Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum
Fishing in British Columbia => General Discussion => Topic started by: Rodney on September 09, 2008, 04:41:53 PM
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There have been numerous discussions on the gravel operation on the Chilliwack River and the recent clayslide at Ranger Run. I've splitted most of these discussions and merged them into this one thread so it is easier to follow. Please contribute constructively so we can create a brainstorm on solutions for these problems.
Water clarity degraded on September 9th 2008 due to clayslide at Ranger Run in upper river.
Posts are merged from the Vedder River September 9th fishing report (http://www.fishingwithrod.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=18588.0) and 2008 Chilliwack River fall salmon fishery information & water condition updates (http://www.fishingwithrod.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=18458.0).
Vedder gravel operation background info (http://www.fishingwithrod.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=18554.0)
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Ok, first of all, yes it was ranger run, and it was a huge peice of clay.
Secondly It is going to be hard to say when the river will clear up. Right now (after a slide like that) the whole wall will be unstable meaning more peices could fall in at any time making fishing pointless (if you happen to be there at the worng time). You could have clear water all morning and then find it unfishable 10 mins later, just the way it goes.
It was around 6 inches visi when I left the river at Peach at around 6 pm. I would expect visi to be 1-2 feet by tomorrow night and 2-3 feet by Thursday. It should be fishable by Thursday or Friday, given that no more peices fall in. I prefer 3-4 feet visi over this crystal clear crap we had all weekend anyways. In my experience even between 1-4 foot visi can be better than unlimited sometimes, especially this early in the year when the fish are really fresh and spooky (in the afternoon anyways). I will try to update on water clarity until it clears. ;)
and this last one was taken at the hatchery today. very few spawning red springs left and no fresh fish to be seen. Fishing during transition period is tough i guess.
Did you check the holding tanks. On sunday there were around 12 chromer coho in the holding tank... and only around 10 or 12 boot reds in the spawning channel. Should also mention I saw 1 coho and also a chum in the spawning channel that day as well ;)
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I was there today hit the lower.....in the darkness trying to get first crack at the run....i was wondering why the water had a different look to it (couldnt really tell from a far) but as soon I stepped close to the bank I didnt even bother.....headed straight up to ranger....saw 1 taken chucked roe for 30 min then left....drove from coquitlam.....it was definately the ranger slide....
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I don't know the exact names of the runs, ... however, we were above the Ranger, and below the Concrete Slab. The slide was just below where we were fishing (I don't know the name of the run). There were still small slides coming down during the morning while we were fishing.
The water above the slide was crystal clear - almost unlimited visibility.
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Thanks for all the updates guys keep um comming
I live in Coquitlam and dont want to travel all that way not being able to fish it like Tuesday :'(
I hope that water clears up a little bit
I am like you Every Day i dont like it crystal clear and if the sun comes out when its not clear it makes for a longer fishing day :D
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Just got back from Crossing. Water looked even worse than yesterday to me. I am thinking that the clay banks are still spilling out clay. Maybe 4-6 inches of visi at most. Fished for an hour and I decided that it was not worth it and went home. Didn't see any hooked or caught. No blood or guts around and no one I talked to had gotten anything.
Hopefully it will be at least 4 feet visi by weekend. I am thinking that it may take longer to clear than I thought as it is the same if not worse from yesterday. If no more slides happen it should be fishable but not great ;)
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Crossed the river in late PM to check clay slide before heading home from work. The slide is very large and continues to slump into the river. Another large section broke off of the face today and
caused additional problems for anglers. Clarity will remain an issue for some time and will only worsen with the fall rains. The side channel hitting the clay slide was blocked off in 1990 and has
taken the river till now to break through the Dyke and reestablish itself in the old channel. I estimated that about 25% of the water is running down this channel and 75% in the main river channel.
However, the river appears to be wanting to return to this channel and if this does happen we could be looking at some serious down time for anglers. It's just unfortunate that there are not funds
available to intervene when these events take place.
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Wow that news sucks.... 1 question though, how can the river change sides unless it comes up ??? They are forecasting 2 weeks of sunny weather so I'm hoping that the water clears and that we will have fishable conditions before the fall rains in october and november :'(
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Wow that news sucks.... 1 question though, how can the river change sides unless it comes up ??? They are forecasting 2 weeks of sunny weather so I'm hoping that the water clears and that we will have fishable conditions before the fall rains in october and november :'(
This is what the Chilliwack River Action Committee has been working on since 1997, they have fixed some sites but funding is a real problem. The hope was that money would be coming this past year from the 21 million dollar B C Living River's fund but they were turned down.
