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[Rodney]

This one is for you Gooey. C&P from an email in my inbox from the ministry.

Please note that a regulation change requiring trout/char release (including all steelhead, hatchery or wild) within all portions of the river that are currently open to fishing, including those portions of the river downstream of the Spur 4 bridge, will come into affect on September 4, 2006.

As previously discussed, this regulation change will provide support towards a 2-year Seymour River steelhead population study that was initiated earlier this year.  Results of the study are considered to be essential for the conservation and management of steelhead stocks within the river.

http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/fw/fish/regulations/reg-ii-lowmain.shtml

[Gooey]

Ya, I saw a notice on the river this weekend...meant ot post something here but forgot.

PS - "this one is for you gooey"...are you referencing the summer run I took last year (and the S*** storm that started with Brad)?!?

Where is spur 4 anyways and does that mean its open for retnetion above spur 4 - just kidding!

[TrophyHunter]

Its about time .. there is no way there should have ever been any retention in that river in the first place !!!
the good news is even though the regs said you could keep two hatchery I never in all my years fishing there witnessed anyone take even one !!

[Rodney]

Yes, just trying to make sure you are aware of it since the reg hasn't been very obvious (I find the provincial reg updates are always too hidden unlike DFO's notices). Good to see notices being posted at the river too.

[Eagleye]

I'm glad they have finally come to their senses, the previous allotment was ridiculous.  

[Gooey]

I just depends on who you are...I am not saying one way or another but here is what the 2 thought processes are on restoring a healthy run on the seymour (keep in mind these are VERY boiled down): restore the river with wild fish (hence have retention for hatchery fish) b) restore it with both wild and hatchery fish.

There are pro's and con's to each that even the most educated and experienced biologist can agree on.  Look at the cap and the runts that river mass produces...good arguement to keep the hatch population at a reasoinable level.  Then look at the cap steelhead...with very little viable spawning grounds with out augmentation from the hatchery the run would surely go extinct thus thats pretty good evidence in support of restocking with hatch fish...

Its a really tough call, in almost 20 years of living on the north shore I have retained 1 steelhead...was that to many...it thats impossible to answer....depends on who you are and what train of thought you fall into line with.

All I can tell you is that to have the seymour filled with 5-7 lb cookie cutter steelies would not be a victory in my opinion (unless they are there to be harvested and the wild stock has support too, enabling it to succeed).

[small_fish]

Are the trout and steelhead in the seymour river, fished the exact way from local lakes? Whats the difference? Are they way bigger?
I have a 2-6 Lb Spinning rod for trout would that work there?

[Gooey]

I am not sure of the regs for trout but I assume all rivers in the lower mainland are catch and release for wild trout and char.  Small fish, think of a fin clipped rainbow in a river as a juvenile hatchery steelhead, no need to kill them when they are that small.  That said, I wouldn't recommend targeting them.  Even for catch and release, those little fish are voracious and often you just end up damaging with deep hook set etc.   

If you want to fish rainbows, pick a locally stocked lake like rice lake or one of the ones up around squamish.

Fishing for adult steelhead with a rod rated 2-6 lb would be very challenging indeed...if its a 11-13 foot noodle rod, maybe you would have a chance with an adult steelhead, if its an 5 ft ultra lite, I think you could risk  harming the fish in a prolonged battle.  Otherwise, I suppose bobber fishing for trout is similiar enuf to float fishing.

[small_fish]

O, ok i wont use that rod then, I dont want to harm the fish. But i also have a 6ft. 6In. 2Pc. Spinning. Medium rod, that its line weight is 8-12lb, and lure weight is 1/4-1/2 oz. Is that alright for steelhead this winter?

[Coho Cody]

have you fished steelhead before? if not, the next couple months is excellent practice . coho, chum, and chinook salmon will all be present oct through nov.

[Gooey]

Small fish, that rod rate 8-12 would be a good line rating for light salmon and steelhead, a little bit short but it would work if you stuck to spinners, spoons, and jigs.   We often fish the chehalis and harrison with similiar type equipment.  For float fishing though it would probably be very ineffective as you wont have any line controll.

[small_fish]

Alright great gooey, So the seymour for steelhead wont do with that 8-12 rod? I can even catch light salmon and stealhead on the chehlalis and harrison whens the season for that! I'm already looking forward towards it. Also can I try it on the cap for light salmon or is there none?

[Pat AV]

This closure is potentially a short term one. The Seymour Salmonid Society is in year one of a radio telemetry project to monitor the movement of summer and winter steelies in the system. This closure was initiated to help the study (ie: so no one bonks tagged fish). The ministry will revisit the idea of retention after the study has been completed. I am in favor of no retention on the system and will lobby to keep it that way after the study is completed.

Side note: the water is very low but there are a few steelies and Ho's in the Seymour as I right this.

Let it rain...oh....let it rain

Pat

[Gooey]

I have been told that in little as 3 generations, inbreeding will dramatically affect a population.  There is a section of the cap hatchery that shows this graphic of 2 adults spawning in the wild and yielding 5 or 6 returning fish and then another couple in the hatchery creating 50+ returning adults...now I dont know what ht exact numbers are but keep in mind that with a strong component of hatchery fish in a river, the gene pool will be degraded. 

The vedder is a good example of a strong hatchery program but with lots of pressure and a good kull on the hatches, they don't weaken the wild stock to any large degree...thats why you get 15+ lb fish (both hatchery and wild) on the vedder - strong wild genes and strong genes for brood stocking too. 

Down in the states on rivers where you hear of 15 and 20 fish (steelhead) days, many of those fish are small cooky cutter hatchery fish...I don't know that I would want that for the seymour...better than no fish but not better that a smaller population of healthier, more competative fish.  If there are too many hatchery fish, their weaker genes will undoubtedly mix with a wild fish's genes and it doesnt take many generations for that to cause real trouble.

[Pat AV]

I don't know if we want to enter into a hatchery debate here, the culturist at Seymour Salmonid Society do a good job of mixing up the brood, they will not spawn a hatch with a hatch unless it is an absolute emergency. They get about 50 fish per run (winter and summer) most years at around 50/50 wild to hatchery ratio. any retention in a system with 50 or less returning adults seems unwise to me.

As for the "hatchery brats" that they have down in the states, I will be heading down to the Methow in October to target them for the first time. I will report back as to their sporting quality.

Pat