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[RalphH]

Chilliwack angler Aidan Gunter said he’s grateful to the hundreds who signed an e-petition calling for leader-length restrictions to reduce snagging and foul-hooking of salmon on the Chilliwack/Vedder River.

" Gunter said the pressure’s been building on the extremely popular Chilliwack/Vedder River in recent years.  “Anglers are frustrated, and there is a strong perception that DFO often relies on broad closures or restrictive openings rather than targeted regulations that directly address unethical practices on the river.”  In the preamble to the petition it explains that the main reason to cut the leaders to one-metre is this:  “In recent years, heavy angler pressure has led to overcrowding, conflict, and the widespread use of excessively long leaders—the fishing line between the hook and the weight—which often results in salmon being unintentionally snagged or foul-hooked.”  DFO officials also informed Gunter in November that leader length, since it’s not currently defined as a gear type within the provincial sportfishing regulations, cannot be easily varied or changed at this point.  “That said, not all hope is lost,” Gunter wrote.  DFO has also said that, as part of the Pacific Salmon Strategy Initiative, “they are in the early stages of exploring regulatory reform to add new gear definitions into the regulations, including permitted leader lengths, to better protect salmon.”  A formal response is expected from DFO and the Fisheries Minister in the coming days or weeks."

Read more at: https://theprogress.com/2026/01/26/chilliwack-anglers-anti-snagging-petition-reaches-the-house-of-commons-with-674-signatures/

[ribolovac02]

This has been long overdue , very happy for the effort and the attention it’s getting, hopefully we can finally see something done in the right direction.

[RalphH]

Agree that it is good news though if and when it is in place much depends on where & how it is regulated. It would affect other gear types particularly fly fishing - not so much on the river like the Chilliwack but for dry line angling it is a big deal. There may be many other changes. For example c&r angling, particularly in the ocean, is receiving management scrutiny plus both other sector (FN & commercial) are on record that it should be eliminated.

[MetalAndFeathers]

This is a bad idea and waste of effort but it is cool to see MP's doing their jobs.

The absolute last thing we need is understaffed and budgeted CO's to waste more time, money and effort on hatchery salmon meant to be killed and enjoyed on the dinner table. CO's would have to deal with lawsuits and investigations for what? A few hatch coho? Non native chinook that theoretically can't spawn?
And by lawsuits and investigations the people who would be charged with breaking these laws already cheat and steal so now they will give CO's headaches and run arounds to defend themselves.

Plus now fly fishermen would be limited to an unusable short leader. And snagging salmon is way more effective with a 1 foot leader than a 5 foot leader.

This effort should be spent lobbying for an education system. Such as a mandatory exam for a fishing license. Youtuber's have done a great job educating fishermen on proper fishing techniques for the Vedder so kudos to them.

All I see a bunch of beaks with a skewed vision of flossing and snagging lobbying for added headaches to our wildlife enforcement systems and paving the way for more regulations on recreational anglers to the benefit of 3 hatchery coho and a chum.