It is our job as anglers to know the difference between species, and as far as I am concerned if you cannot commit yourself to becoming knowledgeable about this... You should not be fishing.
Back 20 years ago when I was fishing in Europe there was no licensing and it didn't really matter what you were fishing or how many you caught.
Or if you had 16 hooks on you line, or if you had barbless hooks or spears.
Don't know if the rules changes since then. But...
You have to be open to the idea that some people who are starting out will be fishing and not knowing the species and will not know that they need to have a license and will not know that there are limits.
Licensing and quotas are only standard in places where the resource is abused and depleted.
It would be more useful to make contact with these people on the rivers that you fish, talk to them and educate them.
People want to be good and play by the rules if given a chance.
Local knowledge is most important.
On the other hand there are people who are intentionally breaking the rules and have done so forever.
Those are the ones that should pay for the mistakes of their forefathers...
One thing that worries me is that if you are a new fisherman, and you come to the Vedder to learn how to fish and see all those flossers and snaggers, you might think that's how its done.
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Topic: Chilliwack River, September 24th 2008 (Read 11324 times)