Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum
Fishing in British Columbia => General Discussion => Topic started by: blueback on January 17, 2005, 10:39:38 PM
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I know, I know. We've had this question posed before, but when is it going to be open to vehicles again? Why was it closed in the first place? Just curious. ???
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I believe it was closed due to people dumping garbage. As to when it will opened, I think Chris could answer that.
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Those accesses are closed to prevent this to happen again.
(http://www.fishingwithrod.com/articles/2003/image/0503_01.jpg)
Article: http://www.fishingwithrod.com/articles/2003/0503_02.html
I like those restrictions on car accesses, as long as walking accesses remain open. Bad for the retired people though I guess... ;) There has to be some kind of compromise between the city, local residents and day-use anglers, therefore it is important to work closely with the other parties to maintain a good relationship. The minute you stop, you'll most likely find accesses being taken away in no time.
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Most of the dykes have access to them but only from one direction i.e. you have to come out the same way you went in. The reason for this is to try to stop illegal dumping, camping, partying and dropping stolen cars. The RCMP can block off the one exit as the cars can not get out the other end because of the closed gate. Regulars on the river like Chris and myself have notified RCMP of illegal activities and they will attend if priorities allow.
Chris has instigated another meeting with City Officials, RCMP, fisher groups, CVRCC etc for this Friday to discuss these closures and access points. Several of us will attend this meeting. It is through these efforts by local interest groups that we have any access at all ! When there is a problem the easiest solution for officials is simply to "close it OFF".
We need to have access but must also work with officials to control the problems. We also emphasize with city officials the economic value that the fishery brings to this area, that usually draws some attention.
Will bring you more info after this Friday's meeting !
Hope this answers some of your questions.
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I know, I know. We've had this question posed before, but when is it going to be open to vehicles again? Why was it closed in the first place? Just curious. ???
Lew has answered your questions very well I believe. If you have any idea's what needs to be changed to the present situation please list them with your reason for the changes and we can attempt to discusss them with the City officials.
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Hey fellows, Thanks very much for the excellent info. ;D I wholeheartedly agree that it seems a good idea (as Lew says) to only have a single access point. I just didn't know if there was any access at all! On another different but related note, Chris, I was wondering if maybe George of (that most excellent of Maple Leafs) Tim Horton's would consider putting a return deposit on all those paper cups he sells, as the Bronto and I seem to find many of them along the river? ;D ;D But seriously, it's excellent that you guys have gotten him on board.
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Good idea Blueback on the deposit thing. When we had a meeting with one of our local MLA's we suggested just that along with deposits on milk containers as well. The MLA said he was working on the milk cotainers so will have to question him on how that is progressing. The complaint that came from the industry apparently was it would put a burden on those buying milk. To me that thought process does not hold water as all you have to do to get your 20 cents back is to return them to the depot.
Should try to work on your coffee cup idea again, maybe make it a election issue in May's Provincial election. ;D We most likely would be laughted at but hey years ago there was only deposits on beer bottles, 25 cents a dozen, and now look what is returnable pop bottles, tins,juice paks, all liquor bottles etc.
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hey everyone good to be back
newbie question here cause i only know one spot along the vedder under the metal bridge and along that road "by freds tackle" but the canals everyone talks about is that the same vedder canal u pass over on the way into chilliwack from vancouver? and is anywhere along there good to fish? and the fall runs go threw there? thnx i know these are prolly newbie vedder q's but thnx
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Yes, the canal flows under Hwy 1.
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An old topic but it looks like the Abbotsford side of the Vedder Canal is now closed for good because of the garbage dumping, a few irresponsible people with 4 by 4's, ATV's and motor bikes.
Access is a very important to anglers and once you loose it, it is very hard to get it back.
The problem is if you try to inform people what they doing can close access down they donot want to believe you.
This is why the cleanup activities put on by the Chilliwack Vedder River Cleanup Coalition are so important. with that in mind please check out the new CVRCC web page Rodney has just completed. I am sure you will agree it looks great.
Please take the time to check it out at http://www.cleanrivers.ca
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A bicycle is an excellent way to travel from spot to spot-lock it to itself leave it in the grass and you can fish for a while then head out somewhere else.
Why I don't see more anglers doing this I don't know-you see cyclists occasionally and fishermen but no hybrids. ;D
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A bicycle is an excellent way to travel from spot to spot-lock it to itself leave it in the grass and you can fish for a while then head out somewhere else.
