Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum
Fishing in British Columbia => General Discussion => Topic started by: Zaphod on August 17, 2004, 06:02:59 PM
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Hi,
First off, I want to say thanks to Rob and others who have obviously put a ton of time and effort into putting this site together. I have just moved to BC, and am fairly new to fishing in general, and this site has been the most valuable resource I can find online.
In any case, to my question:
I was fishing Sasamat lake from shore yesterday, and a guy came up to me and we started to chat. Being from Saskatchewan, my tackle box is full of barbed, treble hooks. My understanding in BC is that it's illegal to fish with anything other than a single, barbless hook in streams and sloughs. As I understand the regulations, it is legal (albeit discouraged) to fish with barbed, treble hooks anywhere else, except where specifically noted otherwise in the regulations. Anyways, he took a look in my tackle box, and told me that all of my treble hooks are illegal in BC, and that I need to fish with single hooks everywhere in BC, including lakes.
Who's right, him or me?
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i think him, i know you are suppose to use single hooks only, everywhere,even in ocean. you can use barbed for ocean fishing except for salmon, that is all i know, Im sure im correct on this.
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OK, thanks. I find it perplexing though, that everywhere I go to buy fishing tackle in BC, 95% of everything for sale has a barbed, treble hook attached to it. How can this be if it's illegal?
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Only in BC could this happen....and maybe Nfld., nowhere else. :-*
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Very strange indeed.
I notice the following in the definitions section of the "Freshwater Fishing Synopsis, 2004-2005", available from
http://wlapwww.gov.bc.ca/fw/fish/pdf/provincial_regulations.pdf
"SINGLE HOOK: A hook having only one
point. (In contrast, a treble hook is a hook
having three points on a common shaft).
Note: use of a treble hook is permitted
unless “single hook” is specified."
The only places I can see "single hook" specified in the Lower Mainland, other than mentions in specific fishing spots is in all streams and sloughs.
This seems to stand in contrast to what I'm being told. If anyone can help me sort this out, I'd sure appreciate it. I'd hate to lose all my gear and my truck over something preventable like this.
Thanks.
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OK, thanks. I find it perplexing though, that everywhere I go to buy fishing tackle in BC, 95% of everything for sale has a barbed, treble hook attached to it. How can this be if it's illegal?
Because the suppliers are targetting the larger US market that doesn't care. You have to remove the treble, and put on your single yourself.
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Maybe you've been told the wrong info ;) Keep the reg's in your tackle box and ask the no-it-all to show you the reg. and you'll be happy to follow it.
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That's what I was leaning towards myself. :)
Do you use treble hooks in lakes in BC?
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I dont know the regs for sure...but I believe it is pretty well discouraged. (if it is legal at all)
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No...single barbless all the way!
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Well, the majority seems to lean towards single barbless, but the regs. seem to say otherwise. I'm going to phone the Surrey Fish and Wildlife Regional Office and see what they say. I'll let you all know what they tell me if you're interested!
For the record, I've been using and plan to continue using single barbless for all catch and release fishing in any case.. I just want to know what the law actually is.
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Page 14 of the 2004 Freshwater Fishing Regulations Synopsis states: "The use of single barbless hooks is now mandatory in all BC streams."
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Yes, I did notice that regulation. What I'm trying to determine is what the regulation is for lakes.
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Many lakes have their own regulations attached. For example Green Timbers lake in Surrey is single barbless, but its not even listed in the regs book. I believe barbed hooks are allowed in lakes unless otherwise stated. Always check the regulations for the waters you'll be fishing.
I've never thought of using a treble hook because there don't seem to be fish large enough to hook themselves on em ;D (where I go at least). Many have stated their opinions and I certainly agree, keeper or not, the barbless hook gets more solid hookups because of better penetration. Plus, how fun is it to fish when you know the fish can't get away while you're playing it cuz you've got a big barb on it? ;)
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Zap...welcome to the board and to BC.
IMO and not to sound like a stick in the mud but to prevent any provocation or misunderstanding ( guys get throws in the river for not listening in this province.), it is easier to get rid of the trebles and barbed hooks... doesn’t matter where you are fish, Fresh or chuck ( Except for bottom fish). The regs are a guide line, and what you will find out in the future is your understanding and others understanding of the regs are two different things. Everyone sees and understands them a different way...
