blog catch-up

  I really got out of the habit of keeping up with this Blog .  There is a lots to show and tell , and maybe I'll get some of it done here .  Stand by.  In the meantime , for looking forward , know that the forecast for our 2026 fishing is darn good , see previous post . 

2026, More Good Fishing To Come

 We have more of the same high expectations for 2026 . 

 Winter chinook fishing was very good. Indicators like juvenile chinooks growing locally and early cohos showing in abundant numbers in Georgia Strait are looking good and similar to the last several years which have been wonderful fishing . The returns of chinook to the rivers that produce most of our catch were very good for 2025 . Many of those were well above their spawning targets.  Things are looking darn good for planning your fishing trip .  I just said good several times . 

  A wrinkle is that all chinook stocks are not doing well, and we avoid the particular weak ones by regulation with non-retention of chinooks when a few of these early season Upper Fraser migrants might be passing by in the nearby migration channels.  So, from  April 1 to July 15 we can take day trips to the mainland side of our area, which is a great excuse for getting out into the scenic back country.  

 In a nutshell , fishing prospects look good.  If you are interested in learning more detail about the 2026 BC South Coast Forecast , take a look at Jeremy Maynard's article by that title in the March -April issue of Island Fisherman Magazine .  ( It may not be easily available online yet but worth pursuing if you want more backgrounding.)  

 

The Best of Times !

 

 

 The Best of Times 

  These are the best of times.  The latest measure is the 2023 return of Chinook salmon to the Fraser River, the major producer of Chinook salmon on the coast, which had the largest return since 1979 ! !( Extra Exclamation Mark ! ).   This year is shaping up strong as well .  Plus, the numbers of juvenile chinooks we’re encountering indicate good fishing for the coming years.  We don’t need the official count to know that the abundance of chinooks is high because we experience it in very good fishing .

 

 Yet, it is complicated.   We have regulations to limit the catch of weak stocks of chinooks that might pass by.  The particularly weak stocks are a type that spend a year in the freshwater streams before heading to sea, as contrasted to the ocean-type which go directly to sea.  Those few stream-type adults pass through our area in early season to spend all summer swimming upstream to spawn in the Upper Fraser where they and their offspring have numerous environmental challenges such as low water from diminishing glaciers and snowpack, warm water, forest fires, etc.  We can fish all year around, however in the period April 1 to July 15 we must travel out of the migration route of those stocks.  The fishing trips for chinooks in that time period are lovely scenic trips requiring a full day and these are some of my favourite trips. 

 There is an excellent article about the abundant and historic Chinook return written by Dr Richard Beamish and Chrys Neville in the Island Fisherman Magazine, May issue.  

 

  And cohos, too !  The recreational catches of coho salmon in the Strait of Georgia in 2023 and 2024 were the best since 1994.   This is a welcome improvement from those years in the early 1990s when the coho population declined and the remainder moved out to rear in the open ocean.  Again, I’ll point you to an article by Dr Richard Beamish and Chrys Neville , titled “Why So many Coho ? “, in the IFM , March/April issue.  This year the cohos are back again in excellent numbers.

 

 Yet, it is complicated.  In spite of the terrific abundance of cohos, the regulations allow retention of 2 hatchery marked cohos and no wild cohos until September 1.  This is meant to allow rebuilding and especially help the Fraser coho which mostly pass by before September 1, leaving good fishing for later-timed runs. 

 

 This ironic situation of abundant salmon but modest allowances for retention can be hard to explain to potential anglers.   The vitality of life in our area has been increasing with a trend toward more plankton in the nutritious soup bowl that is Georgia Strait and the nearby channels.  Herring live here and feed the salmon.  Humpback Whales are now very common to see as they slurp it all up.  Fishing is a fun and exciting and you get to keep some.  It is so good, even if the backstory is complicated.  

 

 

Planning April 1 to July 15

Yes, we can fish all year round.  I'd like to clear up some possible confusion and add an update. 

In the time period from April 1 until July 15 we love to fish in the channels and inlets on the mainland side of our area. This includes a wonderful scenic trip and requires a full day.  This is really a favourite time for me. 

If you only have a half day available you can choose a mix of coho fishing and participating in science research for chinooks. We will be measuring fish for length, taking a tissue samples for DNA which will identify the salmon's home river, and  tagging each fish with a tiny electronic tag. You will have the full experience of chinook fishing but no keeping.  All the chinooks will handled minimally and released carefully.  Cohos are smaller than chinooks and until September only hatchery marked cohos can be retained. The update is that in recent years very good numbers of coho have come back to live with us in Georgia Strait and lots of fun when you find a school of them. 

There is no downside at all if you are planning a day trip.  The fishing is good as ever. However, there is no retention of Chinooks in our nearest waters in the period April 1 to July 15.  

 Backgrounder.

It may seem odd to have restrictive fishing regulations when Chinooks appear to be so abundant. The reason for these regulations is to conserve certain weak stocks of Chinooks which migrate though our area in the spring and early summer.  Actually only a small minority of those particular fish migrate past us on the Inside Passage while the majority travel in the open ocean and turn in around the south end of Vancouver Island, heading for the Fraser River.   Those fish swim upstream in summer, far into the interior of BC to spawn in the tributaries of the upper Fraser. They have many challenges which are unrelated to fishing ; droughts with low water levels, warm water, excessive logging, landslides, chemical pollution from Vancouver, and more.  Furthermore, there are two types of chinooks, ones that go to sea in the same spring that they hatch and ones that spend a whole year in the freshwater streams before descending to the ocean.  The stream type chinooks are having trouble coping in our warmer modern world.  

 The ocean passages and inlets on the mainland side of our fishing area are away from the migration routes of those challenged chinooks, so we are still allowed retention of chinooks there during the April 1 to July15 time period.   

 

Holes in the Posts

  I have left big gaps in posting.  Fishing has been steady and good.  Too busy to go back and back-fill. 

December 31, 2024 . Last chance of the year.

  The last day of the year .  I slipped out for a bit of fishing all by myself . 

  

Silent Auction Tyee Fishing

   Check this out.  I'm donating a pair of rowboat fishing trips to support good causes for fish.  . The Campbell River Salmon Foundation has a reciprocal arrangement with the Fraser River Sturgeon Conservation Society.  I'm glad to help both groups for their good work .  You can contribute too, with your bid.  

Here is a link to the auction .  See all the items , and this one is # 36 .  The on-line auction ends May 6 at the time of the Gala dinner. 

 2023-2024 FRSCS Sturgeon Conservation Challenge | Silent Auction Items | All Lots | Powered by Givergy (sturgeonchallenge.com)

 The auction item description looks like this : 

Two guided rowboat fishing trips in the 100-year-old tradition of the Tyee Club of BC, with Rick Hackinen of Brightfish Charters. For one to two anglers in the rowboat. The tackle is simple sporting tackle according to the rules, and you will handle it all yourself. All these mature chinooks are exciting and if you are lucky to catch one over 30 lbs. you can join the prestigious Tyee Club.

Each trip of 2 ½ hours is to be scheduled near to each other according to availability, on the same day, or on consecutive days, within the dates Aug 5 to Sept 15.

                         https://gobrightfish.com/tyee-fishing/  

 The Campbell River Fishing Guides Association has also donated a motorboat trip, which I helped organize as Chair of the CRFGA,  see Item # 25.