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[Brian the fisherman]

I have found this years steelhead run is either a late start or just a bad run in general. From the rods I know who are daily fishers, in past years getting many fish to shore every year by this time. they all agree that the fish this year are just not there. not as many sighting of fish caught or retained. Perhaps the weather just hasn't been conducive for the fish to make it into the waters yet. I have put many many days in and by now in past years always have a hatch. however this year has yet to provide much action on my end. And the other good rods have yet to catch a single fish. or just 1 for daily fishing since late nov...  I don't know whats up and hope things pick up soon. spring steelheading is always so crowded  

[Rodney]

Most all

lol...

Reasoning behind the change of upper boundary can be found at:

http://www.fishingwithrod.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=19024.0

If anyone is concerned that the upper section is only closed in May to prevent repeat capture of spawning steelhead, then they can express their concerns by contacting:

http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/fw/contact/

Otherwise this is indeed completely pointless.

[nickredway]

Kind of goes with the territory.

[Johnny Canuck]

Completely pointless discussing this with you as you actually don't have a point. Just to clarify mine is that it makes sense to me that portions of rivers with mainly staging, mainly wild fish should be closed to angling earlier than they are currently to prevent needless pin cushioning of wild fish that have already run the gauntlet.

I said close the river in February because that is approx. when they start pairing up and staging... Get my point now?

Wild fish do not stage specifically in one area of the river.

[Dave]

Good point for the managers to ponder Dave. A couple of other thoughts ... I have to wonder about the effectiveness of delaying broodstock collection for the purpose of conserving early wild fish. Who's to say that a bunch of the fish eventually collected didn't enter in mid to late December anyway? Do they only collect fish that are chrome as chrome can be or do they take whatever they can when they can just to make sure they reach the quota? The supposedly slightly later running wild broodstock seem to produce plenty of early season returners which may or may not indicate that the parents could have been early returners as well. My $.02

Of course you are right firebird - who knows when collected broodstock actually entered the river. Fish are collected as they are caught with no second guessing or releasing of any wild fish for any reason, ie. size or sexual maturation.  One point to consider however is that a high percentage of the wild fish collected are by a few anglers fishing just downstream of the boundary.
Hey, maybe a huge run has just entered the canal and we are simply exercising our fingers with this discussion but regardless of numbers, you and I have to get out fishing together

[Every Day]

I don't always assume that anything that the powers that be do makes a whole lot of sense to be honest   

On the island they are very effective at closing holding areas. Some river are not even worth fishing, because the open sections of the rivers simply do not hold fish, the fish shoot right through and only start holding in the closing sections.

If you don't believe me, or the "powers that be" that made the closures, you should come out and try it. They aren't dumb and they know where fish will stage.

I have found this years steelhead run is either a late start or just a bad run in general. From the rods I know who are daily fishers, in past years getting many fish to shore every year by this time.

Lastly... as far as what others have been saying about poor returns.. It could be possible they are just missing the fish?
One of my buddies had probably his best December ever, and I would say has been consistently hitting fish.
I went out for a total of 8 hrs when I was back home over the Christmas break and managed a wild on boxing day, so I figured it wasn't all that bad. Got lucky I guess.

[Pat AV]

Lastly... as far as what others have been saying about poor returns.. It could be possible they are just missing the fish?
One of my buddies had probably his best December ever, and I would say has been consistently hitting fish.
I went out for a total of 8 hrs when I was back home over the Christmas break and managed a wild on boxing day, so I figured it wasn't all that bad. Got lucky I guess.

I was down there for a while over christmas break and found the fishing to be excellent as well. One of the best early seasons I have seen since I started fishing the river in 1990. Also the most crowded I have seen it this early.

[Dave]

I'll let someone else tell these fishless rods they're beeks

[rhino]

 went fishing once in the ocean and didnt catch anything. there are no fish anymore left in the pacific anyways.

[Sterling C]

Taken from Fred's Website.

Last year at this time there were 70 fish weighed in in the Wally Hall Derby. This year there has been 24.

Granted the last fish posted was on the 2nd so its possible they're a little behind on updating the website.

[firebird]

Taken from Fred's Website.

Last year at this time there were 70 fish weighed in in the Wally Hall Derby. This year there has been 24.

Granted the last fish posted was on the 2nd so its possible they're a little behind on updating the website.

I note that almost half of those fish were recorded in the first week of January last year while there is only the one fish registered so far this year. The water level during that period was between 2.1m and 2.5m at the Crossing whereas it's been between 1.72m and 1.75m during the same period this year. That could at least partly explain the difference. Could also be fewer people weighing-in their fish for whatever reasons.

[adriaticum]

On the island they are very effective at closing holding areas. Some river are not even worth fishing, because the open sections of the rivers simply do not hold fish, the fish shoot right through and only start holding in the closing sections.

If you don't believe me, or the "powers that be" that made the closures, you should come out and try it. They aren't dumb and they know where fish will stage.

Lastly... as far as what others have been saying about poor returns.. It could be possible they are just missing the fish?
One of my buddies had probably his best December ever, and I would say has been consistently hitting fish.
I went out for a total of 8 hrs when I was back home over the Christmas break and managed a wild on boxing day, so I figured it wasn't all that bad. Got lucky I guess.

I do understand where nick is coming from. I don't always take everything for granted from the powers at be.
But over the years I've met some interesting and good people in Chilliwack connected to the hatchery and the fisheries.
Hence my confidence is relatively high.

[bigblue]

I note that almost half of those fish were recorded in the first week of January last year while there is only the one fish registered so far this year. The water level during that period was between 2.1m and 2.5m at the Crossing whereas it's been between 1.72m and 1.75m during the same period this year. That could at least partly explain the difference. Could also be fewer people weighing-in their fish for whatever reasons.

The low river level might well be the reason for low returns this year.
When we had the very low level in first half of October last year, coho fishing was very slow, but picked up once rain raised the river level.

[islanddude]

I fished the Quinsam River here in Campbell River through the holidays and have to say the fishing was poor. I hooked 5 fish and 4 of those fish were hatchery summer runs that had been planted in the Campbell.The other one was a chrome wild doe that showed me who was the boss. The river has been high for weeks and those wild fish blast right through the lower river. Heard of another half a dozen winter fish been hooked. Some of these fish were hooked in the closed area by hatchery staff fishing for cutthroat brood stock. So I think water levels have a lot to do with how many fish are caught, at least in the Quinsam.They have closed the upper river above the hatchery from Dec. to June to protect what is left of the run.This closure does not leave a great deal of river to fish.Due to the extensive flooding we had on Vancouver Island in 1989-91 we lost most of our steelhead out of the  smaller east side streams from Sayward to Victoria. The Quinsam use to be a medium size river with a step gradient with lots of rearing and holding water in the lower end of the river below the hatchery.After those floods and the years that followed  the river is now one shallow gradient with very little holding water. Those flood years were the result of the logging the old growth watershed. Now they are after the second growth like there is no tommorrow. We have had a major flood on this river every year for the last 5yrs. When you stand in the river the gravel washes out from under your feet. The river has no growth on the bottom so you don't need felts to wade with. How long before the steelhead are no more? Did I say anything about cohos. I am not going there. Thank you Timber West.

[chris gadsden]

I'll let someone else tell these fishless rods they're beeks

I told you that today, of course I fit right in too.