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[chris gadsden]

Hey Chris...or anyone else for that matter...do you know how good the access down through the forest at the bottom of easter seal run is now? 
I'm possibly going up there tomorrow, and am wondering if the river has cleared out much of the debris that was strewn through there? I'm trying to decide where exactly I will fish on the chehalis tomorrow...maybe canyon, maybe lower river, but the accessibility on the lower river is a concern...I might just go down past the hatchery, through purdy's etc...but that run through the tree's intrigues me...
any info would be great,
thx,
rib

Was over there this afternoon but did not get near the area you are asking about, sorry can not help you.

[Ribwart]

Thx anyways chris, worth a try...I'm heading up there tomorrow. May stick with the canyon, but we'll see.
Thanks again for the info,
rib

[younggun]

i'm trying to show my dad the photos but he's like those could be from 2 years ago how do u know they are real! SO he doesn't want to go, he thinks the river is low with no fish and i'm like lets go so, i dont know some one help me out here!

[chris gadsden]

The water conditions were perfect this afternoon and should be as good tomorrow, it seems like the Vedder, not may coho but thousands of chum. However I did hook one coho and The Master fishing below me saw it also but it broke off. He said it was only 4 to 5 ponds, must have been the tiger sharks teeth working on my line.

After no coho so far this season I would have been happy with it, maybe tomorrow as hope springs eternal in the world of fishing.

Today I was told by the previous hatchery manager there used to be coho returns to the Chilliwack Vedder River system of  around 110,000, this year it is presently around 2,000 to 3,000.

[Ribwart]

That's depressing...   I remember some of those years when the coho were thick...what happened?

[chris gadsden]

They say ocean survival. However saying that why are the chum and chinook numbers so strong in the Chilliwack Vedder. As well the Chehalis has thosands and thousands of chum in now.

[Nicole]

It was crazy in the Chehalis back when there was more flow, almost solid chum, bank to bank below the hatchery.

You'd see one coho mixed in, and there was no way to fish for it, as you'd snag into 100 chum before getting the coho's attention...

It's a real shame the two hatcheries don't increase coho and decrease chum and chinook, it seems the coho need a bit of help...

Cheers,
Nicole

[Ribwart]

I'm doing some courses out at ubc regarding populations, harvest management, juvenile survival etc...biffchan touched on this somewhat in another thread...coho juveniles stay in freshwater much longer...each little coho fry needs a certain amount of space, not sure exactly but I think it's about 1 meter squared area, otherwise they will compete and drive other coho out...so I think that there is a much more restricted limit to how much a hatchery can supplement a river, with coho anyways...as for spring and chum, they migrate right away, so habitat availablitly doesn't limit survival rates as much...
That's how I understand it anyways...

[searun17]

i agree Nicole,the coho stocks should be a priority on all mainland systems,we could do with allot fewer chums and chinook,the declining coho stocks seems to be an ongoing trend the last several years,i don't know how much hatchery funding goes to wards the chinook and chums but some of it should be used to enhance the coho runs and find out why the coho stocks are on a downward spiral.

[Nicole]

Apparently coho are more expensive to raise, and there were some production cuts done at chillwack, not sure about chehalis...

I sure miss those days in the 80s when you'd see 60,000 coho coming back to the hatchery, can you imagine how packed the vedder would be!

Ok maybe it is better this way

lol
Nicole

[Ribwart]

They say ocean survival.

Ive heard that also...too much of an uncertain variable...but the springs and the chum swim in the same ocean...? Maybe migration routes are different? anyone know?

[Steelhawk]

Yes, ocean survival does not hold much water to explain the lack of coho. We can blame that to DFO & the people responsible for managing fishery. They have increased our license fees by $$ compared to the 80s & the 90s, and yet they cut funding for fishery enhancement so much so that we are now having nothing much to fish due to coho stocking cut. If not because of the sockeye, salmon anglers don't have much to fish unless they like white springs & chums also. It makes you wonder where all our money has gone if not spent to enhance our fishing opportunites? Probably into the operating budgets & wages of DFO staffs. 

[armytruck]

I camped at the river from Tuesday of last week untill Saturday evening. Fished up at the intake on the fly and hooked into a nice summer run steelie . Fished the easter seal run ,the water pretty low and no coho around . Then she poured Wednesday eve , blew out a bit for Thursday , the water was brown and high . Friday the coho showed and bingo  I hooked into a beauty 10 pounder down below the hatchery  ( wild ) . There were four coho or more taken within the two hours fishing down by the hatch. Saturday mornin was at the easter seal again with T-Roy my bud and he landed a beauty 11 -1/2 pound coho . There were a couple more taken that mornin and it seemed to be all for that day . You could see the  coho      shooting by all day but coudn't get them to take . The water was dropping inch for inch every hour or so . The river droppped at least a foot from first light untill dusk saturday. need the rain to keep it up 

[Ribwart]

Fished various parts of the river today...1 Hatchery buck to the beach...several wild fish also...silver colorado's got most of the fish, but I did get a couple on tiny roe bags, and one on an anise oil soaked tiny peice of peach wool...

I had spoken with someone I knew that told me the river was already down almost a foot from saturday....but the river was still in great shape, excellent visibility and flow.
If the river is dropping that quickly however, it likely won't be long before we're in dire need of rain again...

I Met a few people out there today: Riverman and his friend Keith, (I guess he's a friend of yours Chris...), They were both a pleasure to fish with...all in all a great day on the river and away from the crowds...hardly any people, and perfect weather, well ok, it was a bit cold, but a beautiful day nonetheless...
Here are a couple pics...
My buddy vic holding one of the wild fish I brought in just before release...


Me, with a hatchery buck from earlier in the day...


cheers,
rib

[Sterling C]

Wow Rib, looks like you and me fish a lot of the same spots