Ram River: A Response to the Angling & Mgt Survey

[jasonrpeck]

An incredibly thoughtful response. Please read.

http://flyfishalberta.com/jensenflyf...ng-mgt-survey/

[3blade]

No more friggen provincial parks. I realize the author included hunting in his vision. And I also realize the government won't.

Where the author clearly has much expertise, experience and some worth while ideas, and likely would have found ally's in other outdoorsmen, the mention of what will certainly end up as another anti-hunting effort will make instant enemies. Get off the parks train.

[Bushrat]

I kinda agree that Parks might not be the best fit to control access and regulation of the area. On the other hand something does need to be done but it doesn't need to be as imposing as turning it into a Provincial Park. That opens and adds a whole new bureaucratic can of worms.

Some simple regulation changes back to single barbless hooks on these rivers, keep it catch and release, fly fishing only. We do not need to add to the already incidental kills of catch and release by allowing a 2 fish a day catch and keep regulation which will draw more people because they can keep fish, which will get abused, people catching a couple fish, frying them up back at the camper then catching a couple more to take home with them, etc. Allowing a catch limit on these streams will be abused by more than just a few people. Besides we need cutthroat in these streams for the bull trout to eat and thrive on. If they want a healthy Bull trout population, fishing out or trying to eradicate their present mainstay food source because it isn't native to that watershed doesn't make much sense. I have a feeling that original historic levels of bull trout in these particular streams before cutthroats were introduced were never really all that high to begin with.

If there were no cutthroats in the Ram, Blackstone and other systems they were introduced to there probably wouldn't be much reason for people to fish there. They are the main target species people go there to fish for in the first place, catching the odd bull trout is just a bonus. I understand the sentiment of culling non native fish from these waters but times have changed, it isn't 1850 anymore, these introduced fish are self sustaining and a huge recreational fishery has developed around it, it hasn't hurt the ecosystem of these stream bodies, in my opinion it has enhanced it. Why do they want to now destroy this world class fishery after so much effort over the decades trying to develop it.

It begs the question of what is the real motive behind these new regulatory proposals .

[RavYak]

Anyone who hasn't already filled out the survey should do so and make sure to say no to the closures.

AEP jumped the gun on these closures, there are lots of things they need to do first before they even think of fishing closures.

https://talkaep.alberta.ca/north-cen...gling-closures

[fatboyz]

From what I read the proposed keep 2 is only for the waters above ram falls, no bulls up there. Below the falls is a 5 yr closure?

[Bushrat]

Originally Posted by fatboyz

From what I read the proposed keep 2 is only for the waters above ram falls, no bulls up there. Below the falls is a 5 yr closure?

I believe they are talking about the falls below the junction of the North Ram river and the Ram river not the Ram Falls out by the trunk road.