SpringVelocity
Crew Member
Derail.....................
Cowichan River
- Thread starter Pink Pounder
- Start date
There's a lot of people out there that didn't vote for the present Premier that oppose the "hatchery program". Personally I would glady trade the dozen or so ~5-7 lb clone coho's I caught this year for one or two 15lb natural ones, the fish the Cowichan is famous for. If the money is made available, I rather see it go into habitat rehabilitation and protection, and water management specifically for the Cowichan.
fogged in
Well-Known Member
did you see the recent post that discussed the explosion of Seals in the Cowichan Estuary?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGbAKtTejH0
From this ongoing study, Seals eat smolts heading for the ocean. This could be one of the reasons why the stocks are not rebuilding.
In days gone bye Seals were controlled somewhat by Commercial Fishermen and a bounty on Seals sponsored by the Government.
No chance of that happening now.
Best hope is the Transient Whales come in more often and cleanup some of the Seals, which they are reported to be doing, but I have not witnessed it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGbAKtTejH0
From this ongoing study, Seals eat smolts heading for the ocean. This could be one of the reasons why the stocks are not rebuilding.
In days gone bye Seals were controlled somewhat by Commercial Fishermen and a bounty on Seals sponsored by the Government.
No chance of that happening now.
Best hope is the Transient Whales come in more often and cleanup some of the Seals, which they are reported to be doing, but I have not witnessed it.
Rum Buddies
Well-Known Member
didn't the hatchery program end like 8 years ago? Pretty sure there hasn't been hatchey steelhead returning for at least a handful of years now.
Also they didn't drop the hatchery steelhead program because the budget was cut, they dropped it because everybody lied about keeping hatchery fish to the creel survey guys. Since nobody was keeping them they were left to spawn, which was not part of the plan. spawning hatchery fix f*ck up genetics.
Gotta agree with Eroyd, I don't believe hatcheries are the answer anymore. We used them like crazy in the 80's all the while we destroyed the land around the rivers, the money dries up and the rivers are fubar'd. It's a band-aid solution at best.
The real long term investment is habitat and reducing impact on stocks - but everybody want's a quick easy fix.
SpringVelocity
Crew Member
I don't know how we got here we moved from reports to politics again. I posted I was excited to get fishing steel head again. I don't find the fishing that bad. Yes everything was better years ago but that was then this is now.
Too your point PS I disagree on your hatchery stance not on the habit restoration we definitely need more of that. I will never say that hatcheries are harmful. That argument gets tossed around over and over. Many of these creeks/rivers wouldn't have many fish if they weren't for them. My winter fishing wouldn't exists in ocean if it wasn't for a hatchery US bound fish. Ether would the fall Coho fishery out in southern JDF. I think its a combination of both hatcheries and habitat restoration that can make these systems successful. In the cowichan you have a few really bad scenarios that have really led to bad years: community water usage ( who controls it), and predators especially with smolts migrating out.. I bet you this summer was tough with our drought conditions.
But we need to understand that the only way to get these projects done is not by government anymore. It is by our community in Cowichan Valley and throughout our island and beyond. That includes fundraising where you can and rolling up your sleeves and volunteering... This is not the government direction to help 100 percent anymore it up to all of us to do something about in anyway we can...
I am not familiar doesn't the stamp river have a active steelhead hatchery?
That would be awesome if there were more steelhead in system...
Anyhow on another note we have some clear weather so the levels should settle down....But there should be some steel head started to show by now... Looking forward to it.
Too your point PS I disagree on your hatchery stance not on the habit restoration we definitely need more of that. I will never say that hatcheries are harmful. That argument gets tossed around over and over. Many of these creeks/rivers wouldn't have many fish if they weren't for them. My winter fishing wouldn't exists in ocean if it wasn't for a hatchery US bound fish. Ether would the fall Coho fishery out in southern JDF. I think its a combination of both hatcheries and habitat restoration that can make these systems successful. In the cowichan you have a few really bad scenarios that have really led to bad years: community water usage ( who controls it), and predators especially with smolts migrating out.. I bet you this summer was tough with our drought conditions.
