I love salmon fishing. I enjoy fishing for and catching all species of salmon in the rivers of British Columbia and on the ocean when a season is open. Over the years I have fished as far north as the Kitimat and Skeena River systems and as far south as the Fraser River in the lower mainland. The learning curve of adjusting to different fishing methods across the province has been a fun and rewarding experience.
I grew up fishing for sockeye on the Fraser River where long leaders and crowds of people was a normal everyday occurrence. The chocolate brown color of the Fraser River had people believing that sockeye do not bite and the fishery consists of a technique that anglers refer to as flossing. Essentially, the longer leader drifts in the river and the weight takes it downstream. As a sockeye swims upstream with its mouth open, the line gets caught in its mouth and eventually the hook follows. While most would argue that this method of fishing is unethical, some will argue that the sockeye fishery is a meat fishery and people flock to the riverbanks to fill their freezers for the winter. This year, I used shorter leaders in the clearer waters of the Quesnel River, and we witnessed multiple fish that bit our offering.
Fast forward to today and I have now experienced three sockeye openings on the Quesnel River. Living a great distance from the coastal rivers that I once used to fish makes fishing in late summer and the fall a difficult time where I find myself reminiscing of the past. During the second opening of sockeye on the Quesnel River, I was excited to be able to bring my boys to the river to experience salmon fishing. Seeing the look on their faces when the first large salmon came out of the river was priceless. Afterall, they only knew the river as a place we took our dog for a swim.
After the second sockeye opening on the Quesnel River, my boys started showing an interest in joining me on my annual fall salmon fishing trip to our family cabin in the Harrison Hot Springs area of the lower mainland. We used to fish for salmon species such as, pinks, chinook, chum and coho when they were in the rivers across the Fraser Valley. My boys experienced some great fishing days for chum and coho which helped grow the salmon fishing itch just a little more. They learned how to float fish and to bottom bounce effectively for fish that were biting. They even caught coho on spoons.
This year, we were excited, grateful and humbled to be able to fish for sockeye so close to home. When I heard the news, I dusted off some of my old salmon gear, including pencil lead, yarn and my salmon fishing vest. I was impressed at how well my boys cast my level wind reels for sockeye this fall. They have been practicing with their own level winds for Dragon Lake rainbows using spoons. Their accuracy and minimal birds’ nests kept them in the water long enough to catch some sockeye. They were hooked.
The number of people I met from the lower mainland area on the river this year was a testament to how living in Quesnel is proving to be an affordable option for people looking to buy a house. I was impressed to see large numbers of people on the riverbanks compared to the last two openings. I was also impressed to see and hear about multiple Conservation Officers and Fisheries Officers walking the river and checking licenses and compliance. While I met a lot of people who knew how to fish for salmon, I also met a few people that needed help learning. I received multiple messages from people requesting that I help them learn. And so, I was able to make three videos for my YouTube channel this fall to help others learn how to salmon fish. Check them out below or on my channel.
The sockeye season was a success for a lot of people I talked to on the river and freezers, including ours were thankful. It was great putting some healthy food in our freezer just before the winter. It was also great to be able to debone the sockeye, including pulling all the pin bones. We now enjoy eating one fillet of sockeye as a meal that feeds our whole family.
While we were fortunate to be able to catch some sockeye for our freezer, we also met people who struggled to catch a salmon this fall. There are many great places to fish on the Quesnel River and my suggestion to those who did not catch any fish is to spend more time on the river next time, talk to people on the river and ask them to help you learn, especially if you have not fished salmon before. Get outside and go fish!
So until next time, check out my how-to salmon fish videos below and stay tuned for more salmon fishing videos coming over the years.