there is more certainty of reaching these river levels.
While some snowmelt is expected during this event, snowpack at higher elevations is deep enough that it will provide some absorption of the added rainfall and buffer the impact of the rainfall on runoff. At mid-elevations (300-800m) some recent snow accumulation is expected to melt with the rain-on-snow and may add a modest addition of runoff.
While rainfall amounts are forecast to be lower in inland areas of Vancouver Island, persistent wet weather over the past few lakes has led to high lake levels on Cowichan Lake and Sproat Lake; outflow from these lakes is expected to exceed levels that have be experienced so far this season, and high streamflow is expected downstream in the Sproat and Somass Rivers and the Cowichan River.
The public is advised to stay clear of the fast-flowing rivers and potentially unstable riverbanks during the high-river-level period.
The River Forecast Centre will continue to monitor and provide updates as conditions warrant.
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Over 3.2 on the river level graph and its still pouring rain here in Chiiliwack as I write this with crazy winds thrown in for good measure
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Power just went out 15 minutes ago in my part of Chilliwack and I see the river gauge is almost 3.75 and still rising
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Now at 4meters. I hope no one is foolish enough to try fishing. Very dangerous
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When do the pink fry emerge from the gravel? I assume this has scoured the spawning gravel killed nearly all of them from this fall.
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When do the pink fry emerge from the gravel? I assume this has scoured the spawning gravel killed nearly all of them from this fall.
They can emerge any time now as long as the weather warms up. I was on the Harrison last week. The weather was sunny in Harrison Mills with a bit of warmth and I did see some fry. I wasnt too sure what they were but definitely schools of fry out. I did see lots of rising fish as well. Wish I had brought my fly rod.
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When do the pink fry emerge from the gravel? I assume this has scoured the spawning gravel killed nearly all of them from this fall.
Even some chum fry are out already (saw a few on Thursday). At this time of year, nearly all eggs laid will be alevin. They are not quite a susceptible to being washed out as eggs are, and will just keep swimming down into gravel as needed. They can also move into quieter water near shore. They won't all be lost.
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River in the lower has dropped a bit but still very muddy. Heard there was a slide on Tamihi Creek now too.
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Tamahi has cleared significantly now . There me be a fresh slide still though. The road itself along the creek has had many slides that went unfixed for many years . Couldn't see it getting much worse honestly. 5-6 slides down to the creek.. Zero vis yesterday and around 2 feet maybe more in the actual creek today. Still far cleaner than the actual river which is pure clay. I think it's the least of the problems like ranger. It's helping if anything as of right now.
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Tamahi has cleared significantly now . There me be a fresh slide still though. The road itself along the creek has had many slides that went unfixed for many years . Couldn't see it getting much worse honestly. 5-6 slides down to the creek.. Zero vis yesterday and around 2 feet maybe more in the actual creek today. Still far cleaner than the actual river which is pure clay. I think it's the least of the problems like ranger. It's helping if anything as of right now.
Is the rd still passable? Never been down it. Would like to go see this slide.
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Just stay on the main road 10 minutes and when you hit the junction of three roads stay to the right ... the unstable areas start about 2-300 yards down that road . They were hauling logs up here somewhere today which makes me think the road never washed out . You used to have to ride mountain bikes or motorcycles in there but they fixed it a couple years back.. machines have been taking logs at the back end for a couple years now...the road repair didn't look like a solid repair but who knows.I don't think the mountain is full of clay like the surrounding hills around vedder from the crossing to limit either. Lots of small creeks and seeps come off that mountain (McGuire) and drain into the Tamahi which probably caused the road to washout originally. If u find a fresh washout or slide on the road be sure to post it. There's a really big one on that goes into liumchen creek as well. That's the creek that drains into Wilson road. Occured 5+ years back maybe a better example of a serious slide if ur going site seeing. Drive in through sleepy hollow road off of cultas and the valley behind the military site which can be seen from the spur road on the east side of the valley. As soon as u hit the fresh clearcuts look across the valley to the west(international ridge ?) I think it's called. Roads a little greasy mind you though .
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River has dropped but did not look too good at noon today in the Lower.
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Visibility around a foot today, raining now.
