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[Every Day]

Forget the colour tho thats a good indicator. Sockeye have no spots. So simple. All other salmon and trout have some form of spots but sockeye are sleek lol. Such a sure and easy way

Bang on. There's no way to confuse a sockeye for any other pacific salmon species. They don't have any spots such a clearer indication even if you're a intelligent and respectable human being.

Really? Interesting... one of 3 we caught that looked identical to this on this particular day.

[wookie]

That's clearly a pink that you dyed red and green...... and put a fake head attachement on 

[salmonlover]

Really? Interesting... one of 3 we caught that looked identical to this on this particular day.

fins dont count the body looks spotless to me

[Every Day]

fins dont count the body looks spotless to me

The top had some minimal spotting, hard to see due to the colour of the fish and the glare.

Regardless, in the regs it says no spotting on any fins or on the body. They are suppose to be completely spotless, yet every sockeye we got that weekend was heavily spotted on the fins, with some spotting on the bodies as well. Other than just knowing this is a sockeye from experience, it would be hard for a rookie to know based on definitions.

Just goes to show you cannot just use one identifier - such as spots - to identify a fish. You need to use all the identifying features to make sure you know the species. Saying simply "there are no spots on any sockeye" would exclude this nearly entire population of sockeye (from what I've seen the years I've gone there).

[salmonlover]

The top had some minimal spotting, hard to see due to the colour of the fish and the glare.

Regardless, in the regs it says no spotting on any fins or on the body. They are suppose to be completely spotless, yet every sockeye we got that weekend was heavily spotted on the fins, with some spotting on the bodies as well. Other than just knowing this is a sockeye from experience, it would be hard for a rookie to know based on definitions.

Just goes to show you cannot just use one identifier - such as spots - to identify a fish. You need to use all the identifying features to make sure you know the species. Saying simply "there are no spots on any sockeye" would exclude this nearly entire population of sockeye (from what I've seen the years I've gone there).

yeah i understand what you're saying. i was being cheeky.

on a different note where was that fish caught ED? ive caught sockeye in the vedder and never have come across spots on the tail or body for that matter.

[Every Day]

Vancouver Island, west coast. I've seen quite a few in the past few years, in a few different west coast rivers. They threw me for a loop at first, now it seems almost typical for me. Odd, as it also seems they get more spotted the closer they get to spawning/the more coloured they get. Chrome ones have very few if any spots.

[firstlight]

I agree we should all know how to identify fish but a missing adipose fin cant be the best idea in that river.
It may be easier to see or whatever reasons and im sure they have a lot more knowledge than I or many on here but it still doesn't seam right for obvious reasons.

[Dave]

I agree we should all know how to identify fish but a missing adipose fin cant be the best idea in that river.
It may be easier to see or whatever reasons and im sure they have a lot more knowledge than I or many on here but it still doesn't seam right for obvious reasons.

Well, there were not a lot of options .. initially, the cost of the hatchery portion of the Cultus Lake Sockeye Recovery Plan was app 250k yearly.  This cost included the captive brood program (now curtailed), at Rosewall Creek.  To quantify hatchery returns to Cultus Lake (and the expenditure of taxpayer dollars), the Recovery Program required accurate data to demonstrate the value of the hatchery procedures …  hence a means of quickly identifying hatchery/wild sockeye arriving at the fence on Sweltzer Creek.  As water temperatures are often above 20° C during August and into early September it was imperative these migrating sockeye not be handled; an external mark was necessary.
Over the years these fish have been marked in many ways to determine best value for the hatchery dollar procedures .. From different fin clips, thermal marking of otoliths, Calcein fin ray dying, dates and timing of unfed fry, fed fry, pre smolt, and smolt releases into Sweltzer Creek, and all these data rely on quickly identifying a hatchery/wild fish.

http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/science/habitat/cultus/index-eng.htm

[leaping steely]

Really? Interesting... one of 3 we caught that looked identical to this on this particular day.

I have seen this as well, albeit I rarely come across it. Definitely should know at least two ways to ID a fish just in case something like this happens.

[BBarley]

Took my dog for a walk today along parts of Sweltzer along the quarry road, the few sockeye I could spot appeared to have dark rings around them which indicated net marks. Not trying to belittle the significance of this post, but it seems like their might be bigger forces at play here.

Also, what is with the garbage in that poor creek, I've walked along it year after year, usually picking up what I can, and it never ends...... Is it the campground? The reserve? Garbage from a summer on the lake drifting down???

[Drewhill]

Saw a sockeye bonked mid river today. Almost felt bad for the guy because clearly he was very new to fishing (maybe was just out for the day) and his buddy, that seemed more experienced and was guiding him, ID'd the fish as a coho. I heard him ask his buddy to make sure and the idiot said "for sure ... white gums." I know people are going to say everyone should be able to ID fish. It's just frustrating because this guy would have gotten punished and his idiot partner gets nothing.

[redtide]

With 2000 anglers on the vedder from dusk to dawn each day makes it pretty hard for 2 dfo officers to be everywhere on the river. The fact that fines are not excessive and ability to collect fines is almost nil also affects their morale. Plus the fact 30% of their day is paper work means less time out patrolling. continued ignorance of the rules by anglers does not help the fishery at all. So until we complain to our federal mp's to hire more officers and change the rules and increase fines this will continue for years.....maybe hiring 8-10 auxillary offices during peak salmon months ie. september to november is and idea. Something is better than nothing.

[Every Day]

This thread is great.... what was it on again? O yea...

On a side note, wtf is this     

[TheLostSockeye]

This thread is great.... what was it on again? O yea...

On a side note, wtf is this     

looks like A female pink

i was at the chilliwack river hatchery yesterday and there was a very nice steelhead in there

[Every Day]

So it's cool to just ignore the vertical bars?
Plus no spots on the fins, especially the tail?