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[Canadian Anglerz]

Morning All,

Read the regulations before starting to fish here in BC and thought I understood them until I started catching fish and everyone around me had a different version of the reg so hoping to get some clarifications.

1. What's the daily limit of stocked trout, if it different at every lake? 
- Conversations at the different lakes I been to: Deer Lake (Burnaby)-2 daily, Green Timber (Surrey)-2 daily, Lafarge (Coquitlam) -2 daily, Whonnock Lake (Maple Ridge)-4 daily.

2. Is there a min/max size on stocked trout?

3. If you want to keep the stocked trout, do you have to kill it immediately and no stringers are allowed?

Thanks everyone, I have heard some interesting understandings of the regulations and from a couple fishing outfitting stores also, asked the same questions and got 50 different answers, I just want to make sure I am by the book.

Cheers and tight lines,

[RalphH]

you need to read the general regulations for the Province, for the region you are fishing in and for any water body specific regulation listed in the synopsis.

So for Region 2 (Lower Mainland) the general retention regulation for trout and char is 4, 2 in streams which must be hatchery fish and only 1 over 20cm unless otherwise specified for a particular water

In streams the minimum size is 30 cm. There no minimum size in lakes unless otherwise specified for a particular water

Keeping fish alive on stringers isn't specifically mentioned though live wells or tanks are not allowed - you can't keep fish alive in a well or in a bucket or other container. That's to prevent transportation of fish from one body to another. 

[clarki]

Yes @Canadian Anglerz, it can be complicated! And sometimes, to further complicate matters, a body of water may also have municipal-specific rules not listed in the provincial synopsis.

For example, at Green Timbers Lake, which is an artificial man-made lake,  you are not permitted to wade in, or boat on, the water. At one point in time, you were also only permitted to use natural baits (worms/salmon eggs: yes, Powerbait: no) although I’m not sure if that’s still the case.

As complicated as the provincial synopsis is to understand, it’s worth the time to figure it out. With so many differing (and often incorrect) opinions out there, you don’t want to be on the wrong side of the law because some well-meaning, yet mis-informed person, steered you sideways. After you get some advice , always go back to the regs to double check what you were just told.

[DanL]

Keeping fish alive on stringers isn't specifically mentioned though live wells or tanks are not allowed - you can't keep fish alive in a well or in a bucket or other container.

Stringers are actually mentioned in the regs in the context of keeping live fish on them (ie dont do it) but since one is not allowed to have any live fish in their possession at all, it's kind of moot.

3. If you want to keep the stocked trout, do you have to kill it immediately and no stringers are allowed?

Basically any retained fish of any type has to be dispatched immediately, but then you can use all the stringers you want.

[RalphH]

Stringers are actually mentioned in the regs in the context of keeping live fish on them (ie dont do it) but since one is not allowed to have any live fish in their possession at all, it's kind of moot.

Basically any retained fish of any type has to be dispatched immediately, but then you can use all the stringers you want.

thanks. from page 8:

"Have any live fish in your possession  in the wild, or move any live fish or live aquatic invertebrates around the province, or transplant them into any waters of
B.C. Do not keep angled fish alive in a “livewell” or other device, or on stringers, and never use live fish as bait or release your aquarium fish to the wild. “High grading” is illegal."

... I've always thought of stringers as a kind of torture. If you are going to kill it to eat do it right away.

Yes @Canadian Anglerz, it can be complicated! And sometimes, to further complicate matters, a body of water may also have municipal-specific rules not listed in the provincial synopsis.



For example, at Green Timbers Lake, which is an artificial man-made lake,  you are not permitted to wade in, or boat on, the water. At one point in time, you were also only permitted to use natural baits (worms/salmon eggs: yes, Powerbait: no) although I’m not sure if that’s still the case.

.

By-laws like this are becoming more common so it's time for the Province to incorporate them into the regulations or declare them "ultra vires" (beyond their power to regulate) of local governments.