[hotrod]

Well I headed out to hit the Squamish river systems for what will probably be my last for steelhead. Started fishing the Cheakamus and had no hook ups but my buddy decided he was going to put on a clinic and get two steelies and two dollies.Nothing for me and by noon I'd had enough.This is the first time in awhile that I had been skunked on this river and admittingly I was abit frusterated but I figured that I had so many good days that it was bound to happen! The river was in prime shape stilllow and clear with no freshet setting in at all.

So we decide to regroup get a coffee and head up in tho the Squamish valley and target some dollies and hopefully get some steel.The first hole we got tomu buddies clinic continues as he is into a half dozen dollies and nada for me. :wallbash:.Go up to the next hole and nothing.So my line is a little tangled so I cast out and start letting the line out to get rid of the mess.So watching my line as it goes down river about 80 yds and my float shoots down up wihth my rod to try and set the hook from this distance and I got it.A ten minute battle in sues and to my suprise it is a steelie of about 13 lbs of steel.No camera for me today I forgot it, so hook removed and a slower than normal revival and she is on her way! Finally after all day patience and persistebce has paid off.It's a good day :drunk: now!

So up to the next run for us and its a nice 4lb rainbow for me a couple more for my buudy and start to think it's late and we should head home.

Well it's 7 pm and we're deep into the squamish valley and start our journey home.So as we are driving down when my buddy says" Hey what's that over there?" We both looked at it at the same time and I was pretty sure it was a Grizzly so I say with excitement" Holy crap! It's a grizzly bear'
So I stop to get out and take a better look as it is across the river and it is surely the first Grizzly I've seen up here and he's a big one! I figure he's at least 800 lbs and looking for food.What a spectacular sight! I was able to watch in awe of this awsome beast for about 5-10 mins before it heads into the bush and dis appears. You know ironically we spotted this bear at the spot we almost started our fishing. It was at the 25-26 mile area so guys if your heading up there be aware that there are grizzly up in them there hills and be careful!
Dammit! I for got my camera!
This sighting has totally made my day and can't stop talking about it.

 

[young gun]

The snow is starting to melt and they are down in the valleys because thats where the first shoots begin to bud, later on they will go back up the slopes. Be careful guys especially in squamish with all the black bears and now this grizzly. Is any one heading out towards wistler for some fishing cus we were up there black bear hunting and we saw a grizzly as well, around 7 1/2 feet, big old male with lots of scars on his face, probably a fighter. Just be careful!

 

[Rib]

There were warnings issued a while back for parts of the upper valley regarding a grizzly wandering around...man that must've been a sight to see...congrats on not getting skunked HR, too bad you didn't have a camera with you, that would've been an awesome pic of you fighting a grizzly for your steelie...! ;D

 

[abbyfireguy]

That causes a rise in the pucker factor big time.....

 

[rln]

A couple of years ago (3-4) MoE put out dna traps and found 5 grizzlies on the Ashlu flood plain and 9 more different bears working the spawning salmon at Shovelnose creek. Overall there are lots of grizzlies there now but most likely wary of humans. When fishing up there now you should also be on the look out for elk. 3 years ago I took picutes of a bull and 2 cows down near Pilchuck creek and this year while drifting the river saw elk tracks from 28 mile all the way down to 20 mile.

 

[fishortho]

Sounds like a fun day on the flow,Hotrod!......All you other members should take note of this and keep it in mind when venturing out right now...There are a lot of hungry, sleepy bears around and you can never be too careful....Keep any food a long way from your campsites and don't cook where you sleep and you will have a lot less unwelcome visitors!!.......Ortho 8)

 

[marko]

I was thinking that very thing the time before last we were out. It's that time again and the cridders
are hungry........... :yummy:............. eace:........Marko

 

[Teppit1]

here's pieces of a few emails i got last year from an expert in the field you guys might be interested in...


Don't know that area. It was interesting in our 2 years of North Cascades grizzly bear habitat/hazard study for Manning, Skagit and Cascades protected area study that we saw only 2 partial tracks that mayhave been gb. and all of the hair samples we collected from rubbing trees that could have been gb turned out to be black bear.
Presently, there are a few grizzlies wandering as far south as near Squamish and there have been the odd record in recent times from Golden Ears Park and the Pitt River area. Odd one has also shown up at Whistler. Now evidence of at least 5 in the Callaghan Valley.


----- Original Message -----
From:
Subject: South Coastal Mountains gb notes

The Wildlife Branch has a proposed gb recovery area for the northern part of the South Coastal Mountains (Lillooet, Pemberton, Squamish - I think, etc.). Not sure of the status but you could contact *****. Certainly gb cross over passes into the Elaho (where I have done gb habitat mapping) etc. from Toba Inlet, etc. on the coast.

No evidence of gb in the Diamondhead area of Garibaldi during my bear hazard/habitat studies there several years ago but some good habitat potential for Gb. Did not seem like they had been in that area for a long time. I was going to contact the elder wife of the original lodge owners to see what they knew but did not have time.

