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[RalphH]

I find it ironic that the whole thing that started this review was someone who was involved with the alouette river hatchery wondering why chinook fishing was open when none return and yet it seems DFO still has the alouette open for chinook fishing.

According to the 2017 post season Brood report, 69,000 Chilliwack River Fall chinook smolt were released in the Alouette River that year which should return 2,000 to 3,000 adults?

[jacked55]

Was at the Chehalis today, water was clear but high. No fish to be seen of any kind. Did run into one other person on the trail heading in while we were heading out and we exchanged quick words and were on our way. We did run into a bear on the way in down the trail by the big log jam. So if you’re heading into the area please remember your bear awareness. Stay safe out there.
I did notice there is new day parking spaces outside the campground site now, and the parking lot over the bridge leading into the canyon parking lot is closed with a “No Trespassing” sign? That’s new from last year. I though that lot was part of the provincial site and should be open to the public no? Any info shared on that would be appreciated. Thanks.

[Shinny]

Chehalis river campground is not a provincial campground. Pretty sure it’s ran by the local indigenous band. The parking lot on the other side of the bridge has been closed for a while, I think it was closed all last fall. Walk down far enough and you’ll probably find a net across the narrow part of the river closer to the Harrison confluence. That would explain no one seeing any fish. 

[iblly]

The local band manages the site on behalf of Parks and trails BC. The campsite across the bridge has been blocked off for a couple years at least.

[Hike_and_fish]

If the nets go up again, I really do not see a point to this hatchery other than to provide food for the band.

[armytruck]

If the nets go up again, I really do not see a point to this hatchery other than to provide food for the band.

Yup , put it up for sale .  Last few years fishing ghost water was just that ,chasing ghost fish . Then you look in the hatchery and see the hundreds of thousands of hatchery fish just vanish  without a trace . 

[Hike_and_fish]

Yup , put it up for sale .  Last few years fishing ghost water was just that ,chasing ghost fish . Then you look in the hatchery and see the hundreds of thousands of hatchery fish just vanish  without a trace . 

Its crazy to see how many Coho return every year to that hatchery. Ive fished the mouth every year for the past 5 years ( during prime time ) with little to no luck. Very slim. But yet the hatchery is full of offspring. Could it be that the Chum return at the same time and push the Coho thru ? It doesn't make any sense. What has been the most annoying thing for me is seeing wall to wall Chum all the way to the Harrison and not being able to keep one.

[hammer]

The chum and coho run is a fraction of what it was. There used to so many chum, you couldn’t fish for coho in some spots..you almost had to fish frog water. The chum benefitted everything...cutty fishing was great, large resident rainbows, etc...now not much.

[CohoJake]

The chum and coho run is a fraction of what it was. There used to so many chum, you couldn’t fish for coho in some spots..you almost had to fish frog water. The chum benefitted everything...cutty fishing was great, large resident rainbows, etc...now not much.

They were so thick you had to leave if it got too warm - the carcasses would start to be unbearably stinky.  When the river dropped there was thick scum line of chum carcasses along the entire river bank from at least the bottom of the canyon all the way to the mouth. 

[Shinny]

A few years back the chehalis was so void of any coho and even chum in the fall. We took a walk all the way down past the hatchery intake channel area where the Chehalis narrows right up. Found a net across the entire river before the hatchery channel. What a piss off this was, here we are wondering why there are no fish and this band feels the need to net the river BELOW THE HATCHERY !! well we were right pissed off. We got a few more people together and went in under darkness and removed the net. What do you know, fish in the canyon days later 

An old timer told me that the local band can just go to the hatchery and take what they want for food and there is no reason to net the lower except to discourage people from fishing Chehalis. Any truth to that statement?

[mikeyman]

You are correct. Net strung out across river no fish get thru. Not worth the trip anymore. To bad that used to be a hell of a fun coho fishery. What a waste!

[bigblockfox]

it is a shame that this river is in poor shape but to simply blame it on a few nets is naive. years of improper land use, over fishing, droughts, river changing its course have all had a massive impact. think how many thousands of years it takes a river to move all that gravel down stream from the mountains just to have it punch through the forest.  all of prime spawning habit in the lower lost and we wonder why chum production is way down.

would love to see some restoration work and off channel habit built here like is being done on the vedder. the problem is when the water gets high with the fall rains, the mature salmon (chum) get pushed into the forest and often become stuck once the water recedes. same with lots of out going fry. all the years of logging have had a toll on this watershed and the river can rise and fall dramatically. 

as many have stated, this river use to have a awesome coho fishery. unfortunately it has really gone down in the last few years. 

[RalphH]

I think all the coho and chum are not getting lost in nets in the lower Chehalis because the Harrison has been  pretty empty of both species for the last few seasons as well. For that matter fall chinook numbers have crashed. Loss of spawning & rearing habitat in the Lower Chehalis may be an important factor but hatchery production would not be effected by that.

[wildmanyeah]

I think all the coho and chum are not getting lost in nets in the lower Chehalis because the Harrison has been  pretty empty of both species for the last few seasons as well. For that matter fall chinook numbers have crashed. Loss of spawning & rearing habitat in the Lower Chehalis may be an important factor but hatchery production would not be effected by that.

wild chinook harrison numbers have crashed but the Chilliwack numbers are great.

There is a big difference in Survival, The chilliwack is very high. DFO can't explain why.

[RalphH]

Well on thing that is different is the Harrison run has a large wild component. The Chilliwack is mostly a hatchery produced run derived from Harrison stock.

I have certainly read and heard elsewhere that the Harrison and other north side rivers have seen stock declines over the last few years across most species that have not been experienced on the Chilliwack to the same extent.