Chinooks

[pseelk]

Does anyone know if the chinook run has started on the Fraser River yet?

[marlin1]

I was in Chiiliwack last weekend and I talked to the local boys on the river a bit . Chinooks were starting to roll in and the pinks are supposed to be running soon . Big pink run apparently this year . Some chinooks could be seen sufacing , they told me they had to be chinooks cause of there size

[Kurt505]

There is a thread that they're running in the Shuswaps already, I haven't heard from anyone on the Fraser yet, but I would guess they're running there too.

[MtnGiant]

Chinooks have been running for over a mnth and will continue for approx another mnth

[pseelk]

Thanks Guys,We are planning a trip there the last week of Aug-1st week of Sept.Hope its open by then.

[MtnGiant]

Thanks Guys,We are planning a trip there the last week of Aug-1st week of Sept.Hope its open by then.

The last chinook run will be around that time and you may catch the beginning of the coho run.
Good luck....it's tons of fun

[Lefty-Canuck]

Just came back from a trip to the Tahsis /Nootka Sound area and almost all people are limiting out on coho and chinook salmon.

I limited out on coho by trolling a buck tail on my 8 wt fly rod.....if you have a saltwater reel and you are fishing in a boat I highly suggest it!

Needlefish imitation or a yellow over white buck tail was the ticket.

LC

[1bluZebec]

Middle of august to the middle of sept i heard from guides in chilliwack area and the pinks should be in around the middle to late sept for sure. Cant wait:sHa_shakeshout: 10 more days

[Kurt505]

Middle of august to the middle of sept i heard from guides in chilliwack area and the pinks should be in around the middle to late sept for sure. Cant wait:sHa_shakeshout: 10 more days

I leave for Kitimat in 10 days and can't wait either. I hope the Douglas channel is filled up with springs then.

[pseelk]

When do the Sockeye show up?

[Kurt505]

When do the Sockeye show up?

I hit them end of august and the beginning of September.

[Scott h]

When do the Sockeye show up?

Due to the poor returns it's sounding like their may not be a sockeye opening this year

[MtnGiant]

When do the Sockeye show up?

In Chilliwack (Vedder R)....the Spings start coming up in late June, early July depending on the conditions each year.

The Sokeye also come in around this time or a little later.

So....they have already been running for a month or so as of now.

And....I grew up in that area and was just there last week.

Then Coho in late Aug to early Sept.

Then Winter Steelhead in mid December

Pinks and Chums follow in and around the Spring runs.

[MtnGiant]

Due to the poor returns it's sounding like their may not be a sockeye opening this year

The study was reported to be about 6million Sokeye this year.

It's the open net fishing by the natives at the mouth of the Fraser that screws things up for the angler's.

[marlin1]

yep when I was there Sockeye fishing was by natives only

[BeeGuy]

Is there no netting in open water for sockeye?

I'm seeing sockeye at the Co-op...

[MtnGiant]

Is there no netting in open water for sockeye?

I'm seeing sockeye at the Co-op...

Yes there is.

Commercial and Natives....not for you and I (angler's)

[BeeGuy]

Any idea what the volume of fish taken by commercial harvest is compared to that of the natives?

[MtnGiant]

Any idea what the volume of fish taken by commercial harvest is compared to that of the natives?

Sorry I dont know....but I will begin the search.

I'm curious myself now.

But I'm not sure the Natives have to report a quota????

[Riverbc]

When I fished the Fraser for sockeye, and the natives had nets out, the sockeye were jumping the nets were full, and us sporties were catching easy limits. The next day after a commercial opening, no sockeye are jumping, no fish in the nets, and no fish for the sporties. I wait 2 days before going out again. The native fishery is a drop in the bucket compared to the commercial fishery.

[Lefty-Canuck]

Out near Tahsis we caught many pink salmon....had to get your hook past them and the coho to find the chinooks....my Dad got into an area of sockeye but they were not open for retention but they caught quite a few.

LC

[Riverbc]

The study was reported to be about 6million Sokeye this year.

It's the open net fishing by the natives at the mouth of the Fraser that screws things up for the angler's.

First off...it's not the natives at the mouth that screws the sporties, it's the in-river commercial fishery. Nothing gets by it.

