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Author Topic: Tidal Fraser Spring Salmon  (Read 5800 times)

colin6101

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Tidal Fraser Spring Salmon
« on: August 17, 2009, 08:38:21 PM »

So I was down scouting out the lower fraser around Fort langley for a few hours and had quite a strange experience. I was changing my lure up from shore when a spring jack jumped right on to shore around four feet away from me. I dropped my gear and went to put him back in the water. I was expecting to see a spawned out fish, but he was chrome and looked very healthy. After holding him in the water for a couple of minutes he gave me a good tail whack (and a splash of water to boot) and then swam off. What would posses a salmon to do this? I didn't see any seals around at all, my dad said he has seen something similar when a salmon is being chased by a seal. So I was quite stumped, and offended the fish decided my spinner wasn't worth biting.
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colin6101

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Re: Tidal Fraser Spring Salmon
« Reply #1 on: August 17, 2009, 08:39:07 PM »

Oh and on a side note, I saw quite a few other springs jump and two or three pinks, nothing was caught at all though by me or the other two guys down there.
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Eagleye

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Re: Tidal Fraser Spring Salmon
« Reply #2 on: August 17, 2009, 09:46:05 PM »

Never heard of that before...  Maybe a sturgeon was chasing it.
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oni_kage

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Re: Tidal Fraser Spring Salmon
« Reply #3 on: August 17, 2009, 11:38:51 PM »

was it slack tide?
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colin6101

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Re: Tidal Fraser Spring Salmon
« Reply #4 on: August 17, 2009, 11:53:25 PM »

Yeah it was high slack tide. I was fishing at Poplar bar right in front of Crescent island.  Craziest thing I have seen in a while. The tide was really high too, although I don't see how that would affect it?
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oni_kage

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Re: Tidal Fraser Spring Salmon
« Reply #5 on: August 17, 2009, 11:54:43 PM »

Perhaps the lack of current disorientated the fish
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colin6101

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Re: Tidal Fraser Spring Salmon
« Reply #6 on: August 18, 2009, 12:25:29 AM »

Maybe, I was really baffled at this one, but the salmon seemed completely unfazed by the whole thing. Maybe I will get a chance to legitimately catch him when I go try again there on Thursday.
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river walker

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Re: Tidal Fraser Spring Salmon
« Reply #7 on: August 18, 2009, 08:24:24 AM »

seal chase perhaps.. Same thing happened to me a few years back while fishing the wing dam....30lb chinook beached it self.
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"Second best head..... STEELHEAD"

Every Day

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Re: Tidal Fraser Spring Salmon
« Reply #8 on: August 18, 2009, 09:58:53 AM »

I have seen the same thing with around 6 coho in one day on the Vedder.
It was when the river was extremly high (the year it was coming over the dike at lickman and down by train bridge.
They were coming up right along the edge and when the jumped they would occasionally beach themselves.
These fish were also very chrome and healthy looking... hard not to take the whacker to them.
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Steelhawk

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Re: Tidal Fraser Spring Salmon
« Reply #9 on: August 18, 2009, 10:49:14 AM »

I once saw 30 springs or more doing the mad dash downstream and sidestream onto a shallow barrier gravel bar, and also some splashing to nearshore gravels. It was quite a spectacle and I was wondering what caused them to do that. Looked further up and there were a few large red white-water rafts coming down through a small pool above. They scared the heck out of these white springs and they took off with torpedo speed, only to beach themselves all over the place. Whities any one?  :)

If the jack you saw jump right onto the beach, it must have been scared by something big under water. Probably a sturgeon.
« Last Edit: August 18, 2009, 10:53:40 AM by Steelhawk »
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Every Day

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Re: Tidal Fraser Spring Salmon
« Reply #10 on: August 18, 2009, 12:38:15 PM »

Never heard of that before...  Maybe a sturgeon was chasing it.

Sturgeon don't have teeth or any way of capturing a salmon.
I highly doubt a sturgeon will eat a live salmon, or for that regard try to chase one to begin with.
Who knows why salmon do the things they do.
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mig1

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Re: Tidal Fraser Spring Salmon
« Reply #11 on: August 18, 2009, 12:45:39 PM »

probably seals
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Brian

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Re: Tidal Fraser Spring Salmon
« Reply #12 on: August 18, 2009, 05:10:34 PM »

hard not to take the whacker to them.

I can just imagine the look on your face, it would be exactly the same as mine.

I've got no problems releasing a fish, but to see a fish jump up at my feet  ::)
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colin6101

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Re: Tidal Fraser Spring Salmon
« Reply #13 on: August 18, 2009, 09:12:04 PM »

Im a pretty ethical fisher, but I have to admit it was tempting! Especially since I just got a new bbq at home that hasn't seen any fish yet. Im hoping Im going to be rewarded for this later in the season though!
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GoldHammeredCroc

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Re: Tidal Fraser Spring Salmon
« Reply #14 on: August 18, 2009, 09:24:05 PM »

I highly doubt a sturgeon will eat a live salmon, or for that regard try to chase one to begin with.

Sturgeon will definitely take a live salmon if given the opportunity.  All it has to do is be above it and that vacuum of a mouth is has will easily suck it up.  I understand the sturgeon in the ponds at Inch Cr do snack on the trout that are in there too.
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