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[Rodney]

Now that 2009's Lower Mainland lake catchable rainbow trout fishery is almost coming to an end (stockings are almost done for the year, weather is getting colder by the day), I'm interested in getting some feedbacks and ideas from those who have participated in this year's fishery. The fisheries that I'd like to discuss are the designated urban lake fisheries (Rice, Como, Lafarge, Green Timbers) and the other lakes that are stocked with catchable rainbow trout in the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley (Sasamat, Buntzen, Mill, Whonnock, Rolley, Alice, Edith, Browning, Brohm, and many others).

Just a little background information first. Contracted by the Ministry of Environment, the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC is responsible for stocking these lakes with catchable rainbow trout to generate new angling interests. Beside this, the society is also responsible in many other initiatives. It also stocks other lakes across the province, such as the higher quality Interior lake fisheries. It also plays a role in restoring some of BC's wild fish populations. What it isn't responsible for is enforcement and regulations of these fisheries, which the Ministry of Environment is responsible for. That being said, the society engages in discussion on enforcement and education with other agencies that have something to do with each fishery, so we can improve the quality of your experience when utilizing these fisheries.

In the past several years, this website publishes catchable stocking updates for the society. For Region 2 (Lower Mainland, Fraser Valley), the hatchery manager usually provides the information to me on the same day when fish are stocked. The information usually is available for readers right away. Region 2's stocking database is viewed anywhere between 10,000 and 20,000 times per month, depending on the time of the year. It's a tool that entry level anglers enjoy using to increase their catch success. After all, catch success is what matters when you are just starting to fish.

As the society's public advisor in the Lower Mainland, my job is to absorb feedbacks from the public that uses all the fisheries that the society produces, also to provide accurate information on these fisheries to the public. There are several areas that I wish to see feedbacks from about how anglers, both new and experienced, feel about these fisheries after using them this year:

• The quality of your experience: Did you enjoy it? How do you measure that enjoyment (quantity of fish, size of fish, convenience/ability to do it often, etc)?
• The stocking database: What is your preference? Having the information available instantly, or rather see the database updated on a weekly basis so there is a delay (by a few days) between the stockings and publishing.
• How often did you participate in these fisheries in 2009? How long is the average duration of your trips? Why do you participate in these fisheries (as opposed to salmon, sturgeon, etc)?
• What else would you like to see being done in these fisheries so they would accommodate both new and experienced anglers more? eg. Perhaps an angling ambassador program, which involves volunteers to advise new anglers who are not as familiar with the do's and don'ts? Perhaps a prize or two for anglers?

Let's hear it.

[firstlight]

 

[Rodney]

Reread my post, I've gone back and highlighted what the FFSBC is not responsible for. None of my questions were answered. This discussion is more directed at those who have experienced the fishery this year.

[mattyo]

Id like to see the fish grow to a bigger size. Some of the stockers fight like wet socks and when you reel them in they waterski on the surface . I don't know any ways to make this happen other than maybe some fertilizing of some local lakes? Don't know if this would help much but who knows. I know it has a lot to do with the alkaline levels in our area. I fished mabey 10 times at some local lakes this year. Sometimes from a boat and mostly from shore. I guess my success was decent this year for local trout.This fishery  keeps my craving to fish at bay during those March days.  

[vancook]

I'll be honest, until this year I didn't know of the urban fishing program until a friend of mine told me about it. I have not fished in a few years, the majority of the fishing I've done has been out on the ocean near pender harbour and some bar fishing along the fraser years back.

I have been trying out rice lake the most and made a couple visits to green timbers, lafarge and como lake.
I really enjoy rice lake mainly for the surroundings, I don't feel like Im anywhere near the city and can have a really relaxing time so long as I stay away from the docks on the weekend. I have gone there since mid october I think, unfortunately not much success but still had a good time. I like that there are quite a few trout over 1 lb in the lake compared to the others that have half pounders.
The other 3 lakes I mentioned I don't enjoy very much, alot of poor etiquette among some anglers there. I think if more information such as signs or displays were put up at these lakes it could educate some of the people visiting.

I check the stocking info when I can, I dont feel it's necessary to have it updated the day of, but within a week is more than reasonable.

I have been out fishing at least a dozen times so far and my avergae time at a lake is about 4 hours depending on weather.
I've chose to do some trout fishing on these stocked lakes instead of hitting the rivers for salmon due to accessibility, its fast and easy to get out there. Don't get me wrong I want to take up fishing for salmon again but this satisfies the need to get outdoors.

I do think putting up more info near these urban fisheries for new anglers or passers by about rules, techniques or learning materials would be a great thing and wouoldnt take up much room to display

[Every Day]

Id like to see the fish grow to a bigger size. Some of the stockers fight like wet socks and when you reel them in they waterski on the surface . I don't know any ways to make this happen other than maybe some fertilizing of some local lakes? Don't know if this would help much but who knows. I know it has a lot to do with the alkaline levels in our area. I fished mabey 10 times at some local lakes this year. Sometimes from a boat and mostly from shore. I guess my success was decent this year for local trout.This fishery  keeps my craving to fish at bay during those March days.  