At the end of the day, barb less is more of a challenge in any case.
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I appreciate your comment, but holy cow, it sounds like a threat. The basic gist of what you're saying, if I understand it correctly, is that even if the regulations say that a barbed treble hook is OK, some angry fisherman will see it and "throw me in" the lake.
Is this what you're saying?
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Zaphod,
If you were asking me if I use trebbles in BC. The answer is no. I always use single barbless hooks. No problems in getting the reg's wrong and make realeasing a fish much easier on the fish. ;) If you went to Sasamat L. I would assume that you reside in the Coquitlam area. Go down to Babcock Fly & Tackle and inquire about their Fly tying/Fishing lessons. They usually employ people like Phil Rowley etc. as teachers and are well worth it for the novice fly fisher.
By the way, the most productive area of Sasamat is out in the middle.
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ZAP....
No, No.... it is not a threat at all 8). It has been a long joke that members joke about that.. Please dont see it as a threat..
I have fished a few lakes and been confroned about a rapala that has trebles on, I cut them off even though the regs had indicated nothing about trebles or singe or barbless.
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Grunman,
Thanks for the advice on lessons and on Sasamat. Unfortunately I'm limited to fishing from shore, but I was able to cast out into some pretty deep water casting from the east shore. Seems to get deep quick there. I also can't believe how clean, clear, and warm that water is.
Mabelingwane,
I see. Well, if nothing else, I'm impressed by the collective ethics of fishermen here. As it's starting to seem like it is in fact legal to use barbed treble hooks in many areas, I'm surprised by the overwhelming response by fishermen against them. I figure that either some COs have put one hell of a scare into people over it, and created confusion over the law, prompting everyone to switch to single barbless, or people here just have the good sense to realize that it's a good idea from a conservation standpoint.
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Oh, and Grunman:
I take it you've done some fishing in Sasamat? Would you mind telling me what you were catching, and how you were catching it? I'd really appreciate it.
Thanks!
Zaph.
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Rainbow trout. Fly fishing with various bug imitations. Depends on the time of year and active hatches if any. Try a small leach or dragon fly pattern. If you are fishing from shore with casting gear, try a worm on a 6XL hook below the bobber.
You can also fish Lafarge Lake by Coquitlam Town Centre. Fish the bay on the south end with a worm & bobber. The lake also flyfishes ok. But, I would not eat anything from Lafarge Lake :-X
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Grunman,
Thanks for the info. I have never tried fly fishing, but from what I've been told it sounds like a good time.
Gmanfxp,
Thanks. This was my understanding of the regulations too. The way I understand it, if a single barbed/barbless hook is required in a lake, it will be noted under the "Gear Restrictions" column in the regs. for that particular lake. Is that your understanding?
- Zaph.
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I figure that either some COs have put one hell of a scare into people over it,
CO? What's a CO? ;) ;D
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He's the guy who, I'm told, can go so far as to take my truck away if I violate any of the regs (and so it should be, as far as I'm concerned).
That's why I'm being so anal (can I say that on this site?) about knowing what the regs are before heading out. Regs are quite a bit less restrictive where I'm from, but we don't have near the number of fishermen per fish as there is here in BC.
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Do you know if there is a straightforward way to tell if a lake is private?
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He's the guy who, I'm told, can go so far as to take my truck away if I violate any of the regs (and so it should be, as far as I'm concerned).
That's why I'm being so anal (can I say that on this site?) about knowing what the regs are before heading out. Regs are quite a bit less restrictive where I'm from, but we don't have near the number of fishermen per fish as there is here in BC.
I understand and it's good to see you being dilligent about making sure you follow the regs. My joke was because CO's are rarer than the Cultus Lake Sockeye run :(
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That's too bad. If they're going to write us a magazine full of regulations to read, they should at least enforce them.
Oh well. A relative of mine in Saskatchewan just learned the hard way about sporadic enforcement. Fished Diefenbaker Lake every year for 30 years, religiously bought a fishing license every year, and never saw a CO. Absent-mindedly forgot to buy a license last year, and got caught by a CO after cleaning 30 perch he pulled out of the lake. CO took all the perch and slapped him with a $1,000 fine. He certainly didn't forget to buy a license this year. ;)