OUTLOOK
Well that much needed rain has arrived. It looks like we have a bit of a break in between systems today but there is another large system on the way this weekend and into early next week in most areas. The rain we had this week wasn’t enough to make a big difference to our major systems. We’ll be keeping a keen eye on the levels over the weekend and hopefully it will bring the rivers up but not blow the systems out. Time will tell. As always when there is a large system coming in we recommend you keep a keen eye on the weather and the river levels to ensure it is safe to head out.
In this week’s report we have update on the Chilliwack/Vedder, Squamish, Harrison and the Stave. Included in Taylor’s Stave report are some tips on chum fishing if you’re looking to head out and take advantage of the chum retention opportunities that came into effect last week.
There is also information on another regulation update released earlier today re: Chum and Coho opportunities in Area 29 – Fraser River mouth and Tidal Waters of the Fraser River so be sure to familiarize yourself with that.
Last, but certainly not least we have info. On the Sport Fishing Institute’s Policy Conference and Gala coming up next month. This is a not to be missed event.
On to the report!
INDUSTRY EVENTS AND UPDATES
2022 SFI Policy Conference and Big Splash Gala and Fundraiser
The SFI Big Splash Annual Gala & Fundraiser and Policy Conference returns to the Vancouver Convention Centre on Friday, November 18th. The conference will be held during the day beginning with a buffet lunch from 11:30 and will include presentations from and timely dialogue with senior DFO officials and the BC fish and fisheries community around this years theme: Selective Fishing: Achieving a Balance.
Come to the conference during the day and stay for the Big Splash Gala evening social and fundraiser! It will be an evening of excellent food and reconnection with friends and colleagues. There will be an onsite raffle as well as an auction with an excellent assortment of items including a loaded boat package with motor and trailer donated by Bridgeview Marine, Mercury Marine, Scotty, and Gibbs Fishing. They are using an online auction system which allows you to preview the growing list of items and get a head start on bidding few days in advance as well as during the Big Splash event.
Don’t miss out on this event. Get your ticket today! Please visit the SFI website for details and how to register or call 604.946.0734 or email the SFI at info@sportfishing.bc.ca
REGULATION UPDATE
Subject: FN1225-RECREATIONAL – Salmon – Chum and Coho – Area 29 – Fraser River mouth (29-6,7,9,10) and Tidal Waters of the Fraser River (29-11 to 29-17) – Fishing Opportunities – Effective October 31, 2022
Further to FN1192, the in-season expected Fraser River Chum salmon run size estimate for the return to the Fraser River of 879,000 Chum is sufficient to allow for recreational retention opportunities in the following Fraser River mouth and Fraser tidal waters. Please note that effective dates are aligned with the IFR steelhead rolling window closure periods and fishers are advised to take note of specific start dates for fishing opportunities by waters identified in the fishery notice below.
Waters: Subareas 29-6, 29-7, 29-9 and 29-10 (Fraser River mouth)
Management measures:
Effective October 31 to December 31, 2022:
– The daily limit for Chum salmon is four (4)
– You may not retain coho salmon, except in that portion of Subarea 29-10 that lies easterly of a line from Gower Point to the Tango 10 light Buoy, then to the northern tip of Lulu Island where you may retain two (2) hatchery marked coho per day.
– You may not retain chinook, wild coho, sockeye or pink salmon.
Waters: Tidal Waters of the Fraser River downstream of the Port Mann bridge (Subareas 29-11 to 29-14, and 29-17)
Management measures:
Effective October 31 to November 30, 2022:
– The daily limit for Chum salmon is four (4) per day
– The daily limit for Coho salmon is two (2) hatchery marked only.
– You may not retain Chinook, wild Coho, Sockeye or Pink salmon.
Waters: Tidal Waters of the Fraser River from the Mission Bridge downstream the Port Mann Bridge(Subareas 29-15 and 29-16)
Management measures – Chum salmon:
Effective November 2 to November 30, 2022:
– The daily limit for Chum salmon is four (4) per day
– The daily limit for Coho salmon is two (2) hatchery marked only.
– You may not retain Chinook, wild Coho, Sockeye or Pink salmon.
In the tidal Fraser River, fishing for salmon is only permitted from one hour before sunrise to one after sunset each day.
Daily Limits: The daily limit for all species of Pacific salmon from tidal and fresh waters combined is four (4). Individual species limits also apply.
Variation Order(s): 2022-RCT-506, 2022-RFQ-507, 2022-RFQ-508
Notes:
The aggregate daily limit for all species of Pacific salmon from tidal and non-tidal waters combined is four (4). Individual species limits also apply.