Below is a short clip from the BCLRF web page, Goggle it and you will see more talk than action. They would rather take gravel from the Chilliwack Vedder River system but those raping our precious and most fished system in BC river are not required to give any of it back to help heal the system,terrible. :'( :-[ :( >:(
cc Living River's fund Province Boosts Living Rivers Trust Fund to $21 Million
Environment Minister Barry Penner, Dianne Ramage, chair of the Pacific Stream Keepers Federation and the Salmon program manager for the Pacific Salmon Foundation, and John Woodward, chair of the Living Rivers Advisory Group joined Premier Gordon Campbell on May 1, 2006 to plant trees along the bank of the Fraser River to enhance the waterway. The B.C. government announced that it has tripled the funding to preserve and restore B.C.'s rivers with a $14-million contribution to the Living Rivers Trust Fund, bringing the Province's total contribution to $21 million
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Time to organize some funding! I think we have all had enough of this, that being for the fish and the fisherman. Maybe with some funding something can be done, how well are the other clay banks holding up? Iv read about other rivers with the same problem, and they have been temporarly/ permanently fix by creating large log booms/ log jams around the area to stop the errosion. But I believe these clay banks are well elevated, so that might not work, anyone taken any recent pictures of this clay bank?
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If they are after gravel why not dig out some gravel at the slide, and divert the river over temporly? Wheres all the river funding going too?
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Hmm, I guess it's too late to do some blockades of the gravel grabs to get some media attention...
That's too bad, it would have been a great opportunity.
Cheers,
Nicole
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Here is a picture of the slide
(http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i291/s_dykstra/Misc/IMGP3101.jpg)
(http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i291/s_dykstra/Misc/IMGP3103.jpg)
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Water clarity looks decent in the picture. When was the picture taken ?
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You can see the change in clarity just below the clayslide in the photos.
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Time to organize some funding!
I think you and Everyday will be young blood that are desperately needed in the Chilliwack fishing community when it comes to keeping the organizations going. ;) It would be a positive addition as most who are involved have been doing it for decades and they can use some more fishing time.
The Chilliwack River Action Committee has been putting on a fundraiser each year during the fall salmon season. Unfortunately, despite of how concerned anglers are when it comes to losing fishing time due to the clayslide, support of this organization's effort on habitat enhancement and clayslide stabilization from the community has steadily dropped over the years. Last year, the turnout at the fundraiser was pathetic. If every angler who was fishing on the Chilliwack River dropped by that day and purchased the $10 draw ticket, which included a lunch, then we would have a significant amount of fund to get things started. I haven't heard anything from Dave, the chair of the committee, about putting on the fundraiser again. If he doesn't this year, I wouldn't be too surprised as the amount of time and effort he and other volunteers put in was simply not paid off by the support.
If people want more fishing opportunities, they should not rant about the lack of support from the government. Get involved, or time to choose a different hobby, because the slides aren't going away.
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Time to organize some funding!
I think you and Everyday will be young blood that are desperately needed in the Chilliwack fishing community when it comes to keeping the organizations going. ;) It would be a positive addition as most who are involved have been doing it for decades and they can use some more fishing time.
The Chilliwack River Action Committee has been putting on a fundraiser each year during the fall salmon season. Unfortunately, despite of how concerned anglers are when it comes to losing fishing time due to the clayslide, support of this organization's effort on habitat enhancement and clayslide stabilization from the community has steadily dropped over the years. Last year, the turnout at the fundraiser was pathetic. If every angler who was fishing on the Chilliwack River dropped by that day and purchased the $10 draw ticket, which included a lunch, then we would have a significant amount of fund to get things started. I haven't heard anything from Dave, the chair of the committee, about putting on the fundraiser again. If he doesn't this year, I wouldn't be too surprised as the amount of time and effort he and other volunteers put in was simply not paid off by the support.
If people want more fishing opportunities, they should not rant about the lack of support from the government. Get involved, or time to choose a different hobby, because the slides aren't going away.
CRAC 2 ? ;D
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Hmm, I guess it's too late to do some blockades of the gravel grabs to get some media attention...
That's too bad, it would have been a great opportunity.
