by Keith and Heather Nicol
On Friday, September 4 we headed
to Puntledge Park in Courtenay to see if any salmon were in the river. We had
heard from some friends that they had seen salmon in Campbell River so we
thought we should check out the Puntledge. The day was sunny and warm for early
September with temperatures hitting close to the mid 20 C. We headed for the pool just off the gravel beach
and we quickly saw many salmon. We usually see pink salmon at this time in the
river but they seem to have a 2 year cycle and last year was a big year. In
chatting to other people who were snorkeling in the river they thought most of
the large fish we were seeing were spring salmon.
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| Salmon are now in the Puntledge River |
The current is strong in places and the
rocks are slippery so you need to pay attention. We wear water shoes to protect
our feet from the rocks and wade out several meters before diving in and
swimming over the salmon. The current will take you down near Morrison Creek
and then then you need to swim hard to get to shore. You can also swim to the
other side of the river where the current is slower and you can more easily
stay in one place. With some warm weather forecast for the next several days this
is a great chance to swim with salmon. Puntledge Park in located just off of 1st
Street in Courtenay.
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| Swimming with salmon is great experience |
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