Alouette Steelhead

The steelhead run in the allouette river has been pretty variable over the last few years...it went through a real tough time with regards to volume of river flow coming out of the lake, and as a result numbers went into decline...after an agreement was reached with the local hydo provider, flow was increased, and minimum requirements were established...As for numbers of returning steelhead in the last few years, a good search of the web should provide you with some numbers. You might also try and contact the hatchery up there for more info...
If you have ever fished the allouette, you will know that this is a small urban system with limited access due to private property. It is not a river that would survive heavy fishing pressure, however, having said that, the size of the river, and the accessibility tends to keep crowds to a minimum. Many anglers opt for larger systems with much more flow, and more fish...easier fishing in their eyes.
I see you live up in Pitt Meadows, my recommendation would be to take a walk along the river one day and get a feel for its size...maybe visit the hatchery and take in any of the information they have posted there, and familiarize yourself with the river.

The run of steelhead in the allouette, and salmon for that matter, is NOT large, and most anglers find the fishing difficult at best...What small number of fish do return are very sensitive to pressure, and care must be taken with regards to any impact you might have on wild fish populations that may be in decline...The fishing and quantity of fish on this river is very timing dependent, and taking the time to get to know the river is essential to any significant amount of success. You will find many, many fishless days before you achieve success. There are many other systems that would provide better opportunities for steelhead, requiring less angling time and effort per fish...

Having said that, getting to know tiny little systems like this can be rewarding, once you have put the time in to learn their subtle nuances...
Please respect this fragile river and help us all protect wild steelhead stocks.
Hope that helps,
Rib

For your information, my friend, your are correct, the **** system does provide access to the lower Allouette River except on the area between Neaves Bridge and 224th. This is private property and all the signage there will explain how you cannot even boat down the river in this area.There are very few Steelhead caught in this area of the river. This area between Neaves Road and the Pitt River is accesible from along the dikes, but is not very interesting water at the best of times and is also not very productive.

The middle portion of this river is fronted by many private residences and you will swiftly get booted from their property if you try and access thru their land. The few places that are accessible get fished hard. The upper river is also very difficult to access except near Alco Park, where there are a few spots to fish, but it is not easy fishing. The rocks are very slippery and there is a lot of bush and ill placed rocks in the river.

If you scout this area of the river you might get lucky but the few fish that are caught there are usually caught by those that have paid plenty of homage to the system and know a few spots and how to fish them...That's another thread.

The North Allouette is all but inaccessible from top to bottom except for a couple of spots, so not really worth your while. I am sticking with my previous comment...For how many miles these streams travel, there is very little accessible and productive water......Ortho 8)