Before I go on don't get me wrong I am not a bleeding heart I go out and kill fish just like anyone else for food legitly with barbless gear on the ocean trolling and I understand not everyone has the funds to pay for a boat, gear, gas and the likes and are forced to fish the rivers for a source of fresh fish but....

So the alberni valley finally gets some decent weather (not raining is decent weather here) the suns out so I decide i'll go for a walk down to the papermill see what's going on down there in terms of fish and to see if I could sneak a peak.

I arrive at the papermill dam to hear fish jumping and people talking seems pretty normal except when I actually get to take a look at the river, fish are jumping and there are people out there just a reefing on their rods as hard as they can with nothing more than a weighted treble hook. I shrug it off because it was first nation's out there off their docks and in waist height water I figure if it's for food fish power to them.

But to my dismay I walk up the path to where it overlooks the narrows by the water intake facility and there is probably a dozen or so people out there with nothing more than a white/orange bobber and a long leader of line with a plain hook at the end of it and they were doing the exact same thing I saw lower down at the pappermill, they were hooking into the odd fish doing this with nothing more but snagging fish as hard as they could. I don't understand how this is seen as "fishing" to me it's just "catching" I also don't understand how the DFO or MOE allows this conduct. If they had anyone down there to see how much foul hooking there was going on they could have a garage full of gear.

My second part of this rant now that the first nations can sell their fish "legally" let's not fool anyone that it wasn't happening and reason behind so many news articles about finding stacks of dead sockeye in the bush left to rot but you take a drive out towards sproat lake and every house on the way there has "Fresh fish or fresh sockeye for sale" they didn't waste anytime putting this new power to use so now you have people snagging fish at the river, dragging it on shore, bonking it and putting it into coolers that are in the back of the same truck that was on the side of the road selling "fresh sockeye" at the bridge headed towards the reserve.

Not only is there rampant fish selling now, but the people who were trying their best to snag fish were also just catching them bringing them to the beach and there were people there asking "can I have that fish?" to a quick "SURE."

So prime time for the early socks that are showing up in river that is still relatively high and cool are getting pounded by nets and snaggers and were only 5 days into the opening and I know the gillnets on the river have been fishing way before then I realize that they are now on a 3 day schedule where they can have their nets in the water but still I mean c'mon people .

Is the somass/stamp river nothing more than a meat river with little or no morals of fishing etiquette.

from what I've heard its S.N.A.F.U. over there,
to bad the authorities won't strap on some balls and start charging "people",
heaven forbid they do anything politically "uncorrect" these days ,
let alone enforce the rules that are in place already????

IMO... What the PMD needs are more people like yourself to fish with integrity and report to the DFO if you see something illegal, did you report the snaggers? The DFO is out this year hardcore, and never more than 5 minutes away from PMD, so the people that are snagging right now will be caught and fined. Everyone needs to settle down and let the DFO do their business, trust me you will see record amounts of fines being slapped down this summer both in the inlet and at the PMD. I saw 6 DFO trucks, 1 RCMP boat and 1 Conservation officer all parked at clutesi... they are freaking serious this year. Last year I never got checked once fishing sockeye, and this year I have already been checked...

If you see someone doing something illigal call the PA DFO - 250-720-4440
Or the local Conservation Officer, Cell: #7277

No I didn't call it in because I didn't have the MoE phone number on me last year we called in a bunch of drunk people snagging sockeye at the fish ladder in the staging pools where you can eye them up and cast at them. Since the DFO said it wasn't their concern when the fish are in the river rather the MoE.

But I will since there is a pay phone handy at the public washrooms there no more than a hop and a skip from eye view of the boat launch at the papermill.

But I don't fish rivers if you ever see me out there it's to simply watch them (being the fish).

Definitely call it in to DFO the local DFO office and the Observe, Record and Report. 1-800-465-4336.

DFO needs reports phoned in to justify responding. This is what I have been told by DFO enforcement. The more calls the more attention it gets.