Barbless hooks are required when fishing for salmon in tidal and non-tidal waters of British Columbia.
The term “hatchery marked” or “marked” means a fish that has a healed scar in place of the adipose fin. This is also referred to as an adipose fin-clipped (AFC) fish. Unmarked fish still have an adipose fin present.
Sport anglers are encouraged to participate in the Salmon Sport Head Recovery program by labeling and submitting heads from adipose fin-clipped Chinook and Coho Salmon. Recovery of coded-wire tags provides critical information for coast-wide stock assessment. Contact the Salmon Sport Head Recovery Program toll free at 1-866-483-9994 for further information.
Anglers are advised to check http://bcsportfishguide.ca for fishing closures and other recreational fishing information.
Did you witness suspicious fishing activity or a violation? If so, please call the Fisheries and Ocean Canada 24-hour toll free Observe, Record, Report line at 1-800-465-4336 or by email at DFO.ORR-ONS.MPO@dfo-mpo.gc.ca.
For the 24 hour recorded opening and closure line, call toll free at 1-866-431-FISH (3474).
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact the nearest Fisheries and Oceans Canada office or visit our website at http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada Operations Center – FN1225
Sent October 28, 2022 at 14:03
Visit us on the Web at http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca
If you have any questions, please contact us via e-mail to: DFO.PACOpsCentre-CentredesOpsPAC.MPO@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
CLASSES AND COURSES
Our classes have wrapped up for the year and we want to thank all that have attended our classes.
We are working on our 2023 course schedule which will be released here in late November/early December.
So keep an eye on this section for details!
FRESHWATER FISHING REPORTS
Chilliwack/Vedder River Fishing Report
We asked for it, although very late, we finally received some well-deserved rain in the lower mainland this week. Despite the heavy rains, the valley has not really been affected significantly. The C/V has risen from a 1.91m to a 1.97m, water clarity remains in the 5-10ft of vis range. We are expecting more rain to come, which is a good thing. Low pressure and rain will always push anadromous fish, refreshening runs with new fish as well as pushing stale fish out.
The chum have spread themselves throughout the system like a contagious virus, masses of chum can be found in every corner of the river. Chum are forgiving and aggressive, often biting all day. This is a great opportunity to take kids or newer anglers out to experience salmon fishing. Short floating jigs, blades, beads, roe, and prawn are all deadly ways to entice chum.
Although retention opportunities for chum are graciously available, be mindful of how much you are taking from the resource. Unlike chinook or coho, chum in the C/V are mostly reliant on natural recruitment. There are no flood or disaster contingencies in the wild. Every chum holds immense value to the ecosystem, so please think twice about taking a chum home every day. If you do not need it, let it go.
The coho fishing has been good as of the past week, with anglers throughout the whole system doing well. Roe, beads, blades, and yarn under a float have all been effective, especially at first light. Spoons, spinners, and twitching jigs have been productive throughout the day as well. Move if you keep hooking chum, focus on tailouts, frog water and slower seams to target coho. They typically do not sit in the same speed and depth of water.
Fly anglers have had better success this week with increased water flows and lower temperatures, locations with frog water have been producing coho. Clear intermediate tips and clear intermediate full sink lines equipped with small sparse patterns have been the most productive. Cali Neils, Kelseys Hope, Christmas Trees in sizes 6,8,10s, varying your retrieve is key. Usually, a short and sharp popping strip works best, with that said, don’t be afraid to change it up to a slow and long retrieve.
Make sure you have jacket on this week!
Gavin Lau
Squamish River Fishing Report
The Squamish River and its tributaries saw some rain the past few days, but I wouldn’t say it was enough to make any real significant changes. That said, I did notice that the glacier is freezing up top, translating to more clear water coming down from the top.
Anglers this week reported visibility on the tributaries to be quite clear, with fish being concentrated in the deeper troughs or pools- this makes sense as it will provide the slowest resting water for these fish that are doing their best to scoot up.
That said, we are expecting a big rainfall event this weekend, so we will see how that affects the river as well as the fish. Hopefully this rain will bump the river and the cool temps will keep the clarity under control.
Spinners, spoons, twitching jigs, and flies have all proven to be good tactics this year, as well as in years past. Having a variety of presentations in small, medium, and large is always a good idea. This goes for fly anglers as well. This is important as you will find fish in various types of water and you’ll want to be prepared to target them, no matter the conditions or location.
Being able to twitch jigs or strip flies in one water while thumping a spoon or swinging a popsicle in other water can be crucial to success as the fish will travel and hold in various locations.