Second....DFO doesn't have a clue how many sockeye are returning. Here's what they are saying.
http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/csas-sccs/Publications/SAR-AS/2012/2012_074-eng.pdf

The 2013 forecast indicates a one in ten chance (10% probability) the total Fraser Sockeye
return will be at or below 1,554,000 and a nine in ten chance (90% probability) it will be at or
below 15,608,000, assuming productivity is similar to past observations (Tables 1 and 2; Figure
7; Table 4 for model descriptions). The mid-point of this distribution (50% probability) is
4,765,000 (there exists a one in two chance the return will be at or below this value). The four
year old percentage of the total forecast is 90% (ranges from 13% to 100%, depending on the
stock) (Table 2). The 2013 forecast is larger than the 2012 forecast (DFO 2012b; MacDonald
and Grant 2012), attributed to higher four year old brood year escapements in the 2009 brood
year than in 2008. For the 2013 forecast, Raft, Harrison, and North Thompson miscellaneous
stocks were included in the Summer Run timing group, due to changes in the migration timing of
these stocks. These changes are consistent with a recent decision by the Fraser River Panel of
the Pacific Salmon Treaty (PST) process.


and according to this
http://www.psc.org/FraserPnl/Escapement/Sockeye_Escapement.pdf

1,141,200 have passed Mission thus far.

[MtnGiant]

First off...it's not the natives at the mouth that screws the sporties, it's the in-river commercial fishery. Nothing gets by it.

Second....DFO doesn't have a clue how many sockeye are returning. Here's what they are saying.
http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/csas-sccs/Publications/SAR-AS/2012/2012_074-eng.pdf

The 2013 forecast indicates a one in ten chance (10% probability) the total Fraser Sockeye
return will be at or below 1,554,000 and a nine in ten chance (90% probability) it will be at or
below 15,608,000, assuming productivity is similar to past observations (Tables 1 and 2; Figure
7; Table 4 for model descriptions). The mid-point of this distribution (50% probability) is
4,765,000 (there exists a one in two chance the return will be at or below this value). The four
year old percentage of the total forecast is 90% (ranges from 13% to 100%, depending on the
stock) (Table 2). The 2013 forecast is larger than the 2012 forecast (DFO 2012b; MacDonald
and Grant 2012), attributed to higher four year old brood year escapements in the 2009 brood
year than in 2008. For the 2013 forecast, Raft, Harrison, and North Thompson miscellaneous
stocks were included in the Summer Run timing group, due to changes in the migration timing of
these stocks. These changes are consistent with a recent decision by the Fraser River Panel of
the Pacific Salmon Treaty (PST) process.


and according to this
http://www.psc.org/FraserPnl/Escapement/Sockeye_Escapement.pdf

1,141,200 have passed Mission thus far.

I already said commercial and native.
And thanks for the forecast...and yes it's tricky business to calculate, just like for hunting.

[ronj]

Go to web site"Albion Test Fishing" ..Run the report and it will show the Chinook test fshing results the Fraser is loaded with springs right now..my buddy lives in Chilliwack and they can't keep them off the lines

[MtnGiant]

Go to web site"Albion Test Fishing" ..Run the report and it will show the Chinook test fshing results the Fraser is loaded with springs right now..my buddy lives in Chilliwack and they can't keep them off the lines

We were talking Sokeye in case you missed it.

[ronj]

If you go to the original post he was asking about chinooks not sockeye in case you missed the start

[rickclee]

Was fishing at hope on the weekend the natives put there nets up in mission on Thursday I believe about 25 people fishing all day there was only 1 spring caught and was under 10 lbs. quite a few small sockeye 3-4 lb and a few pinks

[britman101]

Well DFO's latest announcement is that there will be no recreational salmon fishing starting Thursday, August 16th till further notice, in the lower Fraser River from the Mission Bridge to boundary markers above the community of Hope. This closure will probably get lifted within two weeks when the big push of pink salmon begins in the lower Fraser River. So far the salmon run has been lower than predicted, and this measure is being done to protect the fish that do make it through. Does not help that some clowns who call themselves anglers refuse to fish selectively and try to floss or snag a salmon at any cost on the Fraser.
Can still fish the Tidal Fraser but the angler will have to get a Tidal Fishing license.

[britman101]

Just talked to a buddy today, and DFO has made the decision to also shut down the Tidal Fraser River to salmon fishing. Should be only be for a couple of weeks but have to wonder about the future of salmon fishing on the west coast.