Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum
Fishing in British Columbia => General Discussion => Topic started by: Rodney on September 02, 2021, 03:26:28 PM
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The Tidal Fraser River is open to pink salmon fishing starting on September 3rd, 2021.
Click here to see fishery notice (https://www-ops2.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fns-sap/index-eng.cfm?pg=view_notice&DOC_ID=249849&ID=all)
The daily quota of pink salmon is 4. Anglers cannot target chinook, coho, sockeye and chum salmon during this opening. All by-caught salmon have to be released with care so please identify your species correctly before retaining the right catches. Make sure you have a valid saltwater fishing licence and salmon stamp.
Video and Article Resources
- My pink salmon spinning setup and terminal tackle (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtYuhfx2QrQ)
- Episode from 2011 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAIqI5rFZv8)
- Pink salmon spinning setup (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cN1LGC8w-A)
- Pink salmon fly fishing setup (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzF4n3lREvU)
- Tidal Fraser River pink salmon fishery overview (http://www.fishingwithrod.com/articles/estuary_fishing/fishing_for_tidal_fraser_pink_salmon.html)
- Tidal Fraser River fishing spots (http://www.fishingwithrod.com/articles/region_two/tidal_fraser_river.html)
Report fishery violations to DFO's ORR (https://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/rec/ORR-ONS-eng.html)
Season, Timing and Locations
The first two weeks of September can be excellent. By the third week of September, it tapers off but you can still encounter the odd fish until the end of September.
The last three hours of incoming tide is usually best at most spots, but some locations can produce fish at any given tide. Sometimes fish will also enter the Fraser River when the tide is low. It is best to visit a spot several times at different tides to determine when it is most productive.
You can catch pink salmon at any spot along the Fraser River. They will enter both North and South Arms of the Tidal Fraser River in Richmond and Vancouver, converge into one arm in New Westminster. River/Dyke Roads along the shorelines of Richmond and Delta are popular spots. The south shoreline along Langley and Mission can be popular.
Important Fish Identification Information
When the pink salmon fishery is taking place in the Tidal Fraser River, several other salmon species will also be making their way through the river. Some of these species are closed for retention so you must release them with care by keeping them in the water at all time and using a catch and release net. Sockeye salmon, coho salmon and steelhead are required to be released unless stated otherwise. Wild trout and char are also required to be released. It is your responsibility to identify these fish correctly. If you are unsure what species you have at the end of your line, please let it go. Here are some photographs for reference.
Pink Salmon
(http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc90/fishingwithrod/2013/130814-01_zpsa4498fb5.jpg)
(http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc90/fishingwithrod/2013/130814-02_zps2dcd8db5.jpg)
Coho Salmon
(http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc90/fishingwithrod/2013/130814-04_zps45a7129a.jpg)
(http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc90/fishingwithrod/2013/130814-03_zps294098e0.jpg)
Sockeye Salmon
(http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc90/fishingwithrod/2013/130814-05_zps7d9c41a6.jpg)
Bull Trout
(http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc90/fishingwithrod/2013/130814-06_zpsd79cff02.jpg)
Carry a catch and release landing net with you. This would save you the fight time and allow you to identify the fish correctly while keeping it in the water.
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Whaaaaat. Sweetness!!!
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wonder just how much tackle will be in shops for this 15 day fishery.
I doubt many expected this to happen.
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wonder just how much tackle will be in shops for this 15 day fishery.
I doubt many expected this to happen.
I just realize that I only have two pink spoons haha... ::)
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Been researching all year for this moment. Hopefully it's hot for everybody!
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Ha! Checked PSC first and saw the update to 5.7 million pinks so I thought there might be an opening.
Checked FWR and here we are.
Time for a tidal licence...
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Hey rod, thought you were ordering a bunch of stuff to make spoons :p
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I just realize that I only have two pink spoons haha... ::)
I still got some of your spoons. You can have them back at $25.00 each ;)
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I still got some of your spoons. You can have them back at $25.00 each ;)
I guess the spoon value is following the same inflation as the real estate value. ;D
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So is 160K Per day past Mission the Peak or is that a Normal for this time of year? Are there anything like 500K days in the past?
31-Aug 9,900 CPUE-Wh 0 9,900 1,657,300 167,800 HA 1,207,700
01-Sep 21,900 CPUE-Wh 0 21,900 1,679,200 128,300 HA 1,336,000
02-Sep 17,000 CPUE-Wh 0 17,000 1,696,200 163,800 HA 1,499,800
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Fishing near the tunnel, the river is chocolate milk right now. Hoping for an improvement on the tide change.
Was driving over the Fraser a couple of days ago thinking it was too muddy.
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So is 160K Per day past Mission the Peak or is that a Normal for this time of year? Are there anything like 500K days in the past?
There have been 1,000,000+ days in the past in abundant cycles, but that's not going to be this year.
Historically, the peak seems to be around the 2nd week of Sept, and really tapers off around the 4th week.
FWIW, even this 'limited' opening should still cover 'most' of the run. Give or take, every year can be slightly different.
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I fished the North Arm for about 2 hours just before low slack. I saw no definite signs of pinks. I thought the water clarity was relatively good. While it was a good run out (1.6 feet), I've never seen the river this low in this location. I got to see all the snags to which I'd previous made lure donations.
I did see a beaver (surprise). It swam by within 20 feet of me and even gave me a look! What a city slicker!
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Very healthy population of beaver in the north arm.
