My friend from Ahousat was telling me that the band's food fishing trollers are averaging 10 - 12 nice smileys a morning the last 2 weeks. [:0]
Some actually migrate throughout the year - as in year around! [:0][:0]quote:Originally posted by Tofinoguy
My friend from Ahousat was telling me that the band's food fishing trollers are averaging 10 - 12 nice smileys a morning the last 2 weeks. [:0]
Yes but they do seem to show up in waves
I would expect to see some large numbers of Columbia Springers starting to show up on LaPerouse in a few weeks. Probably the best source of run timing off the banks will come from the old commercial troll data...anyone have access to that??
Searun
bring em cant wait[8D]
Smiley66
There used to be April 15th openings when i 1st moved here in the 80'squote:Originally posted by searun
I would expect to see some large numbers of Columbia Springers starting to show up on LaPerouse in a few weeks. Probably the best source of run timing off the banks will come from the old commercial troll data...anyone have access to that??
Searun
The Springs start entering the Columbia in “numbers” mid March. Depending on conditions it takes from two-three weeks up to a month for them to travel from WCVI to the Columbia. The numbers really start increasing in the middle of April and continue through the middle of May, then start tapering down. They take another look at the numbers in the Columbia the first week of May, to determine the accuracy of the run size prediction, as the “run” is then considered half over. WDFW is opening the season March 1. As of February 18, WDFW has upped the estimate to 559,900, over twice as many as last year, so you should have plenty of early fish. Don’t over analyze or think, if you want to catch a “Columbian”, just get out there and enjoy the fishing. If you miss the main run or “waves”, you will still catch fish! If you do miss those "waves", just drop to the bottom and pick up some of those nice “residents”!
I assure you, the Columbia Spring run have started their migration and are migrating “now”, but the main "numbers" of fish should be more towards the middle of April lasting though the middle of May!
http://wdfw.wa.gov/do/newreal/release.php?id=feb1810c
Here are some other interesting facts about the Columbia basin fishery. This is from the 2006 “hatchery” reports and it equates to the four year olds returning this year. There was a total of 98,919,232 hatchery fished released throughout the Columbia basin in 2006. Yes, that is millions – pretty close to 100 million in one year. Out of that approximately 55 million have “no” markings at all. That would be about 55 million “hatchery” fish running around out there that everyone thinks is “wild”! They marked 2,583,524 by the removal of the maxillary or ventral fins only – these fish still have their adipose fin. Canada released 753,359 out of Okanogan River, which migrate through the Columbia and they all had the adipose fin removed.
http://www.fpc.org/hatchery/Hatchery...ationYear.html
BTW… even though over 50% of those hatchery fish are unclipped, they are still listed for protection under the Endangered Species Act and there is nothing wrong with “catch & release” on those fish! Enjoy, but leave some for my “Grandkids”!
I'm going to sound like Dr. Evil when I repeat..."1 MILLION SMOLTS, or I meant to say..100 MILLION SMOLTS"...OMG, that is a crap pile of fish production. Can you arrange to have your guys talk to DFO any time soon and give the a swift kick in the pants to get busy and start matching that level of production. I'll be down to the cabin getting it ready early this year to get off shore in March and April to do a little interception. Thanks for sharing your fish.[][
Searun
If you can get out I have had wonderful spring fishing on the highway off of winter harbour on the last week of April-I always thought they were Columbia's-It has happened 3 times in the last 7 years so I think most years the run is there-whether you can get out to fish it is another problem entirely!!!
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