Some Squamish Nations would like to see the gb come back.

First Nations in Pitt River area appear interested in also bringing the grizzly back or seeing it come back in greater numbers.

Also, if the B.C. North Cascades gb recovery program goes ahead, with some gb being brought in, I would expect a gradual increase, re-occupation of some areas such as the Skagit and watersheds west where salmon occur. But likely will take decades if they start the recovery program; The Wildlife Branch estimates approximate recovery of the gb population by 2050 for the North Cascade Mountains - Manning park areas, etc.

So far, in my various wanderings and record checks, I haven't seen any evidence of their numbers increasing; just sporadic sightings here and there as the few wander about the near-vacant landscape (from a gb point of view).

From:

Subject: Re:

Chris, Not entirely sure of your question but southern most for N. America was Mexico where they, called "Don Oso" appear to be extinct.


For the "South Coastal Mountains" of B.C. etc.


In the North Shore area, historically that was all grizzly habitat including the Fraser River valley bottoms, etc. South of there, there appears to be a gap in historic grizzly presence on the lowlands bordering the Pacific towards, Seattle, etc. (I dont' have good info. on this by the way). Certainly they were very common in the Cascade Mountains down through what is now Washington, etc. All the way down the Pacific coast and mountains to s. california and Mexico; now extinct except for the few unconfirmed sightings in the North Cascades.

 

[Teppit1]

Grizzly bear spotted in Squamish
Wednesday, May 16 - 10:17:57 AM

Jim Goddard
SQUAMISH (NEWS1130) - A grizzly bear has ventured into downtown Squamish today, and police are working with conservation experts to locate it, and move it out of town. RCMP Corporal Dave Ritchie says black bears are common in Squamish but this is the first time in recent memory that a grizzly has made its way into town.

Ritchie says so far the bear has not posed a danger but they are trying to move it along. "It's a 1 or 2 year old bear, and we're trying to locate tracks, trap it, and relocate it." Corporal Ritchie says if they can't trap the bear and it starts to show aggressive behavior, the animal may have to be destroyed.

 

[ELVISDOGBREATH]

Grizzly bear wandered into downtown Squamish today. Heard it on AM 1130

 

[mrpink]

i just glad i didn't run into it last weekend dolly fishing,lol.was working in lions bay today,apparently there was a black bear wandering around.

 

[Cummins]

This GB must be the same one that went into a tent and ripped it apart and chassed the lady into her Car.

I was black bear hunting up in the Upper Squamish about 5 years ago and there was a GB working a shoot on the other side of the river. These would be coastal coming over the ridge from Butte Inlet.

Time to start packing the rifle now with me to when I go up there.

GB don't scare me as bad as a black bear at least with a GB you can tell what it is going to do where a Black bear no way.

I have also seen GB up in the Upper Mam Watershed, it is nice to see them returning.

Now as long as Poachers dont take them out.

 

[Zoomy]

Anyone know for sure if this is the same bear? Also, is it the same bear that forced the closure of the campsite up around mile 30?

Z.

 

[hotrod]

No it is not the same bear! I saw that one on TV and the one I saw was much,much larger and I could see it causing campsite closures in the upper valley!


Hotrod

 

[young gun]

They've come out of hibernation now and are hungry and willing to eat just about anything!

 

[Bramsplace]

Wouw! 800 pounds of grizzly!
Since 1990 I go each year for 2 weeks in September to the Kispiox River and in those 17 years I only saw 3 times a grizzly. The first time I will never forget. I was fishing with a friend near the Sweetin River when he thought a moose was crossing the river at my right. I looked but saw the head of a big grizzly approaching the shore we were on.
We reeled our fly lines in and start walking to the car that was rather nearby on a campground when the grizzly decided to cross the river again to the other side where it disappeared into the bush.
So we start fishing again.
Maybe after antother 15 minutes the big brown bear came out of the bush just on our opposite! It climbed on a rock and lay down with his head on his forelegs (is that the right word?) and started to watch us. Of course we made some pictures, but we stopped fishing because the time the grizzly needs to swim over again is probably less than the time we needed to run back to our car.
But it was a great experience anyway and we know that the area around the Kispiox is grizzly territory.

 

[sarg]

I was in the upper squamish today and got a picture of this little guy. No fish for me today but it was a great day on the flow.



[attachment deleted by admin]

 

[nates]

Judging by the spread on the ears that looks like a pretty good sized black bear to me?

Nice shot, Nates

 

[Teppit1]

looks like a griz to me?

 

[sarg]

There were 2 bears close to one another one looked small and was for sure a black bear and the other is the one I got the picture of. I don't know a lot about bears but I would have thought that in this case they were both black bears. Can anyone here tell what kind of bear it is? I'll post a couple more pictures and maybe that will help.