this years outlook on westcoast salmon fishing

[scottyboy]

anyone with an inside scoop ??

 

[scott craven]

new article in island fisherman says expect similar or slightly
better chinook fishing than in 2005 on WCVI and Juan de fuca.
looks not as good on the inside
maybe , who knows ?

 

[scottyboy]

last year was alright , i just wish it was like it was years ago inside and out . i just hate that fish over 30lbs are becoming few and far between . chinooks over 30lbs use 2 be a regular thing , now i just let them go , hopeing that 1 day those big fish will return for my daughters and there kids ect ect can have fun as i have . i hope are furure fishery is gonna be ok . people just remember big fish make big fish , let them big pigs go

 

[Yote]

I have heard that there are concerns over some of the river returns this year and DFO is considering some closures this year in areas that have previously not experienced closures before both inside and out. I hope it's not true but this info is from a reliable source. If it doesn't happen, I can assure you that it was seriously contemlated this year.

 

[fishinmaniac]

Latest edition of BC Outdoors has the 2006 forecast. If predictions are accurate, should be a good year, except for Georgia Strait.

I am also hearing about new closures to protect runs on certain rivers. On the positive side, there has been rumours about Lingcod openings in Georgia Strait and Johnstone Strait.

 

[OldBlackDog]

This year will be ok on the outside and hardy area.
The Georgia Straight will have to wait for the returns as few fish are hanging around now.
There is a concern for Coho on the ECVI and we will have to wait to see what happens.Lingcod has yet to be decided on the inside, could be July, but who knows.

It should be as good for last year.

 

[dance a jig]

I understand there is a large snowpack now, which suggests higher summer runoffs. Since I dont keep a log of such, does anyone know if on other years with higher summer runoffs, the fish came inside (ie. Nootka, Barclay) earlier than normal? Just a thought as I anticipate the summer season

Dance a Jig

 

[alley cat]

I looked back over a few years that I kept a log in and around the late '80s and early '90s and it seemed the trigger to have them come in soon was rain , not run off from snow pack , water temperatures seemed to play a large part in the need to seed as it were , in that the sudden dash didn't occur until the seasonal temperatures or change in offshore currents dropped the main body of salt chuck water to 49 degs or lower......then that coupled with persistent rains heralded the charge in to the shallower waters in earlier than usual dates.

AL

 

[yammy5]

The variables that affect salmon survival are endless, from feed migration patterns to ocean temperatures to the traditional run variations. A lot of the fish we get off WestCoast Vanc Is are actually US fish so many of the fluctuations we see are a result of spawning conditions and commercial/sport harvest numbers from Washington State and California. Not to mention deep sea poaching and river poaching. It's difficult to predict but I'm just thankful they pass by our backdoor every year! My theory is this...despite the salmon farming complaints that abound, the salmon farming industry has greatly reduced the number of commercial boats and as a result has increased the number of wild salmon that make it to the spawning beds. As a sport fisherman I am happy to see more fish around, but as an ex-commercial fisherman it's tough to watch the industry suffer. Frankly I think we need to get better control of our river fisheries (legal and otherwise) and we'd see much higher reproduction numbers.