Tofino/Ucluelet Sept Coho Limit/Tuna Date

[Marty S]

What is the coho limit in September in the Ucluelet/Tofino area? Can they all be wild fish or are half of them supposed to be hatchery fish.

Also, how late in Septemeber can a guy still be into the tuna?

[Tofinoguy]

Originally Posted by Marty S

What is the coho limit in September in the Ucluelet/Tofino area? Can they all be wild fish or are half of them supposed to be hatchery fish.

Also, how late in Septemeber can a guy still be into the tuna?

You are allowed 4 coho per day in September with qualifiers.

On inside waters you are only allowed to keep 2 wild fish and 2 hatcheries. On outside waters you are allowed 4 hatcheries and 0 wild.

Tuna are available until late September as long as the surface temps stay good (fished them until Oct 10th last year) and the ocean stays calm.

Ling and snapper fishing is also great them but the halis can slow down in Sept

[megahurts]

Originally Posted by Tofinoguy

You are allowed 4 coho per day in September with qualifiers.

On inside waters you are only allowed to keep 2 wild fish and 2 hatcheries. On outside waters you are allowed 4 hatcheries and 0 wild.

Tuna are available until late September as long as the surface temps stay good (fished them until Oct 10th last year) and the ocean stays calm.

Ling and snapper fishing is also great them but the halis can slow down in Sept

x2

[Marty S]

How hard is it to get your four hatchery fish? I tried up at Hardy last summer and the guide said most coho caught were actually hatchery fish but only a small percentage were marked, is that true?

If the tuna is that hit or miss, I take it the thing to do is wait and see and hope you can get a last minute charter?

[Salmon Slayer Lenny]

Originally Posted by Marty S

How hard is it to get your four hatchery fish? I tried up at Hardy last summer and the guide said most coho caught were actually hatchery fish but only a small percentage were marked, is that true?

If the tuna is that hit or miss, I take it the thing to do is wait and see and hope you can get a last minute charter?

The question can open a whole can of worms and heated debate.

From what I have garnered, it seems that most Canadian hatchery operations don't have the ability or capacity to clip every coho. I've heard stats of only 10-30% of all hatch coho getting clipped.

I spoke with a hatchery supervisor at the Puntledge hatchery in Courtenay and he said they clip less than 10% of the fish they release.

American fish are a different story as they have automated processes to clip every coho, same with implants.

If these stats are accurate, then the answer is obvious.

Common sense seems to suggest that the majority of coho are from hatchery programs. In the Georgia strait, I can catch up to 10 'wild' to 1 'hatchery' coho but you know well over half of the 'wild' are likely unclipped hatchery fish.

I believe a lot of U.S fish often run the west coast of Van Isle unless the water temperature is up, then the run the inside. I've caught Columbia river tagged coho in the Courtenay area though.

[Tofinoguy]

Originally Posted by Marty S

How hard is it to get your four hatchery fish? I tried up at Hardy last summer and the guide said most coho caught were actually hatchery fish but only a small percentage were marked, is that true?

If the tuna is that hit or miss, I take it the thing to do is wait and see and hope you can get a last minute charter?

Yes, that's how it is. I like to call them "unmarked as opposed to wild fish.

For tuna it's the weather that is hit and miss. Sometimes it's so nasty you can't get out of the harbour, other days it's nice close to shore but once you get about 25 miles offshore the ocean can become a real bi*ch and unfishable. Some years we can only get to the grounds 20 days in a 2 month season

[Marty S]

Wow, have a law where you allow a hatchery fish limit, but then don't bother marking the hatchery fish. Shows the law has zero regard for its citizens. How then are we supposed to have any regard for those people who call the shots?

Are the coho in the north all wild and self sustaining or are they supplemented as well but no fin clip law?

[Tofinoguy]

Originally Posted by Marty S

Wow, have a law where you allow a hatchery fish limit, but then don't bother marking the hatchery fish. Shows the law has zero regard for its citizens. How then are we supposed to have any regard for those people who call the shots?

Are the coho in the north all wild and self sustaining or are they supplemented as well but no fin clip law?

It costs a lot of money to clip fish and the federal govt has cut the budget to the bone, complain to them.

It's all moot as the 2016 forecast for Cohos is dismal, i'm hoping the tuna show up early this year