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Crazy amount of fish last saturday on the sounder below Port Mann, I'm thinking with a warmer year the fish entering the river are staying deeper with the cooler flow as opposed to the surface.
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I fished the North Arm for about 2 hours just before low slack. I saw no definite signs of pinks. I thought the water clarity was relatively good. While it was a good run out (1.6 feet), I've never seen the river this low in this location. I got to see all the snags to which I'd previous made lure donations.
I did see a beaver (surprise). It swam by within 20 feet of me and even gave me a look! What a city slicker!
Same thing here. no fish rolling. no bite. Water is quite clear in my experience
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The estimated escapement of pink salmon past Mission through September 2 is 1,671,900. Catches of pink salmon in the in-river test fisheries have not increased as much as expected over the last week implying a longer travel time from Area 20 than the assumed travel time of 18 days or a smaller run size than expected. Daily estimates at the Mission hydroacoustic site remain steady and have yet to observe a substantial increase in abundance that might represent the pink salmon observed in the marine test fisheries on August 13 and 14 in Area 20. The large abundance associated with high test fishing catches on August 23 and 24 have not been confirmed by the US pink directed fisheries. Unlike sockeye salmon, pink salmon migrate slower and have demonstrated considerable variability in their migration behavior in the past, making it more challenging to line up observations in Area 20 with observations in Area 7/7A or at Mission. This lack of confirmation of the high test fishing catches in Area 20 increases the uncertainty associated with the abundance represented by these large marine test fishing catches and the associated run size. At Monday’s meeting, the Panel adopted an in-season run size of 5,700,000 pink salmon with an associated Area 20 timing of August 18. Further updates of run size will be dependent on additional confirmation of abundances.
https://www.psc.org/download/639/2021/14059/september-3-2021-2.pdf
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I saw hundreds if not thousands near the reach today on the tide change. But about an hr after the tide change it dropped of quick.
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I saw hundreds if not thousands near the reach today on the tide change. But about an hr after the tide change it dropped of quick.
...and you caught how many?
pretty typical for the tidal Fraser IME. Mostly fish are active around the change.
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Richmond is on fire...No.5, 6, 7, fish jumping everywhere now.
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I landed 2 and lost 6 but took me awhile to find out what they wanted. They wouldn't touch anything but my spoons. I wasted quite some time twitching lol. Then I slipped on a rock fighting a fish and decided it was time to go home and rest till tomorrow ;)
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I am having a hard time interpreting the regulations. Are we able to fish for pinks in the Vedder right now?
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No you can't fish for them in the Vedder right now, only Springs and Coho are open. They usually announce an opening once they get an idea what the return is like.
https://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/rec/fresh-douce/region2-eng.html
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Passed by the Port Mann area to look. Visibility is surprisingly good (by lower Fraser standards). Didnt see any activity in the 5-10 minutes I watched
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Fishing the south arm in Richmond this evening, water clarity is good, caught one and lost two. It was nice to see Officers come and check people's gear.
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We dragged the family out this evening (kids, grandparents) for a couple hours just down from the Upper fishing boundary in Abby-Mission to hit the evening peak tide. Unlike Richmond, we did not see thick schools of fish going by. There were the odd rolls here and there, and majority of the surface activity did not occur until around 8pm. I managed to lost one right by my feet and somehow foul hooked another one. There were around 30 to 40 other anglers enjoying the evening, and perhaps 5 to 10 other fish caught in total. Water clarity was so so up this way, visibility was perhaps slightly less than a foot. I'm sure the fishing will only improve on the days to come.
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I am having a hard time interpreting the regulations. Are we able to fish for pinks in the Vedder right now?
Fishing for pink salmon is closed in the Chilliwack/Vedder at the moment, this includes catch and release. Retention opportunities are being considered for both the Chilliwack and Harrison River system today, and more likely than not there will be an opening announcement at some point next week.
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Fishing for pink salmon is closed in the Chilliwack/Vedder at the moment, this includes catch and release. Retention opportunities are being considered for both the Chilliwack and Harrison River system today, and more likely than not there will be an opening announcement at some point next week.
I spent some time scouting Calamity point this afternoon. 3 pinks observed rising. 4+ cycles ago at this time of year and my log book says I had multiple hookups already.
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a few caught today with both my sons! when i went to buy license this morn i hadn't realized the last time i did this was 2015 !!!!
pink buzz bomb in the 2inch was the ticket !
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No shortage of fish moving through the upper part of the Tidal Fraser this evening. Almost everyone was catching them which was nice to see. Water clarity was not great...
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Went yesterday to the middle arm and did not see a thing 2 hrs before high tide and 1 hr past. Went today 1 hr before/after high tide to the south arm and hooked into two but lost both. Lots of people out but only saw about 4 fish landed.
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This is such an important fishery in so many levels. It’s very easy to get into for all ages. There’s a reasonable chance to catch a fish and it’s very sustainable with little buy catch.
It’s a shame there’s such a lobby effort to keep the rec sector off the lower Fraser. It’s nice to see DFO did not cave to keep it close which would of been the easy thing to do.
Great to see all the people going out young and old.
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Agreed that its an easier fishery to get the young uns into
But why dont they go further and let some pinks be caught on the Vedder.
Its a much easier river to fish .
If they are thinking about conservation they could just make it a limited opening .
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Agreed that its an easier fishery to get the young uns into
But why dont they go further and let some pinks be caught on the Vedder.
Its a much easier river to fish .
