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[2:40]

Good reminder. Aside from exploring, discussing and understanding the topic, we're sort of beyond the finger pointing game now that things have finally started to move forward. The problem(s) and source(s) have been identified. Time to put our energy into finding a solution now.

I look forward to being involved. 

[Ribwart]

It's easy to get carried away....especially when so many of us here care so much about the consequences. I'm interested in hearing some of the ideas and considerations that you gentlemen might have with respect to finding a solution or how to tackle the problem...give my fingers a rest.
thx,
rib

[TrophyHunter]

It is frustrating.. I do let my emotions get the better of me sometimes .. when I was out on Sunday there was a fellow across the river from me ripping two three times on every cast.. I kept glaring at him and he kept ripping away.. after about half an hour of this I couldn't take it anymore and I exploded on him... the bad thing is I let myself lose my temper. the good news is he imediately stopped ripping on every cast and actually started short floating . the guy beside me was long lining due to the fact he had a straight through float and no toothpick , solution I gave him two floats and a toothpick and taught him how to short float.. he caught fish and in turn showed his son how to short float !!! the three guys next to him were all fishing without a float but they wern't ripping with every cast.. I believe they had figured out how to bottom bounce without snagging as every foish they caught had wilfully taken the bait and had not been flossed.. we do as a whole need to find a solution because it is scary when you look at how things are progressing , more and more people every year are starting to fish , I honestly believe that we need to make examples of a few idiots and make the fines so big that it will deter others from fishing this way !! the mentality on the river often is who cares and rules don't apply to me!! Over the years I have gotten into it with a few of these persons and it has almost got ugly on more than one occasion , I have not given up the good fight yet but it does grow tiring, listening to a few people on these fishing sites fling mud grows even more tiring !!

TR

[Nicole]

Hey Chris, here are my suggestions:

-Replace the 10 chinook limit with a 10 mixed salmon per license limit, similar to steelhead. This will force anglers to make careful choices about the quality and species of fish they kill, and for whom (sorry neighbours and boss, go buy a license

-Require a salmon stamp to angle for salmon, same as steelhead.

-Create a junior license that would piggyback on an adult license. Enter the A number from the adult's on the child's license. This adult takes responsibility for the child's bag limit.

-create a law that would create a minimum space buffer between anglers. I'll start with 5 feet, so there is room for a side swipe for the CP anglers. Flyfishers would need more, but I doubt that would get anywhere. This may help reduce crowding in certain spots.

-leader length restrictions on all rivers in BC, lets start with 24 inches. To counter this, I fish longer leaders on the fly, 13 feet on a dry line sometimes, to get the fly away from the bright yellow fly line. So maybe this should not apply to flyfishers unless they are fishing tips.

-increase fines for intentional snagging, make consequenses stick.

-educate the public about good angling ettiquite.

-allow RCMP and municipal police to write tickets for angling infractions called in by the public. Right now it feels hopeless to call on weekends, as the CO's are out of the office and there needs to be a fast response if I'm threatening someone who is breaking the law.

If I think of anymore, I will edit this post.

Cheers,
Nicole

[Ribwart]

I'd like to add...

- develope some cooperative program between fisheries and local tackle shops/guide services that pushes responsible angling techniques? Adding perhaps an informational supplement that can be handed out, in addition to the regs, to all fishermen... Give it some simple title, like "How to fish for salmon, and how not to fish for salmon"...you get the idea...guess this falls into Nicole's category of educating the public...

thx,
rib

[2:40]

Excellent Ideas Nicole and Ribwort! I think a tag of 10 or similar number of salmon per year is long coming.

-Id add a course (angling exam) to be completed and PASSED before you can purchase a fishing license. No different from hunting or driving. You need to take the exam before you go out hunting or driving. This exam will have fish ID, fishing methods, as well as basic ethics and morals.

Not much work to create such a thing and it shouldnt be hard to find guys to run the course (a two or three evening course) on demand.

[Ribwart]

-there will be languauge barrier for that test is some instances...perhaps doing an online test in various translations? How could you get around the various implications of that I wonder?

[Stratocaster]

A couple of years ago, I participated in a workshop put on by the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC (Cammer, you may remember this one).  The workshop brought together stakeholders from the freshwater fishing community i.e. tackle shop owners, tackle suppliers, environmental groups, fishing groups etc.. to solicit ideas on how to increase participation with regards to freshwater fishing.  The society had noticed trends that the number of license sales were decreasing in the province (obviously not from the lower mainland) and wanted to formulate a plan through the ideas stemming from the workshop.  The workshop was very structured and a facilitator was hired.  This is very important as we all know how an unstructured meeting can degenerate rather quickly.  I feel that we could benefit by conducting a workshop similar to this.  In order for any plan to work, we need acceptance by everyone involved.

