Coho return

[Doug]

I'm participating as a river guardian for one of the local small creeks and today we checked the creek trap and I was glad to see 8 Coho which were all over 7 lb and in good shape. It's great to see the rain is starting to move the fish into the creeks and out of the jaws of the seals chewing down on them as the fish are staging waiting for enough water.

Last year we only had 58 fish return. Hopefully we get more this year.

 

[eaglemaniac]

Good on ya Doug. I hope you have great returns. eman

 

[Little Hawk]

I second that Doug. There are people like me who sometimes talk about helping out and then there are those who actually do it.

Saw another seal off my back yard yesterday in the Colquitz. That's quite a haul for them peckers; all the way up the Gorge, through Portage Inlet, then another km or so up the Colquitz to the fence.

Bastards.

 

[finaddict]

I second that Doug. There are people like me who sometimes talk about helping out and then there are those who actually do it.

Saw another seal off my back yard yesterday in the Colquitz. That's quite a haul for them peckers; all the way up the Gorge, through Portage Inlet, then another km or so up the Colquitz to the fence.

Bastards.

I've seen them in the Lilloett river, That's up the Fraser for 50 miles, up the Harrison river, Up the 40 miles of Harrison Lake and the into the Lilloett river. I have heard others have seen them by Yale in the Fraser. When the ocean rats expand their territory to 100 miles up river.................... then there are too many ocean rats. ;-)

 

[Finished Business]

freshwater seal hunt maybe? they aren't feeding any orcas that high up...

 

[Doug]

Bad news, When I got to the trap today I got out of the truck and there were a few otters eating fish. I think they ate 3 or 4 of the salmon before they saw me and took off. While cleaning the gate a nice female Coho enter the trap so Bruce released it above the trap. Bruce is the senior creek guardian and has been totally dedicated over the past few years in volunteering to helping bring the creek back so it can again support fish. Without volunteers and the Esquimalt Angler Association this small creek wouldn't have fish any more.

After cleaning the trap I headed up stream to remove a few log jams and discovered the water has dropped by up to 6" and is now only 1 or 2" deep in sections, so no fish will be making it up the creek until we get more water.

If it isn't lack of rain it's seals or otters

 

[wolf]

take the 22 next time...

 

[Andrew P]

I stopped off at the fence on my way home from work yesterday and was pleased to see about half a dozen coho in the cage. There was no sign of seals or otters.

I had never done a walk of the full creek before(above the fish weir) so I did the other week to see just what state it was in for the salmon. It was a bit of a mixed finding. Although there are stretches of the creek that look amazing and healthy, there were also sections with so much crap in them that theres no way a fish could get past. There was one section that bottlenecks that had a full couch blocking the regular flow. I hauled the couch out as best that I could by myself. It was pretty damn heavy all waterlogged. When I went back yesterday, the couch was completely gone, so that is great that someone took it away. That must have been a mission.

Anyways, below are some of the images from my walk....you can see the good and bad. Note the beaver marks on the tree UNDER the overpass!!

I plan to join the Friends of Swan Creek, where these fish would like to spawn in huge numbers if we help them out. There is a meeting for the project on Oct 23 at George Pearkes Centre, Owen Room 7-9pm.

More pics coming up...

 

[Andrew P]

 

[Doug]

We have the same problem with our creek and tomorrow 3 of us from the Esquimalt Angler Association will remove the two log jams and the shopping carts. The creek will then be in good shape for any fish migrating up stream. We just need more rain.

 

[Andrew P]

Hey Doug,

I assumed that you were talking about Colquitz. What creek? I was reffering to the Colquitz/Swan Creek system.

 

[Doug]

Craigflower Creek

 

[Tailspin]

Big numbers returning thus far to Shawnigan Creek in Mill Bay this season! A great start so far, now just to find some time to go help out.

 

[Doug]

A good return day for our creek. Today I release 60 fish up stream.. In a 5 hour period the trap got 47 fish into it.

We are now checking the trap 4 time a day and the otter hasn't been around.


Last year we only had 58 fish return in total

 

[wolf]

AWESOME good work Doug hopefully my creek here will get some in time as its bone dry right now.... last year I had 7 in it wish I could get some fry and make it more.....

wolf

 

[Andrew P]

That sounds great Doug. Hope they keep pouring in! It seems like great returns from creeks aka across southern bc.

 

[Tailspin]

Shawnigan Creek in Mill Bay when I can, not enough this past year! I'll send you the contact info, over 500 Coho moved past the falls thus far.

 

[Charter Tofino]

Great to see the coho this year!

 

[Doug]

Same as the DeMamiel. We are also having a huge return and at last count we were over 500 fish as of Nov.1st. 58 fish total last year.
They just keep coming and coming, normally most of the fish show up in Nov. in volume.

It's looking good

 

[Doug]

We are now at over 600 Coho returning to Craigflower Creek. Today I even saw fish at the start of Craigflower creek at Pike Lake.
Over the last few days most of the fish coming in are dark red to black and good size (10lb).

Hopefully they keep coming.