Fact or Fiction

[otter]

2nd time Ive heard 2 statements from 2 Sooke OLD timers that Columbians start to show up in the local waters? They said not in big numbers but they do appear in Feb. These individuals still fish out there year round and hold some good stories. Although being fisherman I hate to think they were BSing me. By the way those occurrences were weeks apart,and they were not together.

B Gibb

 

[Dogbreath]

Sooke is too far south/inside for Columbia River fish-those are Fraser fish.

 

[alley cat]

Many years ago when the Cowichan still had a goodly run of springs they were sometimes mistaken for "Columbia's" being on the stubby thick side.

Have caught Columbia springs as far down as Sombrio when fishing from Renfrew, as for them not venturing in to the Sooke area I don't know.

Talking to some of the old commercial fisherman friends of mine there was a significant change some years back in the springs coming down through Seymour narrows at times confusing the general run of the outside springs , points to ponder , fish don't always conform to our set patterns that we award them.

AL

 

[totally tyee]

Dogbreath is right, the migratory path of the Columbia river fish shouldnt pass Sooke waters, it is just a myth.



Edited by - totally tyee on 02/04/2006 09:51:59

 

[the runt]

A buddy of mine at work,starts fishing the columbia in Jan for springs.It's a little slow But picks up quick.He hsn't fished yet this year being such high water conditions.Last year at this time he had a 22.lb.spring.He fishes near sqamakiwa When it's slack tide they troll a quick fish,in current they motor mooch a herring.These are all large fish, 15 and up.They sound like frasier fish to me.

thanks the runt

 

[alley cat]

I see that DC Reid makes the assertion that the "Columbia's" come in from the western approaches and school down the Canadian side to the San Juan's and thence return via the USA side to continue their migratory pattern.

AL

 

[Eagle Eyes]

D.C. Reid is an idiot.

seriously who writes an article about feeder chinooks off nanaimo?!??!

real sporting to go catch 4 pound nanaimo river chinook (weak stock) at 250 feet using a flasher buddy.

that is if one of the 6565980495 seals doesnt grab it first.

 

[alley cat]

I don't believe that D C Reids articles on other areas of fishing are the focus here ,but that there may be some drifting of particular species of fish in to feeding area's out of what we can expect is the norm.
After reading the statements of previous posters I am remembering back many years ago when I was a teenager and went out with some of my Dads commercial fisherman friends and we fished around the San Juans and that area on the Canadian side of course, but there were some very chunky springs boated in that area, I'm going over to one of old timers tomorrow and pick his brains for past experiences and seek his opinion as to whether there is a chance these could be "Columbia" fish which do come in further than we think before leaving the area to head home for the nursery river.

AL