Subject: Cowichan River closure- a portion of the river

Now with the Vedder, the broodstocking will have begun a couple days ago. Tubing the very few wilds that are in the river. Pretty funny how nobody can figure out or want to talk about out why our early season gets worse and worse. The fact we are taking broodstock from a few other creeks in the LM to create kill fisheries on systems that are barely surviving is archaic and short sighted.

Hopefully this warm up next week will push some more fish in. As someone who is out multiple times and full days each week with near perfect water conditions it is pretty bleak returns so far.

IMO we are at a point with our steelhead fisheries that us as anglers need to take a hard look in the mirror and make some choices regarding taking wilds to support "kill fisheries".

Left out another factor that seems to be hush hush. The amount of seals residing year round now in the Fraser is also a contributing factor to the problems our steelhead face. There was 3 in the canal the last month and a bit....not to mention the other ones in Stave, Harrison and any other larger body of water that flows into the Fraser.
Lead intervention needs to happen asap.
 
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The island is full of rivers with no broodstock program. They have next to no fish and nobody fishing them anymore. Be careful what you wish for!
 
The hatchery brood option has long since sailed here on the vast majority of rivers here on the island. The stamp/somass still has a few, that is about it.
 
Any new reports anyone wants to share on the Cowichan ? I see the vedder has really picked up fish wise. Some really nice fish weighed in the Wally Hall derby.
 
"The Cowichan River won the number two spot for the best fishing spot of the year".

Perhaps the popularity is because it is the only stream left on the East side of the island that has any amount of fish, and that isn't saying much, Steelhead are down, the Rainbows for the most part are tiddlers and most of the good sized Brown trout have names. Still fishing though and a beautiful stream where one can stillfind a spot to themselves for at least a little while.
 
I think that was some people's argument for keeping the hatchery was to use it as a backstop incase of events like this.

hopefully bounces back, with decent ocean survival
 
Headed to the Cowichan next week for a guided day on the water, hoping to wet a line and explore some of the river the day before.
Any body willing to share insight/reports on the river
Cheers
 
So it opens back up to angling on May 1st.
What's gonna be some good flies?
fry patterns, stoneflies, march brown mayflies???
 
I went to the river 3 times in the first week of May. Hooked 4 fish, one Brown trout, 3 rainbow, as far as I could tell.
2 on small black spinners, one on a small Kamlooper spoon, and One on a muddler type fly.
Sunbathers showed up Saturday as the weather was very sunny. Lots of flies hatching.
 
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