Jordan Simpson
Harrison and Chehalis River Fishing Report
Despite the past week’s rain, the Harrison continues to drop steadily. Coho and chum are around in good numbers, look for jumping fish and with a little bit a leg work you’re sure to find them. Twitching jigs, spoons and spinners are all a good bet for gear anglers, while fly anglers should come prepared with smaller patterns for clear water as well as some larger, flashier patterns for dirtier water. Over the past few weeks, the water has been exceptionally clear, but when I was out last weekend it was definitely starting to get some colour.
The Chehalis has been super low, so low I would say it’s not worth the effort. It’s bumped up a bit the past few days and there’s a lot of rain on the forecast for this weekend, so hopefully the river gets enough flow to give fish a chance to spread through the system. If you head this way, you’re likely to see sockeye waiting to move up river. You cannot target sockeye, or chinook for that matter, on this system so if you encounter either please let them be.
Keep an eye on the Harrison as it will likely remain fishable even if the other systems mentioned in this report blow out. A significant increase in flows will restrict wade access but will open up water for those who have boats.
Wiley Melton
Stave River Fishing Report
The DFO has gifted us with some unexpected chum retention opportunities in a number of the Fraser Valley systems, and no system is better known for its chum runs than the Stave. The Stave is a short, dam-controlled river that flows out of Hayward Lake in Mission, and it has historically been home to some of the largest, most accessible chum returns in southern BC. Because of it’s large chum returns (and the fact that it’s so close to town), the Stave does get quite a lot of angling pressure whenever retention opportunities present themselves… it’s a short river with easy access, so it does tend to get quite crowded during peak season.
The chum run in the Stave normally starts in late September, when a small number of fish start trickling in. Peak-season Is typically mid-late October, with the run winding down by mid-November.
Chum are a fairly aggressive fish, and I cannot stress this enough – THEY. BITE. A. LOT. This willingness to bite, alongside the fact that they are usually quite large and very strong makes them ideal for newer anglers… or for those who simply want to catch a bunch of big fish and have a ton of fun. I cut my teeth on chum when I first started fishing 13 years ago, and I continue to enjoy, appreciate and respect these incredible fish to this day.
I almost exclusively short-float with jigs when targeting chum short-floating is literally just float fishing with your gear of choice well above the bottom… for example, if the water was 5 feet deep, I’d start by setting my gear at about 2.5 feet. Short-floating has proven to be one of the most effective methods for targeting chum, as they are more than willing to move up several feet to eat a good presentation, and you’ll avoid snagging bottom (and fish) entirely. The most popular and effective lures are usually jigs in various colours (think purple, black, blue, pink, chartreuse), but Colorado blades or even beads can also be very productive when short-floating for chum. Chum are usually not particularly picky fish, so there’s usually no need to repeatedly swap out lures to find what’s working. Most anglers simply tie on one jig and use it all day… or at least until they lose it or it falls apart from being bitten so many times. Chum are usually fairly lazy, so you won’t often find them holding in fast water or heavy current- they’d much rather hang out in water that ranges from walking-pace to dead slack, so this is the kind of water you should be looking for. They have an affinity for back-eddies and the slower side of current seams, so these are usually the kinds of water I seek out. Note that you will see a lot of fish sitting is very shallow water; these fish are likely actively spawning and should be avoided.
Twitching jigs or casting spoons/spinners can also be effective, but note that I usually avoid such methods when targeting chum in the Stave for two reasons- one, short-floating jigs simply works better, and two, the chum are usually so plentiful that snagging large numbers of fish is inevitable. Swinging flies can also be quite productive, but note that the Stave is usually quite crowded, so finding the space to effectively swing can be quite tough. If you do find some room, darker coloured intruders are usually the go-to.
I’m just going to re-iterate one thing – CHUM ARE VERY WILLING BITERS; anybody who says otherwise is simply wrong. There is absolutely no acceptable reason to floss or snag these fish, period- they’ll even continue to bite in the middle of the day, under heavy angling pressure. Unfortunately, the Stave is rife with inexperienced, ill-informed, impatient, and/or ignorant anglers who don’t subscribe to ethical/legal angling or catch and release practices. While this is incredibly frustrating, all you can really do in these cases is either attempt to educate these anglers, or record their infractions and call in a report to the DFO, their report hotline number is 1-800-465-4336.
Please remember that the Stave is a dam-controlled river, so water levels may fluctuate considerably in a short period of time. Always keep an eye on water levels/conditions, and be prepared to leave in a hurry if things get sketchy. Also note that the back-channels and shallows will start to fill up with spawning Salmon as the season progresses, so try to avoid wading through obvious spawning areas if at all possible.
Taylor Nakatani