Area 23 Bamfield 2 under 77 cm

[Seaspanker]

Just back from Bamfield , So how many Over 77 cm did you put back ? we [ two boats ] returned at least 40 well over the magic 77 cm mark . Torpedo method worked the best ! All this regulation did was to force the smaller boats off shore that should not have been out there ! kinda stupid to see 12' tinners in 5 ft swells 2 miles plus out there ! i hope the people with too much education do a better job than this year in the future with their decision making ,and consider the safety element , there were lots of larger fish this year ! Any body got other comments ! like how a lot of people turned themselves into poachers cause they simply could not return a nice one ! At the worst the daily one over and one under works ! just my two cents .

 

[harper44]

Huh? Regs are written to protect fish stocks, not protect some inexperienced captain from taking risks he shouldn't. It's certainly not the DFO's responsibility to ensure guys stay safe on the water. That's up to the captain.

If you went to Bamfield knowing there was a 77 cm limit and then released more than 40 oversized fish, it's sounds like you had one hell of an epic trip. Why are you bitching about it??


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[Last Chance]

The reason that regulation is in place is because there are fewer then 6000 naturally spawning springs on WCVI strrams..

 

[Aces]

Just back from Bamfield , So how many Over 77 cm did you put back ? we [ two boats ] returned at least 40 well over the magic 77 cm mark . Torpedo method worked the best ! All this regulation did was to force the smaller boats off shore that should not have been out there ! kinda stupid to see 12' tinners in 5 ft swells 2 miles plus out there ! i hope the people with too much education do a better job than this year in the future with their decision making ,and consider the safety element , there were lots of larger fish this year ! Any body got other comments ! like how a lot of people turned themselves into poachers cause they simply could not return a nice one ! At the worst the daily one over and one under works ! just my two cents .

Maybe learn the reason why the regs are in place before spouting off!!

 

[Last Chance]

http://www.sportfishingbc.com/forum...August-22-2012-WCVI-Chinook-WCVI-Chinook-Fish

And there are lots of places to fish in a tinner.

 

[Slabby20]

Not many spawners this year. Be happy it was open at all. If yahoos keep poaching over sized fish it might not be in future years.

 

[Bod]

Not many spawners this year. Be happy it was open at all. If yahoos keep poaching over sized fish it might not be in future years.

So who are these yahoos poaching over size fish? Did you report them? I fish mostly offshore but with this weather I've been inside and of 28 springs in 3 days of fishing only 5 were over 77cm. I think there is a good reason for releasing them. Lots of small springs to fill the limit.

 

[Part Timer]

Just back from Bamfield , So how many Over 77 cm did you put back ? we [ two boats ] returned at least 40 well over the magic 77 cm mark . Torpedo method worked the best ! All this regulation did was to force the smaller boats off shore that should not have been out there ! kinda stupid to see 12' tinners in 5 ft swells 2 miles plus out there ! i hope the people with too much education do a better job than this year in the future with their decision making ,and consider the safety element , there were lots of larger fish this year ! Any body got other comments ! like how a lot of people turned themselves into poachers cause they simply could not return a nice one ! At the worst the daily one over and one under works ! just my two cents .

Are you for real? This regulation is about the fish and our future to be able to enjoy putting a hook in the water. The fact that small boats are out where they should not be is totally the decision of the people on board. I'm sure if you spent the money to go out the canal, you also took the time to read the regulations and new of the non retention. Now you should study up on why it is there in the regs, before complaining. Lots of other areas to fish.

Last week my boat threw back 5 over 77 one morning, of which the biggest was 91 cm. Photos and back in the water immediately, unharmed was actually a good feeling and those on my boat were more than happy to follow the rules. We did observe others that were not of the same opinion and kept fish well over size. Boats were registered with WN, OR and BC registrations. I hope fisheries gets a little busier on the checking boats inside.

 

[searun]

Fished inside Barkley Sound almost every day last few weeks, with only 4 or 5 days off shore mixed in. I keep a daily catch log for DFO and my experience has been we are releasing between 1 and 3 per day that are over the 77 cm mark. Not sure how many boats that report posted was covering, but 40 fish seems pretty unusual luck from what I'm seeing and hearing from other guides.

The purpose behind the regulation is to protect the Age 4 and 5 adults returning as this is a low return for the age 4 fish. Each brood year will return with the majority coming back as age 4 adults - about 65%. About 15% come back as undersize (below 77 cm) age 3 fish. The reason for selecting 77 cm as the slot size is the majority of fish under 77 cm are males and age 3, so they would not contribute biologically to the spawn. Thus they are the fish we should be safe in harvesting as opposed to the age 4 & 5 fish, which contain the large spawning females.

I have been collecting DNA samples of Barkley caught fish for DFO for the past 2 weeks and all but 3 fish under 77 cm were male based on a current sample size of 49 fish. While I haven't always had time to take samples, when I have the data so far is showing the 77 cm rule is effective in weeding out the females. So the purpose behind the regulation this year only is to ensure we get all the Age 4 & 5 fish back into the river so we have enough eggs to support the hatchery program.

Therefore, I fully support the current decision to move to the 2 under regulation so long as the run forecast is accurate. So far from what I'm seeing and hearing it appears to be accurate and we should be leaning on the side of caution when making decisions that potentially impact the future of the run in my view.