If they are thinking about conservation they could just make it a limited opening .
And that is exactly what is being worked on behind the scene at the moment...
Discussion on pink salmon opportunities took place in the last two days. I was asked for input on what opportunities should be available and my recommendation was 2 fish/day throughout September then closed to fishing after Sept 30th, for both the Chilliwack and Harrison River systems. More likely than not you'll see a fishery notice next week for these.
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Was slow all day across from the reach but I managed to land 2 pinks and a spring( spat the hook as I went to release him) but it was an all day effort. Saw about 7 or 8 boats doing net runs up and down almost all day so might explain why it was slower then yesterday.
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Sounds great !
Was hoping to take a nephew fishing and the Vedder is the best place
Thanks for the quick reply.
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Went yesterday to the middle arm and did not see a thing 2 hrs before high tide and 1 hr past. Went today 1 hr before/after high tide to the south arm and hooked into two but lost both. Lots of people out but only saw about 4 fish landed.
Same. Might have seen you last night. Was raining hard, but had a couple of solid bites on a 2oz pink buzz bomb and saw the odd fish landed. Going to try again this evening. Already more productive for me than Howe Sound was this year.
Picked up some pink hoochies and the last pink bb in Canadian Tire last night, so going to give that a whirl. Was reading that the fish go crazy over a skirt.
Tight lines!
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Decent numbers in river test fishing, big tides tho, evening flood
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Went out to Langley for few hours this morning. Compared to yesterday, more pinks surfacing. Lost 3, landed 3.
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Went to Brownsville. At 1130. First cast got a nice doe. I gave it so some kid that was fishing all morning. Fished another 10 mins and left haha. Just stopped in to check it out a few jumping. And a couple seals chasing schools around. Going to hit up a few more spots in new west see how that side is doing.
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Went to Brownsville. At 1130. First cast got a nice doe. I gave it so some kid that was fishing all morning. Fished another 10 mins and left haha. Just stopped in to check it out a few jumping. And a couple seals chasing schools around. Going to hit up a few more spots in new west see how that side is doing.
people I have talked to over the years say below Pitt river it's best on the south side of the river. That said I have caught fish in the North Arm near the Burnaby New West border..
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Went to Brownsville. At 1130. First cast got a nice doe. I gave it so some kid that was fishing all morning. Fished another 10 mins and left haha. Just stopped in to check it out a few jumping. And a couple seals chasing schools around. Going to hit up a few more spots in new west see how that side is doing.
Ah Brownsville bar. Now that brings back memories when we used to anchor up out front of the log booms from the saw mill that was once there. We fished a bar rig with fresh cured chum roe off the back of the boat and caught many a coho on the ebb tide. Great times.
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River was dead tonight. 😝
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Panoptix unit was showing a non stop flow of fish swimming up. We were anchored just bellow the mission bridge and perspective mode showed fish under the boat all the way to 60 feet out. A never ending school. Only saw 2 caught tho. Sturgeon rods out the back caught more fish. It was a nice break from casting.
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River was dead tonight. 😝
Have to agree
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Went out all day and didn't hook up till about 5pm. After 5pm I limited out and lost 6 in about an hr and a half . Definitely picking up.
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I published these on my Facebook page yesterday.
(https://i.imgur.com/O0fk3BE.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/BTiUC2y.jpg)
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I was out in glen valley,yesterday, from the start of tide change until nearly dark. Not lucky enough to get one but a few were caught.Weird the way these fish bite...One minute nothing.....The next minute one after the other and then complete stop in bites again. Should have taken my kayak with me.
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Went out all day and didn't hook up till about 5pm. After 5pm I limited out and lost 6 in about an hr and a half . Definitely picking up.
Nice! I fished for a couple of hours in Richmond yesterday evening but only got into one fish around 6:45. Seemed slower than Saturday, and others were citing the commercial opening. Didn't really see any surface action until right before I tied into that fish.
Weird the way these fish bite...One minute nothing.....The next minute one after the other and then complete stop in bites again.
My understanding is that the fish push up in schools. If a school is there you (and others around you) have a good chance of hooking up. You can often see them porpoising and jumping when the fish are passing through. If no one is catching anything it's just a waiting game.
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Was out for entire morning in Langley. Lots of people. Fun watching how people were reacting to this group in the middle of the stretch of water we were fishing. Seems no one else was catching anything. The group in the middle limited then continued fishing but passing rod to others. People either crowded them or discreetly walked by and tried to figure out what they were doing.
Took me 5 hours to land two bucks. Lost all the doe's. Story of my life.
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Over 1 Million Pinks moved through the last 2 days. They must have moved through while I was at home ;D
511,500 HA 2,275,600
501,200 HA 2,776,800
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Caught 1 fish on River Rd on Friday - fairly slow with not too many fish surfacing.
Went to Langley on Saturday, Sunday and today - 2 on Saturday, 3 on Sunday and lost all 3 today.
Huge crowd there today with a bunch of school aged kids out.
Need some rain which is coming in the next couple of days.
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I fished at Glen Valley on Sat and Sun. Nothing on Saturday but got into a lot of fish on Sunday. Kept 3. It was one of those odd days where I was hooking up lots and so was the guy next to me but no one else was. (Usually the other way around for me) As I was leaving someone enquired what lure I was using. I replied that it was an Orange and Silver Koho spoon. He told me that you're not allowed to use "orange" for pink salmon. I am fairly certain this is not true and I reread the regs. Can someone confirm this for me? Just want to make sure it's not part of the "release coho and chinook but don't even fish for sockeye part of the regs. Thanks in advance!
