Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum
Fishing in British Columbia => General Discussion => Topic started by: Rodney on November 05, 2010, 11:51:02 AM
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Now that 2010's catchable rainbow trout stockings (http://www.fishingwithrod.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=23554.0) have ended, we'd like to hear some feedbacks from you. Last year I put up a thread for this and information was very useful for those who work in this fishery. I can't promise that your ideas will always be used, but I can at least deliver them to the right person who would like to hear them. ;)
Have you been pleased with the stocking updates, the lakes (the facility, the catches, etc) where you fish? What more would you like to see (not necessary more fish, but a floating dock, or washroom facility? etc)?
Regulation compliance, how much of this have you observed? What is the ratio between compliance and non-compliance, at which lake? What are the most common violations? What would you like to see more to tackle this issue?
Any questions on the catchable rainbow trout fishery? How stockings are determined? How fish are raised? etc.
What other lakes you want to see fish in? What lakes you want to see less fish stocked?
Any other additional comments are welcome. Please keep the discussion constructive. A couple of topics, especially when it comes to regulation compliance, can be heated, so I ask you to be constructive rather than be destructive (ie. we want to know the extent of the problem but not finger pointing or extensive complaints without making some suggestions).
Thanks!
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Well, I was in Port Moody from about Oct 21 to Nov2.
I made the mistake of trying to fish at Buntzen Lake. The dam is open and the water is so high, it's hard to find a spot you can even access the lake. I found one spot, but was skunked, not surprisingly.
I went 4 or 5 times to Sasamat, and as pretty as it is, still not much luck. I did catch a nice 1 1/2 lb rainbow one day, and there was certainly a lot of fish jumping, about ten feet further than I was casting ;) Beautiful spot though, I don't regret a minute I spent there, at *either* end of the lake!
I had a fly fishing lesson one Sunday afternoon at Como Lake, and the regulars there told us it gets fished out almost immediately after stocking, we certainly didn't see much.
Thanks Rod, for all the advice before my trip, I had a great time, even if I didn't catch anything to feed the crew!
Cheers
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Because the local stocked lake I fish is Green Timbers the thing I would like to see the most is reducing the limit. To two fish so that there is more time between the stocking and a small group of people taking all the fish. Also a dock off the west side were the ducks rarely go. It's a local spot so if you want more fish you can get them the next day. It seems the higher limit also brings out the worst anglers too. That might be a bit negitive but it's hard to put it another way. :-\
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Went to Whonnock Lake twice. Skunked both times. :-\
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Because the local stocked lake I fish is Green Timbers the thing I would like to see the most is reducing the limit. To two fish so that there is more time between the stocking and a small group of people taking all the fish.
2 fish is the current limit at Green Timbers. Some users have scratched off the number that was originally there. There was a new sticker that reflected the changes, but no more.
http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/fw/fish/regulations/changes/0911/region2.html
Nice little lake. Can't seem to wake up early enough to get there when the fish are active and closer to shore though. At least there weren't anybody wearing waders there last time I went there :)
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Although, I live near Como, I usually hit up Rice. The hike in tends to deter some people from going. I've had no luck at Como.
Would like to see the limits dropped as well.
I think at the truly urban lakes there tends to be a lot of double or triple dipping from the local residents. Since the lake is a few seconds away, there could be some local resident limiting out multiple times in one day and no one would really know.
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I live close to Como and have taken all my kids fishing this lake over the years and after stocking the kids have allways caught fish,but since lifting the age restriction i am finding the same individuals fishing there mornings and again in the evenings taking more fish than the regs state,as a result the last number of times out i am finding the lake gets fished out pretty quick and there is not much left for the kids,lower quota may help but personally id rather see the age restriction return.
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I'm with you guys on lowering the limit to two. I also live close to Como and have witnessed the double and triple dipping by some of these folks. I have mentioned it to some of these so called fishermen but they just shrug their shoulders and some pretend not to understand me. I have called the DFO a few times, but have never seen them out there personally. If the limit was lowered to two it may give everyone especialyy the kids a little longer period to catch fish.
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Excellent responses so far. I added a poll to the thread later on yesterday after putting this post up so in case you missed it earlier, please vote. There are quite a few individuals who voted "poor", but failed to explain why it is poor and what improvements are needed by making a reply.
