Bob Kronbauer
by Bob Kronbauer on his blog, www.vancouverisawesome.com
The journey to my first sockeye salmon (caught last week!) may be a little different than yours as I’ve been fishing for trout most of my life. My dad started me early and I’ve been finding that this is usually the case; people who fish a lot have usually been introduced to it by family members early on. For those of you who haven’t had that experience but are interested in fishing, Pacific Angler (which is sponsoring this series) has a range of courses to help you learn about fishing and how to fish.
As a trout fisherman I’ve always used a small rod with a tiny reel; the fish I’m used to catching weigh less than a pound each. The sockeye are generally at least five times that size so Pacific Angler outfitted me with a larger Fenwick rod and an Abu Garcia Ambassadeur baitcasting reel. All in all, this pro setup cost a little less than $400 and will survive decades of use. I’m looking forward to many more salmon fishing adventures with it.
They handed me a list of spots to hit up on the Fraser (you can pick up a printed copy of them at the store), and the proper tackle as well as some basic instructions, and I was on my way. I landed at this spot between Chilliwack and Hope, right off the highway.Unless you’ve got a boat that can make it up the river during these big salmon runs you’re going to see quite a few other fishermen at the best spots you can access. This is what it looked like during most of the five trips I took out to catch my first sockeye.
It took a few trips for me to get used to the style of fishing used to catch sockeye on the river (which is different than the method they use when fishing for the same salmon on the ocean), and on my fifth trip I landed a female fish which I gutted and brought home to the barbecue. I used to struggle with the idea of catching a fish that’s on its way to reproduce but when the runs are as crazy big as they are right now my fish isn’t even a dent, plus if I’m catching (and keeping) a salmon at any point in its life cycle it won’t live to reproduce.
In addition, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans monitors the amount of fish going up the river and sets catch limits for us fishermen that will ensure a sustainable amount of them will make it to the spawning grounds. Right now the limit is two per person per day on the river or four if you’re catching them in the ocean. I caught one on my fifth visit to the river and another on my sixth. I plan to go back at least a couple times to catch more before I take you up to their spawning grounds on a road trip. I can’t wait.