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Sounds like that guy is just a tiiiny bit jealous
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I fished at Glen Valley on Sat and Sun. Nothing on Saturday but got into a lot of fish on Sunday. Kept 3. It was one of those odd days where I was hooking up lots and so was the guy next to me but no one else was. (Usually the other way around for me) As I was leaving someone enquired what lure I was using. I replied that it was an Orange and Silver Koho spoon. He told me that you're not allowed to use "orange" for pink salmon. I am fairly certain this is not true and I reread the regs. Can someone confirm this for me? Just want to make sure it's not part of the "release coho and chinook but don't even fish for sockeye part of the regs. Thanks in advance!
Use whatever colours you want. People say the weirdest things during this time of the year.
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I fished at Glen Valley on Sat and Sun. Nothing on Saturday but got into a lot of fish on Sunday. Kept 3. It was one of those odd days where I was hooking up lots and so was the guy next to me but no one else was. (Usually the other way around for me) As I was leaving someone enquired what lure I was using. I replied that it was an Orange and Silver Koho spoon. He told me that you're not allowed to use "orange" for pink salmon. I am fairly certain this is not true and I reread the regs. Can someone confirm this for me? Just want to make sure it's not part of the "release coho and chinook but don't even fish for sockeye part of the regs. Thanks in advance!
It was likely a joke. Humour is rather subjective i find....likely why i have so many friends here like milo lol
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when I got into this back in the 80s there used to be a saying "use pink for pinks". Maybe this guy heard this expression but misunderstood the meaning. Just about anything will work at times. Chartreuse is a good color as is orange. I have seen numbers caught with plain silver or gold spoons or spinners.
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We used to catch Pinks on herring strip trolled behind a flasher when fishing for coho out at Tsawwassen in front of the coal port back in the day.
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And that is exactly what is being worked on behind the scene at the moment...
Discussion on pink salmon opportunities took place in the last two days. I was asked for input on what opportunities should be available and my recommendation was 2 fish/day throughout September then closed to fishing after Sept 30th, for both the Chilliwack and Harrison River systems. More likely than not you'll see a fishery notice next week for these.
Just a quick follow-up on this. Just waiting for approval for both Harrison and Vedder retention opportunities, fishery notice should be out very soon.
The fish seem to be more bitey this morning from the reports I received.
One quick note that Garry Point Park is in fact closed to salmon fishing during this opening, as it falls in sub-area 29-9 which is closed to salmon fishing. This item is going to be revisited this fall at the SFAC to have the area rezoned as managers now know how important it is to have opportunities available for shore anglers in that area.
I've been going back and forth in communication with various staff at the department to see how it's going. So far all the feedbacks have been positive. Compliance has been good overall, lots of people out fishing on the long weekend and majority of the participants were all very positive despite of the low catches. Resource managers are now seeing the social and economic benefits from this particular fishery and I'm really happy to see all the effort going into making it successful this year. And I've only caught one so far this season lol!
I'm just gonna show you a couple of screenshots which were relayed to the department earlier today. These are just some of the testimonials which were sent to me (there were a lot more in my inbox...) from first time participants of the fishery. This has never been about getting the allocated biomass to harvest, but to have opportunities and create experiences like these. Most people are just happy that they are able to catch one salmon on their own.
(https://i.imgur.com/DbNDCnz.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/BCEyPPx.jpg)
12 more days of happiness, get out there and enjoy it.
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That’s what’s it’s all about so important for new anglers it’s great to see
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During the Panel call today the run size of Fraser River Pink salmon was increased to 6,000,000 Pinks with an Area 20 peak timing of August 19.
Flood tides are switching to the morning later so get out in the morning!! Peak is now so next 5 days is prime for lower Fraser main.
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Just seeing how everyone did tonight. I went on a scout to a few places.after work Stayed abut a hour in each spot. The first 2 spots I went to on the surrey side. People told me they had 1 big hit at 4-5 I just missed that one !!! Each spot I went to after that I asked how they did and they all said the same 4-5 was on fire then nothing. Same with A island the 3 spots I went to. The channel by Burnett river was slow also tonight. My friend was there for 3 hours Nothing
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Just seeing how everyone did tonight.
I tried the middle arm this evening after work, and because it's 5 mins from my place. I was the only one fishing there and I'm guessing there was a reason for that, lol.
Tried the south arm about an hour before sunset but either too late or not much happening there either, as it seemed folks were wrapping up. Nice night though.
I fished the south arm yesterday as well, and regret not bringing the fly rod, as they were quite close to shore in the afternoon. Interestingly, they were schooling in the area I was fishing for about an hour but only 1 guy in the area brought a fish to shore during that time. Saw 3 others break off in as many hours, so maybe they were onto a different colour.
I'm lake fishing in the Interior next week (vacation) but will try the next few nights after work. I had a BIG one on the other night that spat the hook right near my feet, so I'm hoping for redemption. ;D
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This thread is one of the most wholesome thing I've seen in a while re: local fishery.
The pinks is one of those things that seems to bring out the better part of people; generally good attitudes, sharing, and etiquette, which they (hopefully) take to other fisheries. It's not all about the meat, unlike some of the other fisheries around, which seem to bring out the absolute worst.
