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[Rodney]

As mentioned a couple of months ago, DFO resource managers in Region 2 have decided to review all recreational salmon openings for region 2 rivers. This revision was supposed to be completed and presented to the SFAC by the end of the last licence year. It wasn't, so all rivers were listed as no fishing for salmon until further notice once the new licence year rolled in, instead of leaving them as they were while the review is being completed.

This was brought up immediately on April 1st, and I and other representatives of the SFAC were told that the review would be completed by May and no previously existing salmon fisheries should be impacted. We emphasized how important it is to have this done in advance so there is enough time for the announcement prior to each fishery opening.

Now that we are on June 1st, the day when Chehalis River usually opens for chinook salmon fishing, no revised regulations have been presented to us. An email was sent out by me on the weekend to address this, and I have now been informed that the review has not been completed yet but the department hopes to do so soon (in the next few weeks).

This means you will now miss most, if not all, of the Chehalis River chinook salmon fishery, and possibly Chilliwack/Vedder River's chinook salmon fishery in July.

[CohoJake]

While I agree it should have been done by now, aren't the Chehalis summer chinook from the same stock as the Chilliwack fish, and therefore have the same approximate run timing?  So they generally show up in July?  I remember seeing steelhead in the Chehalis in June (back when the hatchery was still producing summer steelhead), but I don't recall ever seeing or hooking any chinook in the Chehalis before July.  Granted, it has been over 10 years since I've even been to that river, and probably close to 20 since I fished it in the summer.

[wildmanyeah]

Your Sage advice to me a couple years ago about focusing on trout fishing more and stop complaining about salmon fisheries being shut down is the reality.

To me id be surprised if they open a fraser tributary before giving the first nations a wide scale FSC fishery.

That said for things to open up people have to put pressure on DFO and goverment.  Every where we turn we are loosing access and if you have not joined one of the many groups fighting for our acess you should!

Enough is enough!

[bigblockfox]

to be honest i am not surprised after hearing the conflicts between first nations and recreational fisherman last year on the chehalis. unfortunately a few bad actors might have ruined it for everyone. meat fisheries can sometimes bring the worst out in people. be respectful out there people.

[avid angler]

Your Sage advice to me a couple years ago about focusing on trout fishing more and stop complaining about salmon fisheries being shut down is the reality.

To me id be surprised if they open a fraser tributary before giving the first nations a wide scale FSC fishery.

That said for things to open up people have to put pressure on DFO and goverment.  Every where we turn we are loosing access and if you have not joined one of the many groups fighting for our acess you should!

Enough is enough!

The chilliwack and chehalis hatchery fishery never has and never will have anything to do with fsc fisheries. For those interested their already has been multiple fsc fisheries on the Fraser.

[Rodney]

to be honest i am not surprised after hearing the conflicts between first nations and recreational fisherman last year on the chehalis. unfortunately a few bad actors might have ruined it for everyone. meat fisheries can sometimes bring the worst out in people. be respectful out there people.

For the time being, I'd like to think this has been just sloppy work as usual. I've seen it time and time again in the past two decades while dealing with the region's resource management. The absence of sense in urgency is infuriating, simply because the individuals who are responsible for this do not fish and do not have a good understanding on what recreational fishing is.

That being said, I was involved in dialogues with Chehalis First Nation regarding the incidents on the Chehalis last July, so it also wouldn't surprise me that it has something to do with it.

[Rodney]

While I agree it should have been done by now, aren't the Chehalis summer chinook from the same stock as the Chilliwack fish, and therefore have the same approximate run timing?  So they generally show up in July?  I remember seeing steelhead in the Chehalis in June (back when the hatchery was still producing summer steelhead), but I don't recall ever seeing or hooking any chinook in the Chehalis before July.  Granted, it has been over 10 years since I've even been to that river, and probably close to 20 since I fished it in the summer.

That's correct. Realistically fishing throughout this month will be slow but it is important to keep reminding these people to do their job. Once fishing opportunities are omitted, they rarely are remembered and brought back. As fishing times shrink, pressure increases and the quality of these fisheries we have left would just keep declining. I also want to make sure this is all in the email record. I don't want to be having this same discussion on September 1st when we are getting ready to fish for coho salmon on the Vedder.

[wildmanyeah]

The chilliwack and chehalis hatchery fishery never has and never will have anything to do with fsc fisheries. For those interested their already has been multiple fsc fisheries on the Fraser.

Only limited fsc (according to FN and dfo) not wide scale fsc .

[RalphH]

I think it's 5 or 6 weeks before the Chilliwack summer really starts to produce much of a catch.

There have been 17 openings below Hope per the DF website and 15 chinook reported as caught.

[poper]

Would fishing for Steelhead be considered fishing for salmon?

[avid angler]

I think it's 5 or 6 weeks before the Chilliwack summer really starts to produce much of a catch.

There have been 17 openings below Hope per the DF website and 15 chinook reported as caught.

I hope you don’t actually believe that lol

[RalphH]

At least it is a number. No doubt it's not inclusive but exactly what the number of 'excluded' fish is can't be known. There is also the question of how many fish died do to the harvest method - ie gill nets.

If you look at the long history of sport angler self reporting vs actual results from creel survey's it's pretty certain that anglers vastly over report how many fish they have caught and the number of days they fished by about a third or more. So that tells us anglers can't be relied upon either.

Or put another way there is solid evidence to support the old couplet:

Is it true that fishermen always lie
or do only liars fish?

[firstlight]

Im sure they know exactly when the regulations will be released.
They have a plan but we arent part of it.

There will be nothing left of this sport for our kids and also some of us.
Is disgusting what they have taken away from sportsfishermen.

[chris gadsden]

Im sure they know exactly when the regulations will be released.
They have a plan but we arent part of it.

There will be nothing left of this sport for our kids and also some of us.
Is disgusting what they have taken away from sportsfishermen.

All I have left is good memories and videos of the great bar fishing and camping trip on the Fraser River with my boys and friends in years past. At this time of year we would be fishing the creek mouths in the Fraser Canyon. With the highwater this year it would be good, I will go for a visit to these creeks soon and think of those good times, at least I will be able to pick some wild berries there.

[iblly]

Man I loved the creek mouth fishing with my dad.