With the large number of age 3 fish coming in there is lots of opportunity for guys to get their catch and have a great time with no need to worry much about having to release the odd one over 77 cm. I would also note, the large number of fish under 77 cm so far this season bodes well as a predictor for how many fish are coming next season when the main run returns. Let's cross our fingers and hope the Alaskan Commercial fleet doesn't whack em.

 

[KV1]

The reason that regulation is in place is because there are fewer then 6000 naturally spawning springs on WCVI strrams..

Nice to see them looking after our interests....NOT! How about the commercial guys clobbering them offshore I believe to the tune of 7500 fish. DFO look after GOV't interests who look after their buddies!

 

[searun]

We did observe others that were not of the same opinion and kept fish well over size. Boats were registered with WN, OR and BC registrations. I hope fisheries gets a little busier on the checking boats inside.

Agreed, I have seen a few doing this as well. Took pic's of the boat and registration numbers with my phone and texted them to DFO.

Not my job to enforce the regulation, but can at least let the enforcement guys know which boats to check. I've also seen my share of guys who are measuring and returning large fish. I would say that is the majority of guys from my observations.

One quick measuring tool is to cut a piece of dowel to 77 cm and you can lay that in the water beside the fish for a quick measure. Anything that is close if you need to bring it into the boat for a more accurate measure there is a small tip I can pass along. We learned from catching brood stock that if you turn the fish upside down (belly up) it will calm them down instantly. It knocks their equilibrium off and temporarily calms the fish down so you can handle the fish more safely in a situation where you need to handle it. This works great if you want to simply tail the fish in the water to do a quick measure and/or remove the hooks.

Of course the best way is for any fish that is clearly over the slot is to flip the hook out with your gaff without actually handling the fish.

 

[seaneld150]

Spent 2 days at McKay bay lodge. Hit 24 springs in our group and only released 5 over size. Most were in the 60-65cm and beautiful

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[Last Chance]

The bulk of the fish offshore on the highway are not WCVI fish. The major stakeholders all agreed on the surfline size limit for area 23 north. CWT data showed the catch composition.

No one likes letting the big ones go, this was noy to start a fight. Out of many many bad regulations, this is a good one. Just think, only 6k naturally spawning un hatchery springs. Be lucky one can fish. As far as 12 foot boats go, well, there are all kinds of places to go get a big one other then WCVI.. Sooke, Nanaimo, CR, to name a few.

DFO is a mess but on occasion they do come out with a decent piece of legislation that ballances the needs of all stakeholders as best as the fishing will allow.. Having sent in hundreds of CWT heads and several log books I have been a part of a few of these processes.

 

[Sculpin]

Thank you for the explanations guys . I know it is hard to do around here lately but this one is important big time. Kudos to all of those that are releasing these fish properly .

If you see people keeping over's please report them on the spot if you can. I know the enforcement was out hot and heavy earlier this summer but we need them to crack down even harder now!!!

 

[spring fever]

One point to consider-if you are in a 77cm or under area or in an area where you might have to release fish-please use single barbless hooks-makes a boat side release with a gaff or pliers so much easier and makes your contribution to the cause meaningful by sending back a healthy fish!!

 

[the fog ducker]

released 40 over ?
small boats being forced offshore ?
thats rediculous , our docks have plenty of fish under 77 ,
on average since Aug 1 , 2 of 6 or 7 perhaps , varies day to day
plenty of fish for all inshore , good mix of coho ,
also sick of hearing the whiners at the docks ,mostly out of towners ,
have zero clue why this rule is in place this year ,
it is what it is , get over it....
do your homewor kor keep it to yourself , or find a different area to fish perhaps ,

get out here and have some fun like the rest of us , its really not that bad

now off ta the tub in this monsoon ,

fd

 

[searun]

OK this one is HOT off the press. DFO Biologist has been reworking the data from the recent catch info. They are still fine tuning the numbers, but feel fairly confident the run will be UPGRADED to 70,000 fish or thereabouts. This is made up largely of 3 year old fish, but the data seems to be supporting the possibility there is a larger number of age 4 fish than originally forecast. Hmmm. Flies in face of what I have personally observed, and what my log books show.

Nevertheless, there is a strong possibility we will be moving to 1 under 77 cm and 1 over for both Barkley Sound and the Alberni Inlet. This is not a move to "full limits" which would see the Inlet moving to 2 of any size.

Was cautioned that this is preliminary and work is still being done to confirm the data and possibility there could be changes. Timeline is work will be completed in next day or so, with likely decision being made Thursday.

As stated previously, my personal observation is there are not as many large fish as the model apparently is now saying. My preference would be to take a conservative view and leave things status quo unless the data is very compelling (haven't had benefit of seeing data analysis yet).

 

[Derby]

My data is pretty much the same as your... I have to agree....

 

[AquaDisiacIII]

I just read, and this is according to Gone Fishin since i cant see any update on the dfo website yet, that there will an an opening for a 1 over, 1 under 77cm for the derby.

 

[trophywife]

Fishn the sound and hearing nothing but rumour... Come on dfo,, release the official info!! I gotta date with a tyee in satellite passage!!