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[markyboy]

In Europe there is a pretty big market for coarse fishing, and I've wondered why it hasn't caught on in Canada. For example, in the UK, fishing clubs lease ponds from farmers and stock them with a mixture of different coarse fish - carp, tench, roach, bream, perch, pike etc. Coarse fish can thrive in smaller waters so it's much more cost effective than trout and easily accommodated in urban environments. Its also strictly catch and release.

Is it simply there is little to no interest in coarse fish in Canada, is it a legislation/environmental issue or do people find there is enough good fishing to be had year round without this.

Personally I find tidal coarse fishing for pikeminnow and chub okay, and I have fished the Ladner ditches for carp however over time the good spots I have found over the years have been built on or fenced off. With less and less access to good spots I find myself travelling further afield to fish for trout (typically Merritt area) or the Fraser River spots I fish are busy with lots of other people and not the most productive or private.  In the end I fish less. Wish there were more options......

[milo]

Why fish for bony and mostly ugly coarse fish when you can fish for tasty salmon and trout?
I fished on both sides of the big pond and let me tell ya, salmon and trout rock!BC truly is fishing paradise.

That said, if I had to choose between fishing for coarse fish and not fishing at all, I'd probably be thankful to have a pond with big carp and tench somewhere nearby.

[Ian Forbes]

I fish for a variety of species when I'm in Thailand and some are great sport fish, they fight very hard, but they don't compare all round to the salmonid species we have in BC. I guess you could include halibut, cod, Ling and rockfish as coarse fish species. It all depends on your expectations.

Here are just a few great sport fish in Thailand...

Jungle perch are available in most big reservoirs.



You catch and release these Mekong catfish in pay for play fishing parks. They pull like a horse.



There is also a relative of the pirhana called a Pacu



A giant snakehead is a favourite

[bigblue]

I have lived and fished in Europe, both coasts of US, both side of the Rockies, and Asia. I can say with confidence that fishing in BC rocks! We can fish for steelhead and salmon pretty much all year round in the lower mainland. It's a salmon and trout fishing paradise.  You can do all this for almost free. Annual license with salmon and steelhead tag costs less than playing a single round of golf in a private course. We are in a way spoiled here in BC. I doubt there would be much enthusiasm paying for coarse fish here.

[markyboy]

Ian - fantastic photos!

Why fish for bony and mostly ugly coarse fish when you can fish for tasty salmon and trout?

I'm catch and release so the bony doesn't apply to me. I'm not sure I would date a Salmon but I suppose if I had to kiss a fish it might be a rainbow trout  Guess I'm into personality and not looks.....just like my wife.

Being an engineer I try to figure out the logic in things so for me the enjoyment fishing comes down to a combination of:
The size and fight of a fish
The frequency I can catch them (once I have the skills)
The distance I have to travel to fish
The peace and quiet/beauty of the fishing spot
The preparation and anticipation of catching something

There are tradeoffs between all of these. If I were to add 'Enjoyable eating' to the list then obviously the coarse fish would not make the cut and I'd agree with everyone. I do get that the Salmon and trout fishing here is as good as it gets anywhere in the world and that we are fortunate to live in BC but for me personally being catch and release, I take as much enjoyment from catching a carp as I do a cutthroat trout. Maybe I'm a one-off - the anticipation of catching is probably as much fun for me as the time spent playing a fish.

For me the tradeoffs between distance travelled/time taken (given I am in Delta) means I fish mainly lower Fraser - which generally is not that pretty, not that peaceful and not that productive so perhaps it's time to relocate further out in the valley - or go buy a boat.

[skaha]

-early teens no driver licence.. I had no choice during the week I would walk down to the Thompson and fish it.
--Got a lot of carp and pikeminnow but all part of learing to fish.

--I don't like to pay but there is a place for that... I would prefer to keep public access which was and still is a bonus fishing in BC.

[MoeJKU]

Ian - fantastic photos!

I'm catch and release so the bony doesn't apply to me. I'm not sure I would date a Salmon but I suppose if I had to kiss a fish it might be a rainbow trout  Guess I'm into personality and not looks.....just like my wife.

Being an engineer I try to figure out the logic in things so for me the enjoyment fishing comes down to a combination of:
The size and fight of a fish
The frequency I can catch them (once I have the skills)
The distance I have to travel to fish
The peace and quiet/beauty of the fishing spot
The preparation and anticipation of catching something

There are tradeoffs between all of these. If I were to add 'Enjoyable eating' to the list then obviously the coarse fish would not make the cut and I'd agree with everyone. I do get that the Salmon and trout fishing here is as good as it gets anywhere in the world and that we are fortunate to live in BC but for me personally being catch and release, I take as much enjoyment from catching a carp as I do a cutthroat trout. Maybe I'm a one-off - the anticipation of catching is probably as much fun for me as the time spent playing a fish.

For me the tradeoffs between distance travelled/time taken (given I am in Delta) means I fish mainly lower Fraser - which generally is not that pretty, not that peaceful and not that productive so perhaps it's time to relocate further out in the valley - or go buy a boat.

Sounds like you should fish for steelhead, usually not to many people out there, they are usually in nice places to fish scenery wise, usually have to go off the beaten path, good pound for pound fight, and when you learn how to locate, read water, holding areas, presentations (skills as you put) then its not all that hard.
Best times ive had fishing in my life were on remote steelhead flows.

But to answer  your question no i wouldn't fish for course fish.