By lowering the daily quota and implementing the age restriction, it would unlikely deter those who wish to take more than their shares of fish home if you observe who were the majority usually taking part in this violation. Again, two components are needed continuously to increase compliance - education and enforcement. This particular topic has been an email discussion on and off among individuals myself, MoE staff and FFSBC staff because we get reports from stocking staff, creel surveyors, park staff on how much non-compliance there are. There is a plan to have an one or two-page introductory sheet available for entry level anglers to bring along when visiting these "Fishing in the City" lakes. This would make sure new anglers are well aware of what they can and cannot do before wetting a line. For those who continue to disregard our regulations, your best option right now is still calling the RAPP line. Even if conservation officers are unable to attend, frequencies of reports give them a better understanding on where most violations are taking place. This really helps them on determining how their patrol time and effort should be allocated.
What influence the quality of your trip to these lakes? The venue (scenery, tidiness, facilities?), the fish (number of fish caught, number of fish allowed for keeping, size of the fish?), the nearby participants (general atmosphere, compliance, angling behaviour?)?
Unlike previous years, I updated the stocking reports once every week (near the end of each week) instead of providing immediate updates. Is this preferred?
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i have a confession Rodney , i didnt mean to vote poor :-[, when i hit the sumbit button, i accidently hit poor, and then the sumbit button again with out paying attention :-\ My first choice in the poll was Good, Ive liked this fishery so far this year becuase its simple to get to these lakes, and catch a couple fish. one thing i dislike about this fishery, is at some lakes i go to, i see the same people in the morning come and take there limit, and go home. Than come back again in the afternoon, and bonk there limit again, and go home. One time i even saw the same guy come back a 3rd time, and take his limit again >:( this kinda stuff just makes me sick to my stomach
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Thanks Rod, for providing a venue to give feedback and have it heard by people with influence and the ability to make changes.
I voted good on the pole, I pretty much always catch fish as a result of the stocking program and I don't have to burn gobs of fuel to do so. I would like to see the main four ponds get fewer fish so other lakes would have an increased share. I think this could be done by lowering the limits in these ponds. The Garibaldi lakes seem to get fewer and fewer fish all the time and they are not that far away and there is no comparison in the fishing experience. The poaching problem at these urban ponds is rampant, and with the staffing levels of Co's, I am not sure what the answer is. Maybe some type of Deputy system, where experienced anglers could play some role. Also I would like to see a little better access at some of these lakes for getting car topper row boats closer to the water. Sasamat lake is an example, there is a gated access road right down to the water, which would make for much easier launching in spring and fall, before and after the beach goers are there en masse. I would like to see them spread the share of those big brood stocks around, it seems that only a couple or three lakes get them. But overall, in my opinion, I think the program is a success.
tight lines everyone ;D
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I have for the most part always enjoyed the local lakes and like the others above find they get fished out way too fast, I have never actually taken a fish from the local ponds.
Would really like to see some more river enhancement in trout as they are much more enjoyable to catch in moving water.
As for you posting about the stockings, I preferred the day of reports but maybe this day of reporting could be for contributing members or subscribers.
Then it could be in the open forum a few days later.
Thanks for asking
EZ
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I would suggest that if you're not going to make a lake a kids only destination, at least portion off the easy access areas for the kids... like the dock at rice, bridge at sasamat, etc. Adults can find other places to fish on the same lakes... with kids or parents with kids its not so easy. And green timbers I won't even go into... I won't be taking my kids anywhere near there again.
At shannon lake in kelowna they stock a small penned off area of the lake with triploids just for the kids and it works very well. We've taken the kids there a few times and it has always been a pleasant and successful outing. I'm sure they get their share of poaching but I do believe that with a small area designated as kids only it would be less likely that you'd have an adult fishing it.... far more visibility in a smaller area. Pretty easy to put up a few signs too.
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I answered neutral.
The good:
Lakes close to home that usually have fish in them.
Fish that are easy to catch
The bad:
Fish are easy to catch ( mention it twice since its good and bad, as these fish are quite stupid )
The fish lack a decent fight
The popular lakes get fished out fast
Question about the stocking. Now are these lakes stocked so people can feed their families? Or are they put their for people to experience catching fish? If its more about the experience than lowering the limit to one a day/person might help keep some of these fish in the lakes a bit longer. If a family of 4 goes out thats still 4 fish.