It's really the perfect gateway fishery. Low barrier of entry for beginners and families, and lots of easily accessible water. Decent chance of success, and no impact on stocks of concern. Nothing else quite like it.
I've been going back and forth in communication with various staff at the department to see how it's going. So far all the feedbacks have been positive. Compliance has been good overall, lots of people out fishing on the long weekend and majority of the participants were all very positive despite of the low catches. Resource managers are now seeing the social and economic benefits from this particular fishery and I'm really happy to see all the effort going into making it successful this year.
It's encouraging to hear managers are keeping open minds and seeing the benefits. Though the lower Fraser pink fishery has pretty much always been the same, so that fact that this is newsworthy seems to illustrate why progress can be slow. Sounds like it takes a lot of advocacy to get buy-in on what would seem obvious to us...
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Here it is. Let the Gong show begin ;D
https://notices.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fns-sap/index-eng.cfm?pg=view_notice&DOC_ID=250025&ID=all
Waters: Chilliwack/Vedder River (including Sumas River) (from a line between two fishing boundary signs on either side of the Chilliwack River 100 m from the confluence of the Chilliwack River and Slesse Creek downstream including that portion of the Sumas River from the Barrow Town Pump Station downstream to fishing boundary signs near the confluence with the Fraser River).
Waters: Harrison River (from the outlet of Harrison Lake downstream to the Hwy 7 bridge).
Waters: Stave River (downstream of BC Hydro Dam to the CPR Railway bridge).
Effective immediately until September 30, 2021:
- The daily limit for Pink salmon is two (2).
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Strange why they wouldn't open the Harrison down to the confluence to the Fraser ? . ??? Is there a reason why ? . Is there not boundary signs at the mouth of the Harrison maybe , I cant remember seeing any or I am just blind . :P
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(https://i.imgur.com/6pgAkuc.jpg)
A few fish on the spoon this morning, a few fish on the jig. Water clarity was not great. There wasn't a whole lot of fish surfacing, but enough to get some bites until the tide peaked.
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Strange why they wouldn't open the Harrison down to the confluence to the Fraser ? . ??? Is there a reason why ? . Is there not boundary signs at the mouth of the Harrison maybe , I cant remember seeing any or I am just blind . :P
I just got a confirmation that it was a mistake. It should be from Hwy 7 bridge down to the confluence. A revised notice is being worked on now.
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Amendment: https://www-ops2.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fns-sap/index-eng.cfm?pg=view_notice&DOC_ID=250062&ID=all
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What’s up people. Hope all is well. Just some more reports from my travels. I stayed local to new west. Hit up sapperton. From 445 -645. Fish got bonked. A big push came through at 5-530.
After 6 it was over. I managed to get one on second cast my friend also picked up a nice girl.a few guys got 4 in the 20 mins !!! Hope everyone else had a good night. Tomorrow I think I’m going to head down to burnaby. Maybe check out foreshore park see if anything is coming up that passageway
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After 6 it was over.
Yeah I fished in Richmond from about 5-7pm without a sniff. Must have just missed them. Got excited at one point with some surface action, but it turned out to be a wounded(?) salmon swimming around in circles upstream. Heard the morning tide was better. Just can't catch a break some days, much less a fish ;D ;D Nice evening though. Not too many people out.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBHPQrSOh-I
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Lots of pinks still moving through.
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Lots of pinks still moving through.
moving and not a lot biting
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Spent about four hours at the sand heads today. Has two shakers. Of about 35 boats out there appeared to little happening.
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No pinks for me today, despite thousands going by, but I released a coho ;D
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600k pinks past mission yesterday things will start winding down now. Probably not to many days left of decent fishing with half the run now past mission.
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Slow this morning
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Well, this took me by surprise. lol...
https://www-ops2.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fns-sap/index-eng.cfm?pg=view_notice&DOC_ID=250216&ID=all
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Well, this took me by surprise. lol...
https://www-ops2.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fns-sap/index-eng.cfm?pg=view_notice&DOC_ID=250216&ID=all
"anglers are requested to use angling methods that do not catch sockeye or Coho."
So uhh, how should one do that? lol. Are there some lures/methods that are known to catch sockeye and coho more frequently than pinks?
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no bottom bouncing flossing techniques. Lures or fly only. Try circle hooks. They also are effective in greatly reducing foul hooked (snagged) encounters.
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"During the Panel call today the run size of Fraser River Pink salmon was increased to 6,500,000 with an Area 20 peak timing of August 19. The US is planning commercial fisheries to harvest the small increase in US TAC that remains at this updated run size. At the Panel meeting today US Pink fisheries were planned in 4b, 5, 6c and 6, 7, 7A with non-retention in place for Sockeye. For details on US fisheries planned for Panel Area waters refer to the Pacific Salmon Commission Regulatory Announcement from today’s Panel meeting.. In Canada, Pink salmon First Nations FSC fisheries are being considered, and consideration is also being given to how to manage limited sockeye retention opportunities (associated with the small amount of Summer run TAC) particularly in areas where Summer run stocks are available to harvest. An Area B Fraser Pink Assessment fishery is also planned to start Sunday, September 12 in Area 29 with up to 2 vessels fishing with observers and Sockeye non-retention in place. The Pink run size will continue to be assessed and will be re-evaluated during upcoming Panel meetings."
