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[Randog]

  I know this is a sensitive topic and talking about it is sort of like shaking a hornets nest but........

 I fish the Thompson river frequently and was wondering how others feel about the steady decline of Thompson river steelhead stocks. Do you feel that a catch and release fishery like the Thompson R. has, is in any way responsible for the declining fish stocks? Also, does anyone here know of C&R Thompson steelhead mortality rates.

 The Spences Bridge Steelhead Advocate Association (SBSAA) has forwarded some proposed solutions to try to help the recovery of the Thompson River Steelhead sports fishery.

 Just interested to see what the feed back will be

[Randog]

Wow 50 views and one response. Guess nobody here fishes the T.

  Dr. Spin, thanks for the reply.

 

[BUBBA]

I like to fish the Thompson also and usually stop and fish for three or four days to a week on the way back from moose hunting. Last year we fished the canyons for three days and didn't touch a fish the two guys I fish with stayed a week also nothing for them . I don't believe for a second that the odd fish that dies in a C&R fishery has the slightest impact on a run like this. I do believe though that all the netting in the river and the chuck will eventually lead to the extinction of this run. If you want a taste of Thompson steelhead all you have to do is wait till later in the year and the netters from Yale to chilliwack will gladly sell you some , what a farkin joke.

[Dynamite kid]

One of the main reasons I moved to Chilliwack was to be close to the interior and the T.In fact I proposed to my wife while wearing a pair of waders ,fishing at Martel on the Thompson.
I feel that sport fisherman do impact the Thompson steelhead ,these fish are ultra aggressive and get caught way too many times.They should impose a bait ban and possibly figure out a system of rod days to keep the sport fishing impact to a minimum.On top of this they should definitely close the river on November 15,this would prevent the fish stacked at the mouth of the Nicola from being harrassed so heavily.
The true cause of the Steelheads decline in this system is without a doubt the gillnets ,illegal native nets and last but not least ,the excessive drawdown of all of it's tributary streams.
For those of you who have never caught a Thompson steelhead,you may never get to feel the battle of Mother Natures finest sportfish .

[rln]

 The proposal by the Spences Bridge Steelhead Advocate Association was a complete joke. All they care about is you, the sports fisher coming to fish the river and spend  money in that little town. It does absolutely nothing to fix or try and fix any of the real problems facing the steelhead there. If the day arrives and they get their heads out of the sand and really try to address the issues, maybe and only maybe then will we have decent steelhead fishing there again.
 One of the parts in the plan I like best (not!) is to only allow fishing from the hwy 8 bridge downstream to Nicomen creek for 1 week and then from the hwy 8 bridge upstream to Epsum the next week with the remainder of the river (Nicomen creek to lytton and Epsum to the lake staying closed at all times). Shows you how much they want the steelheaders dollars spend right in their backyard.
 They like to call this a "solution" for the Thompson river sports fishery. The only thing this will solve is their bank accounts in the short term.
 With "friends" of the steelhead like this , I am positive we don't need anymore enemies, as these people with make sure that the run goes extinct.
 If anybody wants to get a copy of this amazing paper, you can phone the SBSAA at 250-458-2267.
 By the way netting is nowhere near the biggest problem that the Thompson steelhead face, it's the drawn down on water and the total lose of habitat in the spawning streams like the coldwater river and the other tributaries of the Nicola river system.

[Darko]

One of the main reasons I moved to Chilliwack was to be close to the interior and the T.In fact I proposed to my wife while wearing a pair of waders ,fishing at Martel on the Thompson.
I feel that sport fisherman do impact the Thompson steelhead ,these fish are ultra aggressive and get caught way too many times.They should impose a bait ban and possibly figure out a system of rod days to keep the sport fishing impact to a minimum.On top of this they should definitely close the river on November 15,this would prevent the fish stacked at the mouth of the Nicola from being harrassed so heavily.
The true cause of the Steelheads decline in this system is without a doubt the gillnets ,illegal native nets and last but not least ,the excessive drawdown of all of it's tributary streams.
For those of you who have never caught a Thompson steelhead,you may never get to feel the battle of Mother Natures finest sportfish .

looks like he was right

[GENERAL-SHERMAN]

It’s sure a good thing lower fraser  coho bar fishing is closed to protect thompson steelhead . All the boats down there netting currently are only catching chum and springs I’m guessing  .

[Darko]

It’s sure a good thing lower fraser  coho bar fishing is closed to protect thompson steelhead . All the boats down there netting currently are only catching chum and springs I’m guessing  .

yep its absolutely ridiculous. The absurd netting which is 90 % likely the biggest factor in their decline is STILL going on. Yet I bet zero of the profit generated has ever gone to steelhead conservation. One of the most frustrating things to me that I will never forgive. I have watched videos of sockeye netting and from what I've seen the handling of the fish is horrible and there is zero identification happening. Which is likely what happens on 90% of the netting going on. When you scoop up 100 fish in a matter of a minute. How long does it take to sort them out? How long are they out of the water for.