Young and retired fishing regs thaughts

[Bigtoad]

Alberta is not the same place as it used to be. We can't keep doing the same thing as we used to and expect to see different results. 15 years ago, I could go to Gull Lake and catch 10-15 lb pike regularly. However, fishing pressure got too much and the harvests too great to be sustainable. So regulations were put in place. It's not rocket science.

Heck, we used to bowfish for those monsters through the ice. It was ridiculously fun but I'm also glad that I can't anymore. We ended up wounding a couple of monster 20lb+ that were just too big. Big spawning fish like that are too valuable to kill off. If they wouldn't have put in the new, more strict regs, there may not be much of a fishery left in Gull and many other places. Same happened with the walleye fishery as well.

If we want any type of fishery left for our kids and grandkids then we have to look at what is sustainable in Alberta. In my mind, that is not flyfishing only waters because that smells a lot like snobbery. However, it does look like bait bans, seasonal closures, limited harvest, some C&R only waters, size restrictions, etc. on MANY waters. At the same time, there is a need for put and take lakes where kids and their parents and grandparents can go fishing for a day and catch lots of fish using bait or whatever else they want.

In my mind we seem to have LOTS of fishing opportunities for put and take and have very limited opportunities for quality fisheries. I'd like to see every trout lake in Alberta with an aerator changed to 1 or 2 fish under 18" and some of those turned strictly into C&R. It makes no sense in my mind to put all of the time and taxpayer money into aerators to grow bigger fish and then let every angler take 5 fish each!

Cheers.

[spinerfisher]

Originally Posted by tallieho

I have run into many a grandpa,out fishing.Being that i am retired & c&r everything makes me happy,it leaves some for those that want to keep 'A' fish.A couple of things to consider,over 65 no lic.why?.Bring a couple of under age kids out ,now they keep grandpas limit each,whats that 10 fish.No return ,in fees to the fisheries.That would go into raising more fish.my .02

Well said, which is really true. Heck i see 8 year olds now with ipods out on lakes and they dont look interested in fishing one bit. Iam sure some will, but most are along for the ride to fill up daddys freezer. Not to many youngens that want to keep fish, just want to catch them

[Jimboy]

Everyone here is a fishing biologist expert l see , but the sad reality of bait bans and catch & release lakes is not about protecting the fishery , but protecting the fishery outfitter businesses that bring in high paying American / Canadian clients , it all started on the Bow river from Calgary to Carsland many years ago , now the old man river and a few other rivers in the south have joined in.
Fishing groups lobbied the Govt about a closure and bait ban for years , then they got their wish , now one group even has a million dollar lodge right on the shore of the bow near Carseland , and the cost for 3 days fishing is in the thousands , but its all fly fishing c&r .
Thease groups want to keep the Bow this way on that stretch of river , and so it is.
Now for the rest of the bow they dont care a rats behind about , thats why the regs are different.
As for K country , plans are in the works for the same commercial future as ther bow , hence the changes , shut down the catch and keep so the big paying tourists can catch a fish and kiss it goodbye , some people are happy with that , poor souls , but the days of the joe six pack shore lunches are on the way out , and the fish outfitters are on the way in , and its all political bs catering to people with big money.
Dont believe it ? do some reseach.
Look at crawling valley , some huge Walleye in there now and plenty of them , they wont open it to the public to keep any , they want to keep it for future walleye classic tournaments in the future , and theres even outfitters working that water now with paying Amercan/Canadian milionaires.
We have hatcherys all over the province to protect fisherys , but to protect trophy fish for trophy fisherman they have to stop people from keeping any so they can be caught over again by another client with bucks in hand.
LET THE GAMES BEGIN

[dragon]

my four year old caught his first fish at 2 and a half and has caught many since that. This December he pulled his first fish out of the ice on his first trip ice fishing ever. All of his fish have been caught without bait.

I seldom use bait in the summer and use maggots in the winter for whites and smelts on my tip ups. If I didn't get to use bait big deal.

I reinforce that even if you don't catch a fish it can still be fun. Kids don't care about the size of fish, species of fish, or what hook they caught it on.

Keep in mine that going fishing is not all about catching fish. My kids enjoy looking at the hooks... paddling the boat... pretending their driving... turning over rocks and looking for bugs on the banks of the NSR... making snow angels on the ice, drilling holes with the hand ice augers...

Many times we will return from a trip to the river and the first thing that he tells mom has nothing to do with whether or not he caught any.

Just my opinion.

[dragon]

Originally Posted by spinerfisher

Not to many youngens that want to keep fish, just want to catch them

Absolutley right! Take a camera to show grandpa.

I think if you want your kid to keep the fish they should require a license...

