Cowichan River
- Thread starter winephart
- Start date
Hyde-N-Seek
Active Member
Yeah, heard the Stamp is the craps again. Not looking good.
Hyde-N-Seek
Active Member
Wow, that’s many moons ago eroyd! Way before all the cotton willows and silts filled up all the deep side channels below silver bridge on the left. Missed those early days. Might have been close to 25 years ago now? Over 10 digits a day are the numbers of the past now. We are lucky to get over 10 digit in a year now. Too bad..
Kildonan
Well-Known Member
Ya, I used to fish there for a quick fish too. early 1980’s. I caught a few nice steelhead there.
Yup, re the Cowichan, way less fish, way more boats, much less quality water to fish, the rest of VI, most VI rivers closed or semi closed. Who could have even dreamed that the Gold with its huge run of steelhead would be closed to winter steelheading, unthinkable! The stamp, overrun with jet boats and way less fish, not worth the gas money to go anymore. And don't get me started on the demise of the T.sure miss the early 80's steel heading...
I will be heading out this week for a drift just because, but I am not expecting to meet up with any fish.
jim morrow
Active Member
Boxing Day use to be the big kick-off day for steelheading on the Cowichan. I miss the days of seeing a dozen people lining the rip rap below silver bridge, winter mist, pale green water and frosted cottonwoods. A quick fish between family gatherings, one hour after high tide. I'm sure a lot of use cut our teeth there before exploring more remote flow.
I remember coming up from Sidney to fish on boxing day, 1985 or so, below silver bridge. I cut a few twigs away, and was able to swing the silex/1264 combo on the south side. Nailed my first cowichan steel. The next bend down, opposite the side channel was very good also.
Ya the filling in and growing up seemed to wreck those spots. Can you even fish there anymore?
I remember coming up from Sidney to fish on boxing day, 1985 or so, below silver bridge. I cut a few twigs away, and was able to swing the silex/1264 combo on the south side. Nailed my first cowichan steel. The next bend down, opposite the side channel was very good also.
Ya the filling in and growing up seemed to wreck those spots. Can you even fish there anymore?
Derby
Crew Member
Yuppers... Grew up on the mainland side Vedder boxing day was are tradition for many years with my dad as a kid.. as i got older Did road trips to the Gold at Christmas when the water was rights.. loved those early run fish and yes the once Thompson River use too spend up to 20 30 days a year up there
ya hear you sold my drift boat a couple years ago no real expectation of fish anymore...they are now bonuses when u go out to enjoy the splendorI think my silex was on a 1262 (fenwick) brown blank, hand built by a good friend. Great glass rods for center pins. That's where I first learned to swing it. Now after 30 years, hundreds of fish, branches, snags it sits retired with all it's scars and fatigue marks.
Last year kind of sucked but 2018 was pretty "good" given todays standards. I fly fished only and average a fish an outing. I think back in the 80's, a couple of fish a day shore fishing was pretty normal. I think there's still hope. The fish can do it if we let them.
Hyde-N-Seek
Active Member
Yup, unthinkable is right. Especially with the Gold and T. Well, maybe the T but that’s for another day.. we are fortunate that the Cowichan is still semi productive. Not that it was used to be but holding on despite the demise of all others. All the lower side channels below the silver bridge have been filled in and doesn’t hold any fish like it used to be. The entire river has widen, shallowed up and holding spots have been filled. On the bright side, Looks like the they did a great job with the clay banks so far?
Wildvanisle
Member
Took my old man out today for a few hrs. He was throwing a brass spoon and I was switching between egg sucking leeches and flashy pink streamers. No steelhead landed for us but a few cutties kept things interesting. Fished a few spots from Sandy Pool up to Stoltz. Water level looks great right now, high but not too fast or coloured up.
In other news all your guys’ reminiscing has me jealous that I missed out on what seems to be the glory days. Hopefully one day we’ll figure things out and get our rivers back into shape.
In other news all your guys’ reminiscing has me jealous that I missed out on what seems to be the glory days. Hopefully one day we’ll figure things out and get our rivers back into shape.
That side channel below the silver bridge was fantastic sometimes , I remember spending the afternoon fishing there and just before dark it was fish after fish with a few landed by flash light . That area has become a needle infested garbage dump. Still use a center pin but using a fly rod more and more
Kildonan
Well-Known Member
I started fishing in the late 1960’s and 70’s. To me the glory days was the 1950’s and I’m sorry I missed it. I guess it’s all to do with your perspective.
In 20 years, new fishers fishing for sculpins off the dock will talk about how their dad was once upon a time permitted to catch and keep a Chinook salmon in the month of August, and it will wow those sculpin fishers. Lol
Aces
Well-Known Member
And 80’s Chinook fishingsure miss the early 80's steel heading...
Aces
Well-Known Member
As well as the passes locallyoh yes... plug cutting Toffino was a beauty
Stotz to Vimy clear. Caught one smolt/trout. No sign of any live salmon. It used to be that quite a number of late season coho and some old chums would still be around. The river continues to straighten and fill in. Much fewer fishing spots from Stoltz to Sandy. No tresspassing signs at the bible camp. Sorry, nothing positive to report other than the water colour was great.
The cowichan is the only river on the island that allows the headwaters to get fished when steelhead are spawning. To make things even worse, the trout guys go in the upper river and beat up on trout, and steelhead smolts in the spring and fall. It may be time to give some refuge for Cowichan steelhead and make some changes to the regs in the upper river.
The long term fate of Cowichan steelhead should be the driving consideration for provincial fishing regs on this river.
The cowichan is the only river on the island that allows the headwaters to get fished when steelhead are spawning. To make things even worse, the trout guys go in the upper river and beat up on trout, and steelhead smolts in the spring and fall. It may be time to give some refuge for Cowichan steelhead and make some changes to the regs in the upper river.
The long term fate of Cowichan steelhead should be the driving consideration for provincial fishing regs on this river.
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SpringVelocity
Crew Member
In 2008 we all know what was going to happen. And look here DeJa Vue. Was saving 70k worth it?
https://www.sportfishingbc.com/foru...ichan-river-loosing-steelhead-hatchery.36987/
Time to get the hatchery steel head program going with a combination of river/channel enhancement, crackdown illegal netting, and predator control in estuary. Those fish have been in steep decline since the program was abandoned.
Sad.
https://www.sportfishingbc.com/foru...ichan-river-loosing-steelhead-hatchery.36987/
Time to get the hatchery steel head program going with a combination of river/channel enhancement, crackdown illegal netting, and predator control in estuary. Those fish have been in steep decline since the program was abandoned.
Sad.
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Decision to curtail the Hatchery Steel Head Program was short sighted. I believe it was politically motivated and had nothing to do with Budget savings.
Yes they may save 70 K annually but that is chump change in comparison to the economic benefits afforded by a Steel Head fishery on this once iconic river.
They certainly aren't spending any $ on Enforcement or recovery.
Local groups have done what they could in projects like remediation of Stoltz Bluffs and I applaud them.
As we have seen with the Cowichan Chinook recovery, a bit of help and protection goes a long way in recovering stocks.
Yes they may save 70 K annually but that is chump change in comparison to the economic benefits afforded by a Steel Head fishery on this once iconic river.
They certainly aren't spending any $ on Enforcement or recovery.
Local groups have done what they could in projects like remediation of Stoltz Bluffs and I applaud them.
As we have seen with the Cowichan Chinook recovery, a bit of help and protection goes a long way in recovering stocks.