March days  Those are the best Steelhead fishing days 
I've been using the Island one down the road from me to satisfy my urges during the transition between salmon and steelhead.
Great that Ive gone there 3 times and havnt seen another soul and I get something every night to satisfy the urge for the last hour of light after school if I want.

[Steelhawk]

I really enjoyed the fishery. It is close by and productive. Nice for a change from the long drive and big fish.  
I would like the Coquitlam River to be stocked like before to take the pressure off Lafarge a bit. It is a river for the kids before and Lafarge is really for adults, too many adults and kids don't stand a chance there w/o being helped by an adult.
But I guess it is not going to happen.  
Another thing is that it will be nice to have a few more family fishing days so more people can participate.

I would also like to have more COs in plain clothes so they can go after the violaters and set some examples.

[bbronswyk2000]

I really enjoyed the fishery. It is close by and productive. Nice for a change from the long drive and big fish.  
I would like the Coquitlam River to be stocked like before to take the pressure off Lafarge a bit. It is a river for the kids before and Lafarge is really for adults, too many adults and kids don't stand a chance there w/o being helped by an adult.
But I guess it is not going to happen.  
Another thing is that it will be nice to have a few more family fishing days so more people can participate.

I would also like to have more COs in plain clothes so they can go after the violaters and set some examples.

You should also re read what Rodney wrote. They are not responsible for enforcement. What is so hard about giving proper feedback......

I have been to the lakes that were stocked on the island this year and what I like about them is the lack of people. What I would like to see is more signs. Signs with the exact regulations for the lake, also maybe some signs with proper etiquette. As well as reminding people to clean up after themselves. Maybe a 2 fish limit as well. A 2 fish limit should help keep some of those fish in the lake a little bit longer and maybe discourage some of the meat fishermen.

Dan if you want to visit some of the lakes I found on the island that have bigger fish just let me know. I found some beauty lakes out of the way with some BIG fish. I mean interior quality fish. 

[Rodney]

Thanks for the feedbacks so far.

Just to be clear, I'm not attempting to downplay the importance of enforcement, in fact I think it is one of the priorities like most believe. There are just countless threads on a lack of enforcement and due to the heated nature of the topic, it often overtakes the original discussion, which can be counter productive.

This thread is an opportunity for you to provide feedbacks on the products that you are paying for, so maybe you can get more out of the dollars that you spend on your licence in the future (not that BC anglers are not getting much value out of their licence, quite the opposite ).

Keep them coming.

[fish007]

I was out a few times at Green Timber targeting trout. Average stay 2-3 hours. Have not connected with my first one yet. I would  give more tries later if it is not raining and if there is no salmon opportunity in local rivers. I believe the catch limit is very important as the fishes might be alreay gone after some guys stay there and catch one after one, big or small.

[Geff_t]

I have fished a few of these lakes with my young son the past few years in Maple Ridge and what I would love to see is a lake with better access for kids. I would love to see a lake like Como or Lafarge out here. Mike and Rolley are ok if you have something to float around in but for kids and seniors these lakes just do not cut it. They should build something along the Albion flats.

[Funeral Of Hearts]

• The quality of your experience: Did you enjoy it? How do you measure that enjoyment (quantity of fish, size of fish, convenience/ability to do it often, etc)?

Yes i did enjoy it. Everyone who fishes loves to catch fish. As for the level of enjoyment it can get a little repetitive having the fish relatively the same size. I would love to see more of a mix of sizes. Some larger, some small. It makes things more exciting not knowing if you are going to catch "the big one". Obviously these lakes, as they are, don't need to be stocked with all large fish. But as they say, variety is the spice of life.
I think one of the most rewarding things about the program is that because the lakes are so accessible, I can take my daughter to the lake and she is able to catch fish. There is nothing better than seeing the  smile on her face as she reels in even a small fish.

• The stocking database: What is your preference? Having the information available instantly, or rather see the database updated on a weekly basis so there is a delay (by a few days) between the stockings and publishing.

I do like having the information available instantly, it does help in making a decision on what lake to go to. However, I can see the benefits of a delay, posting one a week. The fish may have more of a chance to settle in.  

• How often did you participate in these fisheries in 2009? How long is the average duration of your trips? Why do you participate in these fisheries (as opposed to salmon, sturgeon, etc)?

This year I have only been out a half dozen times to either como or lafarge. I usually go more but i was out of town for a year. The reason I participate in the fishery is it is local, it is a fishery that i can take my young daughter to, and it can be good fun especially if I have not been catching fish in different systems to have a day where I catch and release lots of fish.