Why I don't see more anglers doing this I don't know-you see cyclists occasionally and fishermen but no hybrids. ;D
Very good point, I know one angler on the Vedder that does that all the time. I knew there was a reason I kept one of the boy's bikes, it also is a good way for people not to see you in your hot spot with your bike hidden in the bush. ;D
But with a fish hanging on the handle bars as you peddle away may look a bit funny. ;D ;D
Anyway green power is the in thing now a days.
Going to pump up the tires of the bike now, thanks for the idea. ;D ;D ;D
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Even with the dyke closed to cars and trucks its only a short walk. I think its a good thing, maybe it will keep alot of the lazy people away this year that are too lazy to walk the 200 feet to the river :)
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Even with the dyke closed to cars and trucks its only a short walk. I think its a good thing, maybe it will keep alot of the lazy people away this year that are too lazy to walk the 200 feet to the river :)
Tough on us old timers with poor legs and aching backs. ???
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We have a meeting coming up early in the New Year with the City of Chilliwack staff to try and keep the Chilliwack side of the Vedder Canal open. We had received notice some changes were coming so we have asked for the meeting. Vandalism of the pumping stations (stealing wire) and 4 by 4 etc. going up and down the side slopes of the dyke road and into the riparian area are the reason they are giving we may loose some more access points .
We will do our best at the meeting to convince them to keep as much of this area open for driving at least during the main fishing season.
Too bad a few can spoil it for the rest of us. As most know we lost the Abbotsford side a few months ago.
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this crap of closing all the access on the vedder/chilliwack in farkin ridiculous. We pay taxes.... pay habitat fees with our liscences........ what next.... parking meters at all the places we can park and access?
chilliwack council sucks balls .... they can approve massive riverside housing developements..... which in the end will probably be worse for the river than a few 4x4's and junkies stealin metal.
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junkies will just tie a stolen shopping cart to the back of thier stolen bicycle and cruise right on by the dyke gates..... and continue to steal metal....... 4x4's ?? , they should have enforcement, even one bylaw officer on call, with signs with his/her direct line posted at the access points to the dykes.... with a municipal/city bylaw which seizes guilty vehicles for 30 days...... all possible, and easily enforceable.
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fisherforever you also forgot an important point. A method that's relatively cheap to implement. Right now closing the access points is cheapest. Cost of the gate, and that's all it takes.
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If the metal gate is worth a few bucks some some bozo will steal it anyway :D We have put up a gate at work to keep people mud bogging off part of the property and they damaged it. So we can't use it anymore. Which means we can't get in there unless we pay to fix it. Better to just catch and fine the people responsible, and make it a big fine to pay for enforcement.
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Yet again we see the majority of reponsible taxpayers punished in having their access to the river ruined by a few who trash the place and have no respect for the environment, as for motorcycles causing damage to weaken the dyke is laughable . Over the past two years the gentlemen in Ottawa and Victoria have lightened my wallet by over 40 K in taxes and All we have is more Restrictions, Next time around i hope to come back with a Status Card and have fun .
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With regards to the Abbotsford side being closed to ATV, motorcyles and vehicles. I noticed today while going over the Highway 1 bridge that there was an ATV being driven by some kids on the Abbotsford side of the dyke. Isn't this side supposed to be closed to vehicle use? If vehicle access is going to be denied to everyone then everyone should have to comply with the new rules and restrictions. Especially aggravating since it was ding dongs like that who were probably responsible for the gate going up in the first place.
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It was just a matter of time before they were forced to put up barricades, gates etc. But lets be honest, have any of you seen trucks pulling trailers, unloading motorcycles, quads, families with kids coming from all different areas to the Vedder to create a gong show. No you haven't and I'm just saying the motor vehicle end of it, not the garbage. Locals with the dirt bikes, quads etc. are to blame. People who I would think would police this problem, not cause it don't give a s---t!!!
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Being a local living in the area close to train bridge as well as being an avid fisherman myself I would like to give my opinion on this too. Many of you like to come to river for the great fishing and I'm sure the very fact you are on here posting about this would be an indicator that you are responsible ,well intentioned people who could be trusted if the dykes were open access like they used to be . But the fact is there are larger numbers of people who are not .
I think the locals are all in favour of the what it is now and if you lived right here you probably would be too . There are limited access's now and you can pretty much reach any part of the river you want. It is a compromise that we can all live with .
