Vedder Chinook Salmon Run Timing Explained

[@dacool4]

Thanks Petr, your videos are always very educational.

[@petrhermanadventures9509]

Glad you like them!

[@enjoylife119]

Great video again as always.. More educational videos so that new anglers will learn the proper and ethical way of fishing

[@darkoreljic9457]

Keep it up Peter love these videos. Gotta have something fishing related to do when not at the river.

[@petrhermanadventures9509]

Thanks for your support. It cuts into my fishing time a bit, but I think it's important to have positive conversations about the fishery.

[@Beyar90]

Thanks Petr! Glad to know I have a chance to hook into some chinook still this coming weekend.

[@petrhermanadventures9509]

Good luck!

[@jasonmelody2008]

Thanks again for another great educational video! Tight lines!

[@petrhermanadventures9509]

Thanks for commenting, I appreciate it.

[@peterb7585]

Awesome, thanks. I'll keep it in mind on my next projects !!!

[@petrhermanadventures9509]

Thank you for your support.

[@bobgomavitz1330]

Wish you were in the Seattle area! Great info

[@petrhermanadventures9509]

Thanks for the visit. I vacationed on Whitbey Island this summer and we had a great time.

[@kashfiqbal]

Slight correction, Jacks are typically 2 years old. 3 year old fish are generally around 6-10lbs. They make the bulk of winter feeder fisheries on the WCVI from what guides have told me. In Washington state it is generally assumed that fish 24" or larger are at least 3 years of age, and that Jacks are smaller than 24" for hte purposes of the regs

[@Ifish24-7]

Not sure what part you’re disagreeing with. Maybe Washington state has different rules/regulations and/or terminology. In BC a jack is considered less than 62cm (roughly 24 inches) and they are 3 year fish.

[@petrhermanadventures9509]

the rules are the same here in B.C., for river fish 24" and under are jacks, some rivers it's 20". These smaller male fish that are returning to their natal stream are always 3 years old. Perhaps the terminology is just different south of the border, as you seem to be referring to ocean fish. Here we call those feeder chinooks.

[@benjaminaxselholm]

Some chinook stay in fresh for 2 years in the interior.

[@josephphronesis9554]

Hi Petr, you might want to put your business contact / website on the description or pin it with your comment, I might look for one in the future

[@petrhermanadventures9509]

Will do thanks. I was sub contracting for a local store until recently, so all I have at the moment is a FB page: Vedder Floors.

[@marvinrosenau8491]

There is/was a small run of native, wild Chinook in the Vedder River prior to hatchery augmentation. This was a late spring or early summer run. Matt F did some of the reconnaissance counting of these fish before the hatchery went into production. They may have numbered a few dozen to something over a hundred (Matt would know the numbers). In the big picture it is/was a tiny run. For some reason DFO decided not to enhance the pre-hatchery native Chilliwack River Chinook run, and go for these upper Fraser watershed populations of reds (and the Harrison whites later in the fall). Under the aegis of the local representative DFO angling committee we have tried to flip the CRH resources in producing less white-fleshed fall Chinook and converting the production into more summer red-fleshed smolts. The summer reds seem to have a much greater angler preference, so why not have more fish in the river when anglers really want to have these high-quality fish? Also, if I recall correctly, the early summer run of red-fleshed Chinooks were generated from a number of stocks of fish (5 population, I think) frok the upper Fraser River watersheds.

[@petrhermanadventures9509]

Thanks for the information. Yes, I was aware of the original chinook strain, but nobody knows if it's extinct or not. Would make for an interesting doctoral thesis or grad project to do some genetic sampling up at chilliwack lake. I know for sure some of the hatchery fish head up there to spawn.

[@604redrum7]

Great videos Petr, keep it up. Very informative 👏 👌 One requested I have is if you could do a video about regulations regarding writing your catch on your license for springs. I see alot of anglers bonking fish but never see them write there catch on there license. Is there a certain size or if hatchery Chinook must be recorded on your license???

[@petrhermanadventures9509]

All chinook over 62cm. must be recorded on the license immediately upon retaining. Kill the fish, bleed it, then record on license. There are many regulations being ignored on the Vedder, including no snagging and no retention of foul hooked fish.

[@604redrum7]

@@petrhermanadventures9509 thank you. Wasn't sure about recording your catch. Appreciate the info and tight lines!

[@jorgemartinez-compains8369]

Thanks Peter! I really like your videos and your approach to create educational content. What do you think it happens with the runs when you have very dry years (like this one, where the river levels seem particularly low) versus years with more rain? This year seems that the run started later than usual.

[@petrhermanadventures9509]

The low water levels don't seem to impede upstream passage at all. Salmon need only about 6 inches of water to make it up and even at low levels our rivers are still more than knee deep. I think they do spend more time down in the canal waiting for rain, then they decide to swim up anyway. That sojourn in snagger alley leaves them more stresses out and less likely to bite on the way up.

[@victorchen5663]

Too bad I don't live in BC, I do actually need some tiling! Hope you get a lot of business!

[@petrhermanadventures9509]

Thank you for your support.

[@wescrawford4384]

Went out this past weekend and threw everything but the kitchen sink at them and not one bite haha 😅 been doing that for a few years and nothing. Haha wish it was easier for me! If it's this hard to catch a Chinook can't imagine how hard it is to catch a coho ha

[@petrhermanadventures9509]

You need to focus your efforts on the right kind of water. Chinooks like the deep places, especially with slow water under fast water or bubbles. They'll also rest behind rocks in fast water, but it's hard to fish for them there. Basically any run just look for the deepest spot and the chinooks will be there.

[@wescrawford4384]

@@petrhermanadventures9509 ok perfect!!! Im going for coho on the 25th. Hope to get some fish!

[@brennanyu8790]

Hi Petr, I was wondering if you know about the Chilliwack Sxotsaqel Chinook run? These are also reds but apparently a true vedder river native spring? I found this documentary about them (URL below), they sound very interesting and seems like they spawn furthur up river than our artificially introduced reds. They're supposed to have very bright red flesh like a coho or sockeye and apparently they share genetics with red springs from the Nooksack river across the border when that system was connected to sumas/chilliwack river. Link: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y36WfqB6rrCeZqs

[@petrhermanadventures9509]

Yes, I looked at that a year or two ago, it's an interesting story and I think it would be interesting to investigate this with some genetic testing.

[@renownriverspnw5314]

Why would you refer to a summer / fall king as a spring?

[@petrhermanadventures9509]

Locally chinooks are called Springs, maybe because they like to leap? IDK.

[@wadezhang7106]

haven’t caught a chinook yet this year lol went out this Tuesday it was all coho…all i wanted was a adult chinook doe….would there be another big push maybe after the next rain storm?

[@petrhermanadventures9509]

I swam down by the train bridge yesterday, still many chinooks working their way up. The rain on friday will barely budge the water levels, but should still make for some good fishing. Target deep water for chinooks.

[@Pray4Mojo1]

I'd like to get a hen too, literally all jacks for me this year. Caught a few coho, but only wilds. This year hasn't really gone great for me so far, tried looking for new holes and seems like there is always someone there. I found d a good one last week, and came across a bear and cubs. So that was a no go.