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I concur. Maybe a foot in the lower at best. 2 feet in the upper at best. Silty conditions and high water. Saw the broodstock guys out today. Dont know if they tubed anything today.
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River around a foot or so around noon then when out shortly after I was told.
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Water did not look that great in the Lower when I looked but with the slides it can change by the hour.
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2/9/20 Rodger Langille 12.01 77.50 40.00 Doe
2/9/20 Bill Coward 13.31 80.50 41.50 Doe
2/8/20 Brian Nomura 8.81 77.00 38.00 Doe
2/8/20 Jim Walker 11.33 78.50 40.50 Doe
2/8/20 Keith Laxton 8.68 73.00 35.00 Doe
2/8/20 Brandon Winkelmann 10.51 73.00 45.00 Doe
2/8/20 Sterling Haglund 9.32 75.00 38.00 Doe
2/8/20 Brian Mirea 12.14 78.00 41.00 Doe
2/7/20 James Smith 15.41 87.00 45.00 Buck
2/7/20 Ron Valer 9.85 76.00 38.00 Doe
2/7/20 Brian Nomura 11.37 80.00 40.00 Buck
2/7/20 Sam Peacock 15.45 88.50 44.50 Buck
2/6/20 James Smith 10.14 75.50 39.00 Doe
2/6/20 Patrick Abramson 11.50 80.00 39.00 Doe
2/3/20 Andrew Cunning 9.92 73.00 39.00 Doe
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Always more female hatchery fish caught than males .. interesting, and I wonder why?
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Dave I have found the same with wilds as well. Seems to be a 70:30 doe to buck ratio
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Dave I have found the same with wilds as well. Seems to be a 70:30 doe to buck ratio
Do you mean for this season, or others as well? I'm asking because we see more males in our counts, probably because they are opportunistic and tend to stick around longer.
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The high female ratio is apparently not uncommon for anadromous steelhead. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_h8UT3v2AM They touch on it a bit in this youtube vid at the 13 min mark.
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The high female ratio is apparently not uncommon for anadromous steelhead. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_h8UT3v2AM They touch on it a bit in this youtube vid at the 13 min mark.
Awesome memory you have!! thanks for this, seems like a good life history strategy for a species not as numerous as other salmon species.
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Awesome memory you have!! thanks for this, seems like a good life history strategy for a species not as numerous as other salmon species.
I think it begs the question tho if harvesting trout in a system that supports steelhead should be allowed or what impacts it may have.
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Literally every season for as long as Ive been fishing my friends and I have caught significantly more does then bucks both hatchery and wild
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I believe Mr. Bison commented on this with some stats at the Steelhead Society presentation a few weeks ago.
He basically looked at the various trout that may emerge from eggs when they begin to hatch, and with figures, demonstrated that female fry from a female Steelhead parent have a higher likelihood to head to the ocean than others mating combinations/sex that hatch and emerge from the gravel.
He also mentioned that a key concept to increase the number of fish that will leave their natal system and head out to the ocean is to decrease the quality of their rearing habitat. He noted in systems with warm water conditions, minimal nutrients, and poor habitat, trout fry were more likely to leave and migrate to the ocean than systems that had good habitat, cooler oxygenated water, and lots of feed. Makes sense, as a fat steelhead is not going to take the risk to go out to the ocean, while a skinny, starved fish which is uncomfortable is likely to leave to look for better sources of food.
According to him the two biggest factors acting against Steelhead survival, and maybe other Salmonoid species is:
#1. In shore survival as they leave the estuary, move into the inner passage, as spend the 7-12 days needed to migrate up and make it to the open ocean and feeding. High rate of loss of fish (I think he had figures of up to 70%) and Mr. Bison hypothesized it was due to high rates of predation from pinnipeds. He stated if this was dealt with and solved, this would be the most important factor to assist us to help with steelhead survival and recovery.
#2. In the open ocean when it came to feeding, increased competition from rival species produced in hatcheries are leading to smaller overall size, lower survival rates, and when they do return, due to their smaller size, the salmonoids are producing up to 25% less eggs to lay. This increased competition comes from massive hatcheries out of Japan, Russia, other Asian systems, as well as our own systems found locally and in Alaska.