But we need to understand that the only way to get these projects done is not by government anymore. It is by our community in Cowichan Valley and throughout our island and beyond. That includes fundraising where you can and rolling up your sleeves and volunteering... This is not the government direction to help 100 percent anymore it up to all of us to do something about in anyway we can...
I am not familiar doesn't the stamp river have a active steelhead hatchery?
That would be awesome if there were more steelhead in system...
Anyhow on another note we have some clear weather so the levels should settle down....But there should be some steel head started to show by now... Looking forward to it.
Last edited by a moderator:
Cybersombosis
New Member
Are there any fish still present? Is it worth going up right now?
fshnfnatic
Well-Known Member
Was on the lower Cowie this morning and tied into a nice fresh chum about 20-22 lbs.Surprised the hell out of me when it
hit and proceeded to head back to the ocean from whence it came in a big hurry.Man can they scrap when they're
fresh like that.Still chrome with the bars barely showing through.Would have been a nice fish for the smoker for
someone,but I just don't care for them so I gave a kiss on the top of it's head and let it go.Got it on a two tone lime
green/chartruse colorado blade under a float.
hit and proceeded to head back to the ocean from whence it came in a big hurry.Man can they scrap when they're
fresh like that.Still chrome with the bars barely showing through.Would have been a nice fish for the smoker for
someone,but I just don't care for them so I gave a kiss on the top of it's head and let it go.Got it on a two tone lime
green/chartruse colorado blade under a float.
OldShoreFisherman
Active Member
I caught a pretty fresh one a couple of days ago, too. It fought like crazy and I thought I had a nice chrome coho on. I did a double-take when I got it to shore. I thought it was an anomaly, given that I've seen nothing but dead and dying chum in the Cowichan for about the past three weeks, but someone told me that there is a late run that is rarely targeted.
fshnfnatic
Well-Known Member
Good to know,OSF.Been fishing the cowie for many many years but have never caught a chum that fresh in Dec. before.Thought it was a monster chrome coho after getting a look at it coming out of water.Was a little disappointed
when I finally beached it,but after the tackle busting fight it gave me I still couldn't keep the smile off my face.Pound
for pound the toughest fish in the flow when they're fresh like that.Too bad they taste like sh*t!
Cuba Libre
Well-Known Member
.Too bad they taste like sh*t!
Thats only because you obviously dont know how to cook.........
Thats only because you obviously dont know how to cook.........
fshnfnatic
Well-Known Member
Out for one last trip on the lower Cowy this morning before the big rains blow it out again.Managed 2 coho,one tomato
hoe about 10lbs.,and a beauty 13- 14 lber. that had just a little too much color for the cans.Great fight on light tackle
though.This weeks rain will be the end of the salmon which is kind of sad,but should be a few steelies to play with
after the water drops.Over all a fairly challenging year for coho with only 5 chromers for the jars,but I'll make do.
hoe about 10lbs.,and a beauty 13- 14 lber. that had just a little too much color for the cans.Great fight on light tackle
though.This weeks rain will be the end of the salmon which is kind of sad,but should be a few steelies to play with
after the water drops.Over all a fairly challenging year for coho with only 5 chromers for the jars,but I'll make do.
OldShoreFisherman
Active Member
I was up there from Victoria yesterday, too. I had five on, but all the hook-ups were from slack water I was targeting across the river, and I only managed to get a couple back across the current and I didn't get either one landed. That was fine because they both had too much colour. I only had one chromer on from what I could tell from a jump and a roll on the other side. They all put up a pretty good fight, though. The water is up about .5 metre or 1' 8" from yesterday, so my Cowichan fishing is probably over for the year. Here is one of the "nearly landed" from yesterday:
[1HXUKOPeN2Y]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HXUKOPeN2Y
OldShoreFisherman
Active Member
I wish...
No, unfortunately it's about a five or six year-old Fuji Finepix that I was holding with one hand while I was trying to manoeuvre the fish around with the rod in the other.
OldShoreFisherman
Active Member
Some videos turn out better than others -- I think lighting has a lot to do with it. Here's one from late November that's not too bad (though certainly not Gopro quality):
[dcE6KmlPdwY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcE6KmlPdwY
[dcE6KmlPdwY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcE6KmlPdwY