[adriaticum]

There are not a lot of course fish opportunities around here and so people are not used to it. Most coarse fish have been introduced I think.
You can fish for salmon on the beautiful Squamish or Cheakamus or you can sit by some stinking mud pit and wait for a carp.
Which one would you rather do?

[ziggypal]

Amazing pics @ianforbes. Makes me wanna try fishing in different parts of the world.

[Rodney]

There are a couple of reasons that paid coarse fisheries are not available in this province.

• The demand is not there.
• This province's fisheries are not privately owned, unlike Europe where access to just about all freshwater fisheries requires you to either pay or be in a club.
• We lack the species which are found in Europe's coarse fisheries, therefore less exciting.
• The current province's policy does not give you the option of creating coarse fisheries by bringing in European species

With the exception of common carp, crucian carp, and some tench, all so-called "coarse" fish found in this province are native to the watersheds (northern pikeminnow, peamouth chub, redside shiner, a variety of sucker and dace species).

Personally I love all styles of fishing, and will always revisit some of the fisheries which experienced BC anglers refuse to touch when given the opportunities. The expectations in coarse fisheries are obviously different to salmonid fisheries. Minnows obviously do not run and jump like a salmon, trout or steelhead, but their abundance always guarantees outings filled with nibbles and hook-ups. It is a numbers game. The goal is to catch as many as possible, and there is something very fun about watching that quiver tip being lightly pulled or a properly balanced 1g float being drowned repeatedly. Lately I've also become interested in getting those on the fly, which can be surprisingly difficult for species that primarily feed on tiny insects in water with almost no clarity.





Carp fishing can be ridiculously slow when waiting, but that reel scream makes it all worth it even if it takes a few hours to achieve. Last year during our stay at a friend's cabin by the Okanagan Lake, I brought along my Shimano Baitrunner and anchored the boilies in the water. We sat on the lawn with the rods, waited while enjoying our snacks and sunshine. The runs eventually happened and that was just as fun as catching a salmon in my opinion.





This year I was given the option of either missing the fall pink salmon or coho salmon run so we can make a trip to Europe and visit the in-laws. Pink salmon I have already caught by the hundreds, so now I am sitting at the other side of the Atlantic. After being here for a day, we took a short walk to the local bog in the evening to cure the jet lag. I of course brought along a ultralight spinning rod. Within a dozen casts, I was able to bring in two European perch and two northern pike. All were tiny, but those ten minutes were surely exciting because I was catching species which we normally do not see in BC. During the rest of my stay, I hope to connect with the odd sea trout, but I also want to go back and catch some more of these spiny creatures.





I also enjoy fishing in an urban environment very much, because I find it satisfying to be able to catch quality fish in waters where people do not think they exist. In a few weeks from now, the pink salmon fishing crowd will disperse in the Lower Mainland, that's when the real fun begins.







Most anglers in this province define good freshwater fishing as catching chrome salmon and trout in the wilderness setting, I don't completely agree.

[fishman254]

In Europe there is a pretty big market for coarse fishing, and I've wondered why it hasn't caught on in Canada. For example, in the UK, fishing clubs lease ponds from farmers and stock them with a mixture of different coarse fish - carp, tench, roach, bream, perch, pike etc. Coarse fish can thrive in smaller waters so it's much more cost effective than trout and easily accommodated in urban environments. Its also strictly catch and release.

Is it simply there is little to no interest in coarse fish in Canada, is it a legislation/environmental issue or do people find there is enough good fishing to be had year round without this.

Personally I find tidal coarse fishing for pikeminnow and chub okay, and I have fished the Ladner ditches for carp however over time the good spots I have found over the years have been built on or fenced off. With less and less access to good spots I find myself travelling further afield to fish for trout (typically Merritt area) or the Fraser River spots I fish are busy with lots of other people and not the most productive or private.  In the end I fish less. Wish there were more options......

I probably would not pay an access fee for coarse fish, but I do at Douglas Lakes for Kamloops 'bows.

[DanJohn]

Im with Rod! I will catch everything, anytime! If its a real bad day fishing wise, a snagged branch in fast current can suffice. I will fish for absolutely anything that will take a fly! Ive caught beaver, eagle, and coromant, although the first was snagged, and the other two I got using live stocked trout as bait. The beaver was the most fun! He took a couple runs then came in til I broke him off, but the other two just up and flew away! That wasnt really a fair fight, but the hook popped from them!

Would I pay for it? Well if I could fly fish yes. If its 25lb text spin rods only like the pay to fish place in abbotsford, no I wouldnt. If I can fish my way, with my gear, yes I probably would. 10-20 bucks a day would be fair. I wouldnt like it, as we have so much water around that is free, and only costs leg work and motivation, but we are a spolied bunch I think, and I surely would do it at least once, and probably more if its good fishing.

[Mayor McSkunk]

I would try it. Although I enjoy going out and finding new places to fish and taking the chance of getting skunked, sometimes it would be nice to stay local and catch some nice big fish. Playing fish is always fun no matter how they look or taste, so why not go out and enjoy catching some  when you have a spare hour or two ?

[zap brannigan]

already enough invasive carp and bass polluting the local waters, fish for them and take your limit home.

[Ian Forbes]

My favourite "coarse fish" by far is the Asian mahseer. Not only is it a beautiful fish but it lives in clear, mountain rivers in spectacular scenery. It acts just like a trout and eats the same items: mayflies, stoneflies, hellgrammites, caddis, and minnows. It is stronger and faster than trout, but just doesn't jump. It will rise to a tiny dry fly, but prefers submerged items. And yes, anglers will pay good money for the opportunity to catch one.