Please keep in mind I am providing a crash summary of studies he was telling us about that focused on Interior Steelhead. I would suggest much of what he states and suggested COULD be applied to other Steelhead species which are genetically different than interior stocks. It could be argued this is a theory which is being applied to a different group of fish, and thus, the speculation is incorrect, not factual, and not valid.
Dano
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The wild stock used to have a female to male ratio of 1.5 to 1.
http://a100.gov.bc.ca/appsdata/acat/documents/r23621/winter_SH_ChilliwackR1948to1975_1316812650256_5a667078a27cf7279f7b1a5113d048d930cba90faa0d676257b72180c3e110d0.pdf (http://a100.gov.bc.ca/appsdata/acat/documents/r23621/winter_SH_ChilliwackR1948to1975_1316812650256_5a667078a27cf7279f7b1a5113d048d930cba90faa0d676257b72180c3e110d0.pdf)
Keep in mind there is some bias in retention fisheries - e.g. anglers might be more inclined to retain females for their roe, or larger bucks for trophies.
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Love these old reports, younger people get to see what this river once was, and it appears the sex ratios have changed radically since hatchery production began.
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Looking at the past few years of Fred's derby records, it does seem like this year is on the extreme end for number of females, and other years look close to 1.5:1
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Looking at the past few years of Fred's derby records, it does seem like this year is on the extreme end for number of females, and other years look close to 1.5:1
Yes the previous year there was more males, Comparing these values to the old report I dont no if they are statistically that different that you could come to the conclusion that they have changed as a result of the hatchery.
03/09/19 - Amy McCullough 5.676 65.5 x 33.5 Buck
03/09/19 - Wilfrado Guintu 12.750 83 x 44.5 Doe
03/09/19 - Keith Laxton 14.267 90 x 43 Buck
03/09/19 - Peter Herman 10.065 82 x 38 Buck
03/08/19 - Judith Sliney 8.734 80 x 38 Buck
03/08/19 - Werner Schaller 12.199 83 x 41 Buck
03/07/19 - Robert Roseboom 12.276 82 x 42 Doe
03/07/19 - Werner Schaller 6.435 69 x 35 Doe
03/06/19 - Kyle Pederson 6.204 67 x 32.5 Doe
03/06/19 - Ron Valer 7.81 71 x 36 Buck
03/05/19 - Mike Roberts 8.019 72.5 x 35 Buck
03/05/19 - Mike Roberts 8.019 72.5 x 35 Buck
03/05/19 - Robert Roseboom 16.016 90.5 x 46.5 Buck
03/05/19 - Werner Schaller 5.83 67 x 33 Buck
03/02/19 - Ray Rigolo 5.456 65 x 32 Doe
03/01/19 - Jack Isaak 5.291 65 x 31 Buck
02/28/19 - Dakota Hall 10.329 77 x 41 Doe
02/27/19 - Werner Schaller 11.374 79 x 41 Doe
02/27/19 - Michael Tamkee 5.72 66.5 x 36.5 Buck
02/27/19 - Rod Toth 10.527 76 x 38.5 Doe
02/27/19 - Wilfrido Guinto 7.656 66 x 36.5 Buck
02/27/19 - Peter Granikovas 9.097 74.5 x 37 Doe
02/26/19 - Werner Schaller 9.548 74 x 38 Doe
