Cowichan River

Gonna give it another try tomorrow.If it continues slow,it may be time for me to go do a little reconnoisance
downstream.Got a pretty good idea where to start looking.
 
Fished the lower Cowi today.Pounded it hard for a good 3 hrs.,packed up and was on my way out when I decided to give
it one more try in a spot I hit first thing.Second cast and float down.Nice 12lb. or so buck,and just a chromer.Pink and
white jig that I hand tied myself got it done.First steelhead on my own jigs.Pretty stoked!Talked to another guy on the way out and he said he'd got into several fish drifting on the weekend,so I guess it's not all doom and gloom.Gonna hit it tomorrow to see if I can get a repeat.Water's cleared up real nice.Hope the monsoons are over with for this year!
 
Nice! Thinking of a float this weekend.

I don't expect much though ;)
 
Watched a drift boat go down the wrong side of an island yeaterday and the guys needed to hike the boat back up river after some excitement. Be careful!

Also plenty of logs that could shift given another rise in water level.
 
We saw one today with really cool gillnet tattoo....
Smiley_Tiny_Drinking_Coffee.gif
 
We saw one today with really cool gillnet tattoo....
Smiley_Tiny_Drinking_Coffee.gif

That's the sh#*ts,lipripper.On the bright side,the river's blown out again from last nights rain,so that should take care of the nets for a while.At first I was pissed off about this,but after your comment about the tattoo,it's just as well.Why they can't just leave them alone,I'll never figure out.Ran into a native spearing below the Silver Bridge a week or so ago and he told me he'd speared a 10lb. doe the day before in the same spot.I mean come on man,didn't
you get enough salmon a month ago to do ya for a while.Burns my butt!!
 
That's the sh#*ts,lipripper.On the bright side,the river's blown out again from last nights rain,so that should take care of the nets for a while.At first I was pissed off about this,but after your comment about the tattoo,it's just as well.Why they can't just leave them alone,I'll never figure out.Ran into a native spearing below the Silver Bridge a week or so ago and he told me he'd speared a 10lb. doe the day before in the same spot.I mean come on man,didn't
you get enough salmon a month ago to do ya for a while.Burns my butt!!
Should facking spear him.
 
Often thought about driving across the Tzouhalem Rd. bridge with a broom and knocking a few pegs off the bridge, but then later figured that actually 'is' traditional and does take some skill. The nets gotta go. I recall a CO telling me 20 years ago nets caught the majority of the SH heading up the Cowichan, and the Kokisilah was worse.

Hopefully the water stays too high for either.
 
ive watched the guys spearing on the bridge for steelies before, looks like it takes a fair bit of skill, and even more patience. they don't get a lot from what I understand, one here one there. as for the nets, don't quote me on this but I believe they are selling the fish for 5 bucks a pound or so, and bigger money for the roe. its all pretty silly, considering that when I drifted down to white bridge a couple times last year in jan, there were garbage bags full of whole coho, not even gutted, strewn all over the bank, I assume these were the "food fish" from a couple months prior chucked into freezers and ended up as big frozen lumps of fish that became unusable so they were discarded. pretty sad waste of fish and even more sad is the fact that they couldn't even dump them out of the garbage bags instead they just throw the bag and all into the river. I counted about a dozen bags that had anywhere from 4-10 coho in them.
 
Saw the same thing years ago.. Just passed Allenby bridge.. Buddy phoned it in right away to the CO.. They investigated and later reported back that a freezer had been emptied and there was nothing he could do.. Had to be 20-30 fish on the bank.. Coho or chum i think ?? Was very sad and disappointing to see.
 
Saw the same thing years ago.. Just passed Allenby bridge.. Buddy phoned it in right away to the CO.. They investigated and later reported back that a freezer had been emptied and there was nothing he could do.. Had to be 20-30 fish on the bank.. Coho or chum i think ?? Was very sad and disappointing to see.

I remember that too,FnS.It was a bunch of freezer burnt fish.Went down to check them out,and some were definately
springs.What a frickin' waste.Saw the 2 native brothers on the flow today.Told me they caught 2 steelies yesterday.
Went below them a few hundred feet to give it a try and I here this whoopin'.Run back upstream just in time to see
them gaffing a chrome bright 10 lb. doe.Caught it on steelhead roe from an earlier fish this year.There goes 6000-
7000 potential offspring.And these are guys who brag about spearing 100+ springs each every year.Sad to see the
young generation fishing the river like this.They haven't learned a damn thing!
 
I remember that too,FnS.It was a bunch of freezer burnt fish.Went down to check them out,and some were definately
springs.What a frickin' waste.Saw the 2 native brothers on the flow today.Told me they caught 2 steelies yesterday.
Went below them a few hundred feet to give it a try and I here this whoopin'.Run back upstream just in time to see
them gaffing a chrome bright 10 lb. doe.Caught it on steelhead roe from an earlier fish this year.There goes 6000-
7000 potential offspring.And these are guys who brag about spearing 100+ springs each every year.Sad to see the
young generation fishing the river like this.They haven't learned a damn thing!
Sorry to hear this. Its utter and complete bullshyte. Luckily for us here on the mainland, we are not having this problem to the best of my knowledge on the Vedder.
 
I heard rumours that over 30 stealhead recently have been netted in Cowichan as bycatch in gillnetting for other species.:mad:

If this keeps up there will be very few stealhead left in the Cowie.

One of the last few remaining wild genetic stocks on the coast I hear. This needs to be better managed and soon!!!
 
Ive seen a guy at bible camp with a dead steelhead twice in the last week. Pretty sad to see. Think its the same guy. Green waders and a white hat.
 
I heard rumours that over 30 stealhead recently have been netted in Cowichan as bycatch in gillnetting for other species.:mad:

If this keeps up there will be very few stealhead left in the Cowie.

One of the last few remaining wild genetic stocks on the coast I hear. This needs to be better managed and soon!!!

It's not bycatch, they are targeting them and 30 could be what they get in a single day.
 
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