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[Rodney]

The fall salmon fishery takes place between late August and early December on the Chilliwack River. Like the past few seasons, we usually like to get this information up so those who are new to the fishery can have a chance to enjoy what this river has to offer by learning the techniques, staying informed on regulations and etiquettes.


Fish species

In fall 2010, there are three salmon species that anglers can target and retain.

• Chinook salmon (mid September - mid October)
• Coho salmon (early September - early November)
• Chum salmon (early October - late November)

Fishing regulations

The salmon regulations of Chilliwack River can be found in Region 2 of the Freshwater salmon supplement.

The current daily quotas for salmon in the Chilliwack River:

• Chinook salmon: 4, but only one can be over 62cm, which must be marked on the back of the fishing license.
• Coho salmon: 4, but hatchery fish only (the ones that are missing an adipose fin). All wild fish are required to be released with care.
• Chum salmon: 0
• Sockeye salmon: 0

You can only keep FOUR salmon in total per day, which means if you keep four hatchery coho salmon, you can't keep anymore chinook, pink or chum salmon.


Cultus Lake sockeye salmon alert

Cultus Lake sockeye salmon are endangered and usually enter the Chilliwack River in late summer so their run time overlaps with other fall salmon species. All sockeye salmon caught in the Chilliwack River are required to be released carefully. Please be aware of the difference between a coho and a sockeye salmon. Some Cultus Lake sockeye salmon are also missing their adipose fin. Read about it some more...


How to float fish more effectively for coho salmon?

To effectively catch coho on the Vedder by float fishing, you want to keep your offerings in the strike zone. New anglers have a tendency to mistaken the strike zone as the depth where the fish are sitting. It is not. Salmonids look up and strike at the offerings above them. The fish position themselves near the bottom, so the strike zone is usually 1 or 2 feet above the river bed. This technique does not only apply to the Chilliwack River, but also other Lower Fraser River tributaries.

Gear setup

Rod:	9' to 10'6" baitcasting or centerpin rod, rated between 8 and 20lb
Reel:	Small baitcasting reels or centerpin reels
Main line:	12 to 15lb test
Leader:	6 to 10lb test
Hook:	Size 4 to 2/0

The diagrams below illustrate the correct and not-so-correct ways of float depth adjustment.

Excessive length of leader



For some reason, many people believe a longer leader would produce more fish, quite the opposite! Your hook will always travel faster than your weight in a river. By using a long leader, your hook and bait are lifted up higher from the river bed, away from the strike zone.

Excessive float depth



Some choose to adjust their float depth so the weight is "tapping" or sitting on the bottom. The weight will usually anchor itself to the river bed, while the float drifts slowly or becomes stationary. Two things will result from this setup:

• You'll snag onto the bottom, and lose your weight, hook and bait.
• Even worse, you'll end up snagging a pink or chinook in the belly or tail, which can be time consuming to bring in and release.

My way of float adjustment, but not necessarily the ONLY way



So far this has worked very well by producing about a dozen or more coho each season on the Vedder River without losing any hook, weight or line. I usually like to keep my leader length (the line between the hook and weight) around 1.5 feet in length. Judging the depth by looking at the gradient of the river bank and the water, I adjust my float depth (the length from the float to the hook) so that it is about 1 to 2 feet shorter than the actual depth. When this is drifted, the bait will lift a few inches higher, remaining in the strike zone. When the float dips under the water, there is no hesitation as I don't need to question whether it is a snag or a fish. The hook is usually set hard and most of the time the fight is on.



Some other small adjustments

I find these adjustments would connect me into more fish in the past.

• The float size varies, small (11 grams) in clearer, slower water, while big (25 grams) in faster, deeper water.
• Tie on enough weight so only about 0.5 inch of your float (or the coloured tip) emerges on the water surface. This allows you to detect the bites sooner.
• Keep your main line (the line between your rod tip and your float) tight enough without disrupting the drift. Always try to avoid having any line laying on the water surface.
• Keep the drifts short. A longer drift doesn't necessarily mean a bigger chance to catch a fish. Long drifts also cause inconvenience for nearby anglers
• Avoid standing in the water, especially when you arrive at a new location. Undisturbed fish have a tendency to stay close to the river bank.

[Rodney]

Salmon identification

Because there are both species that you can keep and cannot keep returning to the Chilliwack River, it is important to know how to identify all five species of salmon.

Chinook salmon
Chinook salmon have small spots across their back and small spots across their entire tail. Their gum is black and the edge of their jaw is white. Adult chinook salmon are defined as over 62cm and are required to be recorded on your licence when you choose to keep one.

Adult chinook (over 62cm)	Adult chinook (over 62cm)	Jack chinook (under 62cm)	Jack chinook (under 62cm)	Black gum with white jaw edge	Small spots across both upper and lower parts of tail

Coho salmon
Coho salmon have small spots across their back and spots on the top portion of their tail. Their gum is white. Two groups of coho salmon are found in the Chilliwack River - Wild and hatchery fish. Hatchery fish, which anglers are allowed to keep, do not have an adipose fin and a healed scar can be found at where the adipose fin is missing. This fin is clipped at the hatchery when they are at their juvenile stage prior to being released. If an adipose fin is present, then it is a wild fish, which is required to be released with care.

