Claude was hoping for one of these. When we headed north we knew we were heading away from the very fishy Georgia Strait. This is like a different game at the casino. Instead of the active feeding fish, we were targeting the incoming mature chinooks. These fish will almost always have empty stomachs and are in their prime and migrating to their home rivers. These are truly bright fish which will soon add some bronze to their silver.
We didn't expect many chances, but hoped to get a lucky big one. This one made 30 1/2 pounds , so it is a Tyee, a nick-name for a salmon over 30 pounds. It was a strong fight and well-played , Claude.
This chinook has a different look than the fish being caught just a short distance to the south. It is most likely from the Fraser River eastern interior plateau, with it's short nose and no spots on it's tail. In the past these " Stubbies" were mistakenly thought to be Columbia River fish which they resemble, and probably share a genetic distant past in the area that divides between those two watersheds. This fish hadn't been feeding, but she couldn't resist a last easy little snack that required no effort to chase down.
We took a tissue sample , and one from a coho which we released, and expect to find out eventually, from DNA analysis , which rivers they are heading home to.
No comments:
Post a Comment