Reason's for closure's have already been listed , partying ,garbage dumping, 4x4ing etc. Yes lots of local kids do dirtbike on the dykes and they always will . But open the dykes up and that will expand greatly as other riders will truck in their bikes and atv's( as well as drive their trucks all over the dykes as well) .
The way it is now partying is limited to a couple of locations instead of all over place and the city seems to be content to leave it that way . On any summer Friday or Saturday night we can hear it from our place in the distance and they aren't ever shut down. As anyone knows the partiers will just go else where if you shut them down , so we're resigned to live with it in a few select locations.
One thing not mentioned is that the dykes , when they were wide open , were used by B&E artists to gain access to properties after dark along the river and made great escape routes for them . Since they've been closed it has really improved on that front.
For many , you only see what goes on here when you come for a day trip , but if you live here , you'll see much more goes on all the time . And the barricades are to there to keep all the crap out (as much as reasonably possible anyway) and us locals will fight to keep it that way . It is cleaner and more peaceful than it used to be , cheers and tightlines.
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It was just a matter of time before they were forced to put up barricades, gates etc. But lets be honest, have any of you seen trucks pulling trailers, unloading motorcycles, quads, families with kids coming from all different areas to the Vedder to create a gong show. No you haven't and I'm just saying the motor vehicle end of it, not the garbage. Locals with the dirt bikes, quads etc. are to blame. People who I would think would police this problem, not cause it don't give a s---t!!!
The reason you see only local kids dirtbiking is because the barricades are doing their job keeping the rest out . If they weren't there , then you would see much more. Are you there everyday to see what all goes on? It used to be a real gong show at the river until they closed those dykes. And it's not the job of the locals or anyone else other than the police ,to police the place.
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This is a response to the last comments by Penn. I am a resident of Chilliwack. I am a property owner, and pay my fair share of taxes. I for one would be disappointed if more access to the river were shut down. However, what irritates me, is the feeling that somehow people who live very close to the river, namely the "locals" should be granted special privileges. Excuse me, but I thought once laws and rules are set up that they should be followed by everyone and not just by a select few. For instance, I am a local that lives by the river and that gives me special rights and privileges to ride my ATV up and down the dykes- give me a break. And here is another example, let us say on the Abbotsford side of the dykes, there were a bad accident involving some motor bikes or ATVs. The people involved in the accident are badly injured so paramedics are dispatched. However, they cannot get to the injured parties because of the locked barricade. So they have to wait until the lock gets cut. The decision to put the barricade was made for a reason. We should all follow it, otherwise if not, then the barricade should come down.
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This is a response to the last comments by Penn. I am a resident of Chilliwack. I am a property owner, and pay my fair share of taxes. I for one would be disappointed if more access to the river were shut down. However, what irritates me, is the feeling that somehow people who live very close to the river, namely the "locals" should be granted special privileges. Excuse me, but I thought once laws and rules are set up that they should be followed by everyone and not just by a select few. For instance, I am a local that lives by the river and that gives me special rights and privileges to ride my ATV up and down the dykes- give me a break. And here is another example, let us say on the Abbotsford side of the dykes, there were a bad accident involving some motor bikes or ATVs. The people involved in the accident are badly injured so paramedics are dispatched. However, they cannot get to the injured parties because of the locked barricade. So they have to wait until the lock gets cut. The decision to put the barricade was made for a reason. We should all follow it, otherwise if not, then the barricade should come down.
And i never implied anything you are attributing to me . ::) Point out where you think I'm saying "locals" should have any special privledge. I don't ride any sort of off road vehicle along the river other than maybe a bicycle. I have to walk just as far as anyone else to any spot on the river ... so give me a break ::) . As for what i said about local kids riding their dirtbikes , you obviously are reading something into it. The point is, that local kids get around the barricades ... and what are you or anyone else going to do about it? But that doesn't mean that we shouldn't control off-roading or some of the other already mentioned activities when it is possible. How about if we allow 4x4ing in a park in your neighborhood?
And I'm not asking for further access closures either. Just ok with it as it is now. The places that have been closed , have been for various reasons , but you can still get in anywhere to fish , so what's your problem with it?
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One more thing dennyman , emergency vehicles will get in pretty quick if they have to , they are trained professionals who over come obsticals worse than a locked gate.
