Did anybody ever fish for steelhead in goldsream . As a kid in the 70's when chasing trout we had the odd one on. In the 80's fished it a few times when the water looked good and you know had some good days. Very hard to land those fresh fish in the small pools and runs, most of the time they spooled you going up or down river. I know the river is closed, hopefully there's some left for the future.
Goldstream steel
- Thread starter KCW
- Start date
steeliehead
Active Member
Caught a summer-run about 6 lbs in September during the late '90's on a small mepps while trout fishing as a teenager. Still gets a few winters I think.
steeliehead
Active Member
Caught a summer-run about 6 lbs in September during the late '90's on a small mepps while trout fishing as a teenager. Still gets a few winters I think.
There are still some fish returning, but the hatchery people don't like to admit it . They probably get less than a dozen winter fish and it seems that any summer runs are probably gone.
If they acknowledge a return, it could impact on their ability manage other stocks vis vis the wild salmon policy. So they claim there are no natal salmonids left. Too bad.
If they acknowledge a return, it could impact on their ability manage other stocks vis vis the wild salmon policy. So they claim there are no natal salmonids left. Too bad.
There are still some fish returning, but the hatchery people don't like to admit it . They probably get less than a dozen winter fish and it seems that any summer runs are probably gone.
If they acknowledge a return, it could impact on their ability manage other stocks vis vis the wild salmon policy. So they claim there are no natal salmonids left. Too bad.
If they acknowledge a return, it could impact on their ability manage other stocks vis vis the wild salmon policy. So they claim there are no natal salmonids left. Too bad.
One day I stopped at the river (80's) just before dark, lost one and caught one about 10lbs. The next day went back in the morning and fished along the highway every run and pool had fish in them, they weren't spooky and didn't matter what was offerd. Lot's of the fish just went up river breaking me off, went to straight mainline 20lb and was still loosing. Fished about 3 days on them before they went above the no fishing zone. I don't know how many fish I hooked or landed, even caught some fly fishing. Was one of the best few days of steelhead fishing I have had. And being almost new to steelhead fishing was in awe. Over the years if the water looked good, would try it ,caught a few but not much. Wild steelhead was catch and release at that time.
One day I stopped at the river (80's) just before dark, lost one and caught one about 10lbs. The next day went back in the morning and fished along the highway every run and pool had fish in them, they weren't spooky and didn't matter what was offerd. Lot's of the fish just went up river breaking me off, went to straight mainline 20lb and was still loosing. Fished about 3 days on them before they went above the no fishing zone. I don't know how many fish I hooked or landed, even caught some fly fishing. Was one of the best few days of steelhead fishing I have had. And being almost new to steelhead fishing was in awe. Over the years if the water looked good, would try it ,caught a few but not much. Wild steelhead was catch and release at that time.
Cuba Libre
Well-Known Member
HUH????? care to explain your conspiracy theory???
20ft Alumaweld Intruder
Cuba Libre
Well-Known Member
HUH????? care to explain your conspiracy theory???
20ft Alumaweld Intruder
My uncle and Dad would take me to Goldstream as a teen. My uncle showed me all the good lies but I never caught a thing. Then one snowy day, my Dad suggested that we go out and give it a try.
I was fishing a small pool behind a drop off below the highway bridge where the river moves away from the road but before you get to the main parking lot. Slipped a gob of roe onto my hook, hung my rod out over the river and fed the line down into the shallow pool (<3ft deep). Well faster than you could say fish-on!!, the rod tip dropped and I struck, launching the fish clear out of the water and onto the rocks beside me. A couple of whacks up side of the head with a rock and it was all over. I proudly carried my 6 lb steelhead out of the bush to the roadside trail and proceeded downstream to find my Dad. That was my first ever steelhead and the only one I've ever caught from that river.
