Chum Daily Limit Change
- Thread starter Derby
- Start date
Tightlines22
Well-Known Member
The vast majority of people on here are ethical fishers and believe in doing what we can to be sustainable in our practices.
I think what some are implying is that there is an optimal number of fish that any system can handle. Imagine your household if you had 75 or 100 people living under one roof. Can yu imagine what it would be like with a finite supply of food. Same in the spawning grounds where fry have a finite supply of food to draw on. If there are too many fry, many will be smaller and weaker leaving that cycle vulnerable to survival.
If numbers of fish returning are clearly above those optimal levels then why not allow and encourage others to fish/harvest?
I have no doubt most anglers on this site are ethical; even more reason to let these fish spawn. Perhaps you should do some research on chum salmon and their life history. They leave freshwater nearly immediately, no freshwater residency, no smaller or weaker fry.
Derby
Crew Member
Derby
Crew Member
SpringVelocity
Crew Member
Lets derail the post where are you?
You know - if this was a forum of car aficionados - and occasionally a few mechanics wanted to contribute and share their knowledge - so that the drivers/owners could get more out of their cars by understanding how they work - I think I would be appreciative of their input - rather than trying to invalidate their input. IMHO...
finaddict
Well-Known Member
Not sure about the rest of you gents, but my limit for river caught chum further than 200 meters from the estuary is ZERO. Having said that, I do remember fishing the Chehalis many years ago and weeding my way through several fair hooked chum looking for a nice bright coho. There was an older gentleman fishing about 100 m upstream from me and he was having very little luck. He noticed me letting several of the chums go and seemed quote frustrated by it. Finally I was able to hook into a decent coho hatchery buck and I was able to land and dispatched him.
As I was walking up the river on my way out and happily carrying my coho, I noticed that this gentleman had finally hooked a big black buck chum and had brought it in and killed it. I was rather shocked to see a true Purple striped Tiger Trout with nearly no tissue left between the fin rays and several patches of fungus on this fish. I blurted out (without thinking) "You're not actually going to eat that are you?" The gentleman responded in a very thick Eastern European accent; "You are from here? Den you are spoilt und you doan know vat is gut foot. You sink dat jus zee coho ees gut to eat? You are spoilt spoilt man. In olt country, vee vould be happy to have zis"
It made me realize that while some people see them as only fertilizer, others still see them as food.
As I was walking up the river on my way out and happily carrying my coho, I noticed that this gentleman had finally hooked a big black buck chum and had brought it in and killed it. I was rather shocked to see a true Purple striped Tiger Trout with nearly no tissue left between the fin rays and several patches of fungus on this fish. I blurted out (without thinking) "You're not actually going to eat that are you?" The gentleman responded in a very thick Eastern European accent; "You are from here? Den you are spoilt und you doan know vat is gut foot. You sink dat jus zee coho ees gut to eat? You are spoilt spoilt man. In olt country, vee vould be happy to have zis"
It made me realize that while some people see them as only fertilizer, others still see them as food.
lazylump
Active Member
Personally I think chum are the best smoking fish and I usually fish in the estuary where there can be some nice fresh bright fish moving through. Most people don't seem to keep that many and where I fish the total haul by sport fishers appears pretty negligible. Fished with a float and jig it's rare to snag one and they aren't flossed. It's a ton of fun and nice change to fish for salmon without worrying about wind and weather or boat motors etc.
I understand the role the salmon play in the ecosystem, but in a healthy run I can't see keeping a few for the smoker really causes any harm. The vast majority are taken by commercial boats and you don't see them for sale in the super market.
I understand the role the salmon play in the ecosystem, but in a healthy run I can't see keeping a few for the smoker really causes any harm. The vast majority are taken by commercial boats and you don't see them for sale in the super market.
SpringVelocity
Crew Member
People seem to have no problem hammering them in ocean on approach. What makes you different? Then we get some good news. High returns of chinook coho and now chum. Now they relaxed restrictions for some chum. Please keep in mind that cowichan is one of the worst heavily restricted areas. The entire bay and all aproach areas are banned from fishing beginning august. Yet many areas open all August. I say let people fish.
Humans have been eating fish from rivers for years. Over sized returns? more food for all the creatures. Humans have been apart of salmon ecosystems for thousands a years... runs this size can support people taking there share.
Lets all be happy this is case this year, with a sizable spring return too.
Lets all be happy this is case this year, with a sizable spring return too.
God thats a good one. ill be using that!
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