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"During the Panel call today the run size of Fraser River Pink salmon was increased to 6,500,000 with an Area 20 peak timing of August 19. The US is planning commercial fisheries to harvest the small increase in US TAC that remains at this updated run size. At the Panel meeting today US Pink fisheries were planned in 4b, 5, 6c and 6, 7, 7A with non-retention in place for Sockeye. For details on US fisheries planned for Panel Area waters refer to the Pacific Salmon Commission Regulatory Announcement from today’s Panel meeting.. In Canada, Pink salmon First Nations FSC fisheries are being considered, and consideration is also being given to how to manage limited sockeye retention opportunities (associated with the small amount of Summer run TAC) particularly in areas where Summer run stocks are available to harvest. An Area B Fraser Pink Assessment fishery is also planned to start Sunday, September 12 in Area 29 with up to 2 vessels fishing with observers and Sockeye non-retention in place. The Pink run size will continue to be assessed and will be re-evaluated during upcoming Panel meetings."
Can you translate into plain English ? ;D
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Does that mean there will be two seiners working off the lightship Sunday?
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Can you translate into plain English ? ;D
Simple.
"Time to go fishing!" ;D
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Well, this took me by surprise. lol...
https://www-ops2.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fns-sap/index-eng.cfm?pg=view_notice&DOC_ID=250216&ID=all
They may as well open it for chinook as well then.
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Exactly.
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No leader length restriction and opening the non tidal Fraser? :(
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Everyone should community police the bottom bouncers then. Stab them and throw them in the river. There is no excuse. Good day.
Really ?? :o
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Everyone should community police the bottom bouncers then. Stab them and throw them in the river. There is no excuse. Good day.
Get off my forum. You’re not welcome here anymore. I don’t care if that was meant to be a joke or not, what a juvenile, irresponsible, dangerous thing to say.
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Get off my forum. You’re not welcome here anymore. I don’t care if that was meant to be a joke or not, what a juvenile, irresponsible, dangerous thing to say.
Yup. Well done Rod.
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Well that was awkward ..
Hopefully people don't feel the need to bottom bounce for pinks (they bite!) and can remain civil on the rivers.
I actually snagged a buck by the dorsal fin today. I think it might have been fair game (because tidal and accidental), but I've just always let foul-hooked fish go. I don't know, seems weird.
Going to put in a full day tomm, as the tides are timed nicely, and see how it goes. Will be my last day fishing pinks this season so hoping to hit at least one school that's biting. Been a pretty slow week.
Good luck everyone!
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Wow. All I can say. One bad apple. Anyways. How did everyone do today. I haven’t been able to get out. For 2 days. I’ll be back from a 4x4 trip Monday A friend that’s never caught a fish and wants to get into fishing soooo I’m hoping Monday won’t be to late. For him to get the fishing bug. And hopefully catch a pink.
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Alot of fish moving through yesterday. Not today. Saw only 1 pink hooked but lost. Talked to a few friends who reported the same from Richmond right up to the Port Mann bridge.
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Just a quick follow-up on this. Just waiting for approval for both Harrison and Vedder retention opportunities, fishery notice should be out very soon.
The fish seem to be more bitey this morning from the reports I received.
One quick note that Garry Point Park is in fact closed to salmon fishing during this opening, as it falls in sub-area 29-9 which is closed to salmon fishing. This item is going to be revisited this fall at the SFAC to have the area rezoned as managers now know how important it is to have opportunities available for shore anglers in that area.
I've been going back and forth in communication with various staff at the department to see how it's going. So far all the feedbacks have been positive. Compliance has been good overall, lots of people out fishing on the long weekend and majority of the participants were all very positive despite of the low catches. Resource managers are now seeing the social and economic benefits from this particular fishery and I'm really happy to see all the effort going into making it successful this year. And I've only caught one so far this season lol!
I'm just gonna show you a couple of screenshots which were relayed to the department earlier today. These are just some of the testimonials which were sent to me (there were a lot more in my inbox...) from first time participants of the fishery. This has never been about getting the allocated biomass to harvest, but to have opportunities and create experiences like these. Most people are just happy that they are able to catch one salmon on their own.
(https://i.imgur.com/DbNDCnz.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/BCEyPPx.jpg)
12 more days of happiness, get out there and enjoy it.
Are pinks open for retention on the Vedder ? There was a bunch in the lower yesterday. Just curious.
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Yes. https://www-ops2.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fns-sap/index-eng.cfm?pg=view_notice&DOC_ID=250062&ID=all
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Had some good fishing at Derby yesterday.
Perfect timing on the tides is necessary for success.
I was camped in Edgewater campground in order to figure out the timing of the run - watched it all day.
My theory on catching pinks is fishing at the low slack through the incoming tide.
Pinks tend to wander close to shore during each of the slack periods and there will be moving fish during the incoming tide.
Yesterday, the low tide was around 3:00pm at New West, making low tide at Derby around 4:00pm.
Low slack occurs around an hour later so prime fishing would have been between 5:00pm and 7:00pm, which it was.
It will be different at different spots - the deal with Derby is you have to be able to cast to the fish which are too far away at high tide.
Got my limit in about 40 minutes around 6:00pm.
The top fish in the pic is a huge doe - largest I've ever caught.
(https://i.imgur.com/lkmpwE1.jpg)
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How long is the seine opening for on Monday??
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https://www-ops2.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fns-sap/index-eng.cfm?pg=view_notice&DOC_ID=250278&ID=all (https://www-ops2.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fns-sap/index-eng.cfm?pg=view_notice&DOC_ID=250278&ID=all)
2 seine boats, 7am - 8pm September 12 - 14.