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One more thing dennyman , emergency vehicles will get in pretty quick if they have to , they are trained professionals who over come obsticals worse than a locked gate.
You may not be right, but your hearts in the right place. At my workplace it will be a lawsuit for the taxpayer if the emergency vehicles don't get through to save some mud boggers a=ss. That's the way these things work with the lawyers in all.
Beyond that happy hog many, I don't mean hedgie's tearing up the dike.
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Penn you just admitted the fact that most of the problem is with the local kids, well I guess its like anything else that is going on these days, if the parents really cared they would put an end to it. Barricades go up for a reason, if my kid, if I cared as a parent would tell him that the dykes are not for motor-crossing, and if he persitted on riding then I would be riding something other than his bike, maybe his my friend, just to get this problem solved!!!
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I don't disagree Bobber . The majority now is local kids . And I don't condone it either , in fact we out here have to live with it whether we like it or not. Cops aren't any good at chasing down dirtbikes and don't try as far as I can see. There are still non-locals who do make it in , but it is much more difficult for them to do so seeing as how they have to leave a transport vehicle parked somewhere and then risk getting nailed at their vehicle. But that is where the barricades do help , there would be way more of everything without them. And that's not just the off-roading that I mean. More partiers , garbage dumping and one other group that is now starting to become a problem; squatters.
The squatters who used to camp in Abbotsford at Mill lake now have moved to the Chilliwack river. They were camped just above the Veddar Crossing bridge just before the real cold set in . Fisheries had told them to move away from the river . But they didn't leave for a couple of months after that and only left when it got real cold .The year before there was a bigger squatter camp a bit further upstream , who managed to stay concealed for quite some time. When they got kicked out they left over a ton of garbage including a whole load of car batteries as well as lots of stuff used in making crystal-meth.
A friend of mine got hit by those guys while he was out fishing close the Tamahi area and found his truck missing the battery at the end of the day. The same guy who seems to be these squatter's ringleader was also the ringleader of the Abbotsforsd camp as well as the ringleader of the group that occupied the Woodwards building in Vancouver a few years back.
Take away the barricades and you give these guys more spots where they can get in . Once in they are very hard to get rid of , and they do make a living at stealing what ever they can , whether it's from your car or the homes of people living in the area .
And before you go feeling to sorry for these guys and their plight , the head guy was interviewed by our local paper and he said he was homeless by choice . They are able bodied guys , they would have to be, to be able to live here at the river , packing stuff back to their camp from where ever.
At the moment they seem to have moved , but we don't want them back and sure don't want to give them a toe hold in at any spot at the river.
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Totally understand and why the barricades are necessary. It was just a matter of time, garbage etc. I am all for the clean up, it was the oh my god people, local kids are not to blame for the off road nonsense. Yeah right!!!
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4 of us meet today with the City and Chilliwack and have worked out a proposal which we think will suit the fishing community as well the concerns of the City of Chilliwack.
The plan we have come up with now has to go to City Council for approval and once that happens we will provide the details of the changes as the City will issue a press release for all to read.
It was very upsetting to us to hear of the thousands of dollars of damage done to the two pumping stations in this area. Some people even drove a welding truck into one of them and with a cutting torch gained entry and stole wire etc.. The pumping stations which are vital to flood protection in the low lying surrounding farm land was down for several days. Others have shot up the video cameras at these sites as well. ???
In the meantime keep your eyes open for such illegal activity in this area. If garbage dumping, driving up and down the dyke slide slopes, going through the riparian zone with 4 by 4's and ATVs continue we may not be as fortunate next time in protecting your access to this area.
Thanks to Terry, Lew and Gwyn for their great presentations and ideas they made today, working for fisherman and other recreational users of this area.
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Why not do a "lock gate" system like on the cowie... Gates are locked to prevent illegal activities, but you can apply for a key to access gated area .. It cost like $100 deposite and when key is returned at the end of season, you get 1/2 of your deposite back... This is by far the best sistuations in my opintion. 1. The city can generate a extra sources of income. 2. Control the vehical access the area. (pass will be issue at the same time as the key.) All vehical park inside the gated area must present the pass to prvent key copy. All vilator will be ticketed with heavy fine. 3. Keep most non serious angler out the area- less fishing pressure. Anyway, just my 2 cents.
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This was discussed at the 3 o"clock City of Chilliwack's council meeting today. You can view the staff presentation on video as it should be posted sometime tomorrow on the City web page.