[nocoho]

this one will probably end up in the SB but would not the vedder river system as far as steelhead are concerned be healthier if the river was closed below the KWB....i am not rippin anyone for fishing there......i am rippin the powers that be......if its open guys will fish it.....it just seems to be a sensitive area because the fish pile up in there and they get pounded relentlessly

 

[JetBoat Jim]

it would be better for the fish if it was closed.. below kwb

 

[fisherforever]

I also think it would be a good idea but to also protect all species of salmon as well. That said it would just force those anglers to move to areas further up river. Might not have to worry about it much longer as the city of Chilliwack has been considering closing all access to the **** (Abbotsford has already done this and it is permanent). This year the Chilliwack side will be closed from May 15 - July 15 and open the rest of the year but this will be dependant on the illegal garbage dumping and other activities that take place there, Chilliwack is very serious about this.

 

[HOOK]

i disagree with you guys but i think making the train bridge down FLY ONLY ALL YEAR would help the fish and still make that part of the river usable.however i do agree with closing **** access to cut down on the garbage and off road vehicle use down there.

 

[nocoho]

i don,t disagree with your post hook but if that were to happen the gear guys would be screaming as it would be them that were being singled out, that is why i think it should be closed for all below the bridge as that is the area most affected by the pressure...as far as the off road stuff i could not agree more.....a couple of weeks ago i was hiking up into the poplar run and these 2 yahoo's were rippin it up in a couple of quads.....its one thing to do it on land but these 2 were pounding through the water all over that area as i was hiking in.....by the time i got up there they split......i had planned on explaining to them the negative environmental impact they were causing but did not get the chance....it was pretty disgusting

 

[Fish Finder]

i think it should be closed for all below the bridge as that is the area most affected by the pressure...

Personally I enjoy fishing down in the canal. Through most of it all the way past the HWY it offers the perfect water type to swing flys. Not too many spots on the river better suited for my prefered type of fishing. Like other select areas of river below the crossing, the canal has become pretty clogged with low holers, fence posters and those who'll do pretty much anything to hook a Steelhead. It's the most widely used river in the province so it's expected, and I personally I try to roll with it as best I can. With numbers comes problems. However singling out the KWB won't solve the problems of over crowding, and bombardment on the fish in low water conditions. Simply a new meat hole will be created one run up, or a K up, and the fish will get pounded on there too. In fact they already do in other spots on the lower end. Go for a walk to some of the more well known runs on the lower end and watch. It's no different than what's happening at the KWB. The exact same thing is happening there too.

Finder

 

[JetBoat Jim]

I do fly fish , and I do think it should be closed for the benifit of the FISH, not a user group.

There is still fly guys that snag fish. these fish need an area of refuge.

 

[Krypto-Limitkiller-Sanderson]

Should we not just close every pool that consistantly holds fish then? Really now, if you want to limit the impact on catching fish by closing waters that they hold in then EVERY run and pool that they hold in should be closed. Leave only the pockets and traveling water open that way the fish wont be stacked and there will only be a very short window of oportunity to hook them while still allowing people to angle for them.

 

[xgolfman]

Two things here, if you closed KWB and down, The same guys would simply stack up at the gravel pit or on the other side of the bridge. If you made it fly only frm the train bridge down, I honestly wouldn't doubt you'd have some guys bottom bouncing with a fly rod!! But for sake of argument while I would love to see the lower part of the river become fly only OR artificial bait from the crossing bridge down..I doubt it will ever get any consideration. Guys can preach and write journals about the ethic's of short floating but god help you if you want to touch their roe. While it is a meat fishery the wilds (If you can even call them that anymore) are becoming more and more diluted and won't be getting much of a chance in our future..

 

[JetBoat Jim]

I doubt many of you relise that a good part of the steelhaed smolts released in the river is below kwb, so why do you think they hang out there?

 

[HOOK]

How come the gear guys never bitch and whine when the river goes FLY ONLY May 1st??? would they really be able to complain if it was fly only below that KWB or even as high as the train bridge? They could piss and moan all they want but that wouldnt change things if it was made that way now would it? how many other reg's are we always fighting/complaining about that never get changed or even concidered?

