Wild and Hatchery Coho Opens on Stamp River

Murphy Sportfishing  

DFO announces opening and full limits for this fall

If everything continues to hold as it has so far this year, we could have a fall that resembles "The Good Old Days".  The limits are 2 per day, and 4 in possession of either hatchery or wild origin. Record numbers of Coho are expected to swim past our doorsteps in the coming 2 months.

The Stamp River is expecting a low Chinook return this year and is being treated as in other low years as non retention.

This year Coho are categorized at their highest qualifier by DFO (Department of Fisheries and Oceans), "Stock Status 4 - Abundant".  Preseason regulations in a number of West Coast Vancouver Island areas were relaxed to allow for more generous limits in anticipation of big runs.  The ocean and surfline fishing was dominated by huge schools of Coho all summer long.  These fish are starting to stage in the inlets now and will be river bound shortly.  The early rains this year may push them in sooner than in the past.  We'll see what the weather does in the next few weeks.