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[baited breath]

Hello all, long time lurker, first time poster. 

I was at Rivers Inlet at a lodge for 5 days in late July/early August.  Out of 20 guys, 14 went home without a salmon (not me ).  I've fished up and down the coast at resorts for years but haven't been up there for the past 3.   Apparently no other earlier groups did any better and I'm curious if anyone has been up there in the past couple of weeks.   That was really eerie, hopefully not a sign of things to come.  At a nearby lodge when I was there in 2001 there were 100 tyee brought in by Aug 1.  This year the largest FISH brought in by Aug 1 was 22 lbs.  I've never experienced fishing like that up there.   I heard last year was just as bad.  If it was, it really should be headline news like California and Oregon because something might be seriously wrong.  Somebody tell me they just got back from there and the runs were just really late...

[hotrod]

Another fish farm victim. There are plenty of fish farms in the area and don't think they survived too long!


   Hotrod

[redside1]

there has been a fair number of 50+ lb fish caught. Saw a newspaper article of a 80lb fish also. Seems slower fishing but more big fish by all accounts.

[Keener]

I've been flying people into various lodges this year and the general feedback is that it's been much slower than previous years... It's much different than I remembered even 5 years ago. Have we been over fishing or is this another sign of global warming?

[baited breath]

Yeah, it's nice to hear about the big fish Redside mentioned.  When I was there nobody caught anything.  And that included a bunch of guides I was listenening to on the radios.  When those guys are taking clients to catch cod, something is seriously wrong!

I'm not sure overfishing is to blame - the commercial guys are crying the blues as well.  I think it's pretty hard to eliminate an entire season of adult salmon.  My guess is something happened to the little fellas 4 years ago but I'm not a biologist.  Maybe it's the fish farms, I hope it's that easy ... and fixable.

Speaking of pilots, we flew out on a Pacific Coastal Grumman Goose on the night before they crashed one.  Not sure it was the same plane, they have several.

[Every Day]

Maybe it's the fish farms, I hope it's that easy ... and fixable.

Not that easy or fixable. Its a huge money making industry for the government. Do you really think they will close them down to protect wild salmon when they are making millions more raising fish and selling them? Peopl have been against fish farms all the way, and this year especially there is a huge upraor about them, but still no changes.

[baited breath]

Way easier and more fixable than global warming or overseas fleets who seem to take most of the blame.  That doesn't mean anything will actuallly be done or even investigated.

Has anyone been to Rivers Inlet since early August?  I'd love to know if any fish ended up showing in any numbers.  It was like a dead zone out there.

[firstlight]

Rivers Inlet is done.

[Angry Dragon]

first time poster and Rivers Inlet worker...
Update on Rivers inlet fishing as I am heading up there next week is that the fishing is no ON FIRE now.
This coming from a resort that normally fishes Fitz Hugh sound and the entrance to Rivers Inlet.
Sorry to hear that your trip did not produce as normally BIG fish are coming through at that time.
Don't be discouraged as this area will always produce quality fish time and time again.

[gman]

The Salmon Outlook article in BC outdoors sport fishing maganzine (summer) mentioned that the big Chinook on the North/Central coast are 5 year cylcle fish that went to sea in 2005,  and ocean conditions were very poor that year. Other chinook are 4 year cycle fish and were less affected by Ocean conditions. The rivers inlet fish are in the 5 year category, so this years crop may have been hit harder by the ocean conditions.

That being said there have been other unusual run timing in other areas. It seems that the fishing at Langara is improving through August this year, when usually it tapers off this time of year. So maybe there is still hope for Rivers inlet this year.

[baited breath]

I'm not sure on the math of that one if they went to sea in 2005 wouldn't they be coming back in 2010 - Olympic fish?     Anyways, I'm glad the runs are just late and not wiped out like the ones further down the coast.  Big difference.

[gman]

I'm not sure on the math of that one if they went to sea in 2005 wouldn't they be coming back in 2010 - Olympic fish?    

Hmmm. Googling it found that Chinook usually go to sea the year they hatch, but sometimes stay in freshwater for over a year.  So for a five year cycle, eggs laid in 2003, hatch 2004, then go to sea in 2004 or 2005 (depending on run?), then back to lay own eggs in 2008.

[baited breath]

Now THAT's math even I can understand!   I feel sorry for those lodge owners up there.  The one I was in was maybe 75% full (they used to be packed with waiting lists for cancellations) and none of the guys in our group were in a hurry to go back.  So they had at least 5 weeks of clients who likely won't return.  I don't know how much of their clientele is repeat business my guess is there will be some pretty attractive deals up there in 2009.  If next year is supposed to have a big rebound in numbers and DFO hasn't shut the whole thing down,  maybe I'll give it another try ... 

[rangersmitty]

north island (telegraph cove) parants been there since early july. No fish!!!!!!!!!!! Spending most of thier time prawning,crabing and some bottom fish.Worst salmon fishing ever,they have been going there for over 26yrs.No one pointing fingers but heard rumers that they have seen driftnets in the bering sea that have had hundreds and that is hundreds of thousand dead salmon in them.And that was from resort owners. 

[baited breath]

Someone better be investigating and pointing fingers.  To wipe out runs the size of what is supposed to be coming in would take a pretty big effort on the open seas as I would assume different runs/species hang around different places and take at least slightly different routes.  It is hard to believe that nothing came in this year.  That would (should) be headline news but Angry Dragon says the fishing is red hot right now, I hope it stays red hot for a few weeks and we can breathe a sigh of relief. Is there anywhere online where you can look at returns, etc, on a river by river basis?