• What else would you like to see being done in these fisheries so they would accommodate both new and experienced anglers more? eg. Perhaps an angling ambassador program, which involves volunteers to advise new anglers who are not as familiar with the do's and don`ts? Perhaps a prize or two for anglers?

I think events like the family fishing weekend are valuable. Education, in my mind is a powerful tool. I have talked to a lot of people who would love to go fishing but don`t have the tools, knowledge or guidance to do it. Even random information booths or volunteers at these lakes on sunny weekends might help attract more anglers.
In regards to prizes, why not tag a few fish and have them put in random lakes. If you catch a tagged fish and bring it in you can redeem it for a prize.

[HOOK]

I fish both Green Timbers (5mins from me) and Lafarge in the spring time. I really enjoy being able to go and catch some fish close to home   I never keep anything of course, mostly because i dont eat trout. I really like using these fish to hone my skills for when i head to the interior.

I wouldnt mind seeing bigger fish. I also wouldnt mind seeing more fish even if they are say 300-400 gram ones. little fish are still a riot on a 4wt   Big or small we should all enjoy whats there offered to us.

I would like to see the limits at all the urban lakes lowered to 2 like it will be April 1st 2010 at Green Timbers, hell even 1 per day(as its suggested there) would be even better for these lakes.

I have seen the CO's a few times at GT this spring alone and watched them hand out a bunch of fines   I would really like to stop seeing the guys that fill buckets of water and store fish ALIVE until they leave, sometimes taking as much as 20 fish   I know because i have dumped the buckets on them more then once  

in regards to having the updates quickly - i dont think it matters how fast they update their site Rodney because you post within a couple days and most people know to look here for local stocking reports anyhow   trust me i have asked people before how they knew. I wouldnt mind it if everyone waiting a week to post it up to give the fish time to residualize into the lake so they actually start feeding instead of gobbling up anything with scent cause they think its pellets.


My average stay can range from an hour to 6hrs or even more sometimes. depends on weather and if im catching fish or not.

[clarki]

I did not fish a stocked lake in the LM this year however I have two responses to your question:  What else would you like to see being done in these fisheries so they would accommodate both new and experienced anglers more? eg. Perhaps an angling ambassador program, which involves volunteers to advise new anglers who are not as familiar with the do's and don'ts? Perhaps a prize or two for anglers?
1. Enhance fisheries in hike-in only lakes, or at least lakes that aren't beside a road. I won't launch my tube to fish in an urban lake close to home but I will drive a spell to fish a more remote access lake. I realize that stocking a hike-in lake might be cost prohibitive

2. Tag a few stocked fish in each lake where the tag can be returned for a prize or an entry to a draw.

[Rodney]

Great feedbacks everyone. Funeral Of Hearts, pretty easy to tell that you are a teacher, just look at that Q&A layout in the post.

Interesting that a couple of people brought up the idea of having some tagged fish for prizes. This idea was suggested at our meeting a few days ago as a method to raise the FFSBC's profile because most anglers in fact do not know what the society does. In the end the conclusion was that the administration work would be quite overwhelming, but then last night I thought that it wouldn't hurt to start a small pilot program in the Lower Mainland to see if it would work. I'll make that suggestion again to see if something similar can be achieved in spring 2010.

Regarding having angling ambassadors who can walk around and educate new anglers, it is very difficult to recruit volunteers who have the time and dedication to do that. One idea that has been thrown around is that to get other urban lake stewardship groups involved as well when it comes to educating anglers on littering fishing lines, etc.

Something that I may do on this website next year is to have PDF files available to print out. Each PDF file would contain information on a specific lake fishery. New anglers can print it out and carry it on their trips. The sheet can also be passed onto others who are not as familiar with the fishery at the lake.

I brought up the need of signs at lakes, so generic regulations and perhaps even stocking archives are made available on the signs/bulletin. No definitive answers came out of that. Establishment of signs takes time, because it also involves each municipality or regional district where the lake is at.

Stocking fish at bigger average size is difficult to achieve due to financial constraint (feed costs money), time and hatchery space limitation. I agree that variation would be nice because a predictable fishery can become boring. In recent years however, there have been some small variations in the stockings for the four urban lakes (eg. large broods in Green Timbers and Lafarge). Bederko and a couple others on the forum work at the Fraser Valley Trout Hatchery, so they can talk more about this more in-depth.

Regarding better facilities (docks) / shore access at lakes east of Maple Ridge. I agree. That will take time but it'll happen I think. In the last couple of years a new dock has gone in at Lafarge, Rice Lake has replaced its floating dock to a better one, so it's only a matter of time before other popular lakes become more accommodating to kids and disabled anglers.

There hasn't been a lot of discussion on hike-in lakes / catch and release / quality fisheries in the Lower Mainland, but like I told Bryan, I'll bring that up when I have the opportunity (probably in January).

Anyway, keep them coming. It'd be nice to hear from some who just tried fishing for the first time at these lakes as well. The learning curve? Availability of information? Success rate?