[TrophyHunter]

Nicole and Ribwart bith have some excellent ideas !

I think that the annual licence first of all needs to be increased greatly in price, A freshwater licence should be around 200-250 dollars including steelhead and salmon tags, I agree there should be some form of test if nothing else to educate people on telling different species apart, Use the extra money taken in by the licence fees to get more enforcement on the rivers, and make the penalties much harsher as to make an example of a few law breakers... if the laws are enforced and people feel the penalties there will be far less problems on the river.. other than that I feel fisherman myself included should continue to educate others on the river..

In the end the trouble makers will still be there, people that are unwilling to listen and learn..but maybe one person at a time we can make a difference..

Maybe all salmon rivers will eventually have to be changed to no retention, and believe me as an addicted fisherman I would have no problem with that !! all I need is to feel that pull on the end of my line and I am a happy man
TR

[Eagleye]

One thing that really erks me is when guys pull fish up on to the bank that they are not planning on keeping or not allowed to keep and then kicking them back in etc.  I think there should be a regulation that prohibits people from dragging fish up on the bank not just a suggestion of proper handling techniques. I know this is off topic but does concern regulation changes.  As for preventing flossing through regulation changes I really don't see how this can be done/enforceable because it doesn't matter if someone uses a 6' leader or a 24" leader (the latter can actually be more effective at flossing in certain conditions.) whether or not the person consitently flosses fish depends on their intent and knowledge of angling.  Of the ideas put forward thus far I like ribwarts idea of  having an information supplement and 2:40's  suggestion of having an angling exam.  This could be a one time deal to make sure everyone is on the same page and cannot plead ignorance when they are doing someting they shouldn't be doing.  

[BwiBwi]

-allow RCMP and municipal police to write tickets for angling infractions called in by the public. Right now it feels hopeless to call on weekends, as the CO's are out of the office and there needs to be a fast response if I'm threatening someone who is breaking the law.

They are allowed.  

[Nina]

-Id add a course (angling exam) to be completed and PASSED before you can purchase a fishing license. No different from hunting or driving. You need to take the exam before you go out hunting or driving. This exam will have fish ID, fishing methods, as well as basic ethics and morals.

And who's gonna teach these so called ethics and morals? You? Me? The pope? Allah??!

All that talk about morals and ethics sounds like extremism to me.

[blaydRnr]

some of your proposals make sense, however, i feel uncomfortable with most of them because they gear towards turning our sport into an elitist activity.

do you really think raising the cost of licenses would increase the funding for fish habitat and hatcheries?

right now recreational fishermen invest 12 million dollars annually towards bc's tourist/ outdoor industry, yet the problems on the rivers have become more pronounce. we need to find a way to change people's attitude towards the problems of snagging, not change the make up of the sport to suit your own personal needs or desires....ie shorten leaders, but should not apply to flyfishers..... make a buffer of 5 ft between fishers, flyfishers need more...  sounds like Nicole, you want to create restrictions that don't apply to you.  try addressing the problems with flyfishers first then move on to the rest of us because flossing/snagging is not a nonflyfisher epidemic.

[2:40]

Nina, well we'd have to agree on what I made sure to call BASIC morals and ethics. Without at least some basic standards, morals and ethics to strive for, you're going to have the free-for-all we have today.

These morals would simply include not kicking fish back into the water but releasing at the water's edge and other things along these basic lines.

No intent to slam your feelings on it, Nina, but if trying to share a moral/ethic of not kicking fish is extreme, what do we have left in angling we can work towards?

Maybe if I was more clear on this topic in the first place...my apologies.

But I wonder if the Pope would come out and speak to this issue. He seems to get a little controversy going these days. Might be nice to sit back and let someone else do it for a change.  


Blaydruner makes a valid point about the cost of license. I and many others could not afford $200 although I think it's worth it.
His comments to change attitude, while the toughest part, I feel is also right on the money. We should take care not to change or focus on the wrong things when the root of the issue lives on. But I also feel there will be no way to avoid having to implement some of the things like Nicole suggested though too, if not for any reason but to be a band aid and put the brakes on the problem. Changing attitude will take time, regulating can be done much quicker and when you see the state of fishing, we dont have a lot of time.

In other words, it will be a balancing act.

[blaydRnr]

people don't need to take a test to know that kicking a salmon back in the water is unethical. people like those are plain and simply stupid. fish identification is more along the lines that should be a MUST in attaining a license.