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[stinkytroutboy]

Fished the Chehalis river today with Slyrod. River looked like the cup of chocolate milk I drank this morning. I decided to make the best of the day although the conditions were less then ideal. We started the day just above the bridge but below the canyon. I had a few tricks up my sleeve that my uncle linus taught me years ago. I fished a 5in bright pink worm first thing and was rewarded with a beautiful 10-12lb hatchery buck. The following cast was into another coho. That was it for the next 3 hours. Slyrod landed 3 chum salmon on a curly tail grub. None of which were hooked in the mouth. My time came again around 11am when my float was burried and a beautiful wild summer run steelhead was landed and gently released. All in all a great morning fish with a great friend. Tight lines

[rhino]

congrtas on the successful day and the wild steelhead! I think finding any wild steelhead in that system is very rare. From what i understand they are very few and far between.

[bcguy]

Best place for summers...back up into the canyon...but not many wilds in my experiences

[Sterling C]

Best place for summers...back up into the canyon...but not many wilds in my experiences

There has been an increasing trend in the number of 'wild' summer runs in the river. I would guess that after years of hatchery augmentation there has been some naturalization. I released one on sunday, which is too bad cause I just got a call today saying they're looking for brood  

[joshhowat]

Lol there looking for summer brood now. Can they wait till last minute or what.

[younggun]

If they were to hold a summer fish in the tanks from the summer, the fish has a greater chance of dying rather than bringing them in for brood in the winter.

[Johnny Canuck]

Lol there looking for summer brood now. Can they wait till last minute or what.

Last minute? The Fraser Valley Trout hatchery still has to hold the fish for 3-4 months so not really last minute.

[Sterling C]

Last minute? The Fraser Valley Trout hatchery still has to hold the fish for 3-4 months so not really last minute.

As others have mentioned the summer run brood collection starts later in the fall. Although over the past few years no brood collection was required as all the fish simply swam right up to the hatchery.

[joshhowat]

Makes sense. Do they just use wild fish for the summer brood or do they take whatever they can get like Seymour.

[silver ghost]

Makes sense. Do they just use wild fish for the summer brood or do they take whatever they can get like Seymour.

Wild is always preferred, but if numbers are super low or they only collect hatchery (like the Seymour) then they'll take what they get

[Johnny Canuck]

Makes sense. Do they just use wild fish for the summer brood or do they take whatever they can get like Seymour.

For summer run fish they take either as there is no true wild summer run on the Chehalis. The fish were transplanted from the Coquihalla in the late 60's early 70's. Some fish do reproduce in the wild on their own however they're considered "unmarked" fish not wilds.

[joshhowat]

I hear ya. As for Seymour I have seen a wild fish before but probly only 1 in a hundred.

As for the "unmarked fish" sorta thing this is bs cause i have heard guys say whatever just kill the wild summer anywho cause its not a true wild. Personally I would love to see a lot more wilds around and maby they should just stop clipping summers so they don't get bonk.

[Johnny Canuck]

I hear ya. As for Seymour I have seen a wild fish before but probly only 1 in a hundred.

As for the "unmarked fish" sorta thing this is bs cause i have heard guys say whatever just kill the wild summer anywho cause its not a true wild. Personally I would love to see a lot more wilds around and maby they should just stop clipping summers so they don't get bonk.

The only reason there is a summer run of steelhead in the Chehalis is for the fish to be killed. They were brought over for "angler opportunity" and thought that the fish would never reproduce on its own in the wild. Why they thought that I have no idea and it is kind of silly really lol

[Every Day]

thought that the fish would never reproduce on its own in the wild. Why they thought that I have no idea and it is kind of silly really lol

Its not that silly really.

DFO tried transplanting Atlantics into multiple systems on Vancouver island back in the day (and if I remember correctly even some Chwk River headwaters).
Most of those never took.

Steelhead are similar in some ways.
Each steelhead run is very unique in its genetics, run timings, where they spawn, what water temps they can tolerate, etc.
More so, the time that they spawn directly effects smolt survival based on when the eggs hatch, food available, etc which is diff in each system.
That is not to say the Steelhead cannot adapt to a new river environment, but generally they would die out before that occurs.
Now with a hatchery on that river system for so long, they may be allowing the fish to adapt, that may be why you are starting to see more "wild fish."

Some other examples of this is why the vedder reds colour so quick, and why it is practically all hatchery enhanced (they don't do well spawning naturally in the Vedder). It is also why FFSBC puts so much research into what strains they can stock into each lake, etc, just because each strain of rainbow is well suited for a particular environment (specific water hardness, pH, temp, etc).

[silver ghost]

Its not that silly really.

DFO tried transplanting Atlantics into multiple systems on Vancouver island back in the day (and if I remember correctly even some Chwk River headwaters).
Most of those never took.

Steelhead are similar in some ways.
Each steelhead run is very unique in its genetics, run timings, where they spawn, what water temps they can tolerate, etc.
More so, the time that they spawn directly effects smolt survival based on when the eggs hatch, food available, etc which is diff in each system.
That is not to say the Steelhead cannot adapt to a new river environment, but generally they would die out before that occurs.
Now with a hatchery on that river system for so long, they may be allowing the fish to adapt, that may be why you are starting to see more "wild fish."

Some other examples of this is why the vedder reds colour so quick, and why it is practically all hatchery enhanced (they don't do well spawning naturally in the Vedder). It is also why FFSBC puts so much research into what strains they can stock into each lake, etc, just because each strain of rainbow is well suited for a particular environment (specific water hardness, pH, temp, etc).

hey thats a cool post, thanks