In the US,
UNITED STATES FRASER RIVER PANEL AREA WATERS
TREATY INDIAN FISHERY:
Areas 4B, 5, and 6C: Open for drift gillnet fishing from 12 p.m. (noon), Saturday, September 11, 2021, through 12 p.m. (noon), Monday September 13, 2021.
Areas 6, 7, and 7A in the area southerly and easterly of a straight line drawn from the Iwersen Dock on Point Roberts in the State of Washington to the Georgina Point Light at the entrance to Active Pass in the Province of British Columbia: Open for net fishing from 5 a.m., Saturday, September 11, 2021, through 9 a.m., Monday, September 13, 2021.
ALL CITIZEN FISHERY:
Area 7: Open to reefnet fishing, with non-retention of sockeye, from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, September 11, 2021 and 5 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday, September 12, 2021.
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My theory on catching pinks is fishing at the low slack through the incoming tide.
Pinks tend to wander close to shore during each of the slack periods and there will be moving fish during the incoming tide.
Nice! I noticed this last weekend too .. Fish were close to shore in the hundreds about an hour after low tide. Was more fish than I had seen at any other time (i.e. +/- 2 hours of high tide).
Might head out now and put this theory to the test! Maybe the rain will also make it more appealing for the fish, but not the anglers ;D ;D
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.. Fish were close to shore in the hundreds about an hour after low tide. Was more fish than I had seen at any other time (i.e. +/- 2 hours of high tide).
as the river gets faster and narrows above about the Vedder mouth, it can be like a continouss stream of fish just a few feet out from shore for hours on end!
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Has the mouth of the vedder been hot for anyone? I've noticed it seems to be calming down around derbies reach over the past couple days.
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When for a look at the Fort Langley area bars this morning. I've fished there for years and I have never seen so many fishers as I did today. Pretty much shoulder to shoulder in spots. Did not see a lot of bent rods.
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I fished for about 4 hours this afternoon on the south arm. A good number of fish pushing in just after slack tide, but not interested in what I was casting (spoons, buzz bombs, flies). Very few people out where I was fishing, and much of the same.
A father/son team did well between 7-7:30, with the 6 year old landing a nice doe and the father having a couple of fish on. Was nice to see the dad let him reel it in himself. The kid was over the moon. On the way out I asked him if that was his first salmon, and he replied with just "first one .. today!" Sounds like he's had a decent week!
That's about it for me for this pink tidal season. Probably my slowest one since 2011, but I caught a handful and learned some things.
Hope you are able to tie into a few this week!
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Fished Derby this am from 8:30 to 11:30. Upon arrival there were lots of fish surfacing, looked promising. As the current shifted and started to move in, I was hopeful for at least one good push of fish. Proved to not be the case, as the water came up the surface went quiet. Amongst 40 or so fishers, I think there might have been 6-8 fish caught all morning.
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I fished on Saturday for three hours. the guy to my left caught 12, the guy to my right caught 7. I got zero
The left guy used a tiny spinner, the right guy used a pink wedding band. I only have a bunch of coho spoons and crocs spoons. Drove me crazy changing around and nothing worked.
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Man I thought I was the only one. I fished saturday using pink crocs between me and my son. Nothing for two hours then switched to fly and hooked 6 in 20 minutes. Also saw a guy killing it with a wedding band and another guy killing it with a dink float on the fraser.
Lesson learned for next time.
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Fished Derby this am from 8:30 to 11:30. Upon arrival there were lots of fish surfacing, looked promising. As the current shifted and started to move in, I was hopeful for at least one good push of fish. Proved to not be the case, as the water came up the surface went quiet. Amongst 40 or so fishers, I think there might have been 6-8 fish caught all morning.
I fished 6:30 to 8:30 and hooked 2 does on the fly. Guy beside me got 2 bucks on a spoon. That was it. Lots of fish but very few takers. Once the low slack is done, time to go home - I have seen this happen on several occasions.
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I fished 6:30 to 8:30 and hooked 2 does on the fly. Guy beside me got 2 bucks on a spoon. That was it. Lots of fish but very few takers. Once the low slack is done, time to go home - I have seen this happen on several occasions.
Do you use float line or intermediate?
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I fished on Saturday for three hours. the guy to my left caught 12, the guy to my right caught 7. I got zero
The left guy used a tiny spinner, the right guy used a pink wedding band. I only have a bunch of coho spoons and crocs spoons. Drove me crazy changing around and nothing worked.
Yep. Those wedding bands are killer. Even on the Vedder they work well.
I'm making some as we speak.
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Do you use float line or intermediate?
Type III sink tip
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Newbie here, any luck for tidal salmon in Richmond or Ambleside areas? Tried a few recommendations from Rod’s site (link below) in Richmond this weekend including No 2 road pier, Dump Bar (no 6) and River Road (New West) and didn’t have much action myself or from those fishing there.
Anyone else catching? Thank you!
https://www.fishingwithrod.com/articles/region_two/tidal_fraser_river.html
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Have been hitting Derby Reach area for most of this run and doing pretty well on each outing. As others have said, incoming tide is where I've had the most success. Usually the hour or two before it peaks for me.
Another thing I've noticed is that most aren't letting their lures sink long enough before retrieving and reeling much too fast on the way in. I change up my count until I find what works but a reaaaaalllly slow retrieve has been the most consistent winner for me.