Cheers,
Nicole
One day soon. :-\ Hard to do when I am in Prince George abusing my body in the Senior Games at badminton. ;D It was worth the trip as had some great fishing on the way up as well last night they tasted good at the BBQ too. ;D ;D
Actually once we get the gravel issue straightened out on the Fraser we need to get organized to do something on the Vedder in time for the next assault on this system in 2 years time as it an embarrassment to many of us that FOC and the Ministry of Environment lets this happen. The thing is some politicans have done a great job ::) ??? brain washing the public this is all about flood control when we know it is nothing but a gravel grab plain and simple. Now that I am 65 I could get a bit militant and besides I see Nicole has a connection with Harper and she will come to my aid if needed. ;D ;D
Time to head to the badminton court and try for a gold, a long trip to it with at least 10 games today. :D
To get back on topic, it appears we will have poor fishing conditions this year because of the slide that has opened up, disappointing to many, especially those that have to drive some way to get to the river only to see it out but of course to some it does not matter, oops better no go there, sorry Rod. ;D
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These where not my photos, I just found them on an other site and thought everyone here would like to see them. It just amazes me that the minister of enviroment has done nothing to help this river. Does he not live out there. It sure would be nice to see a change in government especially to one that actually cares about the enviroment in stead of just giving us lip service.
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Just received a reply from Dave. There isn't going to be a fundraiser this year.
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These where not my photos, I just found them on an other site and thought everyone here would like to see them. It just amazes me that the minister of enviroment has done nothing to help this river. Does he not live out there. It sure would be nice to see a change in government especially to one that actually cares about the enviroment in stead of just giving us lip service.
Thanks to the person that took them and I agree we need a Provincial government change badly. That is coming from myself that worked on one of the Provincial Riding Associations for two terms as I thought I could have some influence for making some positive changes environmentally and on some other issues, I thought I had some success for a while but they have become too arrogant and put big business in some cases before our environment and our fish stocks so I tendered my resignation a few months ago.
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Was it not this organization that refused to come out to accept our donation from last years steelhead derby because he said it just was not worth his time for so little money ??? . And you wonder why people do not want to support them.
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Was it not this organization that refused to come out to accept our donation from last years steelhead derby because he said it just was not worth his time for so little money ??? . And you wonder why people do not want to support them.
Ouch. Time to write to Mr Penner NOW, it is an election year and ask he get some of the Living Rivers to CRAC to fix this problem and ask for a reply, then post his reply here in the forum. I wonder how many of you will do so? I have and I have a reply and will try and find it when I return from PG.
Rodney may wish to create a new topic on this and lets get the letters going. E-mail Penner at env.minister@gov.bc.ca, thanks to all that will take the time to do so.
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Hello Mr. Penner.
My name is Dion Lauriente. I am a fisherman that is concerned with the conditions of the Chillwack/Vedder river system. On a recent trip to the river I fished a run known as "Ranger Run" and noticed that a portion of the river was running past a clay bank. As I fished I noticed a portion of the clay bank slump off into the river. When I returned home I heard reports in the following days that this clay bank had caused the visibility in the river to diminish to nearly nothing, making fishing impossible. As only ~25% of the river runs through this channel near the clay bank it should be a relatively easy diversion back to the main channel.
From what I understand there is a Living Rivers Trust Fund that has been supplied with tens of millions of dollars by the BC government to help maintain and protect the rivers in our province, yet the Chilliwack River Action Committee (CRAC) has not recieve any of that money. The Chilliwack River is one of the most fished rivers (by recreational anglers) in the province so it seems silly to me that one of the most active groups in maintaining the river recieve no money. By not fixing this problem you are only wasting the money put into habitat restoration and the hatchery program in recent year.
Please respond with your course of action to fix this problem.
Thank you,
Dion L.
Attached are two photos of the clay bank.
Sent 10:23AM Friday September 12, 2008.
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I just sent of a letter as well and I will copy it to the NDP's environment critic as well. Here is a copy of my letter.
Dear Mr . Penner
I am writing to you today as I am very concerned about the condition of the Vedder/Chilliwack river after a massive clay slide happened on the upper portions of the river. The clay slide has happened in an area known as "the ranger run" and it has caused the water to turn to a milky grey color. This sediment will continue to come down river and settle as a sludge on the gravel beads that our precious salmon stocks use as their spawning grounds. This sludge if allowed to continue will eventually destroy these spawning grounds by suffocating the eggs and destroy future runs of these wild salmon. Action needs to be taken now by this government before it is too late. I understand that there is money available through the Living Rivers Trust Fund. I also understand that the Chilliwack River Action Committee had applied for funds but was refused. I believe this is the perfect opportunity to change that decision and provide them the funds so that work can begin to divert the river away from this bank. The river as it runs right now is 25% on the side where the slide occurred and 75% on the opposite bank so fixing this would not take much if done right away. I hope you take the time out of your busy schedule and pay this area a visit so that you can see first hand how devastating this is going to be to the river and all that it provides to the community of Chilliwack. Thank you for your time and I hope to here a positive response from you.