[Bigtoad]

Originally Posted by Jimboy

Everyone here is a fishing biologist expert l see , but the sad reality of bait bans and catch & release lakes is not about protecting the fishery , but protecting the fishery outfitter businesses that bring in high paying American / Canadian clients , it all started on the Bow river from Calgary to Carsland many years ago , now the old man river and a few other rivers in the south have joined in.
Fishing groups lobbied the Govt about a closure and bait ban for years , then they got their wish , now one group even has a million dollar lodge right on the shore of the bow near Carseland , and the cost for 3 days fishing is in the thousands , but its all fly fishing c&r .
Thease groups want to keep the Bow this way on that stretch of river , and so it is.
Now for the rest of the bow they dont care a rats behind about , thats why the regs are different.
As for K country , plans are in the works for the same commercial future as ther bow , hence the changes , shut down the catch and keep so the big paying tourists can catch a fish and kiss it goodbye , some people are happy with that , poor souls , but the days of the joe six pack shore lunches are on the way out , and the fish outfitters are on the way in , and its all political bs catering to people with big money.
Dont believe it ? do some reseach.
Look at crawling valley , some huge Walleye in there now and plenty of them , they wont open it to the public to keep any , they want to keep it for future walleye classic tournaments in the future , and theres even outfitters working that water now with paying Amercan/Canadian milionaires.
We have hatcherys all over the province to protect fisherys , but to protect trophy fish for trophy fisherman they have to stop people from keeping any so they can be caught over again by another client with bucks in hand.
LET THE GAMES BEGIN

Jimboy, I see that although you might not be an expert biologist, you do seem to have a degree in conspiracy theories and BS. Is the above your master's thesis? It needs some work.

The changes to the Bow river and any other changes have been made because hard-working, grass-roots individuals got together to try to PROTECT something that was worth protecting. Sure, there are individuals that profit off of this but who cares? They want bigger fish and more of them or they don't get their American millionaires up here. Man, that sucks! Who would want to catch bigger fish and more of them? If guides and guiding companies want to lobby the gov't for stricter regulations, I'm ALL for that!

If it wasn't for the 30 or more guiding companies on the Bow, it might not be the world class fishery it is today. If it wasn't for guiding companies on the South and North Ram, they might not be C&R fisheries either. And I see that as a very good thing. I'll drive 3 hours for a day of fishing there or on the Bow so that I can catch, kiss, and carefully release lots of great sized fish. I can drive 5 minutes to my local fish pond and pull out 5 tiny fish if I want to keep some. And Yes, the days of your Joe six pack shore lunch might be over, but the days of catching multiple fish over 18" still continue, mostly because of stricter regulations.

Or, we can lose the regulations so you can have a nice lunch beside a stream and then those damn Americans with their money will go somewhere else because the fishing is so terrible it's not worth the money. Yeah! That sounds awesome! The reason they spend so much freaking money is because our PROTECTED fisheries are worth the money. We (locals) tend to take it for granted that we live in a place with such great opportunities given to us. Opportunities that if not managed well (and in my opinion, more strictly), will not be there in the future.

Cheers.

[Okotokian]

Originally Posted by dragon

I think if you want your kid to keep the fish they should require a license...

That's an interesting thought... free for seniors and youth if they want to C&W, licence required if you want the fish. Similarly for adults a cheaper C&W licence and a more expensive licence to keep fish....

Yeah, I know... administratively and legally it would be a nightmare to enforce..... who needs more bureaucracy? Plus the argument that even C&W fishers likely kill some fish, so what's the difference?

[Photoplex]

Originally Posted by Bigtoad

Jimboy, I see that although you might not be an expert biologist, you do seem to have a degree in conspiracy theories and BS. Is the above your master's thesis? It needs some work.

The changes to the Bow river and any other changes have been made because hard-working, grass-roots individuals got together to try to PROTECT something that was worth protecting. Sure, there are individuals that profit off of this but who cares? They want bigger fish and more of them or they don't get their American millionaires up here. Man, that sucks! Who would want to catch bigger fish and more of them? If guides and guiding companies want to lobby the gov't for stricter regulations, I'm ALL for that!

If it wasn't for the 30 or more guiding companies on the Bow, it might not be the world class fishery it is today. If it wasn't for guiding companies on the South and North Ram, they might not be C&R fisheries either. And I see that as a very good thing. I'll drive 3 hours for a day of fishing there or on the Bow so that I can catch, kiss, and carefully release lots of great sized fish. I can drive 5 minutes to my local fish pond and pull out 5 tiny fish if I want to keep some. And Yes, the days of your Joe six pack shore lunch might be over, but the days of catching multiple fish over 18" still continue, mostly because of stricter regulations.

Or, we can lose the regulations so you can have a nice lunch beside a stream and then those damn Americans with their money will go somewhere else because the fishing is so terrible it's not worth the money. Yeah! That sounds awesome! The reason they spend so much freaking money is because our PROTECTED fisheries are worth the money. We (locals) tend to take it for granted that we live in a place with such great opportunities given to us. Opportunities that if not managed well (and in my opinion, more strictly), will not be there in the future.

Cheers.

Post of the month. A+

[dragon]

Originally Posted by Okotokian

That's an interesting thought... free for seniors and youth if they want to C&W, licence required if you want the fish. Similarly for adults a cheaper C&W licence and a more expensive licence to keep fish....

Yeah, I know... administratively and legally it would be a nightmare to enforce..... who needs more bureaucracy? Plus the argument that even C&W fishers likely kill some fish, so what's the difference?

yeah but administratively and legally it IS a night mare to enforce... I fish lots and seldom get approached by a CO... so really is it any different..