I would still like to see a stocking program done on some other lakes in the LM that are actually fertile. Their are some lakes in the Fraser Valley that could be turned into fly fishing only lakes. If they were stocked with triploids they could grow quite fast and we could have a few 'trophy' lakes where we have a chance at some larger fish ( and not those mutant broods )
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without changes in the regs, most fish in local urban lakes have no chance to grow to decent sizes. there are few fly only lakes in lower mainland locally, and those imo provide the best quality fishing experience. I wish there were more.
does whonnok ever get broods? that could be interesting...then again, they would dissapear pretty fast due to harvesting.
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I fish sasamat quite a bit and would like to see easier accsess made so people with small row boats or just canoes dont have such a pain carrying a boat in threw all those stairs they have :)
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First off a big thanks to all involved in this fishery :)
A couple of fly only lakes would be nice
more stocking of fish in the biger lakes like Deer Lake in Burnaby, Whonnock Lake
as for the regulars that take more than there share not much can be done without patrols from" lake watch supervisors", as jimmywits mentioned these could be selected fishermen\women that would volunteer there time,walk there local lakes or while on the lakes fishing themselves
they could have a badge\vest to show who they are once they pass a regs test
they can then confirm the regs and take photos of the non complient fishermen\women and call RAPP, CO's etc
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A couple of FYIs.
I answered Jimmywits' question on broodstocks at flybc so I'll just copy and paste the answer here:
Before the surplus broods are released, the hatchery consults with the regional biologist from MoE to determine which lakes will receive these fish. One of the factors that they consider is whether or not the lake has an outlet (streams) because these surplus broods are 2N (not sterile) and not 3N like FV3N catchable rainbow trout. That's why the other Fishing in the City lakes do not receive them.
Re: Catch and release to produce larger fish in the long run. Fraser Valley AF3Ns at catchable size at Lower Mainland lakes are intended for people to catch and keep because most lakes' productivity is low. Even in catch and release lakes in region 2, it's rare to find trophy size fish that you'd see in Interior lakes. That being said, I personally do find lakes that are designated for catch and release more enjoyable to fish at.
Keep them coming. I'll forward the thread to FFSBC and MoE staffs later this week once we have more feedbacks. :)
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A couple of FYIs.
I answered Jimmywits' question on broodstocks at flybc so I'll just copy and paste the answer here:
Before the surplus broods are released, the hatchery consults with the regional biologist from MoE to determine which lakes will receive these fish. One of the factors that they consider is whether or not the lake has an outlet (streams) because these surplus broods are 2N (not sterile) and not 3N like FV3N catchable rainbow trout. That's why the other Fishing in the City lakes do not receive them.
Re: Catch and release to produce larger fish in the long run. Fraser Valley AF3Ns at catchable size at Lower Mainland lakes are intended for people to catch and keep because most lakes' productivity is low. Even in catch and release lakes in region 2, it's rare to find trophy size fish that you'd see in Interior lakes. That being said, I personally do find lakes that are designated for catch and release more enjoyable to fish at.
Keep them coming. I'll forward the thread to FFSBC and MoE staffs later this week once we have more feedbacks. :)
They can live longer than 2 weeks which is about the longest some of the lakes last after a stocking.
On Vancouver Island they have some fly fishing only lakes ( South Island is what I experienced ) and it worked. Their are atleast a half dozen and if not more lakes I can think of off the top of my head that could support some triploids where their is enough food for them to grow.
Personally I would like to see more lakes with some trophy fishing opportunities. It would be nice to have more choices during salmon season. I find it more enjoyable to be in my 10 footer in the interior than fishing for salmon. Just cant afford or have the time to get up to the interior every weekend.
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I personally would love to see a lake here in Maple Ridge that has better access for seniors and for kids. Right now the access at Mike lake is limited to the space on the dock( which is small and unstable) or a water craft with no motor. The access at Rolley requires pretty much the same or trying to fish in among the trees which for seniors and kids is difficult. I think maybe a man made lake in the Albion flats area would be great especially since the city is trying to find something to do with this land anyways.
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If we only had few more CO's. Once a few of those poachers get fined at the local lakes for taking more than their limit I'm sure the word would get out and we would see less of these infractions. Unfortunately we know how the goverments priorities are.
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Now that 2010's catchable rainbow trout stockings (http://www.fishingwithrod.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=23554.0) have ended, we'd like to hear some feedbacks from you.
I had an excellent trout season. What I'd like to see is more lakes stocked with kokanee. Is that off-topic or does the same hatchery that stocks trout also stock kokanee? What is the reason that more lakes aren't stocked with catchable kokanee? I'm sure one of the requirements would be that the lake be at a higher elevation or is big and deep.
