I posed two questions to the BC provincial fish people via Service BC (website: http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/home/services-a-z):

1. Do guides holding classified waters rod days in the Skeena system have to have public liability insurance of at least C$2m?

2. If so, do members of the public have the right to see proof of such insurance coverage from the guide?

In an email reply, they told me, "Please contact FrontCounter BC regarding your inquiry. They are responsible for the administration of Fish and Wildlife Permits, Commercial Licenses, Crown Land, and BC Parks’ Park Use Permits and can provide guidance on this matter.

Please phone: Toll-free 1-877-855-3222 or from outside North America: 1-778-372-0729 Mon. to Fri. 8:30am - 4:30pm."

As I'm in Asia at the moment, the time zones aren't convenient. I'm hoping one of the board members either knows the answer or is willing to make a call to find out.

Thanks in advance.

Yeah that's my recollection, very late August and the Labour Day weekend, flossing pinks as by catch while trying for sockeye. Some pinks run up the Vedder Chilliwack around the same time but I think the big numbers are a week or more later. Other than the Adams river fish I can't recall when there was a sockeye opening after the Labour Day weekend. Big numbers of pinks is in September. The in river gillnet test fisheries & the Mission sonic fence bear that out.

I have never had a problem catching and keeping pinks that were in excellent condition in September and some years into October. Pinks in the Fraser are usually in a condition that is at least as good as those caught off the beach at place like Furry Creek and the beaches around the Oyster river. The number of pinks in the river usually is pretty negligible until around the Labour Day weekend  I have caught the odd one before that but the main run comes in after Labour Day.

When we used to fish for Sockeye in August on a Pink year, almost every time you'd bring in a Pink (which was way more common than Ralph would suggest), you would have to do a double take to realize it was a Pink because it was so chrome silver. Does that happen after Labor day weekend? Basically a unicorn for above Mission.

I have never had a problem catching and keeping pinks that were in excellent condition in September and some years into October. Pinks in the Fraser are usually in a condition that is at least as good as those caught off the beach at place like Furry Creek and the beaches around the Oyster river. The number of pinks in the river usually is pretty negligible until around the Labour Day weekend  I have caught the odd one before that but the main run comes in after Labour Day.

The waiting it out approach makes sense, but doesn't explain how region 5, for example, already has retention limits in April. They have published limits for sockeye as well btw

Hoping Cap will have pink retention...

Not trying to be difficult, just don't understand how the system works.

I'll save you the trouble. We may or may not get an opening, but what we will NOT get.... is an opening while the fish are still fresh and edible. It has been forever since they have opened the Fraser for Pinks during the beginning of the run when the fish are still good eating. Once DFO has deemed enough fish that have already passed through...and then bent over to the First Nations for their consent to let the sporties fish...….THEN.....they might let us fish for a week or 2 for the leftover spawners that are still hanging around.

That is our reality down here in Fraser River.

Region 2 salmon regs still say nothing about pinks. Are they just taking their sweet time updating them or can we not keep any pinks we get?

FWIW, based on recent cycles, while there will be plenty of discussion leading up to any potential openings in region 2, the actual announcements have been done with perhaps a few days to a week of notice.

If you're really interested, you can look at the previous notices on the DFO site to see when they were issued

Region 1 and 2 were changed to a "closed till open regs" I believe there is still some regions that use "open till closed"

the easiest thing to do is just go into a local tackle shop and talk to someone.

long story short, for there to be a sockeye, chum, or pink rec fishery, IN season commercial tac has to be identified, ie runs need to be plentiful enough (highly debatable) for that. For Fraser its not even worth looking at the reg notices till august and odds are there will be a thread or two talking about that before any opening is announced. 

Last cycle there was good pink fishing in the ocean in july from a boat.

not much pink spawning habitat in the Cap. There is some in the Seymour but that was never open in river. Pinks get caught off the beaches (Ambleside), Cates Park and in Indian Arm. The region 5 openings are for the Bella Coola watershed... it doesn't have 10s of thousands of people wanting to catch as many pinks as they can stuff in a sack like the Fraser does.

There has never been a pink retention in the Capilano. Don't bet on being one this year.