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Email sent:
Greetings Mr. Penner,
My name is Spencer Rolls, and I am a concerned angler from the lower mainland. I have been fishing this area for as long as I can remember, and have spent large amount of that time specifically on the Chillwack/Vedder River. Many great days have been spent there with friends and family, and many memories have been created.
Unfortunately, at this time, I am worried all that I will be left with are memories. Recent clayslide activity on the Vedder River has created a huge siltation issue on this prized waterway. Besides possibly creating a write-off for this coming fall salmon fishing season, I worry that this clay silt may suffocate the eggs that are being deposited in the riverbed by our valuable Pacific Salmon.
Mr. Penner, this river is not only important as a source of revenue to local businesses and tackle shops, but it's important to people like myself that value our resources. The conditions of the Chilliwack Vedder system have been degrading ever year due to litter (and insufficient garbage bins), lack of enforcement of regulations, and the various claybanks on the river. I fear for the future of the Vedder.
I had been looking forward to another season of fresh air and camaraderie on the water, but with the current river conditions that looks like it may not happen.
I understand that there are more than enough funds available for situations like this through the Living Rivers Trust Fund. Please hear our concerns and divert the necessary money to fix this problem - I believe the Chilliwack River Action Committee is willing to do the work, but has been refused the money.
I look forward to your response.
Regards,
Spencer Rolls
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Global News report that the government anticipate a surplus of approximately $1 billion for this fiscal years. Surely they can afford a few dollars to stabilize the river.
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i was surprised to see gravel removal this time of year i thought because fish were starting to move up that removing gravel would not be allowed
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The fish are not spawning yet so It won't interfere with them anyways. Right now the thing to be conserned about is the one foot visibility (clay slide that caused it) that is slowly building up on the gravel beds where they spawn :'(
Water is perfect right now.. fish wont get spooked and they can see your bait. One thing to be aware of Lickman road and the road that leads to the train bridge are both CLOSED for gravel removal. Visibility is around 1.5 feet at bridge and gets better as you go down river (since it is settling on bottom). Max vis is around 2.5 feet unless you go up above the slide where it is unlimited. Risky coming out if you live in the city, not lots of fish around yet and you are taking your chances with the water.
Tight Lines
Dan
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Dan thanks for the info about the gravel removal i didn't realize that but with the clay how much of an impact will that have on fish trying to spawn and are fishing moving up river then and going right past the clay or does the clay not affect there swim upstream
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Global News report that the government anticipate a surplus of approximately $1 billion for this fiscal years. Surely they can afford a few dollars to stabilize the river.
El Gordo needs the money for the Olympics as that is all that matters to him and his comrades these days....
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I guess the solution for the river visibility problem would be to extend the fishing boundary to Chilliwack lake....
Just kidding!
:D :D
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Gosh, so many concerned about the clay slides on the Chilliwack Vedder but to date only 3 people have sent a letter to Penner,(or have posted them here) that is why politicians get away with doing what they want. It is easy to complain about things on forums like this but to try and get things corrected the MLA's need to hear from the electorate.
Thanks to Tex, fly guy and Dion in taking the time to try and make a difference.
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I haven't received a response yet either (except an automated one right after I sent my email).
Doesn't give you a lot of faith in the system, does it?
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it realy wouldn't cost all that much to shotcrete those claybanks. Could probably get Lafarge to even donate the concrete. I don't know how that would effect the sourounding environment though. You can even stamp rock face into shotcrete to make it look natural
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it realy wouldn't cost all that much to shotcrete those claybanks. Could probably get Lafarge to even donate the concrete. I don't know how that would effect the sourounding environment though. You can even stamp rock face into shotcrete to make it look natural
The fix would have been easy if they had worked on this sooner as CRAC wanted too but no funding came through. No work can proceed without the proper engineering work and permits. I know it would nice to just go in and fix it but what I mentioned above is a must not to mention the insurance issue that has to addressed.
Once again send your concerns to Mr. Penner and ask for a response.
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This may be a stupid question . But are the clay slides a natural occurance ? or have they been cause by the gravel removal or other non natural forces ? Cause if it is natural , then just let it happen .
