Danger on the Fraser

[Fraink]

My Son and I were fishing the Fraser above Herling Island with a friend and had a near miss with a drift net. We were anchored just off shore like many other boats routinely do, a couple good old boys came down the river with a drift net right towards our anchored boat. I raised my arms in a what gives kind of gesture and he just kept on coming. My son just barely had time to raise the anchor and I powered up to get clear of the net, then things got wild! Not sure what we hit...the boat lurched and almost tipped, my son got pitched off the bow as did the anchor and a bunch of the anchor rope. I killed the motor thinking the rope must be on the prop but it wasn't, John was able to swim to the boat with a lot of effort as he was in the current and the anchor had found bottom again. Lucky nobody was hurt. This all could have been avoided if the fella's doing the drift netting had stopped on their way up the river to tell us they were going to drift past where we were anchored. I was very angry at the time and wouldn't have even pulled anchor if i didn't think it would put us all in a bad situation.

[winchester284]

Did the boat have a aluminum canopy and 2 older guys in it? A similar thing happened to us up at Seabird Island on Saturday. Fortunately no one fell out of the boat.

[Fraink]

I think we were at seabird, happened to us on Sunday. Yes sounds like the boat. I can understand they have an area they can drift, but they could have had dialogue with us on the way up, they even waved as they went by. If the anchor didn't come up easy we would have been in a bad situation in a real hurry.

[guest]

Not surprised .... they do not give a RATS ass about any one but themselves ..... get used to it .... they will never change as long as we are governed the way we are.

EQUAL rights for all .........

CT

good to hear you and your boy are not in a metal box in coolers.

[coach]

Sounds like a pretty crappy situation, Fraink. Glad to hear you and John are ok. It's my understanding they aren't allowed to drift with their nets, but do it anyway. It also seems obvious they purposely drift the bars in front of where guys are fishing - just to piss people off. One more example of how a group of people with no regard for laws or safety get away with shit because they are immune from punishment in our courts. Only a matter of time until something really tragic happens on that river. Your story makes my blood boil! Glad I was hunting instead of fishing this weekend.

[2tins]

I'm glad you and your son are OK. You would be even more pissed off if you saw what the "keepers of the land" were hauling into their boats with their %#&@ing drift nets. Every thing they catch they keep. Sturgeon, all kinds of salmon, trout, you name it. Makes me sick.

[NaStY]

Great to hear you and your son are ok. The river is dangerous enough already without the actions of a few.

On a brighter note, we were fishing down river once and were asked if we would mind moving when they came down. We obliged and were given a fish for it. Was a great situation................

[Peter Pepper]

your local marine store can sell you a line cutter for your prop. Might work if you u hit one and can't get you engine off in time.

[The Dude]

Aren't drift (gill) nets made of a monofilament?

[Whonnock Boy]

Aren't drift (gill) nets made of a monofilament?

Yes. Along with a lead line and a cork line.

I am wondering why you just didn't leave the anchor and watch the fun. Do you not have it on a scotchman?

[Marlin375]

So what would happen if you just stayed put?
Seems you have a legal right to be there and they saw you on the way up.
Losing a net might get them in the habbit of giving other fisherman the heads up that they are going to be drifting by.
Common courtesy is the same for everyone, the bad apples need to be tossed and the sooner the better.

[The Dude]

OK, so a gillnet made of mono, with little lead weights at the bottom almost caused a boat to capsize, and a man went overboard, the impact from this net was so great.
(And yes, I'm very familiar with boats)

What was the size of this boat?

[tim3500]

ONE SOLUTION A BAIL OF HAY (weighs nothing dry but 600lbs wet MMMmmm)only problem is I have a interest in my enviroment is just one more net laying on the beach come low water

[Whonnock Boy]

OK, so a gillnet made of mono, with little lead weights at the bottom almost caused a boat to capsize, and a man went overboard, the impact from this net was so great.
(And yes, I'm very familiar with boats)

What was the size of this boat?

I get your drift Dude. FYI, cork line and lead line are not what you would call light duty rope. They have a very high breaking strength.

I would imagine that there was a few tense moments leading up to this. A little bit of panic maybe? I know this. Having a drift net come down and get tangled with your anchor and boat is a recipe for disaster. It could have been a lot worse.

[pnbrock]

I would starve a thousand deaths before I accepted a salmon from a native.

[Ozone]

Go to your local marine store and buy one of these. Tape it in a place you can grab fast yet wont get bumped loose. Dont use it unless its a emergency or you will find yourself bleeding.

http://www.katom.com/largeproducts/135/135-15353.jpg

[darrin6109]

if anchored, dont you have the right of way so to speak (what happens if your boat was broken down?)