02/25/19 - Josh Carlson 9.317 74 x 38 Doe
02/23/19 - Kyle Erickson 6.967 69 x 30 Doe
02/23/19 - Jami Stebbings 9.966 79 x 39 Doe
02/23/19 - Dan Phillips 10.714 79 x 41 Doe
02/23/19 - DJ McRay 7.436 69 x 38.5 Buck
02/23/19 - Wilfredo Gurntu 13.794 82 x 46 Doe
02/22/19 - Markus Huchinson 10.785 71 x 40 Doe
02/22/19 - Jeremiah Mackie 11.550 81 x 41.5 Doe
02/21/19 - Bill Coward 5.478 64 x 31 Doe
02/20/19 - Brian Ego 6.787 69 x 33.5 Buck
02/20/19 - Cody Fisher 6.490 67 x 32.5 Doe
02/20/19 - Sterling Haglund 10.076 76 x 40 Doe
02/20/19 - Peter Gralvikovas 11.682 82 x 40.5 Doe
02/19/19 - Mitch Ogden 9.097 75 x 38 Doe
02/19/19 - Jami Stebbings 11.858 80.5 x 41 Doe
02/19/19 - Peter Granikovas 5.731 64.5 x 31 Buck
02/18/19 - Chris Farquharson 10.131 77 x 41 Doe
02/18/19 - James Xu 12.595 82 x 43 Doe
02/18/19 - Peter Granikovas 13.057 84 x 43 Doe
02/18/19 - Feliciano Donor 10.626 78 x 40 Doe
02/16/19 - Jami Stebbings 13.277 82 x 46 Doe
02/16/19 - Chris Yomans 11.517 79 x 43 Doe
02/16/19 - Wilfredo Gurntu 11.99 43 x 82 Buck
02/16/19 - Don Puddicombe 12.342 82 x 43 Doe
02/16/19 - Chris Farquharson 10.340 77 x 38 Doe
02/16/19 - Michael Tamkee 11.308 79 x 40 Doe
02/16/19 - Steve Rutherford 15.642 89 x 47 Buck
02/16/19 - Brian Mylleville 9.746 77 x 41 Doe
02/16/19 - Bill Coward 11.077 80.5 x 41 Doe
02/15/19 - Peter Herman 9.614 77x 39 Doe
02/15/19 - Jami Stebbings 9.284 75 x 38 Doe
02/15/19 - Meinard Carnafe 5.555 59 x 33.5 Buck
02/15/19 - Jaclyn Cabanos 12.375 79 x 42.5
02/15/19 - Brian Mirea 13.145 79 x 45 Doe
02/15/19 - Rob Falk 15.29 85 x 46.5 Doe
02/13/19 - Jaclyn Cabanos 9.185 74.5 x 34.5 Doe
02/13/19 - Jami Stebbings 7.557 70 x 35 Buck
02/13/19 - Jeff Smirfitt 9.286 75 x 37.5 Doe
02/10/19 - Devin Noel 9.746 76 x 39 Doe
02/10/19 - James McGillivary 11.781 81 x 41.5 Doe
02/08/19 - Chris Lint 9.735 78 x 36.5 Doe
02/08/19 - James McGilvary 9.955 75.5 x 40.5 Doe
02/06/19 - Valdy Widera 11.148 77.5 x 40 Doe
02/03/19 - Chris Farquharson 11.132 82 x 39 Doe
02/03/19 - Dan Phillips 6.721 70 x 34 Buck
02/02/19 - Kyle Pederson 9.966 78 x 39 Doe
02/02/19 - Mitch Ogden 5.819 66 x 32 Buck
02/02/19 - Kurt Latkovich 5.808 66 x 32 Doe
02/02/19 - Kirk Sherman 11.902 83 x 39 Doe
02/02/19 - Chris Farqujarson 10.923 80 x 39 Buck
02/01/19 - Jacob Lonski 11.726 79.5 x 40.5 Doe
01/31/19 - Justin Neatherton 12.551 87 x 42.5 Buck
01/31/19 - Andrew Kelemen 11.968 79 x 42.5 Doe
01/31/19 - Judith Sliney 10.912 78 x 41 Doe
01/31/19 - Don Abbot 12.386 81.5 x 42.5 Buck
01/30/19 - Howard McInroy 9.405 77.5 x 36.5 Doe
01/30/19 - Chris Laxton 7.744 71 x 31.5 Buck
01/30/19 - Pete Granikovas 14.938 86 x 45.5 Buck
01/29/19 - Jordan Gollner 9.251 75.5 x 39 Doe
01/29/19 - George Yue 6.149 67 x 33.5 Buck
01/27/19 - Tyson Champ 14.014 83 x 45 Doe
01/27/19 - Shane Jessome 11.924 80 x 43 Doe
01/27/19 - Nick Robson 10.417 10.417 Doe
01/27/19 - Ken Bury 10.065 75 x 35 Doe
01/27/19 - Justin Dyer 12.276 80 x 43.5 Doe
01/27/19 - James McGillvary 9.592 77 x 38.5 Doe
