Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum
Fishing in British Columbia => General Discussion => Topic started by: Rodney on June 17, 2007, 06:53:17 PM
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After spending a rather wet day at Cultus Lake yesterday, I was off to Rice Lake this morning for the annual Rice Lake Family Fishing Day. Co-organized by the Seymour Salmonid Society and Greater Vancouver Regional District, this event is incredibly popular in the last few years. Attendance on a sunny day has reached over 1,000 in the past. Due to today's overcast and cooler weather, we were expecting a smaller but steady crowd.
Rice Lake is located in the Seymour Conservative Reserve, a popular destination for hikers, bikers, roller skaters and families on weekends. Prior to the event, it was stocked with several hundred rainbow trout by the Fraser Valley Trout Hatchery. Another 150 trout were released by kids throughout the day.
The Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC was on site to lend out 50 fishing rods to eager young anglers, as well as promoting their learn to fish program. The learn to fish program is set to begin its second season at the Victoria, Abbotsford and Summerland hatcheries. You can make group bookings on hatchery tours and fish lessons.
Other local groups were also on site to make the event more colourful. Volunteers from OWL showcased their eagle and owl. It is an ongoing effort to educate the public so we are aware of the presence of birds of prey in our environment.
North Shore Bear Society and the local conservation office conducted their bear aware outreach program, which makes sure the public knows exactly what to do when a bear is encountered.
BC Hydro Powersmart was promoting a new theme this year. The message "Turn it off" is an attempt to promote energy conservation.
Then there was our group. ;D We basically handed out information on crab, shellfish, abalone poaching, groundfish, saltwater and freshwater fish species in BC, and kids fishing. Thanks to those who came by to say hi.
The fishing was fair but good at times. Those who have the experience were successful while most newcomers could not connect with a fish. Nevertheless, the experience of spending a day at a lovely lake so close to Vancouver with the family is to be treasured.
Many thanks to James Weger and his crew for running a great event and accommodating all the groups and volunteers. The lunch for the volunteers was fantastic. The rain amazingly held off during the entire event. It was simply foggy and cold most of the time.
We even did a bit of fishing at the end, and my friend Erin was one of the few fortunate ones who connected with a couple of fish. ;) It was her first fish ever.
Photos
(http://www.fishingwithrod.com/albums/2007ricelake/070617_01.jpg)
The trout holding tank for the kids trout release
(http://www.fishingwithrod.com/albums/2007ricelake/070617_18.jpg)
Bald eagle posing in front of the crowd
(http://www.fishingwithrod.com/albums/2007ricelake/070617_20.jpg)
Another star at the event, anyone know the name of this species?
(http://www.fishingwithrod.com/albums/2007ricelake/070617_03.jpg)
Releasing a trout
(http://www.fishingwithrod.com/albums/2007ricelake/070617_09.jpg)
Salty Sam greeting kids
(http://www.fishingwithrod.com/albums/2007ricelake/070617_32.jpg)
The anticipation among the crowd
(http://www.fishingwithrod.com/albums/2007ricelake/070617_30.jpg)
Who can catch the first one?
(http://www.fishingwithrod.com/albums/2007ricelake/070617_38.jpg)
Erin's first ever fish
You can see all the photos at:
http://www.fishingwithrod.com/member/gallery/2007ricelake
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It sure was a fun day
Nice to meet you Rod
I was helping set up the rods and hand them out to many keen first timers
we ran out of rods to lend out at times but between us and the other group we kept most people happy with our tips and encouragement
The dock got so busy they had to put a limit on how many could be on it at one time as it was going below water at one point :o
I tried my luck and hooked one so i gave the rod to a little girl for her to wind in she was so excited and it cased quite a stir on the small dock
met a few more guys from this site they were also helping out with the tackle and bait
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It was a fantastic event! I had a great time meeting fish enthusiasts, new and old; learning how to cast; and catching my first fish!
ps - The tiny owl is a Northern Saw-whet... I think his name is Scooter?
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It was a fantastic event! I had a great time meeting fish enthusiasts, new and old; learning how to cast; and catching my first fish!
If you kept your eyes on the float more, you would have landed more than 5 fish. ;)
Nice to meet you Rod
Nice meeting you too Britguy. The rod and reel tent is super busy as usual, I was glad that I did not have to deal with that chaos. ;D The Seymour Salmonid Society is one of many stewardship group that deserves our support as much as possible. Beside operating the hatchery by the Seymour dam, the staff are always involved in various enhancement activities to improve this watershed. If anyone wants to get involved in riparian tree planting, salmon spawning, egg sorting, juvenile salmon clipping and releasing and this event, please contact James Weger at seymoursalmonidvolunteer@hotmail.com and he will put you to work. It is a good place for students in the fishery field to start as the volunteer experiences often lead to job positions in related groups.
This particular event has been going on for five years now and the growth and improvement are really impressive. Five years ago it started out as a trout derby but we soon recognize that it was not appropriate as the competitive atmosphere ruins what the society tried to accomplish. Once it was designated as a fishing day with many educational activities presented, the crowd grew and all parties are usually very satisfied by the end of the day. Next year, a new floating dock is planned to replace the current one. It will be wider and more solid so more people can be accommodated.
The Seymour Salmonid Society will be at our Steveston event Fish for the Future (http://www.fishingwithrod.com/fftf) on Saturday July 7th as well. There will be juvenile coho salmon on display in an aquarium so bring the kids out!
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Prior to the event, it was stocked with several hundred rainbow trout by the Fraser Valley Trout Hatchery. Another 150 trout were released by kids throughout the day.
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Video from Sunday:
http://www.fishingwithrod.com/video/2007-rice-lake-family-fishing.html
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Nice work Rod :)
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If you kept your eyes on the float more, you would have landed more than 5 fish. ;)
Heh, I was too distracted by other people's floats! And I didn't expect to get nibbles so quickly! That first fish bit seconds after the bait hit the water.
jk gone fishin: maybe they just really like cocktail shrimp - that's all Rod was using for my bait! ;)
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Quit letting out my secret. ;)
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Erin didn't know. ;D
How come it didn't work the other times when you were there? ;)
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I have some visitors in town and the kids want to go fishing, could you tell me when the gate opens at rice lake and are they catching any trout /
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http://www.gvrd.bc.ca/water/LSCR.htm
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Thanks for the help , now only if I can get a few trout to bite there lines .