quote:Originally posted by Fog Ducker
... Nog, I think you are mis informed on your release location, the Winter Smolts that are returning this year were released near Girl Guide falls
The "
misinformation" I received in this regard was directly from 2 MOE employees, a hatchery worker I know, and one of the local CO's. All of them said pretty much the same thing, in that the
majority of the fish were released below the hatchery as they have been for several years now. I suppose it is possible they were all in error, or even perhaps leading me (and the other 2 fellas I was with) intentionally astray, but I can see no point in them doing so [?]
quote:In anycase it beats the old release location where all the fish milled around the Sproat confluence, with the jets the only guys benefitting and pretty much no shore angling access whatsoever.
When the fish were released at the older sites, they did not all simply gravitate to the Confluence (although this was a common myth being circulated at the time). A very good number infiltrated the Sproat right up to the lake, and provided an excellent fishery - one that is but a mere ghost of it's former self today. And the area of the Bucket held great numbers of fish as well. I fondly recall numerous double digit days back then in that area and up to the Falls.
While bank access is limited in the lower, the fishery then easily supported a good number of private drift boat excursions, again, something that is now a thing of the past.
quote:Originally posted by Blackleech
...Aren't you a bank fisherman Nog?
Chiefly. However as noted in the past we used to do a LOT of drifts in the lower. Then a fair number of fish held there. Now, they do not. And sadly the drift boat might get hauled to the flow once or twice a season now. Hell of an investment for something that sees so little use.
Beeky One: Go Get Stuffed [}
]
In the past, the Falls were the natural separation line between Summer run and winter run fish. The majority of the former leapt the Falls with consistency, whereas the winters stayed below. There were a handful of reasons the site selection was reviewed and altered to where they are today, but I believe the largest of those relates to the ease of releasing directly from the hatchery (as apposed to removed sites) and to some extent funding. The situation today, as I have been led to believe, is that the winter component of hatchery steelhead are now largely released close to the hatchery. This means that upon their return, they run there as quickly as the flow regime will allow. There, they not only mix and spawn with the remaining "wild" winter stock, but with the summer run fish that are also present in those reaches above the confluence with the Ash River. None of that is desirable from a responsible management point of view.
In addition to the biological implications, the current situation also plays havoc with angler success and effort concentration. The Falls have
VERY</u> much become a running joke. Standing on one rock all day long casting to fish holding and awaiting sufficient water to jump the barrier is NOT steelhead fishing IMO. Yet, by the very choice of release sites, the management team is directly influencing this to occur - it is one of the few places where a reasonable opportunity of success exists. Anglers being anglers, a great many will focus on that as their only real option. Indeed, I have done so myself.
By changing the release sites to a series of lower areas (for arguments sake say 25% at the confluence, 25% at the Bucket, and the remaining 50% between the Bucket and the Falls), the fish would hold over a much larger area once again below the Falls. This would have a double positive effect in keeping the hatchery winter run largely below the Falls (and eliminate the intermingling with both wild winters and summer run fish), while affording much more angling opportunity spread over a much larger area (and thus greatly alleviate the crowding issues of today).
Not rocket science. Rather easy to do. All it takes is enough of us expressing the concerns related to today's management practices to effect change.
While I do hear what a few are saying regarding the "good" fishing this season, I also have the luxury of knowing well a good number of folks who have fished it for a serious length of time. Their observations are pretty much the same as what I've outlined above. In fact this exact matter has been the subject of a great number of bankside discussions, spilling over into just as many discussions off the flow. Yes, there have been some decent days. However to these folks and myself, they are very much sporadic in comparison to the fishery of the past. Working towards an even better fishery (while maintaining the winter run below the Falls to prevent intermingling with wild and summer stocks) cannot be a bad thing. Or can it?
Nog
