The Kitimat River has been up and down in river height this week with some rain that we have received. The water clarity has been marginal at times the but fishing has been very good for both Steelhead and Trout. There have been many reports of exceptional Trout fishing. There are also reports of very bright Steelhead as well as some that have turned to spawning colors.
Mar 28 Eric Neidert and Trent Vines landed 2 Steelhead and hooked 4 on the upper Kitimat River. Eric and Trent are both Associate guides for Reliable Guide and Charters and are doing some pre-clients trips in preparation for the upcoming season.
Mar 30 Jesse Houston and Ariel Kuppers landed 4 Cutthroat and lost 2 Steelhead. Great Job Jesse and Ariel!
April 1 Dave Garuk landed this beautiful Steelhead on the lower Kitimat. Dave was using a Pink worm fishing by himself. He was kind enough to share the photo he quickly took with his phone prior to releasing this Steelhead. Thank You and Congratulation Dave.
April 3 Matt Thompson caught and released 3 Steelhead on the Kitimat River. Congratulations Matt. Sorry no photos available.
Drifters Beware
Mike Mckenzie drifted the Kitimat River and reports that there are 2 logs across the river. One is between Crown Z and Big Wedeene and the other in the middle channel above the Power Lines. Drifters are advised to beware of the these areas.
Summary
We received warmer weather and some rain this week causing the snow banks along the river as well in our front yards to noticeably shrink . Steelhead fishing on the Kitimat River will continue to get better with every incoming tide. There is an atmosphere of excitement in our tackle store while anglers are renewing their fishing licenses after reading reports. Stay tuned!
Douglas Channel
April 1 Rob Lafferty and his fishing partners trapped 16 King Crab. Rob reports that there were mostly females which were appropriately released but it is always exciting when the trap first clears the water to see that it is full. Well done Rob and friends! Bon appetite!
With the nicer weather forecast for the weekend many more boats are de-winterizing and heading out for Dungeness and King Crab.
There have been mixed results this week with King Crab. Some have done really well while others ...not so good. Everyone has done well with Dungeness.
Please see Important Halibut Information below.
Thank You to everyone who provided info and photos to this fishing report.
Good Health and Good Fishing!
Sincerely
Important Halibut Information
Our worst fear is that if the Conservative Party is elected with a majority government without having to make a commitment during the campaign to change this Halibut policy, sport anglers will suffer the Halibut policy forever. We also fear that once the precedent of ITQ's (Individual Transferable Quota) has been set with the policy Halibut we will suffer the same process in other fisheries. Crab and Prawn next and Salmon down the road
The Federal Election is a critical time for Sport Anglers to be asking the respective candidates in your ridings some specific questions about their positions in regards to Halibut. The BC Sportfishing Coalition is requesting concerned anglers to write the candidates in their electoral districts and ask the questions enclosed below. We are asking everyone to participate to elevate the Halibut Issue to become a priority election issue by getting commitments from candidates to change this policy in a written response during the campaign. We can all hold the successfully candidates accountable to their commitments after the election. Contained below are the questions that candidates should be asked.
Dear Mr. Candidate:
On behalf of the BC Sport fishing Coalition I am writing to seek your views on the challenges facing the recreational halibut fishery in British Columbia. As you may know, the Coalition has been raising the profile of the recreational halibut fishery for the past several months and has organized a series of town hall meetings up and down the coast that have attracted standing room only attendance from thousands of voters across BC who want to know how they can ensure that recreational anglers will get reasonable access to the halibut resource that they all own as Canadians.
The IPHC process handles all conservation issues. Our concern is with the current halibut allocation policy only. This is NOT a conservation issue.
Our questions for you are simple:
- Do you support the present privatization of Canada’s common property pacific halibut resource?
- Do you believe that Canadian recreational halibut anglers should have reasonable catch opportunities over the course of their normal fishing season?
- Do you believe that commercial halibut quota holders (slipper skippers) should be able to sell or lease their quota, even if they are no longer participants in the fishery?
- Would you support that the present recreational angler’s individual halibut limit of two fish be able to be taken in one day?
Thank you in advance for your timely answers to these questions.
Best regards…