So I thought I’d spend a few hours yesterday afternoon targeting Pinks on the Squamish River. I was looking forward to a change of scenery from the Fraser Valley. When I arrived at the Squamish I found the water clarity to be that of the Fraser with only 1 – 1 ½ ft. of visibility, not optimum so I headed over to the Mamquam river to check things out. So after gearing up and a quick jaunt to the rivers edge I was quite glad to see lot’s of Pinks jumping everywhere, however, my happiness turned to anger as I watched the atrocities unfold before me. I could not believe my eyes when I saw how these so called “fishermen” where snagging these spawning Pinks right off their redds in less than 18” of water. My immediate attention was drawn to the far side of the river to see a “Spey Fisher” that couldn’t roll cast if his life depended on it, was overhand casting his sink tip Spey line into the spawning redds and dragging his hook across the backs of the fish and giving a sharp yank as he snagged male fish on every retrieve, played the fish to exhaustion then proceeded to pull the fish up on shore and let it flop around on the rocks and sand while he placed his valued spey rod upright against some trees then returned to the sand encrusted fish, placed his knee on the fish while he removed his fly then proceeded to give the fish a “love tap” back into the river with his wading boot. I watched this guy and his “lack luster” release technique for several fish, and then I had to move further downstream as I could feel my blood beginning to boil.
As I walked downstream towards the mouth of the river I came across an elderly gentleman I would guess in his early seventies, wearing black rubber gum boots and he too was a “fly fisher” using an old fiberglass fly rod, he was playing a fish which I watched for at least 15 minuets when he pulled his fish way up on the beach he discovered it was snagged in the tail, he had almost the same release technique as the” spey guy” only difference was the old fly fisher grabbed the fish by the tail and “chucked” it back in the water! I watched this old guy perform the same snag and release method on three more fish and after he release the third fish I walked by him shaking my head in disgust and within ear shot said one word out loud “PATHETIC”.
The one that really got me fumed was a fellow in his early twenties who showed up with his trout rod and coffee grinder set up, tackle box and backpack. This guy walked right over and into to the spawning bed and started tossing out a big huge spoon and was snagging fish on every cast while he stood in the middle of the spawning beds. The first fish he snagged was a big humped back male which he pulled up on the sand and rocks and let it flop around while he proceeded to rummage through his back pack to find his camera, when he returned to the fish lying on the beach, he reached down and grabs the fish through the gills and was trying to focus his camera for the “shot of a life time” and proceeded to drop the fish on the rocks, fumbles with his camera for a little bit longer then picks up the fish by the gills again, holds the fish out at arms length, gets the shot then throws the fish back in the river and it floats dead downstream!
I witnessed at least 10 more of these acts of mayhem and just plain could not believe that people actually believe these practices are acceptable. I don’t want to play “River Sheriff”, especially when I fuming mad, but where is all the enforcement? Needless to say I didn’t have an enjoyable afternoon.