[tim3500]

This has been going on for a long time its there god given right to do it the federal Gove has given it to them I know more than one guy to pull anchor cause of a net you want to see a real mess watch them beach sein (sp) lots of those fish would have been better of spawned Ya stewarts of the land ! Iwill believe it when I see it OH and if your anchored for repairs I am sure it will have a net wraped around it just for spite Ihave personally seen it happen

[laredo318]

All Canadians are equal.
Some are just more equal than others.
It is a shame.

[Fraink]

Thanks for all the support guys!! I also am glad no one was hurt. I thought of staying put but not for long. We were in an open 16ft alluminum with a 50hp prop, the weight of the net would surely have swamped us. We were just up river from Herling Island and directly below us is an ugly stretch of river that would have made swimming not much fun. I do have the anchor on a "Scotchman" if you are referring to a float ball, but didn't have much time to consider all options. I also am not in the habit of escalating a situation to a higher level, or purposefully putting someone at risk. I read about a similar situation when one of the guys with the net got shot in the face with a pellet gun. I'm fishing to spend quality time with family and friends and enjoy the outdoors, not to get into an altercation that can be avoided. That being said, if we couldn't have lifted the anchor fast enough and ended in the drink I would have responded in kind.

[coach]

Those rapids below that bar are really nasty. Could have been a very bad situation. IMO - sounds like you had no option but to pull anchor. Shitty deal, Lorne. Once again, glad you guy are ok.

[srupp]

hmmm every situation needs to be DOCUMENTED...having your son go into the water becasue of their actions justifies DFO or RCMP finding these dimmly lit bulbs and informing them they put soemones life at RISK...I am certain their are charges to these effect..

Glad your ok THIS TIME..

steven

[winchester284]

Thanks for all the support guys!! I also am glad no one was hurt. I thought of staying put but not for long. We were in an open 16ft alluminum with a 50hp prop, the weight of the net would surely have swamped us. We were just up river from Herling Island and directly below us is an ugly stretch of river that would have made swimming not much fun.

Just a tip for you. There is a side channel that you can take (even with a prop boat) that completely bypasses those rapids and herrling island. Of course not even the side channel would be a party if you were floating down the river without a boat!

[Fraink]

Thanks for the tip, I was wondering if that other channel was good for a prop. The nasty part is no problem for my 16ft even loaded but it's good to know the other way around is doable. Bro inlaw pulled a couple canooists out of the nasty 2 weeks ago with his 14ft while guys with big Jet Boats watched from Herling.


Just a tip for you. There is a side channel that you can take (even with a prop boat) that completely bypasses those rapids and herrling island. Of course not even the side channel would be a party if you were floating down the river without a boat!

[BushPig]

This exact thing just happened to a buddy of mine about a week ago while sturgeon fishing the fraser(not sure of the exact location, I forgot). They were anchored with their fishing rods out. He said a boat dragging a net came from pretty much nowhere, the people in the boat yelled at them to move. My buddy brought there rods in and was in the process of pulling the anchor rope up when he realised he did not have enough time to pull it up(was about half way up). The net hit the anchor rope, he dropped it, it caught bottom. The other boat started to drift passed so he reach for his knife and cut his rope before things got worse. Net then went under his boat, luckly didn't catch anything. Net was pulled in about a 100 feet past my buddy and they headed back up river. His mistake for not having it attached to a buoy but he shouldn't have too, lost everything attached to the line, not to mention the line. No attempt or anything was made by the boat to avoid them or even pull the net in.

[fearnodeer]

to hell with this a boat that is anchored has right of way!!!!!!!!!

[The Dude]

Are there guys running SEINERS on the Fraser? Or is it all monofilament gill nets?
I've seen them with the gill nets, cherry picking the sockeye and dumping the rest overboard.
Kept maybe 1 in 5 salmon, and the rest was thrown away. Got it on video.

[shoot to kill]

they have been drift netting spring bar all year and the bar itself is native land, every morning they do several passes and get quite a few fish, its to be expected and you should definitely be aware of it, as they dont care what anyone thinks of there methods. The split below has changed a lot. the old side channel is the main river now and the channel along the highway is skinny and dangerous with a pretty slick whirlpool that gave even my 16ft jet a nice toss.

[Fraink]

I have been in contact with a fellow that is involved in sorting out these kind of interactions and is working with a group of people from both sides in an effort to reduce the tensions and increase the communication between the first nations and sport fisherman. Also to be clear, I knew they were drifting in that area but thought there was room for them to easily avoid our anchored boat. If they were going to drift right where we were anchored they could have opened a dialogue with us instead of just waving as they motored past.

[browningboy]

Are there guys running SEINERS on the Fraser? Or is it all monofilament gill nets?
I've seen them with the gill nets, cherry picking the sockeye and dumping the rest overboard.
Kept maybe 1 in 5 salmon, and the rest was thrown away. Got it on video.


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