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This may be a stupid question . But are the clay slides a natural occurance ? or have they been cause by the gravel removal or other non natural forces ? Cause if it is natural , then just let it happen .
Partly natural but they are oftened opened up during high river flows. Bescause of past and present logging practices water runs off faster than it would if there was not so much clear cutting and logging right up to the river's edge that was done in some cases years ago.
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what about a User Pay concept?
I'd pay $100 for a yearly classified waters tag to use that beautiful river - way cheaper than green fees - (or even 1 Lions or Canucks game)
1,000 fishers at $100 gets some work done.
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what about a User Pay concept?
I'd pay $100 for a yearly classified waters tag to use that beautiful river - way cheaper than green fees - (or even 1 Lions or Canucks game)
1,000 fishers at $100 gets some work done.
A good idea but we pay taxes to have such things looked after and the present government boasts about this 21 million dollar BC Living River's fund, is there not a better place to spend it?
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Morty / Chris: I agree with the fee - it certainly would reduce the pressure on the river and get some of the hacks off it.
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Has anyone recieved a reply back from their letter. I know I have recieved nothing. I guess I better send it again.
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Has anyone recieved a reply back from their letter. I know I have recieved nothing. I guess I better send it again.
It may take a while as the Minister is getting married.
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Maybe he should have married the people of Canada, we have been getting it without the benefit of a marriage license for years. ;D ;D
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Has anyone recieved a reply back from their letter. I know I have recieved nothing. I guess I better send it again.
It may take a while as the Minister is getting married.
But you do realize that it is the local staff person who actually writes the letter, reviewed by the Ministers political advisor, and then the Minister may sign it (or use a stamp). Unless all the staff are invited to the wedding it should not take too much longer than ususal.
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Has anyone recieved a reply back from their letter. I know I have recieved nothing. I guess I better send it again.
It may take a while as the Minister is getting married.
But you do realize that it is the local staff person who actually writes the letter, reviewed by the Ministers political advisor, and then the Minister may sign it (or use a stamp). Unless all the staff are invited to the wedding it should not take too much longer than ususal.
Well I guess all Mr Penner's staff must be on holidays as the Fraser River Gravel Ad Hoc Committee has not heard back from our request for a meeting with him and his staff a month ago, to deal with the gravel excavation projects on the Fraser. This was in response to his statement he made in the Chilliwack Progress he would meet in Victoria (which was ridiculous as the Minister and the Ad Hoc Committee live in the Lower Mainland) We asked him to give us 3 dates he could meet with us.
Of course with a Provincial election just around the corner it does not surprise one as they are in damage control as there is no engineering proof that I know of this gravel excavation does anything to prevent a flood. As I have said many times it is just a gravel grab and to make money for those with the contracts. We even pay with our tax dollars to have money spent to build access to projects like Spring Bar this year.
Then those making the money to my knowledge seldom if ever put any funds back into mitigation projects to help the fish and the habitat they are damaging.
This does not surprise me as they are more interesting in making as much money as they can and covering up prime farmland with it here in Chilliwack so they can develop it and make more money
The question is, will this assault on our fish stocks and riparian zone ever end before it is too late?
I have been in contact recently with our MP Chuck Strahl and he is interested in the results of our petition letter to the Federal Auditor General and that may be our saviour to all of this, in the way it has been handled by some agencies and politicans.
Off for an evening fish on the Vedder and I am hopeful I donot fall in one of the newly dug pits, heh thats an idea and one then could then sue them for not marking these dangers properly, I am sure the fish would like that as we would end this insult to this precious resource, our Salmon, trout and sturgeon as well not forgetting all aquatic life that call these waters home.
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hey Chris, how was the water today?
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hey Chris, how was the water today?
Water was in good shape today, but tomorrow is another story.
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thanks for the quick response.
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hey Chris, how was the water today?
I did not make it out as I got tied up with e-mails, raining very hard right now.
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Posting these for Chris.
(http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc90/fishingwithrod/forum/IMG_1274.jpg)
(http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc90/fishingwithrod/forum/IMG_1275.jpg)
(http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc90/fishingwithrod/forum/IMG_1276.jpg)
(http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc90/fishingwithrod/forum/IMG_1277.jpg)
(http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc90/fishingwithrod/forum/IMG_1287.jpg)
(http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc90/fishingwithrod/forum/IMG_1288.jpg)
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I had an idea for the gravel, if they insist it is for flood removal only, why not convince them to wash it, and dump it into the Capilano and seymour watersheds, to build some spawning habitat on those systems?
Cheers,
Nicole