 

[Krypto-Limitkiller-Sanderson]

Heres another idea. Instead of putting more regulations on the end user group that has the least impact on the fish anyways, why not just bolster the numbers on some other rivers to give anglers some more options than having to go to the vedder for a decent chance at some fish. I mean lets face it, we have 1 river with good access and good steelhead fishing in the valley. Yes, chehalis is ok for numbers but access is very limited and the terrain is very difficult for most people. What else is there out there to take pressure off of the Vedder? What other river can you go to and expect to hook up? What other river can accomodate anglers and give them a decent shot at catching a steelhead to take home? What other river has the access for many people to use with moderate to light effort? None, there isnt any. The province has created the Vedder Monster either by will or by their short sighted actions of completly ignoring every other rivers ability to produce angler days for steelhead. The saddest part is how now everyone fights to be the last one to take the last vedder fish and blindly accepts that we have given up all of our former glorious steelhead rivers to stand shoulder to shoulder on one river.

That is the problem, not low water pools in the Vedder canal.

 

[JetBoat Jim]

Hmmmmm.......I wonder why there is no fishing in hatchery channels?

 

[Krypto-Limitkiller-Sanderson]

Hmmmmm.......I wonder why there is no fishing in hatchery channels?

Too many spey guys hanging around waiting for an opening ;D

 

[nocoho]

remember this a discussion forum.....i threw this out there for that purpose only.....hopefully thats what it remains..... :cheers:

 

[Merc]

How come the gear guys never bitch and whine when the river goes FLY ONLY May 1st??? would they really be able to complain if it was fly only below that KWB or even as high as the train bridge? They could piss and moan all they want but that wouldnt change things if it was made that way now would it? how many other reg's are we always fighting/complaining about that never get changed or even concidered?

IF we start making some parts of the river fly only, does that mean some areas become gear only? Would it be better if the gear guys bitched and complained that the river is fly only May 1st so that they will reopen the river for everyone until it closes at the end of May? If you want to open that Pandora's box.....

Yeah, KWB is a mess. Closing it below KWB makes the most sense for the fish and in terms of "enforcement" but it does take away opportunities to fish in the canal. Can't have your cake and eat it too, I guess.

 

[Fish Finder]

remember this a discussion forum.....i threw this out there for that purpose only.....hopefully thats what it remains..... :cheers:

:beerchug: Exactly, lets try and get away from the "one user group vs another" scenario. IMHO no matter what, in the end closing one section of river will only compound the various problems in the other high traffic areas. Especially in low water conditions.

Finder :cheers:

 

[professori]

There are many rivers in the province that have sections and/or times that are fly only, or bait bans (Thompson R, Kaslo R, St Mary R, Wigwam River, Chilko River, Dean River, Babine River) . The rationale being that fly fishing has a much lower catch rate and therefore gives the fish a better chance to survive. It's not about pitting one group against the other.

 

[fisherman20]

Close the entire river for 5 years

 

[STLHDR]

WOW! I'm actually not surprised by the responses by some members on here, yet by others I am. Fly only huh? I think thats a joke, something that is actually funny that I was told by a buddy is the other day while hiking out of the canal in the absolute dark where a flashlight was needed there were 2 spey guys still "fishing" away at about 7:15pm. Now these guys must be die hards to stay that late I'm thinking, and being that much of a die hard I doubt they use a scent of any type and rely on their precise presentation of their fly in the water. So the fish must have night vision goggles I'm assuming ??? Maybe the river should be closed entirely May 1st - July 31st? No fly only time, I'm a gear guy and I wanna whine boo hoo whats fair for one is fair for another boo hoo. If its such a problem in the canal why hasn't there been an in-season change in the regs? Make the change then have undercover COs go sit down there and wait for guys to start fishing. That'll be a cash cow I think, heck it will probably even get rid of the "beeks" that frequent the area. Joking aside I highly doubt that any no fishing areas will be implemented in the lower end, as every year theres usually a time when the river is very low and clear. By making a large area no fishing it'll cut back on the amount of tags and licenses sold which will reduce the amount of money the government gets. So thats not gonna happen, the government needs to get their heads outta their a$$e$ and create some better rules and regs and ENFORCE THEM!!!! I fish the canal too once and awhile just like others on here, some of the stuff that goes on down there during steely season let alone salmon season is just mind boggling. I fished a spot before where the spot was full with 7 other guys including my buddy and it turns out afterwards as the day goes on and you hear anglers talking to one another all of them were ethical anglers from this and another sight, NO ripping, NO long lining/flossing. We were able to actually fish for about 3 hours and we were steadily into fish nonstop during salmon season. No its not because it was salmon season and the numbers are higher, it was early season. I think the only way to really solve any problems that are present on the river now a days is to make a test mandatory before receiving a license just like for hunting. Then make some changes and create some new regs and make the penalties stiffer, no more spankings and you've been a bad fisherman attitude. In my mind fishing is a form of hunting and why not enforce them the same way? I'm not a hunter with firearms or bows but Ive been told that if you screw up, like poaching an animal that you'll be in deep $h!+.