I live fairly close to there and still go down to the river every once in a while just to take a look around. As a matter of fact, I was down there yesterday, just getting some fresh air, taking a look around, and reminising about my Dad and uncle,(who've both passed on now) and kind of thanking them in my own little way. They're the ones that taught me about steelhead, conservation, and countless other important things related to the outdoors.
Thanks for posting.
Seafood, eat it, then catch more.
I was fishing a small pool behind a drop off below the highway bridge where the river moves away from the road but before you get to the main parking lot. Slipped a gob of roe onto my hook, hung my rod out over the river and fed the line down into the shallow pool (<3ft deep). Well faster than you could say fish-on!!, the rod tip dropped and I struck, launching the fish clear out of the water and onto the rocks beside me. A couple of whacks up side of the head with a rock and it was all over. I proudly carried my 6 lb steelhead out of the bush to the roadside trail and proceeded downstream to find my Dad. That was my first ever steelhead and the only one I've ever caught from that river.
I live fairly close to there and still go down to the river every once in a while just to take a look around. As a matter of fact, I was down there yesterday, just getting some fresh air, taking a look around, and reminising about my Dad and uncle,(who've both passed on now) and kind of thanking them in my own little way. They're the ones that taught me about steelhead, conservation, and countless other important things related to the outdoors.
Thanks for posting.
Seafood, eat it, then catch more.
My uncle and Dad would take me to Goldstream as a teen. My uncle showed me all the good lies but I never caught a thing. Then one snowy day, my Dad suggested that we go out and give it a try.
I was fishing a small pool behind a drop off below the highway bridge where the river moves away from the road but before you get to the main parking lot. Slipped a gob of roe onto my hook, hung my rod out over the river and fed the line down into the shallow pool (<3ft deep). Well faster than you could say fish-on!!, the rod tip dropped and I struck, launching the fish clear out of the water and onto the rocks beside me. A couple of whacks up side of the head with a rock and it was all over. I proudly carried my 6 lb steelhead out of the bush to the roadside trail and proceeded downstream to find my Dad. That was my first ever steelhead and the only one I've ever caught from that river.
I live fairly close to there and still go down to the river every once in a while just to take a look around. As a matter of fact, I was down there yesterday, just getting some fresh air, taking a look around, and reminising about my Dad and uncle,(who've both passed on now) and kind of thanking them in my own little way. They're the ones that taught me about steelhead, conservation, and countless other important things related to the outdoors.
Thanks for posting.
Seafood, eat it, then catch more.
I was fishing a small pool behind a drop off below the highway bridge where the river moves away from the road but before you get to the main parking lot. Slipped a gob of roe onto my hook, hung my rod out over the river and fed the line down into the shallow pool (<3ft deep). Well faster than you could say fish-on!!, the rod tip dropped and I struck, launching the fish clear out of the water and onto the rocks beside me. A couple of whacks up side of the head with a rock and it was all over. I proudly carried my 6 lb steelhead out of the bush to the roadside trail and proceeded downstream to find my Dad. That was my first ever steelhead and the only one I've ever caught from that river.
I live fairly close to there and still go down to the river every once in a while just to take a look around. As a matter of fact, I was down there yesterday, just getting some fresh air, taking a look around, and reminising about my Dad and uncle,(who've both passed on now) and kind of thanking them in my own little way. They're the ones that taught me about steelhead, conservation, and countless other important things related to the outdoors.
Thanks for posting.
Seafood, eat it, then catch more.
Me and my two brothers are all self taught/learned fishermen. My dad (passed) never fished, but he took us, plus friend's all the time. We flogged away at any place that had water. Sometimes we caught dinner lots of times nothing, if we needed gear or a rod he would get it. The three of us still get out together to flogg away.
From my previous volunteer work at Goldstream Hatchery, there was absolutely no steelhead in this stream. With the volunteer team down the stream, we have rescued all the salmon except steelhead.
But I may have seen only one steelhead with red stripes lurkin' around one of the pools in Goldstream. That was about 5 or 8 years ago.
