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The end of October draws near, most of the leaves have fallen,
and any day now, we could get a major dump of snow or very cold
weather. It is a good time to reflect on the past fishing season.
Trout season
Trout season was a minor bust as cold, wet, windy conditions were
constantly dealt to us. The usually good fishing at Rainbow alley
had many anglers questioning their ability. Where were the fry and
stonefly hatches, which in previous years had made this an easy
and enjoyable fishery?
Each weekend you would venture forth with high expectations only
to come back eating humble pie. The only anglers having much luck
used beadhead nymphs on the bottom.
Lake fishing
Lake fishing was not much better. It was tough to appreciate on
the water when you are fighting the elements.
The ocean
The bright spot this year was the fishing on the ocean. Most anglers
enjoyed some great trips on the saltchuck, especially those out
of Prince Rupert. There were lots of big springs and the coho were
almost a nuisance in some areas. A few very large halibut in the
barn door class were taken, and we noticed a lot of nice-sized lingcod
in the areas that we fished.
Spring salmon
What can you say about the spring salmon season? Two words come
to mind: high and chocolate. Very high conditions kept us off the
water, or unable to fish our favorite pools. Many of the salmon
had passed before river conditions became reasonably fishable. Those
dedicated anglers sentenced to the Rock found that the pool had
changed and did not fish quite like previous years. Maybe that will
be good news four years from now when they return to spawn.
Coho
The opening of a coho fishery, hatchery or wild on the rivers was
a touch of serendipity. We had heard rumors of an opening but it
was still a welcome surprise. There was many pleasant days spent
casting for the coho.
Sockeye
Extremely high, fast water did a number on the sockeye fishery
this year. The first couple of weeks in August were a major disappointment
for most of us. With no fences in to stack the sockeye, they sailed
right through, and the number of sockeye that managed to get past
the commercial fishery was way down.
We did get to see a lot of one particular grizzly bear that later
caused a few problems. The last part of August saw the Babine drop
low enough to fish although fishing was still tough and nothing
like other years.
Steelhead
Steelhead season had us holding our breath as the
sockeye extended commercial at the Skeena mouth was again going
to put a big dent in steelhead numbers. Early Tyee Index numbers
started looking better than expected though and we had high hopes
of a good season. Just when everything is looking good though you
know something will come along. Again it was high and dirty water
that had all downstream anglers running for the Bulkley above Telkwa
after each rainfall. With the increase in anglers and 'out' conditions
on downstream waters it did make for very crowded fishing at times.
Although steelhead numbers are not at the fantastic levels of 98,
99 and 2000, it is still better than last year's returns.
(All previous issues are stored in the ARCHIVE
for your convenience)
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here's more for this week...
First catch
Congratulations to all those anglers who had the steelhead god
smile on them for the first time. I still remember vividly my first
steelie and know that you will too. Now that you have the gift,
pass it on by protecting the steelhead, it's habitat, and making
sure that they remain a catch and release species so others may
enjoy the thrill more than once. For those who shared their first
with us, thanks Rick, Cameron, Jared, Ryan, Richard, Daniel and
all the others.
The Babine sockeye fishery
And now some personal reflections for what it is worth. Fishing
manners and etiquette are getting increasingly obscene on the Babine.
Although you can't legislate ethics, I think the best pressure is
peer pressure, and there should be a code of conduct on the river.
Here are a few ideas.
>>> Anglers should be no closer than two rod lengths apart.
That gives you enough room to fish properly.
>>> Because it is a terminal fishery and we are allowed
to fish only if there is excess, there should be no catch and release.
Land your two fish and leave. Make room for others.
>>> I think it is unbelievably wrong for blocks of anglers
to come up and yank on fish all day without taking any. It's just
not right. If you see anglers that are intentionally snagging fish
tell them we do not condone that behavior on our rivers. If you
do not say anything, then you are saying it is OK.
Steelhead concerns
Steelhead fishing on our rivers is getting more crowded than ever,
and will experience exponential growth. We have seen some of that
this year and believe me that is just the tip of the iceberg. Many
anglers are traveling up here and ask the question "How come
nobody is pulling plugs or anchored in the pools and casting."
It is not against the regulations but do you want that to happen?
There should be no fishing from boats. Shore fishing and wading
only.
Trolling plugs
Years ago internationally-known angler Buzz Ramsay wrote an article
on trolling plugs on the Thompson River and its effectiveness. The
ripples of concern were immediate and they knew that the Thompson
would soon be inundated with trolling boats. Thankfully it was stopped
tout suite. We must push for absolutely no fishing from boats before
it is too late.
Commercial fishery
Over fishing by the commercial fleet off the mouth of the Skeena.
How long do we let this keep happening? At the critical time when
the steelhead are amassing off the Skeena is when DFO allows the
commercials in. When is the DFO going to be run from the West Coast
by science for the benefit of all user groups instead of from Ottawa
by politics? Who has managed the decline of the great Pacific salmon?
Who managed the decline of the Atlantic cod? Is it time for new
managers or a different way of doing things?
Just a few thoughts. Get them off my chest. Release some pressure.
Promise I won't go postal. We may not have all the answers but we
can still ask the questions.
Enjoy your weekend.
Check the Photo page for
Bob's photos.
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