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[spoiler]

In the spring of 1987 I caught an ocean bright Coho about a mile up from the train bridge on the Vedder.
the date was March 21st.
I had 5 year old my son with me and I was teaching him how to fish for Whitefish and Cutthroat Trout when the Coho hit.
I figured we either had a 7lb Steelhead or a whopper Cutthroat Trout as first.
In 1986 the Vedder had a tremendous return of "Expo Coho" which were planted 3 years previous so that tourists coming for Expo 86 would experience a river chocked full of salmon.
I guess the government figured it would help promote tourism in BC.
All of these fish had one of their side fins clipped that year as did the one I caught.
I guess mine was just a little late to the party.

[Dave]

I remember that coho return in 1986 spoiler... unbelievable!  Every ditch and side stream was packed - ocean survival was very high and I'm sure the Vedder will never see that many coho again.

[SPEYMAN]

1986-Expo Coho. Turned the commies loose and we haven't had decent coho fishing since then. Trollers were stopped from fishing in the straight after that fiasco. Good old Jimmy, expo hero.

[clarki]

My latest salmon caught is nothing out of the ordinary; have caught several between Christmas and New Years.

However, my latest seen is a different story. My son and I were fishing Hatzic Slough for cutthroat on January 24 last year and saw a lonely, forlorn, and somewhat beat up, coho holding in the culvert under the CPR tracks.     

[Silex-user]

In the spring of 1987 I caught an ocean bright Coho about a mile up from the train bridge on the Vedder.
the date was March 21st.
I had 5 year old my son with me and I was teaching him how to fish for Whitefish and Cutthroat Trout when the Coho hit.
I figured we either had a 7lb Steelhead or a whopper Cutthroat Trout as first.
In 1986 the Vedder had a tremendous return of "Expo Coho" which were planted 3 years previous so that tourists coming for Expo 86 would experience a river chocked full of salmon.
I guess the government figured it would help promote tourism in BC.
All of these fish had one of their side fins clipped that year as did the one I caught.
I guess mine was just a little late to the party.

Yeah, I remember those Expo 1986 coho there were so many that DFO raised limit to 6 adult coho. Fondest memories was using roe size of golf balls for them. I believed the Vedder had something like 120-130 thousand coho  that came back.

Ahhh..... the good ol, days.



Silex-user

[RalphH]

a lot of not good things started to occur after '86. Coho ocean survival started to fall - it went from 10 to 12% or so to around 2% at times. Changes in the Straight had coho moving outside to the West side of Vancouver Island. Hatchery production went down and the first cuts to FOC/DFO started.

The big increase in hatchery production was meant to improve the fishing in the chuck not the local rivers - most of tourists had gone home by coho time.

[typhoon]

a lot of not good things started to occur after '86. Coho ocean survival started to fall - it went from 10 to 12% or so to around 2% at times. Changes in the Straight had coho moving outside to the West side of Vancouver Island. Hatchery production went down and the first cuts to FOC/DFO started.

The big increase in hatchery production was meant to improve the fishing in the chuck not the local rivers - most of tourists had gone home by coho time.

Wasn't that also coincident with the collapse of herring stocks in the inside straight?

[Toprod]

Have seen sockeye before over the winter while fishing for steel in the Stamp, rare but it happens!

[RalphH]

Wasn't that also coincident with the collapse of herring stocks in the inside straight?

what was? When?

Herring stocks also collapsed in the 60s but coho simply ate other forage species like needle fish. Since the mid- 80s the Georgia Straight is warmer and less saline than it was before.

[Hambone]

I have a friend that showed me a picture of a bright chrome sockeye he caught from the SSS system, I think it was caught in feb or March. Are these fish super late or very early??

[islanddude]

I landed a hatchery coho jack in the Quinsam river. It was chrome, around 16 inches. I guess some of  us lose track of dates but this jack isn't going to find one this time of year, Feb. 04/ 2015,
 I hope this is a sign that there may be a good coho return this year.  On the dark side ,ocean conditions were not to its liking?
 There has been a lot of one year ocean steelhead returning to this system also.

[Every Day]

I'll add another bump to this thread...

We got another ocean bright sockeye yesterday, this time around 4 pounds. Would have posted another picture, but we lost it during tailing and getting the camera out at the beach.

Very, very odd. Hopefully a sign that the run will be huge 

[blueback]

Back in the early 90's, while steelheading in the Vedder in the middle of December below the crossing, one of the guys I was with caught a sockeye that was about 6lbs and was as chrome as could be. He got it on a pink worm. We were all very surprised. It was the only fish caught that day for us.
 

[bald_seagull]

saw 2 chums sunday in a shopping cart creek while walking the dog
they werent moldy yet but were certainly coloured up

side note the banks on this creek have taken a beating this winter hopefully the sand hasnt buried all the salmon eggs from the falleggs

[Wool]

We had Coho in the stream between Christmas / New Years behind my house in Burnaby, not uncommon for Stoney Creek.