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[Kever]

Now is about the time when the pinks start showing up in Howe Sound in good numbers.  Anyone been out lately?  I'm heading up on Saturday and will update then.

[Darko]

I watched BC fishing major's video but they didn't have any luck. I'm not sure the exact date it was but pretty recent.

[canucksfan233]

seen some getting caught off bowen and sunshine coast so should be some around.

[Easywater]

11 days to the peak of the Furry Creek/Squamish run according to my records (puts it at July 29).
Started 9 days ago (from 2013 records).

[RalphH]

the number of returning fish has dropped off considerably since 2015.  2019 and 2021 were duds. The main culprit for the Squamish decline seems to be high water events in November. Overall expectations for pinks is not good, so don't expect much. The start of the fishery at Furry Creek  could vary by 10 to 14 days . One year it started in the 1st week of July. The river usually gets going in early August.

[Ambassador]

2019 and 2021 were duds.

But wow was 2017 a good year, eh?. I landed more in one day than all previous salmon combined.

Was also very cool when my wife and I ran into a fairly old gentleman at the head of the trail who asked if he could follow us to the river so he didn't get lost. He hadn't been there since the 60's and was telling us awesome stories of how phenomenal the fishing was (and that he was not expecting anything like that anymore). He proceeded to land one on his first cast and was hammering them harder than anyone that day. The smile on his face was priceless - like that of a 10 year old boy landing his first fish. Still almost brings a tear to my eye. 

[fic]

2011 and 2013 were really good years.  Even the Mamquam was open.  I don't expect much based on the last few years, but there's always hope.

[RalphH]

But wow was 2017 a good year, eh?. I landed more in one day than all previous salmon combined.

Was also very cool when my wife and I ran into a fairly old gentleman at the head of the trail who asked if he could follow us to the river so he didn't get lost. He hadn't been there since the 60's and was telling us awesome stories of how phenomenal the fishing was (and that he was not expecting anything like that anymore). He proceeded to land one on his first cast and was hammering them harder than anyone that day. The smile on his face was priceless - like that of a 10 year old boy landing his first fish. Still almost brings a tear to my eye.

2017 was ok but no where near what 2013 had been.

[Fish Assassin]

There used to a nice run to the Seymour River.

[RalphH]

There used to a nice run to the Seymour River.

So I have heard and to prove what a goofy world we live in now is anyone aware of the appearance of Pink salmon in both Scottish and Irish Rivers?

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/sports-recreation-arts-and-culture/outdoor-recreation/fishing-and-hunting/freshwater-fishing/region_2_lower_mainland.pdf

https://atlanticsalmontrust.org/scottish-anglers-asked-to-remain-vigilant-as-non-native-pink-salmon-start-to-appear-in-scottish-rivers/

These fish were introduced into rivers on the Kola Peninsula in Russia (next to Finland) and have spread to Norway and now Scotland and ireland

[coastangler]

the number of returning fish has dropped off considerably since 2015.  2019 and 2021 were duds. The main culprit for the Squamish decline seems to be high water events in November.

You are probably right, but a piece of anecdotal evidence is that on October 4th, 2021 I hiked the Cheak from bridge to bridge, mostly looking for Coho and the amount of Pinks in that river was simply nuts. They densely occupied all the water: Creeks, shallow water, deep water and everywhere in between. It made fishing or spotting Coho practically impossible. I hope many of those were able to spawn successfully especially given that the Cheak was closed to Pink fishing like this season and also the river is dam controlled.

I also saw Pinks spawning way up the Squamish valley which was also good to see so here is to hope that the return is decent at least on that system

[RalphH]

Kind of amazing considering the Cheakamus run was all but wiped out ( as was everything else in the river) by a chemical spill from a train derailment in 2005.

[Old Blue]

the number of returning fish has dropped off considerably since 2015.  2019 and 2021 were duds. The main culprit for the Squamish decline seems to be high water events in November. Overall expectations for pinks is not good, so don't expect much. The start of the fishery at Furry Creek  could vary by 10 to 14 days . One year it started in the 1st week of July. The river usually gets going in early August.

Agreed on "don't expect much", it's a total crapshoot with that high water event but the Squamish didn't get hit as hard as the Fraser and it's tributaries.  Guides off Sooke have reported seeing good numbers.

I had excellent fishing in 2015 and 2021 was pretty fun on my 6 wt's (8 if the wind was forecast to come up) I pretty much skipped 2017 and 2019 due to work.
 
With that being said there was always many impatient newer or gear fisherman around me getting skunked and moving in closer and closer with every fish hooked or landed.  It was very nice to see fisheries officers repeatedly in 2021 and they were very busy with people not having licenses and or not pinching barbs

[fic]

Quite a Few Pinks being caught in area 20. So far it's about 30 to 40% more than 2021.  Some are Washington State Pinks though.

FisheryName   TripDate   VesselCount   SetCount   Effort   SockeyeAdultCaught   SockeyeJackCaught   PinkCaught

Area 20 - San Juan Sockeye Gillnet   7/10/2023   2   4   259.95   57   0   5
Area 20 - San Juan Sockeye Gillnet   7/11/2023   2   4   261.9   129   0   14
Area 20 - San Juan Sockeye Gillnet   7/12/2023   2   4   250.05   90   0   34
Area 20 - San Juan Sockeye Gillnet   7/13/2023   2   4   246.9   39   0   9
Area 20 - San Juan Sockeye Gillnet   7/14/2023   2   4   251.4   48   0   31
Area 20 - San Juan Sockeye Gillnet   7/15/2023   2   4   255.3   146   0   94
Area 20 - San Juan Sockeye Gillnet   7/16/2023   2   4   247.05   26   0   10
Area 20 - San Juan Sockeye Gillnet   7/17/2023   2   4   249.9   15   0   36
Area 20 - San Juan Sockeye Gillnet   7/18/2023   2   4   249           190   0   59

[Kever]

Here's what's open and closed right now:
- Furry Creek: 4 pinks/day retention.
- Squamish River downstream of the powerline crossing at 9 mile: C&R for pinks.
- Mamquam and Cheakamus: no fishing for salmon.

Let's all play by the rules and don't forget to pinch your barbs.