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[lovetofish]

What a Zoo!!! I think that this was the busiest day on the river since sockeye opened. Boats and people everywhere. We figured that we would go out one last time for sockeye today. We didn't get to the river until almost 10 am and Gill road launch was packed. Trucks and trailers parked everywhere. Boats coming and going.
 We launched and motored down to our normal area to find it very busy at the top end of the bar but there was a space of about 100 feet or more between a couple of boats lower on the bar with nobody fishing there, so we pulled in. As soon as we did, some big jerk comes down from above the boats and says "move down, we are fishing here" . He wasn't fishing there and nobody else was either so we stayed. We were parked 50 ft below their boat and the boat below us was just leaving so we just fished below our boat. We knew there was a nasty snag a ways below but our sounder had died and I wasn't prepared to beat up the prop finding a new area. We lost some gear but managed to catch our allowed 6 sockeye by about 2pm. The guys above us caught and released sockeye the whole time we were there.
 Our son brought in one fish that had spots on the back and was either a small spring or a coho. I wasn't sure that it was a spring as it's back was very pale but it sure was silver sided. There was some black in the mouth, but not having caught very many coho, and not being positive in the ID it was revived and released. While reviving the fish we checked with a salmon ID pamphlet but we still weren't sure.  Our son was disappointed, but if it was a coho, it was not legal. It didn't look the same as the springs we had caught in previous outings.
Maybe when sockeye season is over , we will go back out for  some bar fishing , if springs or jacks are open.

[chris gadsden]

It may stay open for salmon fishing but with a bait ban.

Look for the sockeye closure after the Labor Day weekend at the latest.

[gman]

Spots on the tail is a good indicator of spring versus coho. Spots all over the tail (top and bottom) then its almost always a spring (unless its a pink, but thats obvious).

[newsman]

sockeye are open on the Thom until Sept 20th

[Gooey]

my party of four got our 8 fish in about 4 hours...but the eight fish all came in the last 2 hrs so for a while it was quite the flurry of activity.  Wonder what today is like, seems like the gill netters have been out all weekend as I saw boats above the portman on saturday and sunday.

[liketofish]

Ya, I see them again today at Portman Bridge. How many hours do they have? Can some one post a link for commercial openings? It is pointless to fish 2-3 days after these openings in bars above Chilliwack. Too many fishermen and too few fish and tons of snags. Why do DFO open commercially 2-3 days before weekend? Waste of money & time for weekenders. Can't DFO move the commercial openings to say, Saturday, Sunday, Monday & Tuesday, so that by Friday, there are fish for the weekend fishermen in upper bars.

[roeman]

Ya, I see them again today at Portman Bridge. How many hours do they have? Can some one post a link for commercial openings? It is pointless to fish 2-3 days after these openings in bars above Chilliwack. Too many fishermen and too few fish and tons of snags. Why do DFO open commercially 2-3 days before weekend? Waste of money & time for weekenders. Can't DFO move the commercial openings to say, Saturday, Sunday, Monday & Tuesday, so that by Friday, there are fish for the weekend fishermen in upper bars.

Funny how lots of people think only about themselves.
I guess when a fishing license is purchased it should only be used to fish on Saturday and Sunday...

[DragonSpeed]

Funny how lots of people think only about themselves.
I guess when a fishing license is purchased it should only be used to fish on Saturday and Sunday...

I think you'll find that the MAJORITY of fishermen are "weekend warriors"   

[Gooey]

lets face it, while some would like to deny this, the fraser fishy is such a joke.  Spinner rods, trolling rods, half coils or pencil lead for weight, careless boat drivers, the greed, the crowds, the aggression, heck even people on this board who sound and act like seasoned fishermen not even 100% sure on their species ident...this doenst even touch ILLEGAL activity like snagging, barbed hooks, double dipping (which is rampant during sockeye)...this fishery nees to be better managed.

[blaydRnr]

hahaha...what were u guys expecting? haven't you been watching the news?

"the fraser's been boiling with sockeye salmon...almost looks like you can walk across them in some parts"...."twenty five million expected, the most in almost a hundred years"..."processing plants to full capacity and overwhelmed".

thanks to the media and their headline "Sockeye Mania/Fever"....every joe blow with all abled body family member are coming out of the woodwork...eight year old kids who can barely reel the salmon in posing as legit fishermen to add to their 2 limit quota....wives who don't even own rods waiting for their husbands to pass their's over when the fish is 2 feet from shore...people not even taking the time, nor caring to read the regs.

[bcguy]

lets face it, while some would like to deny this, the fraser fishy is such a joke.  Spinner rods, trolling rods, half coils or pencil lead for weight, careless boat drivers, the greed, the crowds, the aggression, heck even people on this board who sound and act like seasoned fishermen not even 100% sure on their species ident...this doenst even touch ILLEGAL activity like snagging, barbed hooks, double dipping (which is rampant during sockeye)...this fishery nees to be better managed.

So.. just what exactly are you trying to say...

[BwiBwi]

That's not better management Gooey, what that needs is better enforcement.

[Morty]

Spots on the tail is a good indicator of spring versus coho. Spots all over the tail (top and bottom) then its almost always a spring.

Not that you're wrong but........... I was in a group one day when we caught several of each.  We had springs with spots all over tail and springs with only a few spots at the top.  Ditto for the coho.  Tails were not a certain indicator.  The way we had for determining which was which was a combination of mouth coloration, the shape of the black spots on body, and head shape. (there were a couple where even the mouth coloration was questionable)

[gman]

Not that you're wrong but........... I was in a group one day when we caught several of each.  We had springs with spots all over tail and springs with only a few spots at the top.  Ditto for the coho.  Tails were not a certain indicator.  The way we had for determining which was which was a combination of mouth coloration, the shape of the black spots on body, and head shape. (there were a couple where even the mouth coloration was questionable)

Yes I agree. I've seen springs without any tail spots too. Never seen coho with spots all over the tail yet, but I expect it could happen too. As you say you have to look at all the idndicators. The tail is a good starting point in the decision, especaily for a new angler.

[Hooks_of_Fury]

gums are the best way to determine coho vs chinook for sure. problem is most people dont realize coho also have black gums, just not right around the teeth. Look at the fishes gums right at the base of the teeth. white=coho black=chinook.