Parked at the confluence

[Roe Bags]

The annual christmas eve massacre has come and gone once again! This year me and Vinny decided to sneak the jetboat into the lower sproat boatlaunch making sure we were first to the confluence area! Loading the boat at 730 with all the best bait the area has to offer, fresh summer run chunk harvested from the day befores collection in the upper river. Nitinat chum and spring berries tied up by master tyer and jetsman vince gee, thx vince! Floating down to the upper lips just above the stamp/sproat confluence. The Sproat was up but running almost gin clear meeting the stamp and creating that orgasmic seam running down the somass. I was given first cast of the day, click goes the cutta out the back of the boat my gibbs bobbing all of about 10 feet, dip and u guessed it....set!! Fish on!!! A screamer shooting up past the boat and then back down again. The roar of another jet popps my head up, Matt with a couple guests and a disgusted look on his face!! Wondering how the hell were we already there and already a fish on! Roar another jet flys upriver, Nick of west coast full throttle as usual....not looking happy either! Usually parked for half the day in the exact spot were in. Not this day I say to myself, we aint moving! Landing the 8 pound hatchery buck, and giving it the early morning tomahawk! One in the boat 3 more to go! Giving Vinny the next cast, u guessed it fresh summer chunk and wamo again!! Another clone to the buck, but a doe to boot!! Tomahawk again!! Number 2 as me and Vinny giggle to ourselfes, our early morning sneakyness has paid off!! We take a break and warm our hands on heater buddy, and enjoying some early morning smoke! The carnage continues as we move around up and down the confluence area flogging it with with our juicey bait. Hammer hole, outfront jacks lodge, the nice choppy water just below the confluence and down to the slate infront of murphs place! All producing fresh wild and hatchery steelhead. Some spots slower than others with a few lulls in the action to keep us on our toes! We ended up hooking 16 steelhead, landing 12, 8 hatchery and 4 " thats a wild one's" All in all another great day on the stamp!! Get out there......as Nog says Theeeeeeeere Heeeeeeeere!!!

 

[Mouthhouse]

I've got an old trout priest thats great for bonking bums who excessively "tomahawk" fish they dont really need.....got a big turkey a roast and a couple of chicken breasts in the freezer...mind you i can afford to go grocery shopping. I can understand that fuel for the jet boats can be very expensive!!!!!leading me to understand the need to "tomahawk" many beautiful steelies for breakfast lunch and dinner!!! or like many fisherman i have seen before, maybe just leave them as freezerburnt trophies till next years fun!!! Happy killing!!!!lol..p.s Nog...3rd gen island flyfisher here....never killed a steelhead....to each their own...kinda sensitive after seeing the cow get decimated...such beautiful fish..Merry christmas all!

 

[IronNoggin]

Sounds like you had a great day Bags! Congrats!!
Taking today off (at the Missuz' insistance of course) but will be back at her again early anon. Hope you didn't manage to sore-lip 'em all

Merry Ho Ho!!

Cheers,
Nog

PS: Hey Mouthy One, who peed in your corn flakes this mornin'??[B)]

 

[Charter Tofino]

what you didnt even get them on the fly and u bonked them? haha jj what a goof. sweet report hopefully get out there tommorow

 

[vince gee]

You calling bags a goof kellya????

 

[Charter Tofino]

no no not bags that guy givin him heck for grabin dinner and thinkin hes god. sorry sarcasm doesnt work well on internet. bags sounds like a good guy and good fisherman. ps vince kellya? you member of other board?

 

[Mouthhouse]

whatever turns your crank....like i said to each their own...just givin ya a hard time.....do you eat the summers or just "massacre" them for the roe???

 

[Charter Tofino]

isnt keeping a hatchery fish ok? most see it as a put and take fishery. Does anyone know what the impact is? do hatch fish spawn more than once ushually?

 

[Mouthhouse]

From what I have read over the years , the main reason the hatcheries get their funding from the gov and other sponsors is in direct relation to proof of over fishing, environmental impact....ie, logging etc...The stamp is such a beautiful river, and i know there are alot of fairly healthy tribs in the area, I would hate to see it go the way of the east coast rivers....not a happy reality...I grew up on the koksilah which was 10 min by bike to the Cowichan, I am 34 and as a 10 year old kid through to age 16 approx...i can remember there was rarely a day I did not hook into a beautiful wild fish....!! Now the kok is closed to fishing most of the year and the steel counts are almost non-existant...and dont get me started about the cowichan!!!theres a reason they turned it to flyfish only up top!!!Like I keep saying to each their own, but my grandfather told me to never take fish unless you NEED it for food ...I guess you really have to see it, and have something you really loved gone before you realize how much you appreciate it ....fish on...Mouth.

 

[wolf]

Totally here what your saying Mouth, I get enough salmon that I dont need or want to bonk a steelhead BUT I dont mind someone else doing it and not going to say otherwise thats there right too.

I was up fishing in Terrace and the rivers and streams up there a couple of years back and the guy that took me out wanted me to bonk every one I caught I told him NO I caught and I want to let it go. his motto "WE KILL EVERYTHING UP HERE" then i asked him if this fishing was good as we were getting maybe 10 steel a day he went on about how 5 years earlier they would get up to 40 to 50 a day. I said well the writing on the wall isnt it he thought about it for a while and I hope he has changed somewhat but you never know and used the EVI as an example.

