The Old Days- Cowichan

[Time]

It's the silly season with a lot of people getting testy and itching to get out fishing, so to help pass the time, here is my contribution.

From the local papers 'Historical Moments' column.

1958:

"It was estimated that more than 12,000 spring salmon moved into the Cowichan River mouth between July and November and that the sports catch reached 6,000 fish. The news prompted optimism that salmon runs were recovering."

I wonder when the last time people were not hoping for a recovery was?

 

[Rum Buddies]

hmm 600 fish this year - looks like they are recovering nicely [B)]

 

[chris73]

I think in the mid 90's they had another good year or two with 10,000 - 15,000 chinooks. When you think about this decline within 10 years...Sad.

 

[Kildonan]

I remember my old man fishing in the Cowichan Bay fishing derby in the early 1970's. Coho were the target if I recall correctly, and BIG ones!!!

 

[alley cat]

1958 ......I was 15 and out in the mornings with my Dad and Uncle over by the bluff and then down in front of Genoa Bay hammering them with whole herring rig ups trolled at 28 pulls with 20 ozs of slip weights on.
14 ft tin boat with a 10 HP Envinrude(goddam motor was huge for the HP output!)
Nothing huge but all around 25 lbs and fat !!!!!
In those days Shawnigan Creek held some very nice rainbows from the mouth down to the log jam by Filgates hometead(since gone)

AL

 

[Time]

The previous world record for Coho - 31 pounds - came out of Cowichan Bay around about 1958-1959. Was that you Al?
Unfortunately a Great Lakes Coho caught in 1989 weighing 33.4 pounds beat it. For a salt water reared fish, the Cow Bay Coho is probably still the tops. And unlikely to be beaten.

 

[scott craven]

I think that record salt coho belongs to a lady as well...
(if my memory banks are still functioning)

 

[alley cat]

Hey Time , no unfortunately wasn't me , I have had some very nice sized fish out of that Bay but not world class(luck of the draw?), but it was a woman who nailed it in the Bay , I have an old book around here somewhere written by Alec Merriman(anyone here remember him?) and has a picture of the fish and the lady in it , will try and find it , but right now packing last things and heading out to Mexico for a month.

Cheers

AL

 

[Time]

Have a good holiday.

 

[hotrod]

I have personnelly seen a 30+ lb coho come out of the Squamish. There big over there too? Sweeeet!


Hotrod

 

[new generation]

The native's have netted some coho over 30lbs from the mouth of the san juan river.They were always in a hurry to get the fish in the back of the pick-up truck,to take time to weigh it properly.I believe the next world record coho will come from the san juan..

 

[otter]

I remember too.1966-70 Saanich Inlet and Oak Bay, Went out with the late Jim Gilbert,Aug in front of the Baamberton Plant. He introduces me to trolling 100 ft with nylon stockings filled with rocks. No downriggers then. Herring strip produced limits within a hour.Mind you I look back and think the possession limits were a bit much but there was a good population then.

 

[Tips Up]

So... what about Brentwood? Where did these fish go?
I was brought up in this area and have many memories of fishing with my dad. Lots of salmon around back then. This was 25-30 years ago.
Now it is the dead sea.
What happened? Where did these fish go? Were these Cowichan River fish?

Tips

 

[porcupine]

The Sidney Anglers salmon derby held a couple of weeks ago was won by a fish from Tod Inlet in Brentwood Bay. There are fish there still, just very few close mouthed anglers going after them. There was a big herring spawn there last year and one guy took 5 in the twenties in one week.

 

[Rum Buddies]

quote:what about Brentwood? Where did these fish go?

The inlet used to be a major stop for feeding salmon, much like knight inlet is now. There used to lots of early season fish and then goldstream and cowichan fish would come and stop on their way.

Millbay used to be famous for its herring balls, I heard stories of boats sinking with overstuffed nets. There used to be a lot of places that herring spawned in the inlet, now they are all but gone. So thats why the early season fish don't come around anymore.

And well goldstream and cowichan certainly aren't stuffing the inlet with springs either. Also the fact that Fraser springs don't seem to migrate down the east of the island much, so really there aren't any major runs passing by the area.

Also a lot of those old guys fished 250 deep - we don't really fish that deep anymore, so I'm sure there are still some feeders at those depths. Especially with the fact that the only feed left in the inlet are the prawns down at those depths.

What a beautiful place to fish though, what I'd give to be able to fish finlayson arm in april for chrome 20-25lb feeders

 

[Rum Buddies]

quote:There was a big herring spawn there last year and one guy took 5 in the twenties in one week.

That is very good news, was it millbay? If they could get the eel grass to grow again, they would get the herring to return and those 20lb feeders would be back I'm sure.

 

[Tips Up]

quote:The Sidney Anglers salmon derby held a couple of weeks ago was won by a fish from Tod Inlet in Brentwood Bay.

I read that but not sure that I am believing it. First it is hard to believe that the fish was caught there. Second it is hard to believe that someone would be fishing there in a derby.

Our old stand by response when someone saw us catching fish and asked "what are you using" was "purple pile worms! You dig them up over by the dock!"
I think some people may have believed this!LOL!

Maybe I'll drag some hooks next time I am soaking the prawn traps.

Tips

 

[cpony]

I was the one who caught that fish and had another hit before the winds picked up.There were two other boats out. One of them also caught and released one. I grew up fishing the inlet , still fish around, just nobody is talking. Same techniques, same spots.
The reason I went there was,
a) to windy in Sidney
b) in the good old days that was the spot, ask any oldtimer (most have their ashes in the Inlet) That is where you went Boxing Day if you fished the Inlet. Actually, Indian Bay was my first choice but, that is an RCA.
I told other members to go down there but nobody followed. There loss my gain

 

[Rum Buddies]

I got a nice spring out of tod inlet back when I fished the area. If I was to fish these days I'd start at willis point and just work straight down the middle of finlayson arm - or up by pay bay towards wain rock.

quote:still fish around, just nobody is talking

sorry thats BS, there are few fish and even fewer fisherman in the inlet, nobody is talking cause nobody is catching. From Nanaimo south there really isn't a deader piece of water.

I grew up fishing there also in our bayline the "Humbug" - if you fished 10 years ago you probably saw us.

 

[scott craven]

quote:Originally posted by Poppa Swiss
sorry thats BS, there are few fish and even fewer fisherman in the inlet, nobody is talking cause nobody is catching. From Nanaimo south there really isn't a deader piece of water.

The guys who fish Thrasher,Porlier etc. seem to do pretty good