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The tidal will probably start to wind down now. As long as your playing the rising tide that will be maximizing your chances. But from here on out the pickings are going to be slimmer. Casting spoons and then using a slow retrieve is a good easy way of catching, make sure to have your rod tip down and pointed towards the spoon so that you know it's making the right movements.
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The tidal will probably start to wind down now. As long as your playing the rising tide that will be maximizing your chances. But from here on out the pickings are going to be slimmer. Casting spoons and then using a slow retrieve is a good easy way of catching, make sure to have your rod tip down and pointed towards the spoon so that you know it's making the right movements.
with almost 6 million now past mission the tidal portion is done. Still can scratch some uo but its pretty much done.
im very thankful DFO opened it before the peak and gave all the family's an opportunity.
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It's been fun the post couple of weeks, that's for sure.
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It looks like it'll be more than 6.6 Million pinks estimated, though the run is slowing down for sure.
373,800 HA 5,648,900
289,600 HA 5,938,500
248,600 HA 6,187,100
250,300 HA 6,437,400
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psd1179
the last time I fished for Pinks in the Fraser I used a spoon made by Les Davis called "the hotrod"
it's hot pink with a white lightning bolt on one side and silver on the other side.
super effective like a fish a cast at times.
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I have that spoon hanging on my wall of old fishing lures in my garage. Was my dads.
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psd1179
the last time I fished for Pinks in the Fraser I used a spoon made by Les Davis called "the hotrod"
it's hot pink with a white lightning bolt on one side and silver on the other side.
super effective like a fish a cast at times.
Unfortunately they don't make them anymore. I still have a few left. There's a knockoff by Gibbs called the Megawatt. Not the same though.
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https://www-ops2.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fns-sap/index-eng.cfm?pg=view_notice&DOC_ID=250490&ID=all
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https://www-ops2.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fns-sap/index-eng.cfm?pg=view_notice&DOC_ID=250486&ID=all
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It looks like it'll be more than 6.6 Million pinks estimated, though the run is slowing down for sure.
373,800 HA 5,648,900
289,600 HA 5,938,500
248,600 HA 6,187,100
250,300 HA 6,437,400
So looks like escapement will be more then 7 million. But that's not the total run size. How many did the Americans take?
So much for that early prediction of 3 million pinks total.
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So looks like escapement will be more then 7 million. But that's not the total run size. How many did the Americans take?
So much for that early prediction of 3 million pinks total.
The only thing I find annoying is when the test fishery’s were clearly showing more but they were still dragging there feet to increase it.
Politics at pay I’m sure, Canada Benefit s of we can keep the estimate low and then increase based on mission and in river
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Fished both sides of the Fraser around silverdale today, saw some dead bars and some hot ones. I did super well later in the day in a crowded area but the spoon crowd really struggled to get fish Even sold all the lures i found at low tide and had time at noon for my fitness class then fun in the sun 8). May go for mushrooms tomorrow, great way to end my pink season!
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Fished in mission today around 4pm wind was whipping around and vis was maybe 2-3 inches. Didn't touch a fish in 3 hrs and didn't see anyone else hit one either.
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The PSC did not recommend a run size increase to Fraser Pink salmon due to significant uncertainty in escapement estimates but information from run size models is suggesting the Fraser Pink run size is tracking closer to 8,000,000 Pinks depending on how many Pinks are seaward of the Mission hydroacoustic site.
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The PSC did not recommend a run size increase to Fraser Pink salmon due to significant uncertainty in escapement estimates but information from run size models is suggesting the Fraser Pink run size is tracking closer to 8,000,000 Pinks depending on how many Pinks are seaward of the Mission hydroacoustic site.
I trust the model more than the humans managing this ;)
We had 8.7 Million in 2019, so it's probably tracking close to that number again.
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Seemed to be a fair number yesterday still. I went to a popular spot yesterday afternoon, no one was getting fish. I pulled one in about 5 minutes with my favorite technique, and convinced the guy beside me to try it. It took longer for me to explain it than it did for him to hook one, under 30 seconds lol. Afterwards he said he thought I was kidding :D but that convinced him. Jigs for the win if you know the secret. We got fish and watched a thunderstorm approach that eventually became hurricane gohome lol but a super fun day with plenty of fish, and making new friends~
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You left early! ;) there was still some daylight left. But your right there was still plenty of fish moving through. Guess we will have to wait till the end of the run to see the actual total.
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They're still coming.
167,700 HA 6,605,100
218,600 HA 6,823,700
145,100 HA 6,968,800
44,800 HA 7,013,600
311,300 HA 7,324,900
Interesting 300K+ went through unmolested on September 19, the first day of the Tidal Fraser Closure.
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They're still coming.
167,700 HA 6,605,100
218,600 HA 6,823,700
145,100 HA 6,968,800
44,800 HA 7,013,600
311,300 HA 7,324,900
Interesting 300K+ went through unmolested on September 19, the first day of the Tidal Fraser Closure.
Rained heavily on last Friday. It was the first time I saw so many fish rolling on lower Fraser on Sep 18th this season. I did not see anybody with an empty hand on the beach.
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Rained heavily on last Friday. It was the first time I saw so many fish rolling on lower Fraser on Sep 18th this season. I did not see anybody with an empty hand on the beach.
do you think they hire us to translate the test fishery data for them next year lol
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Run size estimate is at 8 million fish.
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To bad weaver creek is closed because of covid 19. Looks like it’s getting a return of over 200k sockeye would be good viewing this year.