
KITIMAT RIVER – PHOTO OF THE WEEK Sept 19 Gerald and Barb Deschenes proudly holding two of the 6 Coho we hooked during our Drift on the Kitimat River.
Thank You for using our Guide Services. It was a pleasure fishing with you both.
Take Care and Travel Safe.
Sept 19 Oliver Braun proudly holding a very nice Northern Coho. Well Done Oliver! Congratulations! Thank You for sharing your photo with our Fishing Report.
Sept 23 I had the pleasure of fishing with clients from Kalum-River Lodge, Ollie and his father, Michael and their fishing partner Frank. We landed 4 large Coho and 2 Blue Backs (Coho between 30 and 50cms). It was fun fishing with you and you all did well, especially since the conditions were less than optimal. Congratulations of your your catch.
SUMMARY
The Kitimat River this week had huge fluctuations in river levels. It rose from 1.1 metres on Sept 20th (on the Kitimat River river height website) to 4.5 metres on Sept 21st, dropped down to 1.5 metres on the 23rd and back up to 3.0 metres on the 24th and at the time of writing this Fishing Report is back down to 2.0 metres on Sept 25th. As the river height changes as does the catch rates of Coho. When the river was low and clean, lots of Coho were reported being caught. The trick is to find them after the high water.
The lucky anglers who are more knowledgeable about the upper Kitimat reported catching lots when the river levels were low.
Usually jigs, Blue Fox Spinners and roe are the most productive methods of catching Coho in the upper river with Gibbs Koho Spoons and Jigs work better in the lower Kitimat.
For up to date info, please stop into our Tackle Store.
Good Luck and Please Stay Safe!
20% OFF
ALL REGULAR PRICED ITEMS IN STORE
TO ALL RIO TINTO EMPLOYEES WHILE STRIKE IS ON
Of all the campaigns I have been involved in, I am the most passionate about the Nick Hopwood Campaign.
Kelly Marsh (Head of Kitimat Search and Rescue) said it best in an email to me and our group, “I recently mentioned to Carolyn that I have seen a marginal improvement in PFD usage while floating on the Kitimat. The success of your, the KSAR Prevention Committee as well as other’s work unfortunately can never be truly measured, however I can see the needle is moving in the right direction”. Well said Kelly.
I love the Kitimat River and love to fish her. There have been 5 deaths on the Kitimat River in the last 15 years. Although ,as Kelly says, we will never truly be able to measure our efforts but we all agree that 5 deaths is too many. The current fatality rate is one every three years. This is year 2 since Nick’s passing. If this Campaign and other efforts can help prevent another death in year 3, we will have beat the current statistical fatality rate on the Kitimat River.
I could not imagine being Nick’s parents or the grief of the fiancé to the pontooner who got caught in the log jam below 18 mile bridge or the anguish of husband and son of the mother who drowned when their family canoe tipped over or the sorrow of the family of the gentleman from Rocky mountain House or the family of the man collecting lures and was never found.
The Nick Hopgood Campaign is the product of a lots of the hard work and efforts of Kitimat Search and Rescue, Guides and many others. The most gratifying outcome we all seek is for everyone is act safe and Stay Safe.
I implore all Kitimat River Anglers to embrace the message of the Nick Hopwood Campaign and to please, please wear a wading belt, knife and life jacket.
DOUGLAS CHANNEL
SUMMARY
Halibut and Bottomfishing, crabbing and prawns should still be decent when weather permits. Not much to report on the Douglas Channel for salmon.
Most of the Coho should be in their spawning creeks and rivers.
The next Salmon fishery will the Feeder Chinook. This is a very unpredictable fishery. In past years, we have been able to catch Winter Springs as early as Oct right through the winter. It changes year to year as they follow the feed and just show up whenever and where ever.
Take Care and Please Stay Safe
NEW HALIBUT REGULATIONS
REGULATION CHANGE
Fishery Notice
This Fishery Notice supersedes FN0296 to announce an increase to daily limit for halibut measuring under 90 cm in length. The updated Fishery Notice reads as follows: For 2021, the recreational halibut fishery allocation is 914,750 pounds. The recreational halibut fishery is actively managed to stay within sector's allocation and fishers should watch for subsequent Fishery Notices to announce potential in-season changes. The following measures are in effect coast wide as noted below: Open time: Effective at 00:01 hours February 15, 2021, fishing for halibut was opened coast-wide until further notice (See Fishery Notice FN0133 and FN296). Effective September 11, 2021 until December 31, 2021: The daily and possession limit for halibut is EITHER of: ---- One (1) halibut measuring 90 cm to 133 cm in length (69 cm to 102 cm head-off), OR ---- Three (3) halibut, each measuring under 90 cm in length (69 cm head-off). No person shall retain a halibut greater than 133 cm head-on length (102 cm head-off). Head-off measurements are made from the base of the pectoral fin at its most forward point to the extreme end of the middle of the tail. Annual Limit: No person shall catch and retain more than ten (10) halibut in the aggregate from April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022. Licensing: The 2021/22 Tidal Waters Sport Fishing Licence and Conditions of Licence will be in effect from April 1, 2021 until March 31, 2022. All halibut retained by the licence holder between April 1, 2021 and March 31, 2022 shall be immediately recorded on the 2021/2022 Tidal Waters Sport Fishing Licence, or, if mobile access is immediately available, the licence holder may record catch in the National Recreational Licensing System. The area from which each halibut is caught and its head-on length shall immediately be recorded. The exceptions to these openings are: Areas 121: No person shall fish for or retain halibut, rockfish and lingcod in Area 121 outside the 12 nautical mile limit seaward of a line that begins at 48 degrees 34.000 minutes and 125 degrees 17.386 minutes W and continues south easterly at a bearing of 116 degrees True to a point at 48 degrees 28.327 minutes and 125 degrees 01.687 minutes W. Areas 121: Closed to all finfish, year round in the waters of Swiftsure Bank. Those portions of Subareas 121-1 and 121-2 inside a line that begins at 48 degrees 34.000 minutes N and 125 degrees 06.000 minutes W, then true east to 48 degrees 34.000 minutes N and 124 degrees 54.200 minutes W, then southeasterly to the International Boundary, outer perimeter at 48 degrees 29.618 minutes N and 124 degrees 43.553 minutes W, then westerly following the International Boundary perimeter to 48 degrees 29.605 minutes N and 124 degrees 56.190 minutes W, then northwesterly to the beginning point. Rockfish Conservation Area (RCA) and Glass Sponge Reef (GSR) closures remain in effect - refer to the following web pages for descriptions: 1)RCAs- http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/rec/restricted-restreint-eng.html#rca 2)GSRs- http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/rec/restricted-restreint-eng.html#sponge Variation Order 2021-RFQ-0496 is in effect. Anglers are reminded of the mandatory condition of licence for the release of rockfish; all anglers in vessels shall immediately return all rockfish that are not being retained to the water and to a similar depth from which they were caught by use of an inverted weighted barbless hook or other purpose-built descender device. FOR MORE INFORMATION: Greg Hornby (Regional Manager Recreational Fisheries) - Greg.Hornby@dfo-mpo.gc.ca