I have not posted for quite some time, but struggle and really wonder how we can best advocate for the future of this system. From fishing it in the days when I would fish the runs below the Hatchery Channel, such productive runs as Pretty's, the Log Jam, etc. I would explore and find my way down to the mouth and have great days. One particular pool was the size of my garage, deep, and hold 100 to 200 coho who were aggressive and willing to chase everything. There were certain narrow, ditch like pools where I could find trapped fish and if patient, catch them with my bare hands and place them back in the main channel. I remember a time when the Easter Seal was reliable and not crowded. Once, I watched a river otter swim under the log jam on the far side of the easter seal, slowly creep out of the water into the log jam, and ambush a Heron, grab it by the neck, and drag it into the log jam and kill it. I have seen bobcats in this system, know where Chantrelle mushrooms can be found, and seen many bears. This led to exploring the upper reaches of the river and finding great jewels for certain times of the year.
Interestingly, I found the first pools in the canyon below Blood Rocks usually stack up with Chum, but in most of my days up top, few
chum would venture above this. A great run of Chum used to come in in the second week of November, around Remembrance Day, and were quite clean and fresh. The abundance of white springs has virtually disappeared. Pools where Steelhead used to congregate now see less fish, and they hold in less numbers. In some years, I would find pairs of Sockeye in the lower system, just around the hatchery. Not sure if they were lost. I have caught large, 18-20 inch rainbow with unique colours and which some I have shown photos to insist are wild, resident rainbows. I have even caught a few nice sized Char, which I could not tell if they were Bull trout or Dolly Varden. One of my favourite experiences was about 5 years ago. I went into the canyon to see how the springs were doing and check on summer Steelhead. In the summer, I could venture into certain areas and find schools of 75 to 100 springs that would swim in clockwise circles in the pools. The date was about August 20th. By this time, it was late in the season for springs, but Stellhead could be found in the tail-outs of pools. I made a cast into a pool for a Steelhead I thought I saw. Suddenly, the bottom was alive and bodies were flying. There were about 30 chrome bright bullets darting around. I thought they were Summer steelhead and was super stoked. After monitoring the pool closely and watching the fish dart around in a large school, I realized they were all chrome, dime-bright coho. Quite a surprise to see they had moved in that early.
Now I wonder where things are at and how they will evolve in the future. Is it too lake for us to make a difference for this system? Lots of things happen in this system which impact it in a negative way and attempts are made to keep it quiet and away from public knowledge. Excessive logging which I feel often goes too close to the bank. Poorly managed gravel extraction in the upper system. Watching the statlu blow brown, then the Chehalis the next year due to work done up there. The expansion of the hydro line and work there. There was a plan to place run of river on the Statlu. Still not sure if all the work up there was about this. Goal to have a mine extracting minerals such as gold and using toxins to assist with this process, fishing by the band at the mouth of the Harrison, as well as the lower section of the Chehalis for those fish that made it through, discussion of placing a garbage dump up there as well, as well as the challenges to the hatchery program and how they function and what they are able to do. What impact are commercial and aboriginal opening in the lower Fraser having on the fish returning to this system. I still wonder how the poorly built roads and logging in Chehalis Lake which caused the large scale slide and tidal wave several years ago that blocked the Chehalis impacted the fish and eggs that may have been in the system at this time.
Having a chance to get to know this system over the years and the secrets and beauty it holds makes me wonder if through being passionate yet passive guests of this system if we have let the Chehalis down in some way. There needs to be some way to advocate and help restore a healthy balance to this system. Does anyone have a pulse on some sort of advocacy group we could join, form, or become a part of to try to make a long term difference for this system?
Thanks for listening.
Dano
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Topic: chehalis (Read 19170 times)