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Well i was in class today, i thought of something id like bring up to everyone on here. Why dont the release sexually active fish wich will spawn and keep the cycle going in the lake, instead of the Tripliod Trout wich just keeps growing. That way the fishing wont be good for just the 2weeks when they stock the lakes, and they dont get fished out dry. This also may make it a little bit more challenging for some of us, who keep catching a ton of fish when we go, and can probobly provent the double dipping by some of the locals.
One bad thing i thought about why they dont do that, is maybe the cost to release sexually active fish, may cost alot more than what it does now. i just thought id like to share that idea with some of you , i dont know if its already been talked about, but i just felt like bringing this up.
Cheers - Blackgivesway2blue 8)
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On the whole I think they are doing a great job managing these fisheries, I cant think of any other places in the world that have such an awsome program for such a cheap license fee.
I agree we need some differentiation and diversity in the fisheries. They need to continue with the meat fisheries to satisfy the meat fisherman but stock a couple of (catch and release) lakes with cutties, trophy rainbows, other native species etc. Im sure the biologists would say it is inefficient as would the economists but it seems a lot of non-meat fisherman would appreciate that.
On a side note better fly fishing access at Rice would be most welcome particularly since boats are prohibited!
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I'd like to see a c&r lake in the lowermainland, within a park of some sort to reduce the poaching that a lake in the hills might receive and load it with fish and fertilize the lake so that they grow BIG.
The one thing about the lakes here is the fish are small, still enjoyable to get out, but if there was a lake nearby that held large fish and or better fish and could accommodate a fair amount of boats/fishermen that would be great!!!!
People (like me) spend a lot of money going else wheres to get into bigger and or better fish (IE cutthrout, kokanee). Lakes like kawkwa (hope) are great, and while not that far of travel (like the interior), but it is a still a long drive and cost not to mention the harm to the environment, as much fuel is used to get to these places. This is a cost that I'd wager the majority of fisher people have to absorb. It'd be great to see this money, instead of going to the gas man to be put into a local lake to create a quality local fishery...
I'd be more than happy to pay an additional fee to fish this "imaginary" local lake, after all I am saving a lot in gas. If there is something that would not let this fly please let me know....!!!! As far as I know, and that is little, the local lakes are too alkaline. can't we just ad some ph-down??? throw some bugs in and maintain the water ph???
Aside from above, a 4 fish limit is a bit much for a easy to access lake in town and lowing that would be good to see. I'd like to see no more than 2 on the city lakes.
PS, I voted fair as the fishing experience. I allways catch fish so that is good but they are small and not enough kokanees in buntzen ;).I only go out to local lakes if I have to get out and can't afford the time or gas to go further, even though I really want to...
Last year I spent more time and money going else wheres for bigger and better fish....and it was a fair bit of money....
It would be nice to see more kokanees in more lakes that don't have them as I find they are the "walters" I'm hoping to catch and they give me the thrill as they are low in numbers (please change ;) ;D). It'd be nice to see a few more planted with lower limits so someone who finds them doesn't clean them out...
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I had a really good year fishing stocked trout. Im with everyone else for lowering the limits as I almost never keep stocked trout from the LM anyways and hopefully this would mean more around for the new anglers to catch. I've noticed Im almost always able to catch lots of fish out of my kayak at most LM lakes while there are quite a few lakes that are very hard for shore anglers to fish. It'd be nice if they found some ways to make shore fishing better at some of the lakes so new anglers could have some more luck. Caught some big broods at Mill today and that was fun on the fly, my only complaint is that my net is not big enough for them :D.
(http://i963.photobucket.com/albums/ae119/colin6101/PB090418.jpg)
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Stave Lake use to have some decent size Kokanee. It would make a good place to stock them and Alouette lake. I like to fish for them and there's a lake or two in the Cariboo that have good sized Koke's. I'd turn Green Timbers into a catch and release lake. Because it's in Surrey. Maybe even a toll and breathalizer van there too.
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Not sure if all lakes are stocked with "Fraser valley strain" but they aredogs to fight. Usually slugs compared to interior fish. Other than that pretty neat to have quite a few lakes close to a major center with quite a few fish to catch.
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Most lakes in Region 2 are stocked with Fraser Valley rainbows for the "urban" fishery. There are some exceptions if you look them up at gofishbc.com
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Back to the top for those who haven't voted or provided feedbacks. I have an advisor meeting next week where I can bring up some of your thoughts.