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[therise]

Has anyone had much luck this year or in past years with the Capilano Winter Run? I had heard that the returns to the hatchery were less than spetacular in the previous few years.

 I am hoping to head out x-mas day to do some exploring and bring rod along.

I would love to see a few pictures of previously caught Cap Chrome if anyone has any.

[salmonlover]

when i went up to the dam, I think the sign said 350 steelhead return. pretty small run. but if you're will to do the leg work im sure you can catch one. call highwater tackle 6049863239 im sure they'd answer your questions. the guy there told me to bring a map of the river and was willing to show me the less crowded productive spots on the river. wouldnt hurt to give em a call. good luck

[Rodney]

This is also a good opportunity to remind all that you cannot keep both wild and hatchery marked steelhead in the Capilano River. All steelhead must be released with care when caught.

Good luck.

[n8]

cap steels are quite aggressive in my experience.. my buddies and i have done pretty well for em. those fish fight like hell, like any healthy steelhead i guess...

[jon5hill]

cap steels are quite aggressive in my experience.. my buddies and i have done pretty well for em. those fish fight like hell, like any healthy steelhead i guess...

The run pales in comparison to what it once was. They were hard pressed to get 8 summer fish last year.

[vancook]

The run pails in comparison to what it once was. They were hard pressed to get 8 summer fish last year.

It's not even a shadow of it's past self. My grandfather and uncle fished the cap religiously in the 60's 70's. Lots of old salmon and steelhead photos. It's a shame

[n8]

It's not even a shadow of it's past self. My grandfather and uncle fished the cap religiously in the 60's 70's. Lots of old salmon and steelhead photos. It's a shame

that is the unfortunate reality... hopefully it will recover.. looks like we were a little late for the good ol' days.

[Fish Slayer]

Sadly the cap will never recover to what it once was due to the dam. What I don't get is why they don't pump that river full of hatchery fish and make it a kill fishery, it would lighten the load on the chilliwack river big time I think.

[NiceFish]

i've wondered that aswell, does anyone have any more info on it?

[cutthroat22]

There is little to no bug activity in this river below the dam. 

The water is also VERY cold even during the summer months.

[bigblue]

Due to the rugged terrain, difficult access down to river,  short length and dam discharge fluctuation, it would be tough to turn Capilano into a high capacity river like Vedder/Chilliwack.
I think the longer and larger Seymour River would make a better candidate for large scale steelhead introduction on the North Shore than the Cap.
However, the hatchery on Seymour is not operated by the DFO but by an independent organization.
Maybe they could be persuaded to release more steelhead smolts.
 

[Fish or cut bait.]

Sadly the cap will never recover to what it once was due to the dam. What I don't get is why they don't pump that river full of hatchery fish and make it a kill fishery, it would lighten the load on the chilliwack river big time I think. 
 
 
 

Think of it as an aquarium, You couldn't put 200 fish in a 10 gallon tank and have them all survive, the stress, lack of shelter and competition for food would kill off many of them.
Smolts don't high tail it to the ocean, they spend time in the river before departing to the sea.
There's not much river between the dam/hatchery and the ocean.

[redside1]

Due to the rugged terrain, difficult access down to river,  short length and dam discharge fluctuation, it would be tough to turn Capilano into a high capacity river like Vedder/Chilliwack.
I think the longer and larger Seymour River would make a better candidate for large scale steelhead introduction on the North Shore than the Cap.
However, the hatchery on Seymour is not operated by the DFO but by an independent organization.
Maybe they could be persuaded to release more steelhead smolts.
 

first you need the adults for more smolts and they can't seem to get any. Second , there is very poor (like almost zero) survival from the mouth of the Seymour to Pt.Atkinson.

[cutthroat22]

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=b4a38e2d-5b98-464a-a099-3f492c5d1306

[bkk]

I think the longer and larger Seymour River would make a better candidate for large scale steelhead introduction on the North Shore than the Cap.
However, the hatchery on Seymour is not operated by the DFO but by an independent organization.
Maybe they could be persuaded to release more steelhead smolts.
 

When it comes to steelhead, you have to remember that the PROVINCIAL GOV. is the responsible agency in charge of those fish, not DFO or other Non Government Agencies. The Province has shown zero interest in doing much or anything for steelhead in Region 2 and that includes management. In a nut shell they have no money and no desire! If someone else says they can pay for a program then the response is still no! They do not even pay for steehead enhancement at any of the hatcheries that currently do fish culture for their fish. Steelhead generally cost around one dollar per fish to rear for one complete year. This cost is for labour and fish feed so at a site like Capilano, that is a $10 - 15,000 bill passed onto someone else to pay. At Chilliwack that cost is around $ 100, 000 per year. Some will say that they are spending money on stream enhancement instead of hatchery work but that has not proved it's self in providing a significant return to improve the fishery yet has consumed significant funding. If you doubt me on this issue, then go look at the large woody debris structure constructed on the Cheakamus River this year. Total cost of around $150, 000 dollars and the structure is 90% out of the water and will produce virtually zero fish. In short the structure was put in the wrong place after MOE chose to ignore all of the local knowledge and input and will not achieve any of it's stated goals ( habitat creation and bank stability for a eroding bank downstream). After all they are the stated experts so I would expect nothing to change on the North Shore or anywhere else Region 2 in regard to steelhead. You just have to hope that Mother Nature will bless us as the Provincial Government sure as hell will not!