Saturday and Sunday (today) the in river fishery was smoking hot off the gravel bars near Chilliwack. It was pretty common to limit out on your two sockeye in just a couple of casts as we did. We switched to trying for Chinook, but still had to release upwards of 15 to 20 sockeye so we pulled the pin with a boatload of barbecue material. Some people were tying into springs and it is better to switch over to bar rigs if you can find space between the bottom bouncers. This results in targeting chinook (although I have seen sockeye and even the odd sturgeon take a bite). A few people would switch from bottom bouncing to sturgeon after they caught their 2 sockeye limit. This can still work out as all the salmon parts people are throwing into the river are certainly attracting the sturgeon. As water temperatures moderated last week, there were no stressed sockeye carcasses floating in the river which is a good thing.
At the road access gravel bars it was shoulder to shoulder fishing and success was not as good just due to the crowds. However, the awesome fishing will continue for the next two days, after that, things get sketchy.
DFO must have increasing confidence in the run size for the Fraser River Sockeye as virtually all the commercial fisheries are opening starting Sunday Aug. 17th. All the coastal area troll and gill net fisheries from south of the Queen Charlottes, West Coast of Vancouver Island, Inside passage and mouth of the Fraser are seeing openings. Some of the northern ones till the end of the month. Perhaps the one that will be hardest on the in river sport fishery will be the August 19th opening for the the non-First Nation commercial fishery.
This fishery will start at 12:00 to 18:00 hours on Tuesday August 19th and may be extended. So it will take a real bite out of the in river stock and it will be tough fishing in the Chilliwack area for 24 to 48 hours after it closes and we don't know when that will be. So if you wanna do some in river fishing best to go before Wednesday noon or Friday and the weekend depending on the length of Tuesdays opening.
With all the sport and commercial boats in the water, it's a good time to keep alert and give the big boats and in river nets plenty of room. Safe boating, then safe fishing!
At the road access gravel bars it was shoulder to shoulder fishing and success was not as good just due to the crowds. However, the awesome fishing will continue for the next two days, after that, things get sketchy.
DFO must have increasing confidence in the run size for the Fraser River Sockeye as virtually all the commercial fisheries are opening starting Sunday Aug. 17th. All the coastal area troll and gill net fisheries from south of the Queen Charlottes, West Coast of Vancouver Island, Inside passage and mouth of the Fraser are seeing openings. Some of the northern ones till the end of the month. Perhaps the one that will be hardest on the in river sport fishery will be the August 19th opening for the the non-First Nation commercial fishery.
This fishery will start at 12:00 to 18:00 hours on Tuesday August 19th and may be extended. So it will take a real bite out of the in river stock and it will be tough fishing in the Chilliwack area for 24 to 48 hours after it closes and we don't know when that will be. So if you wanna do some in river fishing best to go before Wednesday noon or Friday and the weekend depending on the length of Tuesdays opening.
With all the sport and commercial boats in the water, it's a good time to keep alert and give the big boats and in river nets plenty of room. Safe boating, then safe fishing!
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