01/26/19 - Justin Netherton 5.357 63 x 32 Doe
01/25/19 - Ken Bury 10.516 78.5 x 39 Doe
01/25/19 - Trevor Henderson 11.253 x 80.5 x 41.5 Doe
01/25/19 - Peter Granikovas 12.782 82.5 x 42.5 Doe
01/24/19 - Dakota Schipper 12.188 80 x 42.5 Buck
01/24/19 - Judith Sliney 10.978 79 x 40 Doe
01/24/19 - Chris MacWhinney 10.868 81.5 x 40 Doe
01/24/19 - Feliciano Donor 12.485 82.5 x 42.5 Doe
01/23/19 - Rod Toth 11.033 78.5 x 42 Doe
01/23/19 - Kolby McKenzie 14.102 83.5 x 44.5 Doe
01/22/19 - Dave Sievewright 8.635 76 x 36.5 Buck
01/22/19 - Carlo Sutton 12.452 82.5 x 42 Buck
01/22/19 - Mitch Hutton 6.468 66.5 x 33.5 Buck
01/21/19 - John Fedoruk 12.529 80 x 42 Doe
01/21/19 - Kolby McKenzie 10.186 Doe
01/21/19 - Rod Toth 12.287 84 x 40 Buck
01/21/19 - Mike Stefanek 11.484 82 x 42 Doe
01/21/19 - Feliciano Donor 10.802 78 x 40 Doe
01/20/19 - Kyle Erickson 12.298 82 x 42 Buck
01/20/19 - Chen Wang 13.805 83.5 x 42.5 Doe
01/20/19 - Michael Voravong 8.470 73 x 36 Doe
01/20/19 - Nick Traninic 11.407 79 x 41 Doe
01/20/19 - Daniel Krause 10.879 79 x 39 Doe
01/20/19 - Blake Araki 12.683 81 x 43 Doe
01/19/19 - DJ McKay 13.167 82 x 41 Doe
01/19/19 - Nick Traninic 11.715 80.5 x 42 Doe
01/19/19 - Mitchell Nestor 9.526 77 x 38 Doe
01/19/19 - Ryan Franklin 12.133 78 x 43.5 Doe
01/19/19 - Josh Peters 8.954 74 x 38.5 Doe
01/19/19 - Tony Destradi Jr. 13.387 86.5 x 43 Buck
01/18/19 - Isaiah Peters 9.9 78.5 x 38.5 Doe
01/18/19 - George Yue 13.475 83 x 45.5 Doe
01/18/19 - Brian Ego 11.286 81.5 x 40.5 Buck
01/15/19 - Kolby McKenzie 10.076 76.5 x 38 Doe
01/15/19 - Nick Robson 9.218 75 x 40 Doe
01/15/19 - Trevor Henderson 11.594 81 x 41.5 Buck
01/15/19 - Ken Robertson 12.881 84.5 x 42.5 Buck
01/14/19 - Dan Ryan 10.208 76 x 39 Doe
01/14/19 - Tony Destradi Jr. 14.377 86 x 46 Buck
01/14/19 - Dave Streifel 8.613 75 x 38 Doe
01/14/19 - Rod Christianson 10.406 76 x 40.5 Doe
01/14/19 - Connor Oldham 9.603 77 x 37.5 Doe
01/13/19 - Jaclyn Cabanos 6.992 69 x 35 Doe
01/13/19 - Jason Stebanuk 13.332 85 x 43 Buck
01/13/19 - Justin Dyer 11.16 80.5 x 42 Doe
01/12/19 - Wifrado Guintu 10.07 78 x 39 Doe
01/12/19 - Michael Voravong 9.43 76.5 x 38 Doe
01/12/19 - John Brownfield 9.152 76 x 38 Doe
01/11/19 - Jacob Lonski 10.16 75 x 38 Doe
01/11/19 - Tyler Buck 13.72 87 x 44 Buck
01/11/19 - Valdy Widera 12.67 83 x 4339 Doe
01/11/19 - Randy Andreachuck 11.71 Doe (Non-Derby)
01/11/19 - Kevin Davidson 10.34 77 x 39 Doe
01/09/19 - Josh Peters 9.295 Doe
01/08/19 - Chris Yeomans 11.099 80 x 40.5 Doe
01/07/19 - Trevor Henderson 10.956 79 x 41 Doe
01/07/19 - Josh Sankar 10.439 79 x 41 Doe
01/07/19 - Valdy Widera 12.1 84 x 41 Buck
01/02/19 - Andy Janlonen 16.709 90 x 46.5 Buck
12/31/18 - Justin Netherton 11.253 81 x 42.5 Doe
12/31/18 - Bill Veekie 10.41 81 x 39 Doe
12/30/18 - Ryan Hutchinson 15.785 87 x 46 Buck
12/28/18 - Jordan Klassen 15.092 86.5 x 45.5 Buck
12/24/18 - Jesse Meerkirk 11.6 79 x 46 Doe
12/09/18 - Ryan Hutchinson 11.748 80 x 44 Doe
12/05/18 - Brian Ego 7.37 77 x 39 Doe. First derby fish.
