But it’s not over!
From mid-September to the end of October the way we fish will see some changes but it’s never over for those who can endure wet and windy weather.
The hot weather days are behind us and the rain will be needed to get river levels up and salmon moving to spawn. Local fishing guides are venturing further out and are hoping that the salmon charter season can extend to the end of October. Some keep their boats in the water and fish well into the winter.
For those of us that fish around Campbell River, the choices of how we fish can be put into a couple of categories. Topping the list is salmon fishing using a boat that will stay here or can be trailered to the North Island or head to the west coast.
If you have no boat, it’s not a problem. If you have a license and a spinning rod, you can fish at Discovery Pier 12 months of the year and catch salmon, flounder and bottom fish. There are a number of anglers that will consistently catch fish and it may be no surprise that they put in the time and they do catch fish.
There was a time that seniors would fish into late afternoon hours, then drive the kids home but those days are over. Some of the seniors have aged and because of health reasons don’t spend much time fishing from the pier. Back in the day, anglers would have their own coffee cup at the concession but that is now gone. A picture book of fishing pictures is gone and the scoreboard did not return. When the concession closes, so will the public washrooms.
There is a handful of local anglers who fish the pier 12 months a year but weather conditions will change and angling time for those people will be reduced. Fishing chairs remain in place and sinks with water are located if you catch a fish and want to clean it there. The weigh scale is still there and the rusty old scale is slowly deteriorating; the readings can vary and fish weights are not accurate.
A number of anglers, who use the pier for fishing, would like to see the old scale replaced and a new accurate scale put in place. The old scale could be placed in the museum as many salmon have been weighed over the years. It would be great if a local company can replace the old with something new and a sponsorship sign be put in place.
The Quinsam River is open for coho until Dec. 31 with a limit of 4 hatchery clipped fish and only two greater than 40 cm. No bait allowed and hooks must be single barbless. Signs are posted with fishing boundaries mentioned. All trout is non-retention.
My October session for fly tying for beginners is set for Friday, Oct. 22 and a sign-up sheet is available at the front door at the Campbell River Seniors Centre which is open Wednesday to Friday. These sessions are free to attend and time will be from 1 to 3 p.m. The card room is an ideal venue for the first of four sessions being planned.