Arguably catch and release fisherman do kill fish that's why they buy a license. Not fish for free.

I'm not a big fan of seniors fish for free but that's my opinion and it might change when I become one. Seniors fish for free if they are catch and release? yeah that's ok.

[madatter]

I have always been curious as to exactly why seniors fish for free?
I find it quite amusing that a person can spend at least $50/trip on gas but cannot pay for a $30 license.....
If I live long enough to be senior I'd gladly pay the license fee!

[Gust]

Originally Posted by Okotokian

That's an interesting thought... free for seniors and youth if they want to C&W, licence required if you want the fish. Similarly for adults a cheaper C&W licence and a more expensive licence to keep fish....

Yeah, I know... administratively and legally it would be a nightmare to enforce..... who needs more bureaucracy? Plus the argument that even C&W fishers likely kill some fish, so what's the difference?

actually, it's only a keystroke at the printers,,, changing the regs so the age for kids starts at 10 and seniors 70 with a % discount. By age 10 I didn't need any handholding on any type of fishing and my Dad who is in his 80's on a pretty low pension has no qualms on paying if he had to. Though he also thinks the fishing license should be bundled into Alta drivers/id, which would help collect on fish fines and also thinks that anyone who uses the Internet to fish are ....... anyhoo

[Braun]

Originally Posted by Bigtoad

Jimboy, I see that although you might not be an expert biologist, you do seem to have a degree in conspiracy theories and BS. Is the above your master's thesis? It needs some work.

The changes to the Bow river and any other changes have been made because hard-working, grass-roots individuals got together to try to PROTECT something that was worth protecting. Sure, there are individuals that profit off of this but who cares? They want bigger fish and more of them or they don't get their American millionaires up here. Man, that sucks! Who would want to catch bigger fish and more of them? If guides and guiding companies want to lobby the gov't for stricter regulations, I'm ALL for that!

If it wasn't for the 30 or more guiding companies on the Bow, it might not be the world class fishery it is today. If it wasn't for guiding companies on the South and North Ram, they might not be C&R fisheries either. And I see that as a very good thing. I'll drive 3 hours for a day of fishing there or on the Bow so that I can catch, kiss, and carefully release lots of great sized fish. I can drive 5 minutes to my local fish pond and pull out 5 tiny fish if I want to keep some. And Yes, the days of your Joe six pack shore lunch might be over, but the days of catching multiple fish over 18" still continue, mostly because of stricter regulations.

Or, we can lose the regulations so you can have a nice lunch beside a stream and then those damn Americans with their money will go somewhere else because the fishing is so terrible it's not worth the money. Yeah! That sounds awesome! The reason they spend so much freaking money is because our PROTECTED fisheries are worth the money. We (locals) tend to take it for granted that we live in a place with such great opportunities given to us. Opportunities that if not managed well (and in my opinion, more strictly), will not be there in the future.

Cheers.

perfect point. this perfectly compliments what i was trying to say about the different venues. you want to catch lots of nice fish; goto the bow but you have to follow that venues regulation or else there would not be those big fish to catch. If you want to bait fish and catch lots for the tabl, goto the local stocked trout ponds like sibbald. if you want to bait fish and catch fish all day; goto pcr. if you want a challenge and bait fish to see if you can catch something to keep goto travers. a day of fishing can produce several fish but takes some effort to get a keeper.

Originally Posted by Okotokian

That's an interesting thought... free for seniors and youth if they want to C&W, licence required if you want the fish. Similarly for adults a cheaper C&W licence and a more expensive licence to keep fish....

Yeah, I know... administratively and legally it would be a nightmare to enforce..... who needs more bureaucracy? Plus the argument that even C&W fishers likely kill some fish, so what's the difference?

I am in texas and have gone out fishing and when i bought my licence they have this exact system in place. i am curious about its effectivness because how they work it is that they dont need licences but if they want to keep a fish they need to purchase a "stamp" for the type of fish you want to keep(or type of water they want to keep it on). they also use a tagging system for certain size of fish where if you want to keep them you have to buy a tag and as soon as you catch a fish in the tag slot size you have to record the fish's stats (length weight and where it was caught) on the tag then you tie the tag to the tail of the fish. not sure how this is policed but i am sure if your caught not taggin gthe fish its a hefty fine. although it is texas so the penalty might be a little stiffer

[greylynx]

I am in texas and have gone out fishing and when i bought my licence they have this exact system in place. i am curious about its effectivness because how they work it is that they dont need licences but if they want to keep a fish they need to purchase a "stamp" for the type of fish you want to keep(or type of water they want to keep it on). they also use a tagging system for certain size of fish where if you want to keep them you have to buy a tag and as soon as you catch a fish in the tag slot size you have to record the fish's stats (length weight and where it was caught) on the tag then you tie the tag to the tail of the fish. not sure how this is policed but i am sure if your caught not taggin gthe fish its a hefty fine. although it is texas so the penalty might be a little stiffer [/QUOTE]

An excellent melding of fisheries management and enforcement combined together to accomplish the objective of saving a resource.

We could use something like this in Alberta.