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"For 1958-1975...timing of the run found the best month to be December, and Dec 23-21 the best week..."
What a change!
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I found this comment interesting "during the month of january the higher portion of males may indicate the start of the late run"
Its hard to tell from the paper but it almost seems like the late run is stronger then it once was. Altho talking to old timers one said that the March run of fish was always there but not predominantly fished.
in 1950 the caught sex ration was as high as 2.5 to 1. However the sample size of that year was only 35 fish. With freds numbers were dealing with a sample size for last year at 155. If you look at 1952 that has a large sample size of almost 400 fish its around 1.6 to 1. That is pretty close to what 70/30 number that AA said.
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Looking at the derby results on Feb 7 especially Feb 8 (6 fish) and comparing the report of poor water clarity of about 1 ft on those days for the lower river, it makes one wonder if water clarity at 1 ft or so is good enough for good catches as on those 2 days. The river was very high too in those 2 days at about 2.5 in river level chart, not a favourable level to dig out fish in flooded runs. Perhaps the presence of more fish on those days is more important than perfect water condition. PS. I fished yesterday afternoon strictly pocket water in mid river from Tamihi and down at 1 ft visibility and didn't have any hook up. Disappointing considering the high water should bring in fish and 1 ft visibility should be good enough for fish in pocket water to see.
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Its hard to tell from the paper but it almost seems like the late run is stronger then it once was. Altho talking to old timers one said that the March run of fish was always there but not predominantly fished.
The fish have always been there and I highly doubt it is stronger now than back then.
There were other places to fish come March and April. Even now after a long winter angling pressure drops off in March and not very many in April, mind you it is growing.
All the guys I fish and did fish with quit fishing the Vedder/Chilliwack by March and spent time going elsewhere.
Vancouver Island rivers really turned on in February and March and then there was the Squamish system, Nahatlach, Bella Coola & Chilcotin that are all virtually no longer viable or just plain closed.
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The fish have always been there and I highly doubt it is stronger now than back then.
There were other places to fish come March and April. Even now after a long winter angling pressure drops off in March and not very many in April, mind you it is growing.
All the guys I fish and did fish with quit fishing the Vedder/Chilliwack by March and spent time going elsewhere.
Vancouver Island rivers really turned on in February and March and then there was the Squamish system, Nahatlach, Bella Coola & Chilcotin that are all virtually no longer viable or just plain closed.
Spot on redside1.. back in the late 60's and early 70's is when I fished the most, and the lack of angling pressure in March and April made some stellar fishing days. The winter run was strong but the late run was phenomenal ;) I could mention numbers but that would only piss off some people, lol!
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River was better looking today but too colored for me but maybe just looking for an excuse to be lazy.
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Any updates on the number of brood stock fish captured so far?
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Any updates on the number of brood stock fish captured so far?
I saw a post they had reached their 60, someone else can confirm.
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Oh wow. Thats pretty good. So they done for the season then?
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30 does and 22 bucks. 8 more males to go.
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Sorry, never got around to create a new thread for this so splitting it up from the fall salmon thread now.
River conditions have been good. Fishing has also been good, for other people. Both COs and DFO officers have been regularly checking anglers, good to see.