And i know what you mean about the kok I first started as a kid there with my father catching steel in there I think i was 6 or 7 at the time my first time out with him and we bonked everything but that was dfferent times then,when people smoked in bars and department stores etc.

TIMES ARE CHANGING BOYS AND NOT FOR THE GOOD!!!!!


Good luck Wolf

 

[Rum Buddies]

quote:fresh summer run chunk harvested from the day befores collection in the upper river. Nitinat chum and spring berries tied up by master tyer and jetsman vince gee

Not the most convservation based quote I've read. Just the way that phrase is written impies that you killed the summer, chum and chinook for their roe.

And seeing as all three would have been in pretty suspect shape I can't imagine you eating them either. Unless of course you love the taste of rotten salmon and poor worn out summer run.


not to mention going out with a clear goal to get your limit of steelhead [xx(][xx(]

quote:One in the boat 3 more to go

 

[Mouthhouse]

i tell yah what....feel a 10 lb steel on an 8 wt fly setup and then have a cold beer handed to you as you release that fish...well then...thats an enjoyable scenario...and should be considered average i guess for most of us....woohoo...hand me another...merry christmas ladies and gents....wow...imagine tellin your kids about that kind of reality...hope i can...HAPPYHOLIDAYS!!!!!!...

 

[Blackleech]

Interesting conversation, boys! I'm going to have to agree with Mouth though, with the amount of stocked trout in the lakes and winter springs in the chuck there's just no need to bonk beautiful chrome.
Cheers

 

[chevyshaulass]

Ok I'll stir this pot a bit. I hardly ever keep a steelhead. Th e last time I kept one was 2 seasons ago and I only kept it because i gave it a gillshot. There are 2 reasons why I dont keep steelhead, reason one being the same thing Mouthhouse is talking about. If every person on the river kills 2 every time they go out, after a few years of it there will be hardly anything left to spawn, and sooner than later, the SSS will be closing on Nov. 1st until the spring. The other reason I dont keep steelhead is simply because I have a freezer full of salmon still and I dont need to add to it. It sickens me to see, and yes I have seen it, people that have a freezer full of salmon, kill every hatchery steelhead that they possibly can. I know people that kill so many steelhead that their license is full by january, and you know what happens then????Somehow their license will just dissappear into the river. They march down to the access center and 10 bucks later they have a fresh license and no one will ever know about the 10 dead steelhead in their freezer from the days before. Back out they go to kill another 10 another day. Like mouthhouse said, to each their own. I just think its a little ridiculous.

 

[IronNoggin]

Easy here Gentz

We're talking about a system that is INTENTIONALLY enhanced specifically</u> to provide for a "put and take" fishery. The hatchery does a rather fine job of that IMHO, and the numbers are (at minimum) stable at this point. Now, were we to be chatting about a completely "Wild", non-enhanced system, I would tend to agree. They shouldn't be bonked, nor exposed to too much pressure.

And yes, there are likely some Fish Hogs as a few have described above, both local and those from afar. Those gentz need a lesson in what it's all about alright. But I do believe they are in the minority. An awfull lot of eyes and ears on this little flow...

And yes, while I do have a handfull of salmon (and halibut, and yelloweyes) in the freezer to tide me over until the next season, I do very much like a change from time to time, and the odd hatch clone slow smoked on the Barbee fits that rather nicely. With 28 to hand thus far (winters that is) this season, and by far the majority of them hatchery, I have taken but four. Two my Missuz and I thoroughly enjoyed, the other two went to an older couple that very much like, and appreciate them. Can't really see that hurtin' the resource too much, and think old RoeBags is rather similiar in his "hit" here as well.

Just some food for thought, before we all get a little too High 'n Mighty for our britches...

Cheers,
Nog

 

[Roe Bags]

Just to clear things up for everybody, because I see most of you have come to your own conclusion. We hooked around 25 fish in the upper river the day before. The majority of them summer runs with the exception of 3 winters. All carefully netted with a soft mesh catch and release net. We did keep one summer fish that was hooked very deep with bleeding gills. In very bad shape we decided to keep it for the smoker! As far as keeping our limits on Christmas eve we do this every year and only on Christmas eve. The fish are given away to family and friends that would otherwise not enjoy fresh fish over the holidays. Between me and Vinny we have landed well over 50 winters this year and keep 4, if were guilty for keeping a a couple then so be it. Alot of u need to get off your high horses and get out there and hook one of these screamers, because theres tons around!

 

[wolf]

Hey Bags I said good on ya as I dont mind I said that for me personally I just like to let them go just like i told you (if you can remember that LOL)when you and someone else took me out. That is your right to so bonk away would really like to go again miss the river.


Good luck Wolf

 

[Roe Bags]

Beads!!

 

[wolf]

You had to edit the last post bags LOL LOL lost for words ???????


Wolf

 

[Roe Bags]

Nope no loss for words, Vince has way to much free time on his hands at work and cracked my password! A new password has been issued and Vinny will be back to the drawing board!!