British Columbia Fishing Blog

For many years now, I have been writing about different, unexplored fishing opportunities in the Tidal Fraser River. From float fishing for coarse fish to flyfishing for trout, char and salmon, this area is ideal for Vancouverites who want to go fishing for a couple of hours without travelling far. I regularly receive questions in emails about them. Here is a great you to find out more, by coming to this year’s Fish for the Future on Saturday July 11th!

 

Fish for the Future is an annual festival that I have organized since 2003. The purpose of the event is to promote sportfishing, create public awareness of the biodiversity of the Fraser River ecosystem and conservation. It is fun and educational for all ages. The event is hosted at the No. 2 Road Pier of London’s Landing from 10:00am to 3:00pm.

During this year’s festival, families have the opportunities to try out fishing. Fishing gear will be available for kids who do not have them. Fish species that you might see include peamouth chub, northern pikeminnow, sculpin, largescaled sucker, redside shiner, shiner perch, starry flounder, American shad, bull trout, cutthroat trout and white sturgeon. When a fish is caught, it will be put in an aquarium for the kids to observe and learn before released back into the water.

Beside fishing, there will also be many other activities for participants to get involved in:

• Flycasting and flytying lessons will be available throughout the event for those who wish to learn the art of flyfishing.
• OWL, Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation Society, will be showing some of BC’s iconic birds of prey.
• Presented by the Seymour Salmonid Society, the aquatic insect station showcases microspecies that make up the important base of a stream ecosystem. There will also be a live tank of coho salmon smolts for visitors to watch.
• DFO Steveston will be on site to answer your questions about fishing in the tidal waters of British Columbia.The
• The Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC will be hosting learn to fish lessons throughout the event.

 

Bring a packed lunch! There are picnic tables in the shaded area of the pier where you can enjoy your lunch break between activities. Ride a bike down to the event! Richmond has an excellent network of cycle routes. Park your bikes on the pier while enjoying all the activities.

You can be both a participant and volunteer. Help is always needed. If you wish to volunteer, please email me at info@fishingwithrod.com. I hope to see you on July 11th! This is also an opportunity for me to meet readers and learn more about what others would like to see on the website.

Here are some video clips from last year’s Fish for the Future.

So every ten minutes on the radio today, somebody wouldn’t stop saying, “Happy Earth Day!”

What exactly are we celebrating? Rapid depletion of biodiversity? Accumulation of floating garbage in the ocean? Growing demand of fossil fuel? Most earth-related news these days aren’t exactly celebration-worthy.

Earth Day provides an opportunity to share our actions that help Earth and reflect our way of life that could use some adjustment to reduce impacts.

So what have you done in the last couple of years and what do you plan to do, to make this a better place?

Here are some practices that I have maintained, some were started recently while others have been happening for quite awhile now. This is not an attempt to suggest that these are what you should do, but more of an attempt to share, inspire and perhaps hear what others are doing differently to also make a positive difference.

Garbage reduction: My weekly garbage is usually one shopping bag full. Most of the waste comes from the kitchen. Papers, cans, bottles and some plastics are always recycled. I’ve put a cat beside the bag for comparison in size.

Buying products that have minimal amount of packaging also helps and the products tend to be better as they are either raw or only processed slightly. I also bring a cloth bag to shop whenever I remember. When I started using one two years ago, I always forgot about it but it becomes quite easy after doing it for so long. The same practice has been going on in other parts of the world where plastic bags cost money at the supermarket so most people just bring their own bags.

Electricity saving: Lights are always turned off whenever not being used. The cable modem, computers, microwave, VCR, DVD player, TV and any other appliances that require a remote control are unplugged before going to bed or whenever not being used. The heater is kept at 15C or lower in the winter, it’s an excellent way to kick the house guests out without saying anything.

Gasoline usage: I’ve cut my gasoline usage to about $30 or less per week. This is possible partly because I work at home, but also has a lot to do with better planning before a trip, not hopping in a car whenever I desire to and using alternatives, ie. walking and biking, to close destinations such as the post office.

When it comes to fishing, there are also little things that I prefer doing to reduce impact.

When retaining fish, I prefer to have a cooler filled with ice for my catches. Not only it keeps the fish fresh, I do not end up wasting a plastic bag. A small cooler is used for trout and kokanee while fishing on a boat, or a big cooler kept in the car during the fall salmon or winter steelhead season.

Fishing line and lead are probably the most hazardous items left behind in the water by fishermen. I try to minimize that when fishing. Used line always goes into the pocket and disposed at home.

What do you do with your empty plastic spools after you use up all the fishing line on them? To prevent having these cluttering up in the house, I prefer to take my reel into the store for spooling. Quite often I would also bring my empty plastic spools in so they can be spooled. Most stores would be happy to do it for you.

Other more obvious practices that many anglers already do include conserving your catches. While most daily quotas of species in BC are already quite generous, I tend to practice moderation when retaining fish. Keeping enough fish in the freezer that can be finished within a reasonable period is the personal rule. Having fresh fish rarely is more desirable than having old fish often.

All these actions are primarily intended for helping the environment but overtime they do benefit personally by keeping more money in the pocket. Environmentally sounding practices aren’t always costly, which has been the common belief. It in fact saves money, but just consumes more time and energy, which isn’t always so appealing to us in today’s fast paced life.

Let’s hear your ideas!

When you bring home that prized catch, do you fillet your fish and throw away the rest? The bones usually carry a few more hundred grams of meat, depending on how well the fish is filleted. Although it does not seem much, it could be precious waste especially when the current salmon and steelhead stocks are not what they used to be.

I usually prefer to save the leftovers after filleting. They are then cut into pieces and pan fried after being seasoned with salt and pepper. The meat can be removed from the bones quite easily and make a good meal or two when mixed with rice or pasta.

An international petition against salmon farming has recently been set up. As most readers already know, open-pen salmon farming in British Columbia has been linked to the sharp decline of wild pacific salmon due to the explosion of sealice population and other factors. In addition, farming predatory fish simply is not sustainable due to the amount of food that is being extracted from the ocean to feed farmed fish. Citizens of many countries around the world that have experienced this also voice the same concerns. Perhaps these voiced concerns can be united at last and make a difference.

Visit Our Global Ocean for more information!

Even though we had anticipated a large turnout at this year’s World Rivers Day celebration in Chilliwack, it was still overwhelming to see over 200 participants voluntarily spending several hours picking up garbage along the Vedder River on September 28th.

The Vedder, or also known as the Chilliwack River, is the most heavily used by recreational anglers in British Columbia. Due to its popularity, garbage has become a serious problem in this watershed. The Chilliwack Vedder River Cleanup Coalition and its volunteers recognize this, so we are determined to make a positive difference.

This is our 7th Rivers Day celebration. Beside cleaning up the river, participants were treated with a BBQ, snacks and cold drinks. This year, we finished the event with a large cake to mark CVRCC’s 7th year anniversary.

More photos from the event can be seen on this page. 

Although the celebration is now over, everyday on the river should be treated as a Rivers Day. Your ongoing effort to keep the rivers clean is needed. Without this movement, it would result in losses of river access for anglers and worst of all, fish habitat degradation. Carry a small bag while you are out fishing and collect garbage after you are done is a good start. If everyone picks up more than what he or she carries in, then we will always have a magnificant river and fishery to enjoy.

For more information about the Chilliwack Vedder River Cleanup Coalition, please visit their website.