But I may have seen only one steelhead with red stripes lurkin' around one of the pools in Goldstream. That was about 5 or 8 years ago.
islandboy
Well-Known Member
Caught a few in the 70's. Best experience was on a fly a couple of pools below the park bridge. Watched a silver bright school (8-10 fish) come up through the tail out. Hooked the lead fish and all hell broke loose. [8)] Chased it down through the estuary and stood on the beach as it spooled me. [:0] A pretty disappointing way to clean your backing. [B)]
www.kayaks2.com
www.kayaks2.com
I fished the Goldstream from 1959 to 1976 when I lived in Victoria. I caught an 17 lb steelie, doe, on the 19th of December in 1970. There were some nice runs of fish until the late 70's when the whole system started to erode. I saw schools of 40-50 steels down in the estuary holding up waiting for rain. One could sight cast for them on a good day. There was probably at best 1,000 fish in the system. When the coho runs began to deplete I saw the steelies start to decline too. It is a great little stream. I have many fond memories fishing the system when I was in my youth.
Blackleech
Member
WOW - to have fished back then.. imagine a system with steelhead like that 10 minutes from Langford?!
When you say "erode", are you talking about soil erosion from logging in the headwaters? I thought the headwaters were protected by Sooke Lake resevoir?
The Goldstream suffered from a number of issues. First, water supply wasn't always good or consistent. The Sooke lakes and Goldstream watershed was over tapped with water demands that left the Stream very low at critical times over the years. Many steelhead fry and smolts did not grow properly and many did not survive year after year.
Over fishing in the system also did damage to the stocks. Commercial fishing had a growing effect with later chum netting programs that scooped up many steelhead in areas around the southern end of Vancouver Island and over out front of the Nitnat River which is a natural environment for not only these runs of steelies but also Thompson River steelies.
The loss of krill and shrimp in and around Georgia Strait also caused huge problem for resident steelhead survival. The Georgian basin has had a huge problem for the past 20 years of being deficit in proper nutrients and water temperature. That is why the coho runs of the 80's are virtually gone. This nursery that had in the Gulf of Georgia bluebacks, young coho, all winter and spring and then quality runs of coho in our east coast rivers has suffered great losses.
Cowichan River has lost its great runs of coho and steelhead that flourished in the 1970's and early 1980's. I believe that there were coho runs in the river in excess of 300,000 in the early 1970's.
Steelhead runs were close to 12,000. Spring runs were over 90,000.
Sad state that these systems have become.
Over fishing in the system also did damage to the stocks. Commercial fishing had a growing effect with later chum netting programs that scooped up many steelhead in areas around the southern end of Vancouver Island and over out front of the Nitnat River which is a natural environment for not only these runs of steelies but also Thompson River steelies.
The loss of krill and shrimp in and around Georgia Strait also caused huge problem for resident steelhead survival. The Georgian basin has had a huge problem for the past 20 years of being deficit in proper nutrients and water temperature. That is why the coho runs of the 80's are virtually gone. This nursery that had in the Gulf of Georgia bluebacks, young coho, all winter and spring and then quality runs of coho in our east coast rivers has suffered great losses.
Cowichan River has lost its great runs of coho and steelhead that flourished in the 1970's and early 1980's. I believe that there were coho runs in the river in excess of 300,000 in the early 1970's.
Steelhead runs were close to 12,000. Spring runs were over 90,000.
Sad state that these systems have become.
M
Morty
Guest
"Chum netting programs...out front of the nitnat river which is natural enviroment for not only these runs of steelies but the Thomson River steelies"
Agreed-I used to work with an ex-gillnetter/seiner and we were discussing by catch one day.He told me the most Steelhead he had ever seen was at Nitnat during a Chum opening where they accidently scooped up hundreds[}
]
Agreed-I used to work with an ex-gillnetter/seiner and we were discussing by catch one day.He told me the most Steelhead he had ever seen was at Nitnat during a Chum opening where they accidently scooped up hundreds[}
]