Wild adult coho (with adipose fin)	Hatchery adult coho (without adipose fin)	Hatchery jack coho (without adipose fin)	Absence of adipose fin with healed scar on hatchery coho	White gum	Small spots on top portion of tail

Chum salmon
Chum salmon have two distinct characteristics, which are colourful stripes across their body and large teeth found on males.

Female chum salmon	Male chum salmon with teeth	Striped back

Sockeye salmon
Althought sockeye salmon cannot be retained on the Chilliwack River, it is important to know what they look like so you do not kill one by accident. Sockeye salmon that are returning to Cultus Lake are endangered and their recovery depends on your assistance. Sockeye salmon are typically spotless and silver until they are near the spawning ground. At spawning stage, their body colouration is red.

adult sockeye in spawning colour	adult sockeye prior to spawning stage

Some thoughts on fishing locations

The Chilliwack Vedder River is long. Some say it gets crowded, but only at certain spots. To have a good experience, it's best to avoid the busy spots. The busy spots are usually the visible ones that have easy access. These include Keith Wilson Bridge, railway bridge, Lickman Road, Peach Road, Vedder Crossing, Tamahi, Alison Pool, Limit Hole. By going to a spot where less people are fishing, the likelihood of you hooking into some quality fish is bigger since the fish are not spooked. Surprisingly, you can usually find a nice quiet spot by taking a very short walk from one of these busy spots.


Additional readings

• Short Floating Tactic Explained
• Those Picky Silvers
• Proper catch and release technique
• General etiquettes

Additional video clips

• Short floating for coho salmon, part 1
• Short floating for coho salmon, part 2
• Short floating for coho salmon, full version (subscribers only)

Additional helps

Your local tackle stores in the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley provide excellent additional resource.

• Chilliwack Dart and Tackle
• Fred's Custom Tackle
• Nikka Fishing and Marine
• Sea-Run Fly & Tackle
• Hatch Match'r
• Pacific Angler
• Berry's Bait and Tackle

Water condition updates

Throughout the season, we will post up water condition updates so readers can be alerted if condition is not ideal. Please feel free to post updates in this thread after your trips. We can all benefit from each other's updates and save gasoline and cost of our season.

[Blackrt03]

Rodney
        Nice post great information

[Tex]

I've been fishing for close to 30 years and have probably caught and seen more fish than most here, and I still take great pleasure in reading this post VERY carefully each year, Rod.  Thanks for providing everyone with such great info.


Tex

[scalper66]

Was out walking in the train bridge area today and noticed they have dug several large horse shoe pools out quit deep with real slow water going threw them was wondering why they did this?

[chilliwackfisher]

 I was out yesterday at Lickman and downstream. The water was very low and very clear. Hopefully with the rain the levels come up a bit to bring some fish in.

[vancook]

cant wait for the coho to arrive, pulled out my pin yesterday and oiled her up.

[joska]

great post rodney always a great read... i look forward in helping out in as many clean ups as i can this year and the annual steel head derby on boxing day..

[BBarley]

River is super low and gin clear. My spey rod was overkill today.

I`m hoping we get a good amount of rain, coupled with the end of sockeye netting. Hopefully alot of fresh fish will move into the river.

[Clarki Hunter]

Was out walking in the train bridge area today and noticed they have dug several large horse shoe pools out quit deep with real slow water going threw them was wondering why they did this?

Is that the gravel extraction going on?  I saw it too when I was out trout fishing this summer.  You can feel the excavator under your feet. 

[Rodney]

The gravel extraction in the lower section of the river, flood control as the City of Chilliwack calls it, takes place during non-pink years. Watch your steps when wading near these holes.

[BBarley]

Is anyone running sounders down near the mouth? Are they staging?
Could almost wade across the river today it's so low, maybe some fresh fish are sitting at the confluence. I've got my fingers crossed this forecasted rain brings in some high water and fresh fish.

[s.patrick]

As someone who recently moved to the Lower Mainland and is dusting off his old fly rod, this is really fantastic.

My experience is mainly with flies, not with bait/float. Are there opportunities to use flies on this river as well?

Thanks!

[bbronswyk2000]

As someone who recently moved to the Lower Mainland and is dusting off his old fly rod, this is really fantastic.

My experience is mainly with flies, not with bait/float. Are there opportunities to use flies on this river as well?

Thanks!

Lots!!! My favorite time of year is coming. Chum, Coho and Springs on the fly. The lower sections of the river are best suited for the fly.

[s.patrick]

Thanks for the reply!

I'm coming armed with a few boxes full of flies I've used for Atlantic salmon (recently moved from New Brunswick). Any suggestions for the best September flies for the Chilliwack/Vedder rivers would be much appreciated.