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River level was at 1.7 meters.
Tried Dog park in early morning. lots of guys there, 3 , before I started, then 4, then 6. nothing seen.
Went back upstream of the clay banks for the 1-3pm bite time. Had one on briefly but didn't get the hook set, it rolled and came off. Flesh coloured wool. good tip on the wool colour, very clear water.
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I was at dog park today around 10 am on the Chilliwack side and didnt see any action. Went down to the canal after the dog park and there was about 10 anglers spread out all the way from the bridge down to the golf course. Didnt see anyone catching in my travels today.
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Rodney, let's see your 14lber.
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Who told you??
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(https://i.imgur.com/8FN3R7F.jpg)
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Rod, you say you don't get out fishing much but when you do you make it count ::)
Nice fish!
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Rod, you say you don't get out fishing much but when you do you make it count ::)
Nice fish!
He be out there everyday now! Ice fishing put on hold...
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I recognized the spot. Never produce for me damn
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He be out there everyday now! Ice fishing put on hold...
Well, the demon has been unleashed. Couldn't help it and went out again tonight for a couple of hours, got one doe around 6lb, popped off by my feet and missed four in a row after that.
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Wow, what a beauty Rod.
Congratulations.
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nice fish Rod
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Any report on visibility after 2 days of rain?
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Any report on visibility after 2 days of rain?
Its good. Slightly tinged. I lost a rocket today. Smashed the bead and came up and rolled then took off into the middle of the river peeling line out at warp speed. Thrashed a couple of times and the party was over before it really got started. :o
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Fished the lower today but the runs were quite slow. Didn't see anyone fighting fish. Then we went mid river and my friend hooked into 2 and lost them. River is in good shape with good visibility.
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Popped down to the river for an hour yesterday and had lots of action, starting with missing three fish, then had this buck going for my shrimp on three drifts in a row before being hooked. Good water conditions, starting to be a bit on the low side but still good IMO.
(https://i.imgur.com/7UmljCX.jpg)
Have a great weekend.
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Well done ! :)
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Fished a few spots from mid to lower river today. Lots of people out, didnt see or hear of anything hooked. Low . Nice colour but very low. Tough fishin'
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Same here yesterday. Fished mid and down low. Nobody we talked to had seen anything. Need some rain to bump the river up imo.
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Anyone been out lately. I have some unexpected free time and thought I would hit the flow. Havent heard much, and wondering how the conditions are .
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Very low, the river looks like a creek now and really slow. Hit up a local lake instead would be my suggestion. Check Go Fish B.C for a list of recent stockings.
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Any reports on river conditions with this rain? Chris? Anyone?
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I am heading out tomorrow. Can report then.
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Water low but colour up nice. Got 2 wilds. Sounds like more rain so anyone guess what it looks like now.
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Thanks Mikeyman. Sounds like a good day! I may head out myself as the strait is rather inhospitable to fishing this week. I was going to be in Mexico this week before CoVID 19. BTW; stay back from others at least 2 meters and be aware of what you touch.
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I was worried about handle the fish. Poor fish might get corona. Lol.
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I didn't kiss them before release anyways.
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water temp is 45.2
some turbitity to the water,
level back up to 1.6 meters
mostly wild fish, say 75-90%
some still using shrimp or roe, claiming no deeply hooked fish...
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I was using bugs. So what. I rig them put hook thru top tail and the rest dangles down. Fish all get hooked in lip. If not quick on set u miss anyways. Bait or no bait a fish could get hooked deep.
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Last day of steelheading for this season tomorrow...how is the river? Thinking of going for a walk along the river and taking a few casts...good Covid-19 therapy...
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water temp is 45.2
some turbitity to the water,
level back up to 1.6 meters
mostly wild fish, say 75-90%
some still using shrimp or roe, claiming no deeply hooked fish...
Not sure what your getting at here? Ive easily hooked over 1000 steelhead on bait in the last 15 years and I think Ive had to cut the leader on a bleeding fish 2 or 3 times. The highest deep hook ratio of any technique I have ever seen on steelhead has been dry flies. The fish rarely have time to swallow your hook when float fishing in moving water.
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Went out today...river was blown...walked a bit and headed back home...