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.
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
The trout holding tank for the kids trout release
Bald eagle posing in front of the crowd
Another star at the event, anyone know the name of this species?
Releasing a trout
Salty Sam greeting kids
The anticipation among the crowd
Who can catch the first one?
Erin's first ever fish
You can see all the photos at:
http://www.fishingwithrod.com/member/gallery/2007ricelake
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Topic: 2007 Rice Lake Family Fishing Day (Read 4650 times)